Papal Letter Blames Atheism for World's Worst Woes

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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, in a new encyclical released on Friday, said atheism was responsible for some of the “greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice” in history.
The 75-page “Spe Salvi,” which takes its Latin title from a quote by St Paul (in hope we were saved), is an appeal to a pessimistic world to find strength in Christian hope.

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I haven’t read the encyclical yet.
 
Pope Benedict XVI strongly criticized modern-day atheism in a major document released today, saying it had led to some of the “greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice” ever known to mankind.
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But in his second encyclical, Benedict also critically questioned modern Christianity, saying its focus on individual salvation had ignored Jesus’ message that true Christian hope involves salvation for all.
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“Saved by Hope” is a deeply theological exploration of Christian hope in the afterlife - that in the suffering and misery of daily life, Christianity provides the faithful with a “journey of hope” to the Kingdom of God.
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| STORY |
 
Pope pens new hymn to Mary in “Saved by Hope”
Vatican City, Nov 30, 2007 / 10:43 am (CNA).- At the conclusion of his encyclical released today, Pope Benedict honored Mary as our model of hope and asked for her intercession in showing us the way to the Father.
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Using a title for Mary used for over a thousand years, the Holy Father explained how the “Star of the Sea” is our model for hope on our earthly journey. He described the dark, turbulent waters that we face in life and the need to have a star as a guide to follow the route.
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“Certainly, Jesus Christ is the true light, the sun that has risen above all the shadows of history. But to reach him we also need lights close by – people who shine with his light and so guide us along our way. Who more than Mary could be a star of hope for us?”
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Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope)
November 30, 2007 - By Pope Benedict XVI
ENCYCLICAL LETTER SPE SALVI OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI TO THE BISHOPS PRIESTS AND DEACONS MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL ON CHRISTIAN HOPE
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Introduction
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  1. “SPE SALVI facti sumus”—in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24). According to the Christian faith, “redemption”—salvation—is not simply a given. Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey.
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Now the question immediately arises: what sort of hope could ever justify the statement that, on the basis of that hope and simply because it exists, we are redeemed? And what sort of certainty is involved here?
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bones_IV said:
The 75-page “Spe Salvi,”…
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Hopefully, they have smaller pages than I do. When I printed it off, it was only 26 pages. I hope I’m not missing any… 🙂

(author’s note: I’m not sure the use of the word “hope” in the above post was theologically precise. I will let you know for sure after I read the encyclical.)

🙂
 
The encyclical is detailed and erudite in standard German academic form. Sound bites I have read in the press are (as usual) superficial. It goes much more deeply than simply “blaming atheism for the world’s worst woes,” which is a typical sound bite.
 
OriginalJS said:
The encyclical is detailed and erudite in standard German academic form. Sound bites I have read in the press are (as usual) superficial. It goes much more deeply than simply “blaming atheism for the world’s worst woes,” which is a typical sound bite.
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Yeah, having read that part (in English, anyway) it’s much less blasting atheism and much more a kind of sad ‘guys, guys… it just doesn’t work that way’. In a certain way, Benedict’s right: people setting themselves up as supreme judges has led to horror and atrocity. However, he is mistaken in laying that error entirely on the doorstep of atheism: people can profess their faith quite loudly and still answer to no higher authority than themselves, and this has been repeated in history time and time again with no better result than when an unbeliever tries it.
 
Mirdath said:
Yeah, having read that part (in English, anyway) it’s much less blasting atheism and much more a kind of sad ‘guys, guys… it just doesn’t work that way’. In a certain way, Benedict’s right: people setting themselves up as supreme judges has led to horror and atrocity. However, he is mistaken in laying that error entirely on the doorstep of atheism: people can profess their faith quite loudly and still answer to no higher authority than themselves, and this has been repeated in history time and time again with no better result than when an unbeliever tries it.
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I agree. Look at what is going on with the schoolteacher in Sudan who allowed students in a private school to name a teddy bear Mohammed. The religious there want her executed by firing squad for violating a cultural norm.
 
Mirdath said:
However, he is mistaken in laying that error entirely on the doorstep of atheism…
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If Benedict XVI actually laid the error “entirely on the doorstep of atheism,” you’d have a much stronger point.

– Mark L. Chance.
 
mlchance said:
If Benedict XVI actually laid the error “entirely on the doorstep of atheism,” you’d have a much stronger point.
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Benedict: Since there is no God to create justice, it seems man himself is now called to establish justice. If in the face of this world’s suffering, protest against God is understandable, the claim that humanity can and must do what no God actually does or is able to do is both presumptuous and intrinsically false.
 
Mirdath said:
Benedict: Since there is no God to create justice, it seems man himself is now called to establish justice. If in the face of this world’s suffering, protest against God is understandable, the claim that humanity can and must do what no God actually does or is able to do is both presumptuous and intrinsically false.
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Precisely correct, and Benedict XVI isn’t laying the error “entirely on the doorstep of atheism.” Anyone with a passing familiarity of the vast corpus of his work would be well aware of this fact.

– Mark L. Chance.
 
I suggest reading “Architects of the Culture of Death.” It is a compilation of the biographies of people, influential people who have shaped the culture of death.

I read about three bios, and plan to finish it, as I should have when I started it. It is very well written.

There are many encyclicals I need to read.

I love our Pope. I believe he is a warrior against Satin. He is a General-- Everything he says is stragegized. He is a genius and I am very glad He has brought aethism to the fore. It is a willful choice to reject the existence of God.

Need to read it, I pray that I do. :knight2:
 
julie_ann_marie said:
I love our Pope. I believe he is a warrior against Satin. He is a General-- Everything he says is stragegized. He is a genius and I am very glad He has brought aethism to the fore. It is a willful choice to reject the existence of God.
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When did inaction become active rejection?
 
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