Johnny Rockets wrote:Well Answered Zep Flyer: ( The Pope cannot just change Law at a whim. After all, we believe that it is not a creation of men, like the Constitution, but a codification of the Will of God. It can only be changed when we think that we are misinterpreting Him.)
However, feeding and educating the poor in Africa so they can die of aids with pure souls as young adults is tough to think that this would be God's will. They are being educated that condoms are a sin, and a mortal one at that. Abstinance is what is pushed and it's obvious with the mortality rates that this aproach is not very helpful. The physical presence that the catholic missionaries have in the field there are very much the best educational delivery system to protect the population. This point of view then that condoms are wrong enable a massive amount of deaths. I cannot construe that this is Good, or the wishes of a loving God.
If Cannon law is the codification of the Will of God, then is has to be that somewhere and somewhen, this was divinely inspired from mind to pen to paper.
(This is the same for the written word of the bible correct? And please let me know if I'm off base here...)
So thus can they not review and take the stance that a misinterpretation has taken place?
It would be progressive and an inspiration to shape a belief structure such as Catholicism to a point where no harm was being done......by action or inaction.
Appologies if I'm getting offensive.
J
Johnny,
Not offensive at all. Honest questions.
You're getting into a difference between Prodestants and Catholics here. most Prodestants believe that the Bible is the only direct communication of God to man that we can accept as completely valid. They differ on how much interpretation we can do, but that is another story entirely. Just talking about the Catholic Church here, we believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but that the Traditions of the Church as codified by canon law are as well. There have been several time through history when addition and editing has taken place. Mostly, it happens at Church Councils such as Nicea, Rome, Constantinople, Vatican I, Vatican II, etc. Here, a new development in the world is reviewed based on past rulings and what we know of the Nature of God.
Like the Supreme Court making decisions based on a case coming to them through the court system, they usually (though not always) come about because of a specific development in the world. The Council of Nicea, for instance, was convened to argue the merits of Arianism vs. the traditional view of the triune nature of God (coequal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The result was the Nicean Creed with which most Chirstians are familiar. (I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth....) Vatican II resulted in the sweeping changes to the liturgy and relations with other Christians and nonChristians that we are familiar with today.
Perhaps another Council is needed to look again at the possibility of an exception to the ban on contraceptives. It's not my place to say. I will say, though that the Church certainly doesn't calously want people to suffer needlessly. From the most cynical of viewpoints, Africa is the place (excepting possibly China where accurate numbers are hard to find) where the Church is growing the fastest. Do you think they want these potential converts dying off? Do you think they want to be supporting hospitals from funds begged from the rest of the world rather than having prosperous generous contributors right there locally? Do you think they want the bad press? Of course not. The Church preaches against the use of contraceptives, because we honestly believe that the deaths (as we see them) that would result from their use outweigh the evil that their lack causes. (Not arguing the point. Again, plenty of other places to do that.)
I would remark that I something somewhere about a softening on the issue of condom use in specific instances. I'm at work and large chunks of the net are blocked, or I'd go looking.
Whew. Longest post I've ever made on this forum. Good thing it's a slow day at the office.
