When we teach Truth are we telling people not to think?

[nickybr38]

This procedure may work for some people in some situation. For example, if I’m annoyed that my church says I shouldn’t cohabitate, I might go looking for a church that allows such a thing. Then I see them rolling all over the floor and stiring up the Kool-aid and I say, “Well, that ain’t it.” However, for the most part, this have a good chance of backfiring.

Heh… it has a big chance of backfiring. I think it helps if you think of the Catholic Church as a loving parent.

A loving parent doesn’t encourage their child to go down the wrong path. They try to guide their child down the path they know is best.

 

[Allegra]

Heh… it has a big chance of backfiring. I think it helps if you think of the Catholic Church as a loving parent.

A loving parent doesn’t encourage their child to go down the wrong path. They try to guide their child down the path they know is best.

That’s true. I don’t think the Church should encourage people to give other religions a try. However, I think there is some validity to the idea that some willful little children of God might benefit from trial and error.

 

[mark_a]

One thing I liked about growing up in Japan was being exposed to the different culture and different religions - of course I was still Catholic but it didn’t stop me from learning about other types of religion. One thing that Bhuddism says is that (and I paraphrase) if you question something (faith or religion)- even Bhuddism, then go and investigate other possibilities and see if you can find one that answers your questions better - I wish the Catholic Church said something like this (if they do, I don’t remember ever reading it)- then it would allow those having questions to go and find all the knowledge they can. I wish that the Catholic Church was comfortable enough with itself to say something like this.

The Catholic Church knows a lot about that serpent in the garden and everyone’s attraction to it’s lies. She errs on the side of caution.

This is what has bugged me about Catholic “Truth” - when I went to parochial school, it seemed like I was being told “believe this - period” - but when I would question it, I would get in trouble. It was like “this is the truth but you’re not allowed to question it…”
Just my opinion on things -
God Bless
Rye

I only wish I had listened to these same folks until I had the maturity of a well formed conscience to handle that serpent in the garden.

 

[edwest2]

A branch from this thread: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=634924&page=4

In response to rhiannonh but of course all are welcome to weigh in. If you want to see what I am responding to just visit the original thread but I think the question stands on it’s own fairly well…

If you know something to be true… do you allow those in your care to think contrary to that truth?

For example. Would you allow your niece to believe that the earth is protected by a giant glass bowl? If she were to voice this belief to you would you correct her or would you let her go on with her incorrect thinking?

The Catholic Church is like our mother. She instructs us. She guides us. She corrects our misinformed ideas. She contains the fullness of truth.

We can think all we want but she has truth.

If we want to think that God is female that’s fine but the Church WILL tell us we’re wrong. Period. She is not afraid to do so and it is, in fact, her duty to correct us.

So then seeing things from this angle… what is wrong with authority? What is wrong with those who have been trusted with our care correcting us when we go astray?

Ideas CAN hurt. If we think the wrong things, if we foster unhealthy ideas about God and His church that could potentially damage us spiritually quite a bit AND it can make us targets for the ‘false shepherds’ that Jesus warns us about in Scripture. The Church knows this and so she corrects us when we fall into error.

Does that make sense?

Of course it makes sense. But there are those who accept no authority except themselves and those who believe that some other type of thinking will lead to some greater understanding than what the Church already teaches. And sure, ask questions. The Bible tells us that when we get wisdom, we need understanding as well.

bible.cc/proverbs/4-7.htm

So the Church gives us its wisdom but we should understand why it teaches what it teaches so that we may be prepared when someone asks us: Why does the Church teach this?

Peace,
Ed

 

[John21652]

Of course it makes sense. But there are those who accept no authority except themselves and those who believe that some other type of thinking will lead to some greater understanding than what the Church already teaches. And sure, ask questions. The Bible tells us that when we get wisdom, we need understanding as well.

bible.cc/proverbs/4-7.htm

So the Church gives us its wisdom but we should understand why it teaches what it teaches so that we may be prepared when someone asks us: Why does the Church teach this?

