November 3, 2009
According to the Christian Science Monitor:
Rome – Italians reacted with outrage on Tuesday after a European court ruled that displaying crucifixes in the country’s schools violated the principle of secular education.
Italy’s education minister condemned the judgment by the European Court of Human Rights, saying that the Christian cross was a symbol of the country’s Roman Catholic religion and cultural identity.
Read the rest of the story here.
This is exactly the kind of problem Pope Benedict has previously criticized: the desire many in Europe have to ignore and reject their cultural roots. What kind of right is it that is being enforced here? Religious liberty, not its elimination, is the human right which must be enforced. Obviously this does not mean one should be forced to adhere to a religious belief or practice. But by denying Italy its rights to display the cross in its schoolrooms, is not a different religious praxis, one which rejects the public display of religion, being enforced?
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Posted by Henry Karlson
November 2, 2009
Deal Hudson from Inside Catholic has a good piece on the terrible situation surrounding a Bethlehem University Student, Berlanty (Betty) Azzam, who went on a job interview in Ramallah. On her way back to Bethlehem, she was stopped by the Israeli military, handcuffed, blindfolded, and shipped to Gaza. It’s the kind of thing which needs to stop — not just now, but yesterday.
No one is saying Israel does not have a right to exist. What people are saying is that the state of Israel needs to be reformed. This does not mean the Palestinians are doing good, either. They too need a reformation from within. But it is clear that Israel holds the blunt of the moral guilt because they also hold the majority of power within the region. To those who have been granted much, much is expected.
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 31, 2009
Two of the most influential people in history, Constantine and Ashoka, are also the center of constant debate. Historians have to discern who they were, what they did, and what they truly believed.
While Constantine did not create Christianity, he certainly brought it to a place of prominence in the Roman Empire when he converted to it. And he increased its prestige when he gave bishops a level of authority which surprises many people to this day.[1] But he did much more. Perhaps the four things which he did that had the greatest impact on history are the proclamation of the Edit of Milan in 313, the calling of the Council of Nicea in 325, the creation of the Holy Sepulchre (a project begun around the time of Nicea), and the consecration of Constantinople in 330.
Ashoka, like Constantine, was a convert to a new faith, Buddhism. By his royal patronage, he gave it the kind of respect and resources it needed in order to become a major, world-spanning religion. Like Constantine, it appears Ashoka wanted the adherents of his new faith to come together and work out what it was they believed, and he did this by calling a Buddhist council. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 29, 2009
After listing my five non-Catholic heroes from the twentieth century, I thought it was important to bring out my five Catholic heroes. It’s a difficult list to create, because there are many who are worthy of recognition. There might be on my list that will surprise some readers, but probably the biggest surprise will be the omissions of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The same could be said for my leaving off Blessed Theodore Romzha from my list (he was one of many Eastern Catholic bishops martyred under the communists, and his feast day is coming up on November 1). This is not because I do not value their input; if I had to do a list of the top ten Catholics, they would probably make it. But I rather wanted to point to those who have had the most influence on my own development, and here I find Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI to be less significant than those mentioned here.
The first on this list is St. Edith Stein (1891 -1942). Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 28, 2009
One of the things I like to highlight are the ideas, issues, and people which often get overlooked by the general Catholic public, and bring them into the open as a means to address contemporary issues. In this piece here I want to bring out here are the five non-Catholic people who lived in the 20th century and have influenced me the most. I believe if more people came to know them as I do, studied their works or lives, and followed through with the insights they offered, the world would be a better place.
The first is Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890 – 1988). He is the man, more than any other, I think the modern world needs to get to know. Read the rest of this entry »
18 Comments | Buddhism, Dialogue, Ecumenism, Henry Karlson, History, Nonviolence, Pacifism, War and Peace, social justice | Permalink
Posted by Henry Karlson
October 27, 2009
“The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).
Pride is one of the eight deadly sins; it is, according to the witness of tradition, pride that was the foundation for Satan’s fall from grace. Pride, it is also said, was behind humanity’s desire to take Godhood for itself – to try to become, by nature, what was to be a gift of grace (hence, false theosis). Pride, indeed, always comes before a fall, because pride assumes a nature which is non-existent, and therefore, creates the conditions by which the fall will happen.
“The beginning of man’s pride is to depart from the Lord; his heart has forsaken his Maker. For the beginning of pride is sin, and the man who clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore the Lord brought upon them extraordinary afflictions, and destroyed them utterly” (Sirach 10:12-13).
