Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization
Seattle Catholic ^ | 5/2/05 | Thomas E. Woods, Jr.

Posted on 05/03/2005 7:53:16 AM PDT by CathNY

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 next last
To: escapefromboston

So you are going to judge him on the basis of a book he wrote for a popular audience? Have you read his other stuff, like his book published by Columbia Univ. Press? I've actually read Woods's books, with the exception of this one. His Columbia book has been endorsed by totally mainstream people in the Catholic world. Lighten up, man. Criticize stuff you don't like about him, fine, but it poisons the Catholic world when a guy writes a positive book and people still go after him. That's just wrong.


21 posted on 05/03/2005 8:27:31 PM PDT by CathNY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: CathNY; Kolokotronis; MarMema

You are being overly generous to the Catholic West and deafeningly silent on the Byzantine East (Orthodox Church). Western civilization was not built by the Catholic Church - extended and enhanced based as it is on the Eastern Orthodox Church in some ways yes, but built? Not hardly!


22 posted on 05/03/2005 8:40:11 PM PDT by eleni121 ('Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!' (Julian the Apostate))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bornacatholic
The Novia Scotia fishermen was the only example Storck gave of Catholic social teaching on market prices.

He gives nothing else concrete with which to criticize Woods' position.

Heaven knows, I disagree with Woods theologically, but just what particular view of economics does he have that trumps Catholic social teaching?

We don't have a clue from Storck.

23 posted on 05/03/2005 8:54:11 PM PDT by sinkspur (If you want unconditional love with skin, and hair and a warm nose, get a shelter dog.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: eleni121; CathNY; bornacatholic; escapefromboston
"The Church also played an indispensable role in another essential development in Western civilization: the creation of the university. The university was an utterly new phenomenon in European history."

The Emperor Theodosios II founded the University of Constantinople in 425 AD. The University offered training in ancient Greek language and literature, Latin literature, oratory, philosophy and law and gradually the "new" sciences (medicine and math) were added to the curriculum. Universities and other important schools were also founded and supervised by the imperial government at Alexandria, Athens, Beirut, Nikaia, Salonica, and other important Byzantine cities. This is to say nothing of the preservation of ancient Greek and even Roman literature, art and music while barbarism reigned in the West.

You know, a book like this one could do a great deal to make people seriously consider the positive role the Roman Church has played and does play in the Western World, but such sloppy scholarship as this one snip demonstrates has the potential to minimize the seriousness of the entire book.
24 posted on 05/03/2005 9:13:01 PM PDT by Kolokotronis (Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: CathNY
Can't you spare us the viciousness?

* I posted nothing that was "vicious." I posted the excellent analysis by Mr. Storck to alert my brothers and sisters that Mr. Woods is an opponent of the Magisterium.

I won't buy his book but I hope it is acccurate. I have read the books by Mr. Jaki. Those works by the orthodox Fr. Jaki are too little known by Christians.

25 posted on 05/04/2005 2:59:17 AM PDT by bornacatholic (Libertrads. Following the anathematized to perdition.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: sinkspur
When I get time I will post some more stuff re Woods, the Libertrad. For now, suffice it to say that Mr. Woods, trained as a historian, has taken it upon himself to oppose the Magisterium's Social Doctrine even going so far to claim it has no authority or expertise to teach in that area.

So, a libertrad historian (no degree in economics. Woods is a Lew Rockwell kooky-cutout) is going to tell the Popes what is what re economics using amoral/imoral libertarianism as the benchmark.

26 posted on 05/04/2005 3:23:52 AM PDT by bornacatholic (Libertrads. Following the anathematized to perdition.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: onyx

Baptism, by the very word indicates immersing something; dipping or plunging something into something else (e.g. a solid object into a liguid medium. It also can refer to the operation of God (Colossians 2:11,12) placing (immersing) the believer into (the body of) Christ. Again, there is no reference or connection in any such verses to one particular human agency; not one particular church organization.

What about the millions of Roman Catholics who have never been immersed, dipped or plunged, which is what took place in the baptism in 2 Peter. (And, by the way, those who were immersed, dipped and plunged there, were those who refused to believe Noah's prophesy -- refused to repent, and were drowned. Noah and the other seven on the ark were never in the water.)

Not all references to "saved" and "salvation" in the Scriptures are to the soul, but some are to deliverance of God's people from cataclysmic judgments on this earth. And not all references to "baptism" are to an event that can be seen and felt with mortal senses (solid object into liquid medium, remember, is only one example of the use of the word).

Noah and his family, and their posterity (in the seed line of Jesus Christ) were saved (from that wicked, demon intermingled generation) by the baptism of the wicked into the judgment of the flood. God dipped, immersed, plunged, baptized -- DROWNED -- the entire population of the world in order to save or preserve the "seed of the woman" (see Genesis 3:15) through Noah, being described in Genesis 6 as being "perfect in his GENERATIONS." This has to do with the fact that the seed of Noah's family had not been intermixed with the "sons of God" (i.e. indivdual creations of God; fallen angelic beings that co-habitated with the daughters of men to bring about a race of God-hating demonic giants -- Gen. 6:1-7; see these "sons of God associated with Satan in Job chs. 1 and 2 and other passages), like those still seen "and also after that"(6:4) in the sons of Anak (Numbers) and in Goliath, who fought David, and his brothers, etc. etc.

