Posted on 03/13/2012 4:24:23 PM PDT by NYer
A philosophy professor at the University of Notre Dame has declared in the New York Times that the bishops no longer decide morality in the Church and that “the immorality of birth control is no longer a teaching of the Catholic Church.”
Gary Gutting, Endowed Chair in Philosophy, argued that the will of many Catholics who choose to use contraceptives is paramount to the teaching of the bishops.
…haven’t the members of the Catholic Church recognized their bishops as having full and sole authority to determine the teachings of the Church? By no means. There was, perhaps, a time when the vast majority of Catholics accepted the bishops as having an absolute right to define theological and ethical doctrines. Those days, if they ever existed, are long gone. Most Catholics — meaning, to be more precise, people who were raised Catholic or converted as adults and continue to take church teachings and practices seriously — now reserve the right to reject doctrines insisted on by their bishops and to interpret in their own way the doctrines that they do accept. This is above all true in matters of sexual morality, especially birth control, where the majority of Catholics have concluded that the teachings of the bishops do not apply to them. Such “reservations” are an essential constraint on the authority of the bishops.
The bishops and the minority of Catholics who support their full authority have tried to marginalize Catholics who do not accept the bishops as absolute arbiters of doctrine. They speak of “cafeteria Catholics” or merely “cultural Catholics,” and imply that the only “real Catholics” are those who accept their teachings entirely. But this marginalization begs the question I’m raising about the proper source of the judgment that the bishops have divine authority. Since, as I’ve argued, members of the church are themselves this source, it is not for the bishops but for the faithful to decide the nature and extent of episcopal authority. The bishops truly are, as they so often say, “servants of the servants of the Lord.”
It may be objected that, regardless of what individual Catholics think, the bishops in fact exercise effective control over the church. This is true in many respects, but only to the extent that members of the church accept their authority. Stalin’s alleged query about papal authority (“How many divisions does the Pope have?”) expresses more than just cynical realpolitik. The authority of the Catholic bishops is enforceable morally but not militarily or politically. It resides entirely in the fact that people freely accept it.
The mistake of the Obama administration — and of almost everyone debating its decision — was to accept the bishops’ claim that their position on birth control expresses an authoritative “teaching of the church.” (Of course, the administration may be right in thinking that the bishops need placating because they can cause them considerable political trouble.) The bishops’ claim to authority in this matter has been undermined because Catholics have decisively rejected it. The immorality of birth control is no longer a teaching of the Catholic Church. Pope Paul VI meant his 1968 encyclical, “Humanae Vitae,” to settle the issue in the manner of the famous tag, “Roma locuta est, causa finita est.” In fact the issue has been settled by the voice of the Catholic people.
Gutting’s argument would seem to have Jesus telling Peter, “upon this poll I will build my Church.”
Gutting teaches courses to first year Philosophy students at Notre Dame and includes the writings of radical philosopher Peter Singer.
Pitchforks at the ready ... let's march on NDU and ensure this professor is removed from his post, tenure or otherwise.
*PING*
I am really shocked, who hires these professors? Is this guy even Catholic?
“Gutting” — what an appropriate word for what he is trying to do to Catholic doctrine.
If you don’t agree with RCC doctrine, just quit the Church and identify yourself for what you are: a Protestant.
It isn’t complex at all.
I was thinking it was North Dakota University, but Indiana is an awfully long walk, too, especially packing a baby ...
As someone who converted as an adult I respond, dude, what are you smoking? If I wanted to be my own authority I would have remained an Episcopalian.
...better hurry, cuz they have pitchforks, too.
Why do Catholic Universities permit amoral idiots to teach in their schools? If they went back to Western culture ethics and ways - even on a secular basis, they would show up the loser humanist pig pens in everything.
Why do Catholic Universities permit amoral idiots to teach in their schools? If they went back to Western culture ethics and ways - even on a secular basis, they would show up the loser humanist pig pens in everything.
It would be even worse should we hear news that some bishops tell catholics they can use birth contol. Unfortunately I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that comming. The child visionarys of Garabandal spain were told that bishops will be against bishops and cardinals against themselves. Its happening as events unfold. We are truly near the end of the end times it appears. Keep the true faith. Pre vatican 2 and you will never worry wherever you are.
I understand those who want the government (tax payers) pay for birth control. They would love to have it forced on people but they know we’re not China. But if a lot of people would quit having babies it would certainly cut some government spending. However, democrats can’t say this out loud because it’s their base who are having the babies.
(Wow! What an idea! If we went along with them it would only be one generation and their base would disappear.)
I do have a big problem with the government ordering a church to change it’s teachings. Next they’ll be telling churches they have to teach “pick your commandments”. Don’t like that once about adultery, that’s okay as long as you follow the other nine.
What does it matter if he’s Catholic? He teaches philosophy. They asked him about Theology. Why didn’t they ask him about engineering or theater or medicine. I’m sure he has uneducated opinions on those too.
Someone has to start firing and dishing out Canon 915 to those who choose to slander the Church from the inside.
| HUMANAE VITAE (On The Regulation Of Birth) |
| Pope Paul VI |
| Encyclical Letter Of His Holiness promulgated on 25 July 1968. To The Venerable Patriarchs, Archbishops And Bishops And Other Local Ordinaries In Peace And Communion With The Apostolic See, To Priests, The Faithful And To All Men Of Good Will Venerable Brothers And Beloved Sons: 1. The most serious duty of transmitting human life, for which married persons are the free and responsible collaborators of God the Creator, has always been a source of great joys to them, even if sometimes accompanied by not a few difficulties and by distress. At all times the fulfillment of this duty has posed grave problems to the conscience of married persons, but, with the recent evolution of society, changes have taken place that give rise to new questions which the Church could not ignore, having to do with a matter which so closely touches upon the life and happiness of men. 2. The changes which have taken place are in fact noteworthy and of varied kinds. In the first place, there is the rapid demographic development. Fear is shown by many that world population is growing more rapidly than the available resources, with growing distress to many families and developing countries, so that the temptation for authorities to counter this danger with radical measures is great. Moreover, working and lodging conditions, as well as increased exigencies both in the economic field and in that of education, often make the proper education of a larger number of children difficult today. A change is also seen both in the manner of considering the person of woman and her place in society, and in the value to be attributed to conjugal love in marriage, and also in the appreciation to be made of the meaning of conjugal acts in relation to that love. Finally and above all, man has made stupendous progress in the domination and rational organization of the forces of nature, such that he tends to extend this domination to his own total being: to the body, to psychical life, to social life and even to the laws which regulate the transmission of life. |
Click on the link in #16 to read the rest.
Perhaps you could explain the point of your post.
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