But where does this pride come from? Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 23, 2009
In a rather inappropriate title, Vatican thumbs up for Karl Marx after Galileo, Darwin and Oscar Wilde, the Times Online is discussing a new article coming from L’Osservatore Romano:
Karl Marx, who famously described religion as “the opium of the people”, has joined Galileo, Charles Darwin and Oscar Wilde on a growing list of historical figures to have undergone an unlikely reappraisal by the Roman Catholic Church.
L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, said yesterday that Marx’s early critiques of capitalism had highlighted the “social alienation” felt by the “large part of humanity” that remained excluded, even now, from economic and political decision-making.
Georg Sans, a German-born professor of the history of contemporary philosophy at the pontifical Gregorian University, wrote in an article that Marx’s work remained especially relevant today as mankind was seeking “a new harmony” between its needs and the natural environment. He also said that Marx’s theories may help to explain the enduring issue of income inequality within capitalist societies.
Just because Karl Marx is worth studying, and some of his analysis has proven valid (even capitalists follow it), does not mean one accepts the whole structure of his thought. The point, of course, is that Catholics can and do learn from others, even those hostile to them (as Marx was). St. Augustine found the Platonists worth studying. St Thomas Aquinas found Arab philosophers worth studying. Pope Benedict has himself pointed out some of the value in Marx before pointing out Marx’s erroneous conclusions.
Catholics have a legacy of learning from others, integrating their insights when possible to our faith. This does not mean wholesale acceptance of what others have said, but it does mean appreciating what they got right even if they are often wrong.
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 20, 2009
The science known as history was once thought of as providing concrete, accurate accounts of the past. If one engaged a group of materials, one could provide a fair reconstruction of the past. History was believed to have universal value; other ways of engaging the past, because they did not meet the qualifications of scientific investigation, were dismissed. The problem with this is that history is reconstruction. It is like the attempt to put back together, and bring back to life, a vivisected animal. What we get is something similar in form to the original, but with much that is missing, including life.
While modern historians often recognize this, and therefore do not claim that their presentation of the past is actually what happened in the past, the majority of people still follow with a positivistic understanding of history. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 19, 2009
Part 1 of 2
St. Athanasius’s understanding of theosis should always be kept in our minds as we further explore the concept: theosis must always be seen as relating to our eternal life in Christ. The Fathers, as they explored the concept, saw there was more to it than mere immortality. They noted that we are made in the image and likeness of God, and that must relate, in some fashion, to theosis. We were meant to be more than immortal, but to continuously grow in our divine participation, becoming more and more like God as we find ourselves in ever-increasing beatitude. St. Gregory of Nyssa portrays this well in his Life of Moses: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 17, 2009
Theosis.
While the word has made a comeback in certain theological circles, it remains relatively unknown by the ordinary Christian. When I tell people that it means ‘god making’ or ‘deification’, many people look at me as if I said something horribly wrong. They act as if when I proclaim such a teaching, I must be a heretic. Even some who are familiar with the term and the background associated with it get uncomfortable when it is mentioned. It is because there are many ways the word can be misunderstood. The general suspicion is that anyone who uses it is doing so wrongly. Even when I quote the catechism, showing its doctrinal status, I am told I must be misinterpreting it – before I discuss its meaning.[1] The very fact that I bring it up is enough for some to condemn me. It sounds odd, and that’s all it takes for to issue an anathema. And yet theosis plays a major part in the Eastern theological and spiritual tradition; if I were I ignore it, I would ignore a part of who and what I am.
In order to help people understand what theosis is, and what it actually means, I think it is important to do an introductory piece on the term, showing its scriptural and patristic sources, but also demonstrating what exactly it is supposed to mean so that people do not have to be concerned with the word. When they do, hopefully they will understand not only why deification is the goal of the Christian life; indeed, it can be said that any end for us but deification would end up unsatisfactory, because it would end up a dead-end.
Scripture has a few passages which tradition sees as the reference points on theosis from revelation. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 13, 2009
“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush on anyone whom it falls” (Matthew 22:42 – 44).
Reading these verses with Yogācārin eyes, we note several distinctive features. Jesus identifies himself with a stone that will break into pieces those who fall upon it, that is, he will break apart those who turn to him for salvation. Their egos, their sense of self, will be shattered. What remains are only the pieces which no longer combine to form one individual. This shows us that what seemed to be one was really many different things. They were not necessarily united to each other, but only came together contingently. We are also told that the kingdom of heaven is given to those who “produce the fruits of the kingdom.” What is this fruit of the kingdom Jesus is talking about? It is the seed of enlightenment, the seed of salvation which overturn and destroy the defilements left within our consciousness.