Baptism in the 2 Peter reference has nothing to do with the sprinkling or dampening of infants' foreheads with water, examples of which are nowhere found in Scripture.

But then, as a God-called preacher of the Goespel, I have baptized (by immersion, plunging, dipping in water) scores of believers, who with knowledge and forethought, deliberately repented of any hope outside of the Person and Redemptive Sufferings and Resuurection of Jesus Christ our Savior, and resting the safety of thier eternal soul in Christ, wanted to give a public testimony of that faith by water baptism. They were making the public position and giving open witness that the Death (in payment for sin and sins), Burial and Resurrection (for the believer's justification - a dead savior, obviously, would be no savior at all) of Jesus Christ provided the only means of their soul's redemption, and that they have accepted this fully by faith.

The Roman Catholic Church cannot admit that God has called me or any other non-Catholic to preach Christ. The RCC cannot admit that God would use anything except the Vatican's liturgical and sacramental religious system. The RCC could not admit that those who came to Jesus Christ as we preached the Gospel were admitted to Christ and His salvation by faith without the RCC, and the RCC cannot admit that our immersion baptism of self-professing believers (as opposed to infants) is legitimate by the very same Scripture references: Matt. 28; Mark 16; Acts 8, 10, 16; etc.

All Vatican Counsels, especially since Trent have cursed all Christians outside of the liturgy and sacraments of the RCC. It is in writing, "Let them (us) be anathema."

Further, There are tares in every church or religious organization, but those who profess to be ministers set themselves up as targets when their public demeanor is questionable; they should expect to be challenged.

Furthermore, There is no such thing as "THE Baptist Church," unless you are speaking about (1.) one local congregation within a specified, say, acre or less where they assemble; or about (2.) a voluntary association or convention of multiple local assemblies into one organiztion. One historical distinctive of Baptist peoples is the absolute autonomy and independence of the local congregation. A Baptist "bishop" (overseer) or "elder"(1 Timothy ch. 3; Titus ch. 1) is the pastor (say, presiding elder)within a single local congregation. He is never the overseer of multiple, involuntarily affiliated congregations. There are rare cases where one Baptist preacher is indeed the pastor of more than one congregation (I've never heard of it being more than two assemblies), but those local congregations are not involuntarily affiliated, and either may dismiss the man as pastor if need be, without him being dismissed from the other one. It is a congregational decision.

Then, there are Baptist (say, church-planting)missionaries, who, similarly to the apostles of old, may have the care of several new, fledgling congregations until pastors can be taught/trained and ordained for those local assemblies. This is sometimes the case in remote (domestic or foreign) locales where few if any churches had hitherto existed.

And before Constantine's day, there were hundreds, perhaps thousands of Gospel preachers (No, not called "Baptists") who were doing just as I've described above, without any connection with either Constantinople or Rome. The RCC wants to deny and bury all such history, but that history is truly out there.

As the Jews, the Israelies (in general) continued to reject Christ, and as God scattered the believers from Palestine, Jerusalem waned in its usefulness to New Testament Christianity. Our faith is in NO earthly city, not even in Jerusalem by the Med, but our faith is in Christ, Himself, and "Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." (Galatians 4:26; and see Hebrews 13:12-14). This is why Rome and the RCC cannot be our mother. The RCC believes that it should be the mother of everyone who calls themselves "Christian." At times in history, she has taken up sword to enforce that as a goal, too.

People, even ministers, may leave Baptist and other Christian churches without being labeled heretics, notrious liars, enemies of the Church, etc. But, seemingly, no priest may leave Romes's clutches and become an independent minister of the Gospel without being labeled "heretic," "liar," "enemy," etc, or without is being declared that they were "thrown out." So Brewer, Chiniquay, and all such, must be presented by the RCC's top end as the very worst of all creatures.
It is why We recommend the reading of THEIR books and papers, along with those of Rome.

That's what the FREE REPUBLIC is all about, in't it?

I have here dozens of pages of quotes from John Wycliffe, and personal journal accounts from his hand that give the reasons that his bones were later on dug up and his ashes scattered on a river by the RCC. Some claim he was merely on the fringes of heresy, but to the RCC he was an outright heretic. He did have a definite personal connection with the Lollards of England, my friend. And his doctrinal tenets militated against Romes sacraments and liturgy in a substantial way.

Perhaps more soon.


27 posted on 05/04/2005 3:57:03 AM PDT by Free Baptist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: CathNY; All; Canticle_of_Deborah; Gerard.P; vox_freedom; te lucis; Robert Drobot; rogator; ...

