superstition

[Montie_Claunch]

I am reading “How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization” and was just wondering about if it was really as thinking as it was how did the “Catholic Superstitions” come about (either in reality or just in the popular mind of todays culture)? Just to lead the conversation in what I mean I will give a few examples. A Phil. Teacher I had last semester was talking to the class how the Catholic Church taught that when a cannon fired the Ball would fly in a straight line then fall straight down then somehow stop and go forward again and hit what it hit. Also, geocentricism, whitch hunts, so on and so forth.
Where such things (not just the above mentioned) things dogmas (teachings or whatever) (and if so why/How?) or where they “Dogmas” that where retreoactivly placed there by certain people?
Tell me if this is confusing and I will try and explain what has my mind boggleing (so we’re talking about the same thing).

Thanks for any help you can lend and God Bless.

 

[JLove]

Montie Claunch:

I am reading “How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization” and was just wondering about if it was really as thinking as it was how did the “Catholic Superstitions” come about (either in reality or just in the popular mind of todays culture)? Just to lead the conversation in what I mean I will give a few examples. A Phil. Teacher I had last semester was talking to the class how the Catholic Church taught that when a cannon fired the Ball would fly in a straight line then fall straight down then somehow stop and go forward again and hit what it hit. Also, geocentricism, whitch hunts, so on and so forth.
Where such things (not just the above mentioned) things dogmas (teachings or whatever) (and if so why/How?) or where they “Dogmas” that where retreoactivly placed there by certain people?
Tell me if this is confusing and I will try and explain what has my mind boggleing (so we’re talking about the same thing).

Thanks for any help you can lend and God Bless.

It is a bit confusing, but I think understandable. They weren’t dogmas. If they were then ask your teacher for the council reference. Also, keep in mind that just because someone teaches something and that someone happens to be Catholic doesn’t make it a dogma.

On your canonball story; I’ve never heard it like that. When I was in the seventh grade my science teacher taught us that “back in the day” people thought that the foward movent of the ball was caused because as the ball “cut” through the air it created a cylindrical vacuum behind. Then the vacuum would colapse pushing the ball foward. Good stuff. Remember anyone can just make stuff up and say it was the Church. See here, watch. Did you know the Catholic Church used to teach that the earth was banana shaped!?

 

[puzzleannie]

Montie Claunch:

I am reading “How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization” and. A Phil. Teacher I had last semester was talking to the class how the Catholic Church taught that when a cannon fired the Ball would fly in a straight line then fall straight down then somehow stop and go forward again and hit what it hit. .

the Catholic Church of course taught no such thing, as usual when such claims are made the correct response is to demand an authoritative source for the claim, it is useless to try to rebut something fabricated or fantasized, or to prove a negative.

 

[dafalax]

I would also like to point out that geocentrism was not a superstition, but based on biblical interpretation. Some people still argue in its favor today, as a matter of fact. And witch hunts were more of a protestant thing in Puritanical colonial America. And i don’t know the numbers on people who practiced sorcery back then, but they weren’t zero, so i wouldn’t think it was a superstition since witches actually existed (though some of the victims of persecution may have been innocent). When i think Catholic superstition, i think burying a statue of St. Joseph in the back yard of a house you hope to sell. That is a superstition and it is frowned upon by the Church. I guess i want more clarification on what you mean, because you seem to be asking why people didn’t have a full understanding of science centuries ago.

 

[Richard_Hurtz]

puzzleannie:

the Catholic Church of course taught no such thing, as usual when such claims are made the correct response is to demand an authoritative source for the claim, it is useless to try to rebut something fabricated or fantasized, or to prove a negative.

The Church did not explicitly teach this. HOWEVER, in the Middle Ages Aristotelian physics were accepted as true especially among the most learned (read clergy). So that it is true that members of the church did teach this without it meaning that the Church taught this. The same can be said relative to geocentrism - the widespread acceptance of this cosmology is widely known. The question is: did the Church teach this as a matter of faith? No, even though many clergy held this as fact. that’s one reason why Galileo got into trouble. However, the Church itself held no position on this.

Blessings,
Richard