A Christian who comes to Jesus, who puts their faith in Jesus, reaches out of the shell of the self, and slowly lets the shell be broken up into pieces by Jesus so that they experience reality, not only through their own consciousness, but in Christ by joining in with his life and death. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 10, 2009
To the surprise of many, even in the beginning of the scholastic movement, the schoolmen would often discuss the possibility of that there could be other intelligent forms of life in the universe than our own. They thought it was an important question, one worthy of investigation. “Since once of the most wondrous and noble questions in Nature is whether there is one world or many, a question that the human mind desires to understand per se, it seems desirable for us to inquire about it.”[1]
While a few accepted the possibility that there could be such life, they all believed it was unlikely that such beings existed, mostly because of their cosmological understanding. Their reasoning was based upon a misunderstanding of the universe, its size, and formation. For most, the world we lived on was the center of the universe, and matter was seen to naturally incline itself to the earth so that the only possible material world was ours, and so the only place where life could exist was what was seen on earth and what was seen in the heavens. Since no such intelligent life, beyond our own, was found on the earth, it seemed evident it did not exist.[2] Of course, they accepted the possibility that celestial entities, such as stars, were living creatures, and so they could possess intelligence. As Marie George points out,[3] the following quote of St Thomas Aquinas shows that he thought they did not, but he said one could believe they did without contradicting the faith: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 9, 2009
Many people have won the prize.
US President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Nobel Committee said he was awarded it for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”.
There were a record 205 nominations for this year’s prize. Zimbabwe’s prime minister and a Chinese dissident had been among the favourites.
Read the rest of the story here.
Personally, I think there were better choices, especially since it appears the war in Afghanistan is about to escalate, and the possibility of a strike on Iran appears very real.
UPDATE from John L. Allen Jr.
An NCR translation from the Italian follows:
“The awarding of the Nobel Prize for Peace to President Obama is greeted with appreciation in the Vatican, in light of the commitment demonstrated by the President for the promotion of peace in the international arena, and in particular also recently in favor of nuclear disarmament. It’s hoped that this very important recognition will further encourage that commitment, which is difficult but fundamental for the future of humanity, so that the desired results will be obtained.”
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 6, 2009
For Byzantine Catholics, October 6, 2009 has three different meanings.
First, it is the feast day of St Thomas, the Apostle. He was the last of the primary Apostles to believe in the resurrection of Christ; he was also the last to realize the significance of Mary’s Dormition. He shows us that it is fine to have doubts, as long as those doubts do not close one off from the truth. Doubt is a part of the Christian walk of life. It helps us grow in faith. Because of doubt, we go and search and try to find answers to those questions which hinder our faith. Because of our struggles with doubt, we prove ourselves to God, showing him that our love for him is so strong, even our doubt will not detour us.
Second, it is the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Byzantine Catholic chapel in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
October 4, 2009
The principle of double effect has, through the years, become more prevalent in Catholic discussion because of its application with abortion. The principle is one of morality, where it says one can do a specific action which will have a bad effect, if that bad effect is not intended, if the effect and reason for the action is good (or at least neutral), and if the good intended is proportionately greater than the unintended evil. The actor must not consider the bad effect as a part of the means of the act, but rather, entirely unintended, if not undesirable.
The reason for this principle should be obvious: real moral activity in the world is tricky and often of mixed moral value. While we should always strive to do no evil, indirect, material cooperation of evil is near impossible to overcome. Even if we go into the wilderness and aim to become an ascetic cut off from the world, that very action means we give up our responsibility to the world, and what we fail to do that leads to the increase of evil in the world will be a part of the evil which has come about from our action. Read the rest of this entry »
51 Comments | Abortion, Henry Karlson, Morality, Question | Permalink
Posted by Henry Karlson
September 30, 2009
Probably one of the reasons why Plato’s allegory of the cave is so famous is because of the applicability of its subject-matter to daily life. Any sense of insight we gain about the world around us makes us feel as if we are different, and we know how difficult it is to explain and convince others of that insight. People don’t want to listen to us. They don’t believe what we have to tell them. Critics even find plausible explanations to reject what we say, often with the suggestion that we are either deluded or ignorant. We all know the sensation of enlightenment combined with rejection by our peers.