Peace,
Ed

One of the problems of long ago was that Church teaching was done by the Nuns and Priests of various orders to young kids and the odd convert. You grew up having been told what was right, wrong and the Catholic thing to do. In my opinion, the why of it all was too neglected, particulalrly as those young kids grew into young adults in a very, very fast changing world. This is where the Catholic Church was caught out.

For example, almost the entire world embraced the sexual revolution of the 1960s while the Church flung its collective arms into the air and screamed “no, no, no.” Apart from the traditional catechesis, there was no ready and quickly available remedy to the brand new questions about religion, ethics and morals that were being thrown around. Worse, it all seemed to coincide with Vatican II, which caused great consternation amongst many Catholics around the world. We now know that Vatican II wasn’t so much the problem, but liberal Bishops and Priests who seemed to think they could put their own interpretations onto old traditions.

It seems we have had to rethink our whole catholic edifice and to come to the conclusion that it was good, right and proper in the first place. Paul VI, then John Paul II and now Benedict have had to demonstrate all over again that the Church’s moral and traditional foundations have Reason as well as Revelation behind them. It seems we have all had to learn the hard way and we probably still are. In this day and age, even a mildly interested observer of catholicism can now jump onto the Internet and read something like Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae to know and understand what lies behind the Church’s teachings on the family, sex and procreation. Or we can even look up and read Church documents written centuries ago. The wisdom that lies behind what the Church’s intellectuals, moral theologians and teachers have taught for centuries is now available for all to peruse. None of that was available when the world decided to collectively throw out all the old moral and social mores and see what happens. Well, a whole lot has happened that is not very pretty to behold. It’s now time for us to think even harder about moral and social issues. Now we don’t have to rely on the mainstream media for a diluted version of what a Pope says and we can even bypass the obvious and not so obvious biases that are evident in the reporting of Catholicism. We can even check up on whether our local Priest is a charlatan or not!!

Catholics today can be better educated and informed than at any time in history. Now, there is really no excuse for not putting your thinking cap on and arriving at an understanding of what truth is.

 

[St_Francis]

Will someone please close this thread because it not serving its purpose…

sorry if you don’t

for I wont contribute to it anymore because a full mature discussion isn’t being had. Just attacks.

There are a lot of times when people misunderstand what I write, or I put things in a way that “sounds” different to the reader than the way I wrote it. When this happens, or even if I suspect the person is twisting my words, I just write, “I’m sorry, I guess I wasn’t clear…” and then reword what I wrote. This helps me be a lot happier with online discussions.

 

[rhiannonh]

You may not be enjoying the discussion but I think it’s safe to say others are. So simply stop following and move on if it bothers you so much.

Rye - I agree in that I think we SHOULD be allowed to ask questions (and I strongly believe we ARE allowed to ask questions). However, if I know something to be true I’m not exactly going to encourage those I love to seek the lie. Maybe that’s just me? But if I know someone I love is seeking after a false god I will gently but firmly warn them… and after I’ve warned them I let them go their way.

I think this is what the Catholic Church does. It presents truth and truth alone and it’s up to members of the Church to accept that or move on.

I don’t think it would be wise of the Church to say: “Well, we have the fullness of truth but sure! Go to that other religion and listen to their lies and see if it leads you back to the truth.”

It not the not enjoying it, it is that you have manupilated my words to start a thread for your own enjoyment that had nothing to do with my actual words and I hope that future posters will note they are responding to nicky, not me because posts been made into something other to suit herself Though yeh I read and liked what you said Rye. I think you have said what I am trying to say but no doubt hardened people like nicky may be here… wont see the fuller picture.

 

[nickybr38]

It not the not enjoying it, it is that you have manupilated my words to start a thread for your own enjoyment that had nothing to do with my actual words and I hope that future posters will note they are responding to nicky, not me because posts been made into something other to suit herself Though yeh I read and liked what you said Rye. I think you have said what I am trying to say but no doubt hardened people like nicky may be here… wont see the fuller picture.

Rhiannonh … in reality the only person who has been attacking here is you. Originally I posted in response to what I THOUGHT you said. You came. You clarified. Everyone will see that. In the meantime the conversation goes on.

Please quit assuming the worst of me, would you?