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Shortly before he entered the conclave in which he was elected Pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger preached the homily at the pre-conclave Mass and warned against the rise of "a dictatorship of relativism." It is an evocative phrase which frightened some and provoked confusion in others.

How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of the thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves - flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism and so forth. Every day new sects spring up, and what St Paul says about human deception and the trickery that strives to entice people into error (cf. Eph 4: 14) comes true.

Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine", seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires.

FULL TEXT -
«PRO ELIGENDO ROMANO PONTIFICE»
HOMILY OF HIS EMINENCE CARD. JOSEPH RATZINGER
DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS

"a dictatorship of relativism."

I'm quite taken with Ratzinger/Benedict and find him more compelling than John Paul, who was a nice fellow but left me uninspired.

This morning, I attended a book club meeting before the service at an Episcopal Church. I like the minister a lot, but the ladies of the book club are mired in relativism to the extent that every logical, rational thought is suspect, to be ignored and reviled. The first word on their sign over the church is "Inclusive," but that does NOT in any way include conservative thought or Catholics, both of which they HATE. How Christian of them. These are well-heeled, educated women, mind you. (Who will NOT remove their Kerry bumperstickers and who consider the term Flaming Liberal a badge of honor. LOL. )

I normally speak up under such circumstances but was quite tired, having been up until the wee hours conversing wih a friend who evacuated in Rita's path. So I just listened, which was useful, and left at the end, not staying for the church service. Instead, I went to the Catholic Church.

BTW, the book the club is reading is Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton, a Trappis (Catholic) monk. Why they chose it was a mystery to me until I realized that it is giving them still another excuse to blast Catholics and those with any religious CONVICTION whatsoever. If it isn't morally relativistic for them, it's just plian wrong.

God save me from such idiocy. God save us all.

As I see the past and the present each person, each time, and each people are given the option of choosing right or of choosing wrong.

Without our moral trials - aging, disease, grief, and death - we cannot turn to God. In our hearts we all want God to be what we desire, for right and wrong to be our decision. Makes me think of our wanting "to be as gods and know right from wrong" as the serpent put it.

Obviously to me (nowadays anyway!!) we must make the choice which cannot be avoided nor evaded to either accept the the truth or to live, to be, lies. A choice we must make again and again, even in Purgatory. Really an amazing mercy.

to understand the "unequal positions of power" that texts often present

If this were true, they would have to be taught that about the left-wing bias in universities and the media. Hmmmmmmmm...