God forbid man-made religion. God forbid any religion that tries to ascertain truth “from the bottom up.” A South African Catholic bishop is in Boston today to speak at Boston College. Bishop Kevin Dowling, the one who said that it’s okay for people with AIDS to use condoms (it would be just too much to ask people to abstain from sex), now says that the Church needs to be more people-centered.
The Catholic church, said Bishop Kevin Dowling, should be “about building the compassionate, caring, people-centered church.” That means developing rules based on what the faithful believe they need rather than imposing rules from above, he said. “We’ve got to continue the process of building a more people-centered and community-centered theology.”
Richard, I’m with you.
And some wonder why I ‘m in church work.
Can I have a have something for this “headache” that keeps recurring?!
It is ironic that the above mentioned bishop would contrast human need with the mystery of God.
For those with discerning eyes, the Christian religion is remarkable because … God has responded to human need! This is the basis of Catholic anthropology, which is also biblical anthropology: our need for the truth, meaning, beauty, has been answered in the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Of course, I am talking about “real needs.”
This quote just goes to show that there is something true in criticism by some Orthodox heirarchs regarding Catholic ecclesial culture. I read an article recently, which was an interview with Patriarch Bartholemew, where he contrasts the West and East, suggesting that the Orthodox remain a “God-centered” people (If interested, ask me for the link).
There is some truth in that, but its a very complicated situation that would require a book to adequately deal with.
DDN