Is still important some kind of Index Librorum Prohibitorum?

[Archedreamer]

Hi everybody!

It is a dobut that I have since I have begin college. I am student in a catholic university where I have a really good catholic paideia, but I am also a bibliophile and I also read from many sources that are usually not-catholic. I have not more care than put the Bible and the Catholic teaching upon all that I can read.

Is it okey or I should have any guide? I am specially sensible to those disasters that the hybris of the ideas have had.

Take care everyone!

 

[petrel]

Im assuming English is your second language. I had a little trouble following you but I guess the gist of your question is whether it is OK to read books which might be on the Index of Forbidden books still existed.

I think this is an excellent question. And I believe that the answer is NO, it is not.
Although the Index is no longer enforced by the Inquisition and is no longer updated or maintained, it nevertheless still holds its moral force. It’s remarkable really. We associate the Index with mediaeval history but in fact the last book was placed on the list as late as 1959 and the Index was still in operation until 1965. Therefore there is a great deal of currency which can be derived from the Index for those who have a heart to follow the Church’s injunctions.

Further to that there are a great many publications on theological matters which are given an imprimatur which vouches for the their safety.

Most Catholics do not appreciate the dangers of listening to, or reading, heretical or harmful material. With our great pride we reckon that we can expose ourselves to any harmful theory or teaching and no harm will come to us. Such is not the case. We have a g eneration of young people who have gone astray because they have read anti-church, anti-God, anti-scripture material in the High schools and especially in the Universities.

Therefore we have to be humble like little children and jealously guard our innocence by avoiding these dangerous ideas and heresies which threaten to overthrow our faith.

 

[Tridentinum]

Im assuming English is your second language. I had a little trouble following you but I guess the gist of your question is whether it is OK to read books which might be on the Index of Forbidden books still existed.

I think this is an excellent question. And I believe that the answer is NO, it is not.
Although the Index is no longer enforced by the Inquisition and is no longer updated or maintained, it nevertheless still holds its moral force. It’s remarkable really. We associate the Index with mediaeval history but in fact the last book was placed on the list as late as 1959 and the Index was still in operation until 1965. Therefore there is a great deal of currency which can be derived from the Index for those who have a heart to follow the Church’s injunctions.

Further to that there are a great many publications on theological matters which are given an imprimatur which vouches for the their safety.

Most Catholics do not appreciate the dangers of listening to, or reading, heretical or harmful material. With our great pride we reckon that we can expose ourselves to any harmful theory or teaching and no harm will come to us. Such is not the case. We have a g eneration of young people who have gone astray because they have read anti-church, anti-God, anti-scripture material in the High schools and especially in the Universities.

Therefore we have to be humble like little children and jealously guard our innocence by avoiding these dangerous ideas and heresies which threaten to overthrow our faith.

This. Best answer.

 

[Holly3278]

Where on the Vatican site can one find that list?

 

[Al_Moritz]

Im assuming English is your second language. I had a little trouble following you but I guess the gist of your question is whether it is OK to read books which might be on the Index of Forbidden books still existed.

I think this is an excellent question. And I believe that the answer is NO, it is not.
Although the Index is no longer enforced by the Inquisition and is no longer updated or maintained, it nevertheless still holds its moral force. It’s remarkable really. We associate the Index with mediaeval history but in fact the last book was placed on the list as late as 1959 and the Index was still in operation until 1965. Therefore there is a great deal of currency which can be derived from the Index for those who have a heart to follow the Church’s injunctions.

Further to that there are a great many publications on theological matters which are given an imprimatur which vouches for the their safety.

Most Catholics do not appreciate the dangers of listening to, or reading, heretical or harmful material. With our great pride we reckon that we can expose ourselves to any harmful theory or teaching and no harm will come to us. Such is not the case. We have a g eneration of young people who have gone astray because they have read anti-church, anti-God, anti-scripture material in the High schools and especially in the Universities.

Therefore we have to be humble like little children and jealously guard our innocence by avoiding these dangerous ideas and heresies which threaten to overthrow our faith.

I disagree. In the modern secular environment you can hardly avoid the anti-faith stuff, and if you shut yourself off, you might be hit one day anyway and, naively uninformed as you are, lose your faith then.

It is important to inform yourself about philosophy and science, in order to be able to have your faith on firm intellectual footing (by the way, the Church rejects fideism), but by doing that you cannot avoid reading problematic sources – they may even appear problematic when they are not intended as such, e.g. certain findings of science that really are neutral in world view (but you have to be informed about both philosophy and science to know that).

What is important though is that you care being always informed about the Catholic view on things as well, and build your intellectual grounding from there.

Also, when you are interested in discussing with atheists, you have to have read a lot of the problematic literature. I for example have read Dawkins’ The God Delusion which is a ridiculous book, but I only was able to recognize that it is because I know a lot about philosophy – others who are less informed will be vulnerable. In fact, studying all the arguments for naturalism has now strengthened my faith, which I am grateful for.

 

[Alberti_Devoveo]

If you, like Al, can find the errors in the books that are included (or ought to be included) in the Librorum Prohibitorum, by all means read the books as it will help you argue against them better.

If you cannot find the reason (or reasons) why a certain book on the list is prohibited, you probably should not read it.

 

[Archedreamer]

That is one of the primal dilemmas… what to do? Close us to the World and let God or close us to God and let the World? I cannot have an authentic connection with the other people if I don’t put in my spirit that which is in their… on the other side… how can I have a real communion with God if I put the World in my soul (or in my ideas)?

Maybe the answers is in the exemple of Christ? I think that prostration is maybe the only way to be with God and with the World at the same time… towards that problematic which we can have… we must to prostrate… then we will be like the authentic serf who diligently acts… If towards a phenomenon we prostrate then we will be able to see, working had, that key which can relink the World and God… that is the premise of realism, the school of Aquinas… don’t we say that God is real? So we should not have fear descending to Hell (atheism)… but we must be authentic for that…

it is just something I think

 

[KostyaJMJ]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

Many of the books listed on the Index are completely unremarkable and forgotten except for being placed on the Index. Any attempt to silence a view point would likely only lead to more notoriety and more book sales.

Also, many of the books on the index are now considered masterpieces of literature or important works of philosophy. Would you want Catholics to not be able to read “Les Miserable” or “The Three Musketeers”, or not be able to study the works of David Hume or René Descartes?