It is not surprising that science fiction and fantasy writers often use Plato’s allegory as a means of telling a story. We can associate ourselves with the struggle a character has in trying to maintain their insight. And the struggle can be of various kinds, some mental, some physical, providing, as it were, an unlimited numbers of stories to be told. Some writers try to engage more of the elements of the allegory than others, taking in details which are not necessary but nonetheless useful to the reader. Such, for example, is the case with C.S. Lewis and Owen Barfield, two members of the Inklings. They both have stories which feature underground societies being kept in the dark about the world. They do so, however, for different reasons, each leading to their own insights about the human condition. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 29, 2009
The Mahabharata is one of the most neglected literary classics of the world. In many ways, this is understandable, because it is one of the largest epics over produced, being composed of 100,000 lines. It takes considerable effort to translate something far shorter than this. The only complete translations are old, and based upon an uncritical edition of the text, and, in general, theirs style makes it difficult for the average person to read. Recently, Penguin Classics released a newly abridged translation of the text by John D. Smith.
This is a good, readable text, written as prose instead of verse. The book is composed of translations and summaries, about 50% of the time, the book is a translation, 50% of the time, the book summarizing events not translated. The summaries are good and make sure one is not left unaware of anything vital. This means Smith has translated roughly 10% of the complete text. While I might wish he translated different selections than he did, because I have interest in the work as a religious text, I understand why he chose what he did. He is interested in relating the story, and things which would slow down the story are summarized. Don’t let the fact that half of the book is a summary fool you, though. This is a thick book, and will take you some time to read. The notes at the beginning are worthwhile, and should help the reader unfamiliar with the story or its history. The translation is roughly 790 pages long, and includes a needful glossary in the back, relating all the characters you might otherwise have difficulty keeping track of because of how many there are in this tale.
The story itself is about the Bharata lineage, and how a group of cousins were led to fight one another for control of throne of Hastinapura, the kingdom ruled by the Kurus. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 28, 2009
The Middle East is once again in the news. After Iran revealed that it has a second nuclear facility, it tested new long-range missiles. News after news report is being made to encourage a negative public reaction against, all while Israel seems ready to strike Iran.
Where is President Obama in this? While, he is opening up dialogues with Iran, it seems that the dialogue seems to be one-way, where the U.S. is giving Iran demands: open up nuclear plants to inspectors, and allow inspectors to have open discussions with those who have developed the plant.
Do these demands sound familiar? They do to me. It’s the demands the U.S. made with Iraq. And like with Iraq, Iran says it will open itself up to such inspectors. I hope Obama will not follow the route which lead to war in Iraq. I fear he is being directed to do just that. Right now we are threatening severe sanctions. But Obama has consistently said all options are possible.
Have we learned our lessons from the Iraq War? Have we learned not to take accusations at face value? I fear not. Without having to look into the moral question of preemptive war, we need to look into the logistics. Can we take on a war on three fronts? Can we afford such a war? To both questions, the answer should be obvious: no.
Interestingly enough, the UN has recently encouraged Israel to open up its own nuclear program for similar inspections. Do we think this will happen? Obviously not. Should the US start threatening sanctions?
31 Comments | Henry Karlson, News, Nuclear weapons | Permalink
Posted by Henry Karlson
September 26, 2009
One of the things I’ve noticed is that many people assume pluralism is the same thing as relativism. This cannot be the case. Pluralism does not say everything is equal. What it does suggest is that there is value in a variety of views and traditions. Pluralism can recognize distinctions in degree and kind. But it also sees the problem of an absolute monism which constricts like a tyrant the human person into an abstraction of truth constructed by the human mind.
Our monetary situation in the United States is pluralistic. Each dollar bill is of the same value. But then there are also five dollar bills, twenty dollar bills, etc. We have a plurality without making cash worthless or assuming all kinds of denominations are of the same value. Relativism would say the one, five, and twenty dollar bills are equal. Pluralism says they are not, but recognizes the value in the one even if it is not the twenty. Pluralism would also recognize the fact of counterfeit currency, while relativism would suggest there is no such thing. Finally, pluralism understands that what is printed on currency might change, to suit the needs of the times, without it changing the actual value of the currency.
