Anthropology

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Pax! I was asked to lead a (not too intelectual) discussion with some people (it was ok to use Powerpoint). They are non-Catholic (as I am too but I at least try to become a Catholic). How do I introduce Catholic Anthropology to them?
 
henrikhank said:
Pax! I was asked to lead a (not too intelectual) discussion with some people (it was ok to use Powerpoint). They are non-Catholic (as I am too but I at least try to become a Catholic). How do I introduce Catholic Anthropology to them?
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I think I may be able to help you. However, anthropology is a natural science. Thus, there is no religious designation to it. Currently, there is paleoanthropology which goes way, way back in time. Anthropology itself has a number of sections like cultural, etc. I am not familiar with these. I am familiar with paleoanthropology.

May I ask if you have an information goal of some kind? What is it about anthropology which would connect it to Catholicism? The media likes to talk about Neanderthals which would come under paleoanthropology. You could use both Google and Wikipedia to get general information as a foundation and from there examine Catholic teachings on human origin and human nature or on anything which you find interesting.

If you will share some of your ideas, I will do my best to connect science and faith in a friendly way without a lot of theology. By the way, I am an older than dirt granny which has no clue about Powerpoint.😊
 
In Introduction to Christianity by Fr. Ratzinger (Benedict XVI), pp. 210-212, older edition p.155, close to that

Jesus is truly man and God.

As man he completes or fulfills human nature.

We should look to Him as to just how beautiful and good human love can be.
  1. Is He not the most human of men, the fulfillment of the whole concept of humanity?
  2. Is it then permissible to resolve Christology into theology?
  3. Must we not much rather claim enthusiastically as a man, and treat Christology as humanism and anthropology”
  4. Or should the real man, precisely because He is wholly and properly such, be God, and God be the real man?
  5. Ought it to be possible that the most radical humanism and faith in the God Who reveals Himself here meet and even merge?
    BUT IT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGES NO LESS RESOLUTELY THAT IN THE RADICALITY OF HIS SERVICE JESUS IS THE MOST HUMAN OF MEN, THE TRUE MAN, AND IT THUS SUBSCRIBES TO THE IDENTITY OF THEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY, AN IDENTITY IN WHICH EVER SINCE THEN THE TRULY EXCITING PART OF THE CHRIST-IAN FAITH HAS RESIDED
 
I’m not aware of Catholic anthropology. If you find any writings along this line, I’d like to know about them. Thanks.

My understanding is that most anthropologists are cultural relativists, and therefore take a skeptical view of any objectivity in religion, preferring to rate religion as magical thinking that belongs to primitive societies and has somehow (magically) lasted until now, but with little prospect of lasting much longer.

I think many anthropologists would see the Eucharistic sacrifice as especially bound up in magical thinking, so I don’t expect to hear much warm applause from such an audience if you treat Catholicism as anything but magical thinking on a grand scale.
 
I am sure you are more or less correct!

The Pope may have been speaking as anthropology inside the theology of the Catholic Church.

Also, I am sure that professional anthropologist have religious connections–they go to synagogue, temples, mosques and even churches. Whether their professions allow it or not, then you again are correct.

**I am not disagreeing with you. You have always helped my learning.

Oh, this is from wikipedia
**

Christian anthropology in the context of Christian theology, theological anthropology refers to the study of the human (“anthropology”) as it relates to God. It differs from the social science of anthropology, which primarily deals with the comparative study of the physical and social characteristics of humanity across times and places.
One aspect studies the innate nature or constitution of the human, known as the nature of humankind. It is concerned with the relationship between notions such as body, soul and spirit which together form a person, based on their descriptions in the Bible. There are three traditional views of the human constitution – trichotomism, dichotomism and monism (in the sense of anthropology).[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_anthropology#cite_note-1
 
Jim_Baur said:
I am sure you are more or less correct!

The Pope may have been speaking as anthropology inside the theology of the Catholic Church.

Also, I am sure that professional anthropologist have religious connections–they go to synagogue, temples, mosques and even churches. Whether their professions allow it or not, then you again are correct.

I am not disagreeing with you. You have always helped my learning.

Oh, this is from wikipedia

Christian anthropology in the context of Christian theology, theological anthropology refers to the study of the human (“anthropology”) as it relates to God. It differs from the social science of anthropology, which primarily deals with the comparative study of the physical and social characteristics of humanity across times and places.
One aspect studies the innate nature or constitution of the human, known as the nature of humankind. It is concerned with the relationship between notions such as body, soul and spirit which together form a person, based on their descriptions in the Bible. There are three traditional views of the human constitution – trichotomism, dichotomism and monism (in the sense of anthropology).[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_anthropology#cite_note-1
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Those “three traditional views of the human condition” may be Christian, but they did not sound like basic Catholicism to me. However, since I prefer paleoanthropology, I better stay out of these highly educated discussions.:o
 
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