Is this poster appropriate to display in parish?

[desiringhim]

I came into full communion with the Catholic Church last year (praise God) from an evangelical Protestant background. Recently I walked into our parish for Sunday Mass and there were these posters everywhere from Scarboro Missions:

http://www.scarboromissions.ca/Golden_rule/images/large_golden_rule_poster.jpg

Basically it is teachings from all the major world religions and showing how in some sense they all have the same “golden rule.”

It strikes me as quite odd to have this sort of poster displayed in a Catholic church. I looked up Scarboro Missions and while I can’t find anything written about them indicating they are not an orthodox Catholic organization, I was troubled with some of the things I found on their website regarding “interfaith spirituality” and what appears to me as a promotion of new-age meditation, mantras, etc. They promote meditating on various texts and sayings of other religions as well.

Am I being over-reactionary or do you think I have a valid concern? These posters have been up for several weeks now and thus I can only assume they have the approval of our parish priest. Do I approach him, do I write the bishop, or do I let it go?

 

[pro_multis]

I don’t see anything wrong with this. I mean, JPII kissed the Koran, right?

 

[grace_singh]

the basic message of this poster, DesiringHim, is that all religions basically say the same thing in different ways, and that all ultimately spring from the same “light” or “circle” of “divine truth” of which each is a distinct yet equally true and valid “ray”.

that is not a Christian message at all, but a very un-Christian and obviously heretical one.

this poster gives the wrong impression as to where the cross stands in relation to other faiths, or religious symbols. the cross is not just a symbol of one option among many equally valid and honorable options. it is the symbol of the Only Way by which a man can be saved- Christ. through His atoning death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead.

it is a unique and narrow message that does not mix well with pluralism or universalism. i don’t much like the poster, and would share your alarm if i saw this in any Christian church.

 

[likuske]

good post. Well said!

 

[JReducation]

What do the captons actually say? I can’t read them from the post, because they are too tiny. If all they say is the Golden Rule in different traditions, but the same truth, then it’s not an affront to the Christian faith. If they conflict with the captions conflict with the Christian tradition, then there is a problem and the poster does not belong in a Catholic Church.

As Fr. Corapi said once, “There are Christian truths that have found their way to many faiths and philosophies and we must not be afraid of hearing them from different sources.” I’m saying once, because the program was aired about two weeks ago, but it may have been an older program. It was one of his conferences on the CCC.

He was making the point that salvation is available to those outside of the Catholic Church through the Church and how this is theologically possible. The point may apply to the poster, if we could see it better. The point was that truth is truth, no matter who says it and if it’s said by another faith, you will always be able to find it in the Church’s teachings. Meaning, that no one has a truth that we don’t already know and that we should not be offended if they share it.

Anyway, is there a site where this poster can be read more easily?

I would say this. If the poster is going to be disturbing to the parishioners, then it adds nothing to the parish and should be removed. If it teaches something good, let it stay up.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[JReducation]

I went to the site. I can’t read the poster itself, because the writing is too tiny on the internet. But I did fiind out that the poster is about a program that the missionaries have that promotes interfaith dialogue and that the program itself has the approval of the Vatican. The approval goes back to the early 20th century and up to the present. They are a canonically established missionary society with an education program on inter-faith dialogue. That’s what the poster is about, their inter-faith education program. In other words, it’s a form of marketing their education program. What they put on the poster is something that they found. They found that the golden rule exists in some 23 or so different religions around the world. They use this common point between these religious as the starting point of interfaith dialogue. The poster is not meant to offend and does not propose that Christianity is subordinate to any other faith. That’s not what it’s about. It is about the fact that there is a starting point in this education program, which is a shared belief in the Golden Rule.

I hope this little bit of information that I found is helpful in understanding the poster and its source.

What I believe happens with things like this is that someone puts it up because they find it attractive. But without an explanation about its background it can be disturbing to some people. Maybe you can suggest to the pastor or the person who put it up to have som flyers about the missionaries near the poster so that people can read about their work. Then they can connect the dots. Who knows, it may inspire some to become missionaries.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Looking_back]

And perhaps there are truths from other faiths that have found their way into Christian tradition as well.

 

[JReducation]

And perhaps there are truths from other faiths that have found their way into Christian tradition as well.

That is impossible. The fullness of truth subsists within the Catholic Church. There is no truth that is not already present in the Catholic faith.

It is possible for us to learn different customs and disciplines that will help us understand truth or methods that help us live it better. Customs and disciplines are not revealed truths but they can be of divine inspiration. God does not just inspire Christians on how to pray or how to live a better life, etc. God inspires all men to do this.