This is a good way to understand the liturgical tradition of the Catholic Church. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 25, 2009
Vladimir Solovyov, in his description of St Vladimir of Rus, provides for us an explanation of why he is a great saint, worthy of the title bestowed upon him: Equal to the Apostles:
While he was a pagan, the first Kievan Christian prince devoted himself absolutely to his natural inclinations, but once baptized, he immediately understood the simple truth that neither the Byzantine emperors, beginning with Constantine the Great, nor the Greek bishops ever did (this included, incidentally, those who were sent to Kieve for the instruction of new Christians). He understood that true faith obliges, and it obligates you, namely, to change the rules by which both you and your community live, consonant with the spirit of the new faith. He understood this as even applying in the instance of the death penalty, which was obscure not just for the Byzantines alone; he found it incompatible with the Spirit of Christ to impose the death penalty even upon avowed brigands. The newly baptized Vladimir understood that to take the life of unarmed – and consequently harmless – people in revenge for their earlier evil deeds was contrary to Christian justice. It is striking that in such an attitude to this question he was guided not just by a natural feeling of pity, but directly by his consciousness of true Christian requirements. […] Finding the death penalty unjust, Vladimir also related to war with Christian nations negatively as well, preserving his retainers just for defense of the land against barbaric and rapacious nomads, who were amendable to no other argument than armed force.[1]
The truth obliges. Read the rest of this entry »
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September 24, 2009
Philip K. Dick is not known for writing novels which portray women in a positive light. This is not because he was anti-women, but rather reflects on his own troubled experiences with them. He had several failed marriages, and I am sure, he would be the first to point out it was in part his own foibles which led to his divorces. The life he had lived (such as a high level of drug abuse early in life), and the kinds of other-worldly experiences he would face (which would haunt him to the end of his life), combined with constant material poverty he faced daily, certainly would make any relationship difficult at best. Nonetheless, his bright, far-reaching mind, and his innate kindness attracted many women to him, and brought to him many long-lasting friendships. The conversations we have recorded with some of his women friends/companions show his true love and respect for women. He just found it difficult to relate to them, and therefore, to write on them. But, as Mary and the Giant shows, he was not entirely clueless; he could write about women protagonists, and when he did, he had a prescient sense of the difficulties women were to face because of the sexual revolution. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 23, 2009
There is a misconception among many Catholics today that the impiety they see around themselves is a new thing, and it is the result of liturgical changes which happened after Vatican Council II. Of course, this line of reasoning makes no sense. If liturgical changes are what have caused impiety, what is the cause for the liturgical changes themselves? While it is important to have a good, pious form of liturgy, it is not sufficient in itself to make Catholics act and think appropriately. After all, even after Trent, when the Tridentine Liturgy was all but normalized for the West, all kinds of heresies and impieties came out of Catholic circles. The liturgy didn’t stop them. More importantly, as the history of liturgy shows, there are many ways to have good, pious forms of liturgy, and many ways to celebrate the liturgy with impiety. It is not merely a feature of modern day liturgy to have abuses; it is a feature of liturgy throughout all time to have a human component to them, with all kinds of abuses coming out of that humanity.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 20, 2009
C.S. Lewis, like his friend Adam Fox, was interested in – and highly influenced by – Platonism. The Silver Chair has within it a version of Plato’s allegory of the cave, where the heroes are being enchanted and made to believe that Narnia was not real. They have been outside the underground realm they are at, but magic is being used to make them doubt it, to believe what they saw was mere abstractions of things which could be found underground. Puddleglum, a marsh-wiggle, eventually replies that even if Narnia were not real, it is richer, of far greater value and meaning, than where he was at, and he would rather live in his fantasy than in a harsh, bleak world without meaning. It is through Lewis’ Platonic perspective one will be able to understand the ending of The Last Battle. Here the heroes of Narnia (all of the main characters save Susan) find themselves in a strange, but beautiful, new world which Lewis eventually reveals is the “reality behind Narnia.” To guide the reader in understanding this, he has the professor, Digory, explain the relationship between this new land, this “real Narnia” with the land they had known as being Narnia as that between an original and a copy. He also says that Pevensie children should have known this, because “It’s all in Plato, all in Plato.”[1]
But not everyone found this new land to be so appealing. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 18, 2009
I have not said much in the threads and discussion on racism here for many reasons, but I thought I would give my own views as to what I see is going on, and why the discussion of racism is going to be difficult. It requires us to move beyond pro or anti-Obama camps and to work with each other, even if it is not politically helpful. So, here are seven things which immediately come to mind as I think of this issue:
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 17, 2009
We have discussed the situation in Darfur several times on Vox Nova. President Obama, during his campaign, made a promise to deal with the situation in the Sundan. That promise received bi-partisan support, and it looked like something which most people could agree upon would be a good thing, if Obama did as he promised.
