Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Cardinal Biffi - more real clear teaching...
An inconvenient excerpt.
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On the ideology of homosexuality. I never used that term before, but that is exactly what we see in our day - it is nothing less than an ideology. In his memoirs the Cardinal seems to identify what has transpired amongst some of those in authority in the Church, citing St. Paul:
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"Finally, Paul takes pains to observe that the greatest abjection takes place when "the authors of these things . . . not only do them but give approval to those who practice them" (cf. Romans 1:32).
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It is a page of the inspired book, which no earthly authority can force us to censor. Nor are we permitted, if we want to be faithful to the word of God, the pusillanimity of passing over it in silence out of concern not to appear "politically incorrect."
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We must on the contrary point out the singular interest for our days of this teaching of Revelation: what St. Paul revealed as taking place in the Greco-Roman world is shown to correspond prophetically to what has taken place in Western culture in these last centuries. The exclusion of the Creator – to the point of proclaiming grotesquely, a few decades ago, the "death of God" – has had the result (almost like an intrinsic punishment) of the spread of an aberrant view of sexuality, unknown (in its arrogance) to previous eras." - Cardinal Biffi
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Every wind of doctrine... - Ephesians 4:14
We must no longer let ourselves be tossed about by ideologies and new studies on human sexuality, or sentimental considerations for fleeting happiness in this life - at the expense of our eternal salvation. The Cardinal writes well about the cultural confrontation we are faced with today:
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"The ideology of homosexuality – as often happens to ideologies when they become aggressive and end up being politically triumphant – becomes a threat to our legitimate autonomy of thought: those who do not share it risk to a kind of cultural and social marginalization.
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The attacks on freedom of thought start with language. Those who do not resign themselves to accept "homophilia" (the theoretical appreciation of homosexual relations) are charged with "homophobia" (etymologically, the "fear of homosexuality"). This must be very clear: those who are made strong by the inspired word and live in the "fear of God" are not afraid of anything, except perhaps the stupidity toward which, Bonhoeffer said, we are defenseless. We are now even charged sometimes with the incredibly arbitrary accusation of "racism": a word that, among other things, has nothing to do with this issue, and in any case is completely extraneous to our doctrine and our history.
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The essential problem that presents itself is this: is it still permitted in our days to be faithful and consistent disciples of the teaching of Christ (which for millennia has inspired and enriched the whole of Western civilization), or must we prepare ourselves for a new form of persecution, promoted by homosexual activists, by their ideological accomplices, and even by those whose task it should be to defend the intellectual freedom of all, including Christians?
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There is one question that we ask in particular of the theologians, biblicists, and pastoralists. Why on earth, in this climate of almost obsessive exaltation of Sacred Scripture, is the Pauline passage of Romans 1:21-32 never cited by anyone? Why on earth is there not a little more concern to make it known to believers and nonbelievers, in spite of its evident timeliness?" - Cardinal Giacomo Biffi
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H/T Tancred for the lead on this story.
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Art: “Snow Storm — Steam Boat Off a Harbor’s Mouth Making Signals in Shallow Water” - Turner
But the Church embraces science. How do you reconcile not accepting "new studies" with this fact?
ReplyDeleteCardinal Biffi is such a fiesti prelate. If I ever was picking a debate team, I would choose him.
ReplyDeleteFaustina
I'll be anxious to read his memoirs, but let's remember that he has made quite a few outlandish statements in the past. "The Antichrist would most likely be a prominent philanthropist promoting the ideas of ecumenism, vegetarianism, and pacifism." Huh?
ReplyDeletemichael, look at it this way; ecumenism promotes watered-down doctrine, which diminishes Catholicism; vegetarianism in its militant form puts animals above human needs although in Genesis God made Man: And to all the beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon, so vegetarianism goes against the word of God; while we were taught to turn the other cheek, note that the Crusades were a direct result of Muslim incursions to Jerusale, a case in which Christians did fight back.
ReplyDeleteThom, anyone can do a study and manipulate the data to come up with the result they prefer. Doctrine and Tradition shouldn't bow down to studies as they are not proof.
Nan, it goes without saying that any study should be conducted properly.
ReplyDeleteOne cannot reject science simply because one has a preconceived idea. Otherwise, objectivity is lost, and blindness ensues.
The attacks on freedom of thought start with language.
ReplyDeleteI've been stewing on the perversion of language by the homosexuals. The misuse of homophobia is one.
Theft of the word (and surname) "Gay" is the worst example.
This is all preparatory to their desired acceptance by and destruction of teachings of the Catholic Church.
"But the Church embraces science. How do you reconcile not accepting "new studies" with this fact? "
ReplyDeleteScience has *suggested* but not proved that homosexual feelings may be partly or wholly genetic, or cause by uterine environment.
What science can never prove (because it is otside the domain of science and because it is NOT TRUE) is that it is permissible to ACT on homosexual feelings.
The "new studies" he is talking about are probably not scientific ones, but things like "queer theory" - a "philosophical" (or more accurately misosophical) theory of human sexual desire and behaviour.
Social science, while not "hard science," is no less scientific nor worthy of consideration by Christians.
ReplyDeleteThom: Social science, while not "hard science," is no less scientific nor worthy of consideration by Christians.
ReplyDeleteBack in prehistoric days, about 1970, the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, set a requirement of differential calculus for admission to the school.
Social scientis want to be considered to be "real" scientist more than anything else in the world. Therefore all their papers and books are chock full of formulae proving or disproving one theory or another.
The major problem with the formulae is that few of the factors (the x, y, and z's) could really be quantifiable. They were assumptions of the formula maker.
I believe/hope that the requirement was eventually removed.
"Social Science" is important; but it is not a natural science. It depends too much upon beliefs and philosophies.
ALL science *may* be clouded by personal bias (beliefs and philosophies- I mean look at the "Creation Museum"!!)- natural included. Social science may be qualitative OR quantitative, the same as "hard" science.
ReplyDeleteRay, don't forget their hijacking of the term "morality" and attempts to paint those who have traditional moral values as the immoral ones.
ReplyDeleteThom:
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm thinking of "science", I'm thinking of mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, genetics, etc.
Not evolution. After all after 150 years, it is still "Darwin's THEORY of Evolution." Too many missing links and preposterous assumptions as to what happened 30,000, 3 million, or 300 million years ago.
Agreed, Nan
ReplyDeleteRay, there is always a degree of probability in science, whether "hard" or "soft."
ReplyDeleteRelativity... is a theory.
Gravity... is a theory.
Even the Vatican would disagree with your assessment of the evolutionary process.
So nice to find a discussion like this in the blogosphere/ intelligence sans vitrol.
ReplyDeleteIsrael's version of Dancing With The Stars is to include the show's first same-sex couple in the new series.
ReplyDeleteTV presenter Gili Shem Tov, who has a female partner in real life, said dancing with another woman felt "natural" to her.
She will be partnered with professional dancer Dorit Milman when the show's sixth season begins on 1 November.
The couple will take it in turns to take on the traditional male role of leading the dances.
Dance professional Milman, who is heterosexual, has appeared on the programme since its first series.
"I have realised that dance is about co-ordination and energy between two people, whether female or male," Tov said.
"The challenge to dance with a woman in a public contest interested me because it's unique and has never been done before.
"Because I share my life with a woman and have a family with her, to me this is the most natural thing to do."
The show - known as Rokdim Im Kokhavim in Israel - will also feature a guest appearance by Pamela Anderson.
Just thought I would send this in as I was whistling in the dark.
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