But the truth about God himself and about man has been fully revealed to the Church and has subsisted in the Church from the time of the Apostles.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[aspirant]

Basically it is teachings from all the major world religions and showing how in some sense they all have the same “golden rule.”

It’s true, most religions do have some variation of the “golden rule.” This common moral ground can be a place for interreligious dialogue and collaboration.

It strikes me as quite odd to have this sort of poster displayed in a Catholic church.

I don’t think so. In the words of Vatican II’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate: “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in [other] religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ ‘the way, the truth, and the life,’ in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself. The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these [non-Christian] men.”

What do the captons actually say? I can’t read them from the post, because they are too tiny. If all they say is the Golden Rule in different traditions, but the same truth, then it’s not an affront to the Christian faith.

I can make out a little of it. The Judaism section, for example, quotes Rabbi Hillel: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: this is the whole Torah, the rest is the commentary.” The Buddhism section quotes the Udānavarga: “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” Nothing in this is objectionable to the Catholic faith, in which Jesus teaches: “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” Similarly, Tobit says “Do to no one what you yourself dislike,” and Sirach “Recognize that your neighbor feels as you do, and keep in mind your own dislikes.”

As Fr. Corapi said once, “There are Christian truths that have found their way to many faiths and philosophies and we must not be afraid of hearing them from different sources.”

St. Augustine wrote: “A person who is a good and true Christian should realize that truth belongs to his Lord, wherever it is found, gathering and acknowledging it even in pagan literature.” Indeed, St. Paul quotes pagan literature to make points in his sermon in Acts 17.

 

[Holly3278]

the basic message of this poster, DesiringHim, is that all religions basically say the same thing in different ways, and that all ultimately spring from the same “light” or “circle” of “divine truth” of which each is a distinct yet equally true and valid “ray”.

that is not a Christian message at all, but a very un-Christian and obviously heretical one.

this poster gives the wrong impression as to where the cross stands in relation to other faiths, or religious symbols. the cross is not just a symbol of one option among many equally valid and honorable options. it is the symbol of the Only Way by which a man can be saved- Christ. through His atoning death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead.

it is a unique and narrow message that does not mix well with pluralism or universalism. i don’t much like the poster, and would share your alarm if i saw this in any Christian church.

But don’t just about all religions have some form of the Golden Rule?

 

[PlipPlop]

The golden rule. Is that not the basic moral founding of all moral traditions, all religion (barring, of course, fringe and LHP ones such as cargo cults and Satanism)? Is it not a good thing to cooperate with other faiths, to find out more about them, and so on, instead of living in fear of them and being angry at them?

Is it so terrible to admit that another religion may have something which you can learn from? That they may be moral as well?

I also feel sorry that you do not know what meditation is. It’s been around far longer than New Age, and will be around long after. The rosary is meditation. You know that don’t you?

Shouldn’t you consider other religions? If the Catholic religion is true and you know it, your faith is not in danger.

Imagine you’re in a room. It’s green. There’s a black door leading to a black room, a red door leading to a red room, and a white door leading to a white room. All your life you’ve thought God is in the green room, with you. That’s what your family says. That’s what your friends say. But if you do not look at the other rooms, how do you know? What if God is waiting for you in the red room? The least you could do is peek in. After all, it is God we are talking about here. If the red room is devoid of divinity, look at the white room, then the black room. If those do not have the same feeling, and you are absolutely sure that you feel divine presence in the green room - well, what have you lost? A bit of time. What have you gained? The absolute knowledge that God is, indeed, in the green room.

 

[JRKH]

And perhaps there are truths from other faiths that have found their way into Christian tradition as well.

I would word this somewhat differently.
It may be possible that other, and possibly older, traditions have hit upon certain central truths, such as the Golden rule.
It is also interesting that the largest, longest running, and most widespread faith traditions all seem to have their basis in “Love” since this is what the Golden Rule is about.

Having said all of that, even though I respect those faiths who hold “Love of God and Love of neighbor” as a core belief, I believe that it is Christ who, “put it all together”, and gave us the “fullness of Truth”.

Peace
James

 

[JRKH]

What do the captons actually say? I can’t read them from the post, because they are too tiny. If all they say is the Golden Rule in different traditions, but the same truth, then it’s not an affront to the Christian faith. If they conflict with the captions conflict with the Christian tradition, then there is a problem and the poster does not belong in a Catholic Church.

(Snip)

**Anyway, is there a site where this poster can be read more easily? **

I would say this. If the poster is going to be disturbing to the parishioners, then it adds nothing to the parish and should be removed. If it teaches something good, let it stay up.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

I found THIS PAGE on the Scarboro website.
Scanning through the captions I found nthing objectionable although if each is to be equated to the “Golden Rule” then there are a couple in there that are a stretch.