We have not had a post about Darfur for sometime, and so I thought I would highlight recent events. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 14, 2009
Sometimes, it will be said by those trying to find something to criticize Vox Nova that Vox Nova is irrelevant when it does not have a post on a specific issue in the news on a given day. While it is true that what happens can be important, it is also true that what is in the news is often given sufficient commentary elsewhere, and does not always need a post here. There is no need to just get caught up in the moment when there is much more at stake. That is the problem with this kind of criticism: the notion of relevance here is transitory – if the only thing which is relevant is what is in the news, then relevance is worthless, because what is news one day is worthless the next. Christians should be concerned about what happens, but more importantly, they should be concerned about changing things, and looking beyond the illusion of the moment.
What I am saying is that relevance should not be based upon the hot topics of a given day, to be guided and judged by the whim of happenstance. If this is all that relevance means, then relevance is meaningless because, through the passage of time, everything would become irrelevant. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 11, 2009
This will be a work of speculation. In it I am going to explain several of my thoughts about the animal world. It will not be a complete exposition, and it might not represent my final thoughts on the matter as my ideas and research develops. Nonetheless, it contains much which I have long held, modified as it is, because of my work with Hans Urs von Balthasar. The seeds of future works will likely be found here, though how those seeds will bloom, and if all of them will bloom, is impossible to predict. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 10, 2009
Andrew Linzey is one of the most prolific writers on animals from a Christian perspective. In his newest book, Why Animal Suffering Matters, he offers (among other reflections) a much-needed critique of Peter Singer. While recognizing the fact that Singer has raised the issue of animal rights in the moderna era, Linzey points out that Singer’s own treatment of humanity contradicts his stand on animal rights. That is, he points out that Singer’s support for abortion, and even the killing of infants outside of the womb, ends up justifying the abuse of animals. Because Singer thinks it is acceptable to destroy one helpless form of life, he has already accepted the notion that other helpless forms of life (the rest of the animal world in relation to humanity) are free game. To protect animal rights, the rights of human children need to be enforced. Linzey points out that Singer’s justification is utilitarian – but once utilitarian justifications are accepted, human abuse of other animals becomes acceptable along similar lines.
It is a sad fact that many Christians have not examined the question of animal rights, because, if they did so, and embraced (within a proper perspective, of course) it would help, not hinder, human rights. It would help us realize the travesty of abortion that much more. As long as the world is seen as a playing field to be controlled for our benefit, utilitarian arguments for abortion will continue to have a place of value in our society. Our treatment of animals is just one example of this. Our treatment of our children is another. The treatment of both show the poor spiritual condition of our society today.
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 9, 2009
When looking at history, and read texts from different eras, we must be willing to interpret the text with as much charity as possible. This is because it is easy to read a text, think its ideas are entirely out of fashion in the modern age, mock it, only to discern, much later, that the general ideas proposed in it remain with us today, albeit in a different form.
A favorite example of this come from the works of Marsilio Ficino. Ficino was one of the great thinkers of his age: indeed, one can say he was *the* renaissance man, if there ever was one (he lived from 1433- 1499). Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
September 4, 2009
While the Magisterium possesses authority, it is often difficult to know when that authority is being exercised and what level of authority is being employed when it is. There are two extreme positions which Catholics must avoid: The first is assuming that only infallible declarations have authority, and anything which is not defined through use of papal infallibility is free to be questioned and disobeyed without restriction. The second is assuming that anything and everything that is spoken of by the Magisterium is definitive, unchangeable and must be accepted without question. The first, of course, tends towards doctrinal infidelity, while the second tends toward a bankrupt, propositional absolutism which has no sense of a living faith.
The authority of the Church rests on the authority of Christ, with the leaders of the Church being given a special charism by the Holy Spirit to help direct and guide the Church through history. We must understand that the Church acts to continue the work and presence of Christ in history, to take the eternal work of Christ and to manifest it in history. The Church’s teachings are not to be understood as logical propositions which are formed by mere reason, but rather, they are to be understood as the explanation necessary in order to point us to Christ and to help bring us into Christ, so that we can then be authentic followers of Christ.
