How does the Catholic Church deal with Islam?

[AgnosTheist]

I’m confused: How does the Roman Catholic Church officially deal with Islam?

Confusing.

• Pope John Paul kissed the Quran and Yet the RCC’s official Encyclopedia website refers to Muslims and Islam with what muslims consider as derogatory terms: “Mohammedanism” & “Mohammedans”.

newadvent.org/cathen/10424a.htm

Evangelicals have this great anti-Islam website:

answering-islam.org/about.html

What does the RCC have?

The Famous RCC book: Surprised By Truth 1 & 2, doesnt have an ex-muslim in it?

How does the Catholic Church deal with Islam?

 

[Mirdath]

Officially – quite nicely. Nostra Aetate:

*The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth,(5) who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.

Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.*

The Catholic Encyclopedia is actually pretty old, dating from 1917, so that’d be why it uses terms now considered derogatory.

 

[AgnosTheist]

How does the Roman Catholic Church see Mohammad and Islam?

The Catholic Encyclopedia is actually pretty old, dating from 1917, so that’d be why it uses terms now considered derogatory.

Nowadays it would have been pretty simply to run a ‘cut & replace’ routine to change ‘Mohammedans’ into ‘Muslims’, and ‘Mohammedanism’ into ‘Islam’.

 

[Mirdath]

How does the Roman Catholic Church see Mohammad and Islam?

The Church claims to possess fullness of Truth, but regards other religions as being attempts in good faith to reach that Truth; however, they only possess part of it.

Nowadays it would have been pretty simply to run a ‘cut & replace’ routine to change ‘Mohammedans’ into ‘Muslims’, and ‘Mohammedanism’ into ‘Islam’.

It would; however, the goal of the project was to get the work online and searchable in its original form, not to update it to current standards. Considering it’s a reference book, not a performance of The Mikado (in which a couple lines of the Lord High Executioner’s ‘little list’ patter-song are generally replaced to avoid using the n-word), the desire to preserve the original form without editing anything is understandable.

 

[AgnosTheist]

The Church claims to possess fullness of Truth, but regards other religions as being attempts in good faith to reach that Truth; however, they only possess part of it.

So was Mohammad really a prophet in the eyes of the Church?

the desire to preserve the original form without editing anything is understandable.

I disagree. References undergo editions all the time to make it more up to date. Especially if the reference is to be used publicly, internationally. And that reference had been in use online for nearly 10 years now.

I see no excuse there, unless there is an underlying motive to subtly discredit islam.

 

[JimG]

The New Advent site gives the following reason for use of the 1913 version of the Catholic Encyclopedia:
Knight chose the 1913 15-volume set because the later editions are still under copyright protection. Not only is the 1913 version in the public domain, but it is also thought by many to be the superior version. It covers topics both religious and secular, from a uniquely Catholic perspective. Although 84 years old, readers will find the information solid, surprisingly relevant, and eternally valuable.
Source: newadvent.org/cathen/00002a.htm

 

[chris_molter]

So was Mohammad really a prophet in the eyes of the Church?

No. However, Islam, like all non-Catholic religions, does contain SOME truth (insofar as it agrees with Catholicism).

I disagree. References undergo editions all the time to make it more up to date. Especially if the reference is to be used publicly, internationally. And that reference had been in use online for nearly 10 years now.

I see no excuse there, unless there is an underlying motive to subtly discredit islam.

Well, I’m not sure how a project to bring an old and outdated encyclopedia online equals a secret plot to discredit Islam (as though Islam needs US to discredit it. Many Muslims do a fine job of doing so themselves). Perhaps you can let the Vatican know you’re interested in updating the old C.E. I’d love to have a modernized version!