Peace
James

 

[JRKH]

But don’t just about all religions have some form of the Golden Rule?

All religions based on “Love” will have some form of this.
Those not based on Love will not.

Peace
James

 

[SunnaB16]

Theres a peculiar smell about that group, so i have to cautiously agree with OP and Grace and Co. The wording is "modernist" for a start. The fact that an organisation was OK 92 years ago doesnt mean it`s OK now.

Googling Professor Vincent Miller suggests that he`s not the most orthodox Catholic around…

 

[NeelyAnn]

Theres a peculiar smell about that group, so i have to cautiously agree with OP and Grace and Co. The wording is "modernist" for a start. The fact that an organisation was OK 92 years ago doesnt mean it`s OK now.

Googling Professor Vincent Miller suggests that he`s not the most orthodox Catholic around…

 

[desiringhim]

Is it not a good thing to cooperate with other faiths, to find out more about them, and so on, instead of living in fear of them and being angry at them?

I’m sorry if you discerned any fear or anger in my post. I spent 10+ years dabbling in various religions such as Buddhism and New Age spirituality before I converted to the Christian faith. My concern doesn’t have to do with cooperation with other faiths as much as the message the poster appears to be sending (Christianity is just one valid expression among equally valid expressions).

I also feel sorry that you do not know what meditation is. It’s been around far longer than New Age, and will be around long after. The rosary is meditation. You know that don’t you?

Meditating with the Rosary or by placing oneself in an event of Christ’s Passion - as St. Teresa of Avila often did - is something different than focusing that meditation on the various teachings and sayings of various world religions and their leaders. I am not so sure St. Paul or any of the great Saints did such a thing, much less recommended it (although I am open to correction).

the basic message of this poster, DesiringHim, is that all religions basically say the same thing in different ways, and that all ultimately spring from the same “light” or “circle” of “divine truth” of which each is a distinct yet equally true and valid “ray”.

that is not a Christian message at all, but a very un-Christian and obviously heretical one.

this poster gives the wrong impression as to where the cross stands in relation to other faiths, or religious symbols.

That was my impression as well.

 

[aspirant]

My concern doesn’t have to do with cooperation with other faiths as much as the message the poster appears to be sending (Christianity is just one valid expression among equally valid expressions).

We should be careful not to read more into the poster than warranted. Nothing that I see on the poster itself is objectionable, and I doubt “Christianity is just one valid expression among equally valid expressions” was the intention of the person(s) who placed it in the parish. This is probably a good occasion for following regarding rash judgmentCatechism.

 

[novaslasher]

We should be careful not to read more into the poster than warranted. Nothing that I see on the poster itself is objectionable, and I doubt “Christianity is just one valid expression among equally valid expressions” was the intention of the person(s) who placed it in the parish. This is probably a good occasion for following the advice of the Catechism regarding rash judgment.

If the text in the poster simply demonstrates that those various religions all have the golden rule, then it is not heretical and can have a place in certain contexts (say, an interfaith conference).

I don’t think a parish church is an appropriate context for this poster. Indifferentism (the belief that any particular religion or denomination is just as good as another) is a common belief among those with weak faith. As a teen, I didn’t believe Catholicism was any better than any other religion. Seeing this poster in my parish church would have confirmed in my mind that the Church equates itself with other religions (notice the cross is given the same space in the poster as all the other religious symbols) and isn’t particularly special since they all share a common moral foundation (and the golden rule is often as far as secular society goes with a moral code since it isn’t commonly thought to affect moral rules like sexual mores).

I think its inappropriate, but good luck convincing the parish to take it down. The poster is not intrinsically heretical, and it fits the spirit of the times.

 

[aspirant]

If the text in the poster simply demonstrates that those various religions all have the golden rule

As I mentioned before, I can make out a little of it. The Judaism section, for example, quotes Rabbi Hillel: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: this is the whole Torah, the rest is the commentary.” The Buddhism section quotes the Udānavarga: “Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” Nothing in this is objectionable to the Catholic faith.

I don’t think a parish church is an appropriate context for this poster.

I don’t agree, since “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in [other] religions… The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these [non-Christian] men.” This poster seems a good example of recognizing, preserving and promoting the good things, especially good moral teaching, found among non-Christians.

As a teen, I didn’t believe Catholicism was any better than any other religion. Seeing this poster in my parish church would have confirmed in my mind that the Church equates itself with other religions…

This doesn’t suggest that it’s wrong to have the poster so much as it speaks to the fact that you were, as a young person, unaware what the Church really teaches. The best way to fix that is not to remove the poster, but to educate Catholics regarding Church teaching. Abusus non tollit usum. Some people misread the Bible. The solution is not to chuck the Bible, but to educate the people about correct interpretation.