Rationalism has, for quite some time, infected us with a misunderstanding of doctrine, assuming doctrine to be propositional. But how can this be, if the Church’s teachings are about truth? Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
August 31, 2009
The Apocalypse of the German Soul[1]
Balthasar’s exploration of the modern “German soul,” as he discerned it through its literary heritage, represents his first major eschatological work. While the various studies on the different figures within his text are interesting in their own right, we will have to focus on his overall strategy, so as to discern the theological and philosophical points he wanted to make by his study. To be sure, we must recognize his work was a work of criticism, pointing out the deficiencies of Germanic thought as it emerged in the modern era, showing the problems of Idealism, Romanticism, and other such movements which influence us today. But it is also clear, he wanted it to be an engagement with what has developed, to discern the positive content contained with it, and recognize that some of it is of great importance to Christian thought – we can’t just hide in the past, rather, we must engage the concerns of the present age, which, of course, must include recognizing those concerns as being at least somewhat valid. His criticism in this way can be seen as a kind of purification; what is it that can be said not only good and true, but worthwhile in what has been said since the time of Kant? We can’t summarily dismiss it – instead, we must explore what it is that caused the development of modern thought, discern what valuable inspirations are guiding it, and bring them out in the open. Once this is done, we will be better suited to deal with the problems which plague modern humanity, because we will know their foundations, and the kinds of erroneous answers which have been given to them.[2]
Balthasar’s desire was to show what modern German thought can reveal of itself (“apocalypse” as revelation) in relation to its ultimate (eschatological) standing. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
August 29, 2009
Christ is in our midst! He is and ever shall be!
When we think of the work of Christ, what is there left for him to do that he has not already done to establish God’s kingdom? As Sergius Bulgakov tells us, nothing:
Does his working of our salvation not require yet new times and new seasons? Can it be the case that, even despite the abiding in the glory and the overcoming of the kenosis, there remains something unfinished in Christ’s work, something that is yet to be done and that therefore depends on new times and seasons? To this audacious question, we have a clear answer in Revelation, which attests that the eternal life of Christ in the heavens, at the right hand of the Father, that is, in all the power of his divinity, remains unfathomably and antinomically liked to the times and seasons of this world, whose duration is now fixed: It extends from the Ascension to the parousia.[1]
His kingdom has been set up by his passion; the incarnation, the initial kenosis of the Son, led to his final kenosis, that of his death and descent into hades. It was only by giving himself over in a total loving obedience to the Father that he could show us the kingdom of God, for it is in this way he shows it is the kingdom of love. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
August 27, 2009
“Another day when a council was being held in Scetis, the Fathers treated Moses with contempt in order to test him, saying, ‘Why does this black man come among us?’ When he heard this he kept silence. When the council was dismissed, they said to him, ‘Abba, did that not grieve you at all?’ He said to them, ‘I was grieved, but I kept silence.’”[1]
One reading these words today cannot but wonder who it was that was being tested, and who was it that was doing the testing. St Moses the Ethiopian (c 330 – 405), it is clear, experienced the prejudices of racism. While in this case it is possible some were indeed trying to test him to see how he would react and to see indeed how far along he had gone in his spiritual quest (according to one rendition of this story, his reaction to the test determined whether or not he should be made a priest), this kind of test could not be had if this was not the opinion of some near Moses. Indeed, the fact that this was even a question indicates that even in the so-called paradise of the fathers in the desert, prejudices remained. How was a Christian to react to them? Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
August 25, 2009
In his great book, Sweeter than Honey: Orthodox Thinking on Dogma and Truth, Peter Bouteneff writes about “true stories” – stories which are told which cannot be historically verified (or may not even be meant to be taken as history) and yet, despite this, mediates some aspect of the truth to their hearer or reader. While we might be think that “historical fact” is the only means we can accept of mediating truth, in reality, we accept many “fictions” even with our “historical mindset” and look for truth in them despite knowing they are not “historically accurate.” He points out how we accept “reality television” even though we know, behind the scenes, there is much manipulation going on in them, that they do not present the full and only accurate presentation of the facts. “The assumption that such programming depicts reality is almost laughable when we witness the carefully sculpted and strangely predictable emotional scenes, dramatizations, and embellishments of events.”[1] We are entertained by them, and learn something about the human condition through them. “Fact and fiction are blurred in this genre, and its immense popularity testifies that we are willing to tolerate such ambiguity in the interests of a good story.”[2] He also points out how many of us are willing to read works of fiction like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia, or movies like Star Wars, Babette’s Feast, and Matrix: Revolutions and find within them such a compelling narrative that they end up affirming elements of the truth for us.[3] Despite a rather “positivistic” view of the world, we end up transcending it in our daily experience and understand how narrative can, and does, reveal something of the truth, even if it is not historical; thus, he says, many of the stories in Scripture are simply understood.[4] “We tell and retell these stories. We read them in the midst of the church. We compose and illustrate children’s books about them. They are the subjects of great works of art. The characters come to life for us. They ring true, and so they come to be real for us.”[5]
