Good Goats - Healing our Image with God

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uglygal

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I just read this book by Dennis Linn and I loved it … but, isn’t the position on hell, universal salvation and divine justice portrayed in the book heretical according to catholic belief?

The book is christian and makes references from various catholic and orthodox saints / writers / theologians / beliefs etc and is approved by the Society of Jesus - but the God spoken in the book is so completely different to the god of christianity (catholicism) I have always known and been educated about - that hell doesn’t exist as is popularly thought, the hell may be not eternal, universal salvation for everyone, that most people will go to heaven (despite saints like St Leonard, St Bernard etc basically saying out of 50,000 people only 3-4 will get to heaven the rest will go to hell)

Is this book catholic / not considered heresy by the catholic church? It’s a lovely book but the god spoken about in the book does not seem like the catholic / christian god at all?

Anyone read it and know?
 
My Dear Child,

I have read the book many, many years ago and from what I remember, it was a delightful look from one person’s perspective, a gentle, reasonable look.

Heresay is SUCH A STRONG WORD. In reading many of your posts, it appears that extremes are a part of your nature now. As you learn more and become more familiar with the gentleness of Christ and his Church, it will become easier.

Being a conservative, practicing Catholic, I read many, many articles and books on a wide range of topics. Based on my beliefs, I take content for what it is, and is not.

I do not take all readings as a model to counter my faith with, but merely another view. I know where my heart is, and that is with the Trinity.

May peace be with you.
 
Heresy is a strong word? Then why is it used so much?

For example - immaculata-one.com - a catholic website
*
Important note: If a Bishop, Priest, or Catholic lay person speaks against the Dogma of the Faith contained in this
web-site he is contributing to the eternal damnation of your immortal soul. Sadly, this is prevalent in
our era, and those (who think they are Catholic) who commit this sin are headed for Hell with all the non-Catholics.

Denying any of the Dogmas of the Church, regardless of the person’s state, causes their soul to be automatically removed
from the Catholic Church with loss of their office, for heresy, in accordance with the Canon Law Codes of 1917 and 1983.

One can be returned to the Roman Catholic Church after confessing their heresy. If someone publicly promulgates
heresy, the heresy must also be publicly retracted, to undo the damage that was done to souls.*

and

All of judaism is simply a prophesy and a foreshadowing of the Roman Catholic Church …
therefore those who die thinking they are jewish will descend into Hell.
The Kingdom of David, expanded across all nations is the Roman Catholic Church.

Is the position in this book heretical or not?
 
I’m asking particularly because the teaching forwarded on hell makes much sense to me - an eternity of suffering does not heal sin and hurt but love can and does. In other words, pain breeds pain, sin breeds sin, suffering breeds misery - but love brings forth peace and healing.
 
One thing I noticed about this book is its conspicuous lack of an Impramatur though it contains an Imprimi Potest. I have been reading this book and it does not so far appear to be consistent at all with the constant teaching of the Church. I find it disturbing that this book is for kids with numerous illustrations of goats happily playing with sheep although our Lord taught that the sheep and the goats would be separated. The authors were well aware of the connection I am making to our Lord’s teaching about the sheep and goats since they dedicate the book to anyone whover felt like a bad goat deserving of damnation after quoting the gospel on this. The book relies heavily on non-Catholic and Protestant sources and sounds in tone and in spirit the same as any anti-Catholic literature.

Patrissimo
 
uglygal said:
I’m asking particularly because the teaching forwarded on hell makes much sense to me - an eternity of suffering does not heal sin and hurt but love can and does. In other words, pain breeds pain, sin breeds sin, suffering breeds misery - but love brings forth peace and healing.
Click to expand...
I think that this writing and thinking is very humanistic which puts a person right in the line of wrong understanding.

Jesus tells us that heaven is within you, well if heaven is not in the person, then what is there? of course it is hell.

Heaven is a process of spiritual relating, in giving ALL rights of Loving, teaching love, and giving love over to God. God wants all to be with Him in heaven but he also knows that this is not possible, since many wish to be in hell, for instance those who give themself over to satin.

To say that “pain breads pain” can be a statement of wrong teaching, Jesus taught that pain FOR RIGHTSIOUSNESS is Godly, (blessed are those who suffer now, Matt 5, the beatitudes ) You say "an eternaty of suffering does not heal sin and of corse you are right IF you are thinking of those who have died IN MORTAL SIN. It is their own desire to not ask God for forgiveness.
Sure sin breads sin, and we all know this from Adam and Eve, and here is the crux of it all since we all know (but some do not accept) that Jesus Christ is the only person who our sins can be cleaned through. Jesus to Peter " I give to you the keys to the kingdom of heaven " and also "the gates of hell WILL NOT have power against it.

You say “suffering breeds misery”, for the person who thinks and responds humanisticly you ae right. BUT for the one who’s heart is as the heart of Jesus then suffering is seen felt and taken as the love of Jesus asking “come will you take this cross”. It is that desire by Jesus to ask that person to draw nearer to the heart of Jesus partake in the carrieing of the cross, “take up your cross and follow me” in which ever way Jesus askes, NOT how we might think.

“love brings forth peace and healing” and this is right when the heart is akin to Jesus. When a person is in their comfort zone then love will usually come only when all is fine around them. Should the adverse wind blow then where will that person be?
I hope this gives some light?

Godbless
 
If this book is not orthodox catholic teaching - why is that? It was given and recommended to me by a Benedictine nun. Was this nun wrong in giving it to me 🤷 and if it is, why would a nun give me material that is not accurate about catholic faith?
 
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