Opinions and morality

[edwest2]

Too often, people believe the opinions of others without determining if they have any basis in fact. Everyone’s opinion is not equal. Some opinions are false, some are lies. For Christians, we need to remember, with wisdom get understanding. As we learn about God and how He established the way we should live and we strive to be obedient, He wants us to understand why we should do these things.

Our understanding helps us to realize what is right and wrong. So while we listen to the opinions of others, we can more clearly see the rightness or wrongness of it.

My brothers and sisters, do not be deceived. On the internet especially, too many promote, knowingly and unknowingly, false and misleading ideas. There are those who don’t know any better and there are those who are purposely malicious toward all belief. Point out the error, politely. Avoid those who stubbornly ignore appropriate words that are true. Clearly identify your sources of information. Study what the Church teaches about issues of the day. Too many, armed only with anger and/or resentment, want to lash out, especially on the internet. Too many want to promote immoral living as normal. Repeat what the Church teaches. Set the good example. If even one person reconsiders, it is worth the time and effort.

Dysfunctional is the model for living presented by all media and many celebrities. Ignore it and pray to God that their hearts be converted. If any civilization or people would call themselves civilized then they need to be civil toward others.

One way tolerance is just another way of saying “approve of my sin.” Do not tolerate sin. Do not tolerate the wrong words being written. Write the truth. Speak the truth.

God bless,
Ed

 

[Ron_Conte]

Among those persons who believe and practice the Catholic Christian Faith, there are some erroneous opinions, but there is also some faithful disagreements, some faithful differences of opinion. Not every opinion is either clearly false or clearly true.

Also among theologians who are faithful to Church teaching, there are a number of open theological questions, where it is not clear whose opinion is correct. The faithful are free to hold different opinions on open questions, where the teaching of Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium is not clear.

 

[edwest2]

Vagueness is not a goal. Honest disagreements need to be investigated by talking to a priest. Catholics need to to address issues and rely on their discernment. I can think of no current issue that has not been addressed by the Church. Most current issues are just repeats of past problems. There is little new. In fact, very little has changed.

God bless,
Ed

 

[Ron_Conte]

open theological questions:

whether the Church has the authority to ordain women to the deaconate

which papal statements (in addition to the ones one the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption) fall under infallibility

whether canonizations fall under papal infallibility

which Church teachings fall under the infallible universal Magisterium, and which under the non-infallible non-irreformable ordinary Magisterium

whether the prologues of Sirach and Lamenations are part of infallible Sacred Scripture

which wars are just and which are unjust, and under which conditions

whether the death penalty is moral in the particular circumstances of the U.S. (or any other nation) at this point in time

There are many open questions in theology today. It is not always clear if a teaching is infallible or non-infallible, or if it is non-infallible or theological opinion. Moral theologians do not agree on every question of Catholic ethics, nor do other theologians agree on every question of Catholic theology. The Bishops are not in agreement on every answer to every question.

 

[Newbie2]

Too often, people believe the opinions of others without determining if they have any basis in fact. Everyone’s opinion is not equal. Some opinions are false, some are lies.

No, the opinons are not false, as long as they are expressed as opinions and not fact; they may express or be based on a falsehood, as you correctly state in your first sentence, but this has no bearing on their status as opinons.

Opinions also are not lies, unless someone is lying about their opinion.

Furthermore, Opinions are like rear ends…everyone has one.