E
estesbob
Guest
So basically Catholicism needs to become protestant. I think not.LIBERAL CATHOLICISM WILL WIN OUT
I would rather avoid the word liberal because it can be a loaded term that attracts or repels without free discussion.
Catholicism is at the crossroads. It can hold fast to old traditions and gradually die off because it increasingly alienates those who are well-educated and think for themselves. Or, it can make adjustments to the world as it is. This isn’t compromise. It is the sort of flexibility that will keep the Church alive. Otherwise it will eventually become a relic of medievalism.
There are some wonderful progressive forces within Catholicism. I saw Colman McCarthy the other day on C-Span. Superb and saintly man. I read Commonweal and other periodicals that speak for those within the Church who value the free mind and pay less attention to petty issues of theology - how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
What needs to be done? Basically, Catholicism need to adopt a ‘big-tent’ approach. Who really knows and understands all the mysteries of the world? None of us. Forgive me, but not even any Pope. The Church needs to permit different viewpoints. For example, I can’t believe in the traditional view of communion - transubstantiation, bread and wine becoming flesh and blood of Christ. The medieval mind had no problem with it. It also was quick to accept ghosts, witches and such. Some of the miracles attributed to Jesus and Mary are - sorry - doubtful at best. Why does the Church insist that every good Catholic accepts all these debatable doctrines?
And the same is true re some practices. The required celibacy of priests is against the first commandment: be fruitful and multiply. Why rob healthy, normal men of healthy, normal relationships? And eventually we need to have women priests, regardless of what Benedict XVI recently stated.
The spirit of democracy is consistent with the modern mind. The Church had better recognize this and respond with major changes or it will die. Oh, I know. Most of you are convinced that God won’t let that happen. Don’t be so sure. If the Church can’t bring itself to make necessary adjustments God can choose other ways to do his will.