Daily Breakfast 516 - Boldly Go!
Today: Confirmation feedback; Summer TV misery; West Wing and Star Trek Next Generation; Star Trek MMO video game; Faith and Politics; Subscribe to the weekly SQPN Newsletter!
Links from the show:
Inge’s blog
Inge’s podcast
SQPN Community on Flickr with all photos of Inge’s Big Day
Check out Fr. Roderick’s blog at FatherRoderick.com
Father Roderick’s Blog
For live recordings of the Daily Breakfast go over to ustream
Sign up for the SQPN Newsletter!
Is it true that a country cannot be considered for membership in the EU if they do not allow abortion? I was told that by someone in Denmark.
What is a Catholic supposed to do when the candidates that are opposed to abortion are also in favor of the death penalty? That and the reverse (pro choice, anti-capital punishment) are almost the only choices available in most American elections.
On a philosophical note… if a Universal Truth is accepted only by the faithful members of the church, how is it distinguishable from a religious belief to those outside the church?
I believe its is not needed to allow abortion. Poland is in the EU, and does not allow abortion, only in serious health cases and some special cases, also Ireland I believe does not support abortion , only in special cases…
Peter, Slovakia, EU
You make a good point about the Church’s moral teaching not being a matter of creed, but of defense of universal human dignity.
This month, I’m doing a paragraph-by-paragraph gloss on JPII’s encyclical on the morality, The Splendor of Truth, and I mentioned something similar:
The Pope makes the bold claim, following on the teaching of Paul VI, that the Church is an expert in humanity. This point is important if we’re going to understand the Church’s witness in regard to moral truth. The moral life does not pertain simply to Christians or members of other religions; it is a gift and a task for every human being. As mother and teacher, the Church feels an obligation to provide a moral witness to the entire world, regardless of creed… because the moral life concerns what is essential to being human. It’s a bold claim the Church makes, but notice, she models her authority on the Lord she follows… it is an authority that is not clawing after power, but is sacrificial in nature. It’s rooted in service: “she [the Church] places herself at the service of every individual and of the whole world.” Some claim that the Church has it out for them, that the Christian God has it out for them, but that is a distorted view of the situation… the shadowy view of those for whom the radiance of truth is seen as blinding and punishing, rather than as a source of freedom. In other words, Christ is not out for blood. The Church, in her moral teaching, is not trying to impose a creed on the world, but to offer the service of a moral witness that is truly human. In her sinful members, this witness is often weak, to be sure, and sometimes contradicted by bad behavior. But does this mean the Church should turn out the lights and let fallen humanity continue on the trajectory of its fallenness? As mother, the Church cannot stop loving and nurturing her children, both within and beyond her visible communion. In this, she is obedient to her Lord.
Jomichael,
A universal moral truth does not depend on believing an article of faith (for example, believing in Jesus as the Son of God)… it rests simply on respect for the dignity of the human person, which is something accessible to non-believers.
I don’t think Fr. meant religious Truth (capitalized as Jesus is the incarnated Truth), instead I think he means that even if you’re an Atheist for example, you have an opinion about some moral issues. The idea that killing other people is wrong is almost universally shared among humans. That touches upon an interesting paradox.
If people are Atheists, and only accept things in the material realm (Materialism), how to deal with morality. An ‘orthodox’ Atheist, so one who is consistent in his reasoning, should say that morality doesn’t exist, it’s religious.
Yet, even the most hardcore Atheists think about moral issues. So in that regard the Church can join in that discussion, not because she’s the expert on morality, but because morality is an universally shared understanding. So therefore she can give an opinion about pro-life issues, about sexuality and other social issues, because these issues are philosophical or sociological and not exclusively religious.
Just my 2 cents.