The Road Not Taken

Having been trained in theology as well as philosophy, I have over the years followed the evolution of our various religious institutions and their leaders -- many of the latter having been friends and colleagues. What has been saddening to watch has been the general decline in relevance to the modern world of nearly all of them and a regression in one form or another to a fundamentalism that tends to enshrine the worst barbarities of the ancient world or comparable developments within their various traditions along the way.

In a word, the best hearts and minds have departed modern religions and the remnant within them are a mixed bag of the well-meaning, knaves, scam artists, and dangerous haters. One cannot predict next what evil consequence will next emerge from this oily mix -- terrorism, both independent and state mobilized, repressive modes of discrimination targeted at minorities, social and ethnic, hateful messages to followers to engage in combat with the modern world.

One of the saddest and most abortive of moves that I have followed in this matrix was the suppression of the progressive reforms initiated iin 1962 by Pope John 23 at the Second Vatican Council -- and key spokespersons for same such as John Courtney Murray SJ noted legal philosopher ordered to halt publishing in this field, Hans Kung noted Swiss theologian who introduced the present Pope Benedict to his first teaching job, but who were then thrust aside by John Paul 2 and the present Pope. What these latter two have done to the church -- with a benevolent face -- has been to put in place only moral and political conservatives more bent on outlawing abortion than ending capital punishment or providing for the poor of several continents. Yes, this church does some good works, but it too often de facto opposes governmental efforts essential to help those in need -- a Covenant House program in the U.S. can only care for approximately 10% of the young people who are in dire need to the point that they have run away or been forced out of horrendous homes. Serious government interventions and supports are vital to the remaining 90%. To illustrate: the recent execution of Stanley Williams in California was emblematic of a generation of young minority kids who took to the streets because there were no other viable options open to them -- education, training for jobs, a future in which a young person could marry and raise a family.

It is saddening, then, to read of the Catholic Church in America that it is 'cutting back' on compensation to the children traumatized by the abuses by its priests!

Boston Archdiocese Halves Offers in Open Abuse Cases
By NEELA BANERJEE
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston offered far
smaller monetary awards than in the first settlement and
established a more rigorous burden of proof for accusers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/31/national/31priest.html?th&emc=th

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A number of my friends departed the Catholic church where they were originally serving as priests and nuns. They, and many others, have warned of the evils resulting from this church's insistence on celibacy, its discrimination against women (both in service roles to the church and among its laity), its resistance to contraception in an era of AIDS and drastic overpopulation in third world countries, its resistance to liberation theology's efforts to bring social justice to the Latin American countries -- which has left that field open to the secularists -- Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva (Brazil), Hugo Chavez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia) and, yes, Fidel Castro in Cuba.

An institution that should have and could have been in the forefront of social and economic reforms has lagged behind and become either irrelevant in Europe, destructive of children and their families in the U.S., or a counter reform force in the countries now breaking loose from its traditions in dramatic fashion in Latin America. How sad it is that this 'Christian' institution has fallen on such evil days.
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"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort
to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy)
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Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]