Comments for Open-mindedness: The New Closed-mindedness at http://www.thecatholicthing.org , comment 1 to 8 out of 8 comments http://www.thecatholicthing.org Sun, 19 May 2013 16:42:38 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2010/open-mindedness-the-new-closed-mindedness.html#comment-4888 John McCarthy, One way out of the conundrum which you describe, although not necessarily an "easy" way, is for us to remember the Catechism's teaching in #848 that "the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men." Given that "the Church" includes both the hierarchy *and* the laity, and given that Vatican II, rightly understood, placed a strong emphasis on the role of the laity in the world, *we,* as the laity, should be playing a large role in "the evangelization of all men." ("men," obviously, understood to include women here) Hell is real. It is still officially taught by the Church, and it always will be, even if some priests who fear men more than God will not preach about it. As long as Hell exists as a possible reality for those who do not know Christ, we should want to evangelize them-- out of *love* for them, as people who are made in God's image. According to the teaching of the Church in the Catechism, it *may* be possible for a given non-Christian to go to Heaven. It *may* be possible. There is no *guarantee* of Heaven for non-Christians though-- not at all. Do we truly want to hang their eternity on a "may"? Would that be true Christian love toward them on our part? Should we not want to tell all non-Christians the Good News about Christ, who alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and who can and will lead those people to Heaven who trust in Him and follow Him? - Christopher Lake Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:27:25 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2010/open-mindedness-the-new-closed-mindedness.html#comment-4887 "For the teacher to say that a prerequisite for open-mindedness . . . is that one believe there are no true answers. . . "Francis Beckwith is helping his sister combat relativism. The idea that there are no answers to questions means on the other hand that every answer is valid. This poor teacher is merely the result of someone growing up in the TV age listening to reporting where opinions are equated with fact. My father was a well known professor, and in his later years could scarcely watch the television without wondering rhetorically why they always seemed to choose the person on the street to wax on the problem of the day, such as how to close a burst pipe 4,000 feet under the ocean, or how global warming would affect us. . . We have been educated for years to think that there is no truth out there, and that the guy buying a hot dog knows as much as a meteorologist. Now even the experts are suspect. What have we wrought? This is a slippery slope leading to anarchy, but the way back is the promotion of education that knows there is and searches for, truth. In order to find this truth, one must believe in faith. Thus the adjoining of faith and reason. - Michele Coldiron Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:29:01 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2010/open-mindedness-the-new-closed-mindedness.html#comment-4881 As I eagerly devoured this essay, a vague sense of gratitude reminded me that I had overlooked the by-line. Who could have produced such a cogent and delectible piece of prose? Oh. Francis Beckwith. I should have known. - Billy Bean Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:12:28 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2010/open-mindedness-the-new-closed-mindedness.html#comment-4880 Well, how did the nun respond to your sister's question? - Howard Kainz Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:22:43 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2010/open-mindedness-the-new-closed-mindedness.html#comment-4879 hi jason! a conundrum is a puzzle, a riddle, a question or problem. and God is Love IS the answer. now, is God a question, problem, etc.? well, maybe. but not when you KNOW Him. can you explain Him? not really. but you can know Him. and i'm not even talking about reflecting His love.....these may be frustrating nuisances. i am sorry if i do not explain myself well. it's just that in the last several years of my life, after having on one level or another a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" since i was 4 years old, both as a Protestant and now almost 30 yrs a Catholic, i can tell you that evangelism, both verbal, apologetic style, and non-verbal, life-witness style, has gone from black and white to color. and i haven't stepped into OZ. i am finally living-in the deepest place of my soul-the truth of LOVE. this alone has transformed my outlook toward all peoples. whether He chooses to shine thru me like a stained glass window, appear only to those who are looking for Him-like a rainbow is apparent to only those who look up after the rain, or simply be a match in a cave is entirely up to Him. it's His light after all, to do with as He desires. This i know. His Love is all that never fails, conquers all, and casts out fear. i am positive that if more of us who do believe, begged for deeper belief, chose to live and move and have our being in Love, the sharing of Truth would be more natural and less intimidating. this is all very personal while at the same time being universal. which is why our Lord often addressed the crowds and then turned to the individual. "I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the POWER of God for the salvation of all who believe...." Romans 1:10 He is Life and everyone longs to really live. God Bless you! - debby Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:19:11 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2010/open-mindedness-the-new-closed-mindedness.html#comment-4878 Debby, that's not an easy way out of this conundrum. The reason it is not is that we can be only a reflection of God's love. And it is our limited ability to reflect God's love that itself makes it a conundrum. Without it we would either only care about winning the argument(in which case we would press it with no fear, but also with no courtesy) or we would only care about avoiding the argument(in which case we would not care either about courtesy or about the eternal fate of others). It is God's Love that makes it a conundrum. Now it is not a conundrum to God. But none of us are God. - jason taylor Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:59:06 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2010/open-mindedness-the-new-closed-mindedness.html#comment-4876 Jesus is Truth. ALL Truth is in Him. to John McCarthy, hi my dear brother. may i be so bold to suggest the following simple remedy to the "easy way out of this conundrum?" come to believe in God's LOVE. ok, i hope you are still reading this and have stopped rolling your eyes or feeling sick. i am not talking about a "Pollyanna" or Beatles version of luv- and, just to let you know, i was the one rolling my eyes years ago any time any older woman would dwell on the mercy and love of God. (i was the "baby" of this Rosary group, devotees would weep while praying for what was probably the millionth time they had meditated on the mysteries, me looking at them with a "how can they cry over and over?" now i can barely get through one Holy Mass without welling up with tears over the great forgiveness and longing of God for me....) i am talking about St. Therese's I Believe In Love spirituality. Peter Kreeft's The God Who Loves You. Erasmus Merkadis's Loves Sacred Order. CS Lewis' The Four Loves. et.,al. i have come to discover that WHEN WE COME TO KNOW IN THE CORE OF OUR BEING THE ONE WHO IS LOVE, LOVE WHO LOVES US IMMUTABLY, INFINITELY, WITH UTTER ABANDON, ONLY THEN will we be able to truly and fully love all of our neighbors as ourselves, a chief commandment. they may have some private religion but do they know LOVE? are they FREE? would they like to? can i SHARE HIM WITH YOU out of LOVE? i must. not because of any judgment of the person or even of God. but LOVE compels me to love in return. and Love always calls the beloved to the highest and the best: Heaven. PLEASE! forgive any offense. love compels me to encourage you, my brother, who already loves Him, to sit in the lap of Love and dwell there. then you will find yourself "rescuing the perishing" as the old Protestant hymn intones. (i can still hear my grandfather's off-key voice booming out that song in the little county church, scaring every bird and animal within miles away!) you won't be able to help it. it won't be an obligation. it will be a light that shines that no darkness can overcome. - debby Fri, 17 Sep 2010 06:44:01 +0100 http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2010/open-mindedness-the-new-closed-mindedness.html#comment-4875 To me, this essay gets to the heart of the matter as to why most of us - myself being Exhibit A - fail in our obligation to evangelize. Not only are we so aware of our own sinfulness, and not only have we come to loathe any type of religious imperialism, but we are all infected with the American belief that everyone's religion is their own private business. I see no easy way out of this conundrum. - John McCarthy Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:48:51 +0100