Thanks for posting, and welcome to FR.

ping


28 posted on 05/04/2005 5:07:03 AM PDT by murphE (The crown of victory is promised only to those who engage in the struggle. St. Augustine)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Free Baptist

Might surprise you to know that I am pretty closely
associated with a Baptist preacher on a personal basis,
and he's much the better and smarter man than you,
because he's never tried to deride my religion and has
only answered questions I have posed to him regarding his and your shared religion.


29 posted on 05/04/2005 5:17:39 AM PDT by onyx (Pope John Paul II - May 18, 1920 - April 2, 2005 = SANTO SUBITO!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: CathNY
Yes I am judging him on his work. I don't know the guy personally.
I suppose his other books may be really good but the one book I read wasn't particularly interesting and this new book is also for the popular audience so its probably just as light weight. So I'll pass and stick with other serious historians.

Not that Woods isn't a serious historian but if all his books are like "Politically Incorrect Guide to American History" , I'll pass.
30 posted on 05/04/2005 5:29:03 AM PDT by escapefromboston (manny ortez: mvp)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: onyx

What has it done ultimately to your understanding of the salvation of your soul? Are you still bound in Rome's system for salvation of your soul? Does your Baptist preacher friend tell you the truth that sacramental religion stands between men and their knowing Christ?


31 posted on 05/04/2005 5:33:40 AM PDT by Free Baptist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: bornacatholic
For now, suffice it to say that Mr. Woods, trained as a historian, has taken it upon himself to oppose the Magisterium's Social Doctrine even going so far to claim it has no authority or expertise to teach in that area.

Well, much of the commentary that has come out of the Vatican on economics over the last century has been, to be kind, naive.

The Church may have something to say about economics, but JPII seemed to have a knee-jerk aversion to the American version of free market capitalism, and often blamed it for the plight of the third world. He almost completely ignored the tyrannical governments that keep these people in poverty.

32 posted on 05/04/2005 6:13:08 AM PDT by sinkspur (If you want unconditional love with skin, and hair and a warm nose, get a shelter dog.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: murphE; CathNY

Thanks for the ping MurphE, and another "welcome to FR" greeting for CathNY.


33 posted on 05/04/2005 7:21:11 AM PDT by vox_freedom (Fear no evil)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Free Baptist

Is arrogance OK in your religion? How about trolling and baiting under the cloak
of civility? Your carefully worded essays are really nothing more than Catholic
bashing. You do fairly well, until that hatred of yours for Rome manages to permeate every one of your writings.

Don't fret about my salvation. Here's the tried and true stock answer.


"Are you saved?" asks the Fundamentalist.


The Catholic should reply: "As the Bible says, I am already saved (Rom. 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8), but I’m also being saved (1 Cor. 1:8, 2 Cor. 2:15, Phil. 2:12), and I have the hope that I will be saved (Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15). Like the apostle Paul I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11–13)."


34 posted on 05/04/2005 8:01:49 AM PDT by onyx (Pope John Paul II - May 18, 1920 - April 2, 2005 = SANTO SUBITO!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: escapefromboston

Got my copy today. Here's what Alice von Hildebrand says on the back cover: "Dr. Woods's book is a superb and scholarly refutation of the widespread and deeply rooted prejudice that the supernatural outlook of the Roman Catholic Church disqualifies her to make any valuable contirbution to the 'progress' of humanity. This book is a magnificent illustrationof Christ's saying: 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His justice; the rest will be added unto [you].' Whether we turn to science, legal questions, economics, education, scholarship, fine arts, Dr. Woods shows convincingly the fecundity of a supernatural approach to life. This book is highly recommended."

I dearly love Alice von Hildebrand and her work, to say nothing of that of her husband, so this means a great deal to me. If she calls it scholarly, I'll assume it is until I see otherwise.


35 posted on 05/04/2005 11:20:35 AM PDT by CathNY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: sinkspur
Naive?

*enlightened, inspired, and truthful is more like it, from my pov.

36 posted on 05/04/2005 3:53:19 PM PDT by bornacatholic (Libertrads. Following the anathematized to perdition.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: onyx

In my 27 years as a Christian and 26 years preaching the Gospel, and 15 years in Asia, and 6 years in the (95%+) Roman Catholic Philippines, I've never heard anything near that kind of response. You have a lot of educating to do among your own Catholic people. But (if it was you) you said that the Scriptures are profitable but insufficient. So what is your sufficiency for your soul's salvation?


37 posted on 05/05/2005 6:10:51 AM PDT by Free Baptist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: CathNY

Thank you for the article. I will buy the book- looks fascinating.Regards,


38 posted on 05/05/2005 7:41:14 AM PDT by MacArthur
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: onyx

An excellent post. I strongly advise you to feed this troll nothing more. No answer will every be sufficient for him, because his work is not genuinely concerned with you.

Please don't be baited. :O)


39 posted on 05/06/2005 4:10:34 PM PDT by Petronski (Pope Benedict XVI: A German Shepherd on the Throne of Peter)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: CathNY

BTTT


40 posted on 05/08/2005 7:27:22 PM PDT by murphE (The crown of victory is promised only to those who engage in the struggle. St. Augustine)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson