More on Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
Many interesting comments below which I've spent time responding to rather than posting.
But I did want to make visible Lawrence King's comment on Moralistic Therapeutic Deism below. Larry is trenchant as always (we were fellow parishioners at Blessed Sacrament in Seattle together and Larry is now a student at the Dominican School of Philosophy Theology) and quotes the ever quotable Tom of Disputations in the bargain.
As Larry puts it:
"Sherry, this exactly matches my experience as well.
I have found that those Catholics who are reasonably well educated about their faith know that "Vatican II said that non-Christians can be saved". (They often are unaware that this wasn't a novel teaching, of course.) And they won't say that all people are saved, or that all people must be saved.
But as you suggest, they almost always assume that all people are saved. Or at least, all the "basically decent people" that they know must be saved. Or at the very least, there is nothing that they as a Christian can do to help other people be saved.
The author of the Disputations blog phrased this in a wonderfully concise way:
It seems to me that there are three possibilities:
1. My neighbors can go to hell for all I care.
2. I don't think believing in Jesus makes much of a difference in terms of salvation.
3. I've got to preach Christ to my neighbors.
None of these is especially appealing, but the first is unneighborly and the third means taking on work with a high risk of humiliation. So it's in my own interest to massage the second possibility into a form that's more or less consistent with my understanding of the Catholic Faith.
His "option # 2" is a perfect description of what most of the educated and active Catholics I know tend to assume most of the time. In fact, even though I am very active in evangelization, I tend to assume this much of the time as well -- which is a bit worrisome. "
posted by Sherry W @ 6:03 AM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
I wonder how much of the universalism found among Catholics (and other Christians) in this country is related in some causal fashion to the fact that our lives are pretty cushy? In general, we don't suffer from much in the way of persecution. I mean, if Hollywood's production of "The Golden Compass" is the worst attack I face because of my faith, I am hardly the worse for wear.
Perhaps the issue of salvation, heaven and hell becomes more critical - and more of a question - when I or the people I love are the targets of deadly, systemic violence, treated like animals, or denied basic human rights generation after generation. Then I might wonder about the afterlife of my oppressors - and those who know of my plight, but stand by idly.
Some thing to add to the conversation: I am more and more witnessing the change of the definition of what conversion is. What I mean by that is, our parish culture(s) is ok with talking about becoming a better person or a good person. But if you take it a step further with the idea that conversion implies a greater commitment to follow,serve, and surrender you life over to Jesus Christ there is generally a confused expression that comes over the faces of some individuals.
Bobby
When I go to confession, one of the times that I am most uncomfortable is when the priest asks me to say an Act of Contrition. (Which less than half of them actually do, in my experience.)
Reciting from my poor memory the only version I know, I tell God that I am sorry for my sins "because I desire the rewards of heaven and fear the fires of hell, but mostly because they displease You, who are worthy of all my love." Of course, one discomfort arises from my feeling that love of God is probably not really the biggest of my motivations. But I also feel uncomfortable because I worry that the priest will think I'm some kind of troglodyte for worrying about hell.
Of course, this is unlikely, because if the priest is of that mindset, he probably assumes everyone who goes to confession is a troglodyte....
*grin*
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