This sets us up to understand the story of Sts Barlaam and Josaphat.[6] Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
August 23, 2009
One of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith is its eschatology. We experience the eschaton, for the eschaton has come among us, the eschaton has been immanentized and yet the world has not ended. Indeed, it should be clear to anyone looking out into the world that it has not ended, but it continues on, seemingly unaffected by Christ.[1] To explain this paradox, it is typical for theologians to talk about how the eschaton is “already and not yet,” that is, that the kingdom of God is both present among us today and yet the world has not yet completely entered into the kingdom of God. The preaching of Christ, as we see in the Gospels, proclaimed the entrance of the eschaton into the world: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15). And yet, when we look around us, to the world beside us, do we see the kingdom of God? No, we see a world engulfed by sin, a world where the devil seems to maintain control. How then are we as Christians to believe that the kingdom of God is here, amongst us, when we see the world in such dire straights? Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
August 21, 2009
From the LA Times:
CIA assassination program had been outsourced to Blackwater, ex-officials say
Something inside me says it’s true. Of course, people will tell me “I want to believe it is true” because of my dislike of the G.W. Bush presidency — but that is not the case. I think G.W. Bush often did things he thought was for the best — I feel he was led by bad advisers and didn’t have the ability to discern how bad the advice he was given actually was. I don’t think he would necessarily have known of this. But if there is just an ounce of truth to this story, the implications of it are tremendous.
According to the article, “The North Carolina-based company was given operational responsibility for targeting suspected terrorist commanders and was awarded millions of dollars for training and weaponry, but the program was canceled before any missions were conducted, the two officials said.” Even if nothing was done, the fact that this was considered acceptable makes me wonder what else has been outsourced to Blackwater. What else has it been doing in Iraq?
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Posted by Henry Karlson
August 18, 2009
Do not immanentize the eschaton. How many times do we find these words repeated, time and again, since Voegelin has suggested to do so is Gnostic? How ironic is this claim, when authentic Christian theology believes that the eschaton has been immanetized in Christ. Voegelin, and many of his followers like Buckley, became critical of anyone who would try to connect the supernatural with the natural in a way which understood the eschatological ramifications of Christ have any this-worldly implications.[1] But this is exactly what Christian theology proposes. God became man; the eschaton has been revealed; the world and all that is in it has been affected by the immanentizing of the eschaton that history can never be the same. Christians are called to live out their lives in and through Christ, bringing the eschatological implications of Pascha to the world itself. The world is meant to be transformed and brought to its perfection, and we are to be Christ’s workers in helping to bring this about; of course, our work is not on the same level of Christ’s, but, if we truly become one with Christ in his body, we must understand this is exactly what we are called to do.[2] Anything else is a rejection of the incarnation, anything else which tries to establish an absolute duality between the immanent and transcendent is what really qualifies as gnostic! Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
August 17, 2009
Whether or not you agree with sanctions against Burma, one must realize that Senator Webb’s trip to Burma was a failure. Yes, he was able to get an American released from custody, but he was unable to address the real situation as found in Burma. Yes, he might be right in saying sanctions do not always work, but did he try to fix the situation? No. He was also given the opportunity to talk with and dialogue with Burmese officials, but all one can see out of it is that he bowed before their desires. He had no backbone. Did he try to get things to be changed? No. Of course not. He showed the Burmese that Americans just do not care when human rights violations happen when it doesn’t affect Americans. He went in and had a talk with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, with officials in Burma, but said and did nothing of any important. He could have said something. He could have done something. Even a minor protest against the oppression shown to the Burmese people would have been something. All in all, Sylvester Stallone showed a better understanding of the problems faced by the Burmese than Webb with his Rambo.
What should we expect for an encore? Perhaps Webb will like to visit Gitamona and tell us how nothing can be done to fix the abuses there, so we might as well accept it, too?
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Posted by Henry Karlson
August 15, 2009
“For there are many insubordinate men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially the circumcision party; they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for base gain what they have no right to teach. One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, instead of giving heed to Jewish myths or to commands of men who reject the truth” (Titus 1:10 – 14).
This text is famous for causing all kinds of logical debate: if all Cretans are liars, then how can it be said that a Cretan’s testimony is true? The Cretan in question is Epimenides, which is why this is normally known as the Epimenides paradox. The paradox of course does not come from Epimenides himself, but from Paul’s use of Epimenides, and some people have used it to suggest a problem with Paul, and therefore, with Scripture. How is one to answer it? Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Henry Karlson
