People and Planet

http://unprecedentedchange.blogspot.com
or google Marie Schickel Rottschaefer


People and Planet – unprecedented change Blog #6
September 14, 2010
Marie Schickel Rottschaefer
Retired RN BSN & MS (Nursing Education)


9-14-10
The commonality that I see between Rosemary Ruether speaking about a spirituality of infantilism which was deeply bred into our psyches in our traditional Catholic socialization, Tom Doyle speaking about clericalism and its trappings, and Bernie Rodel, Eileen Rodel and Paula Ruddy discussing When is a Law Not a Law? is this.   Each is a recent response to the authority question in Catholicism.  The question at hand is, where is the justification for such authority?  This leads to the next question, where can true authority be found?
Although I speak as a laywoman, I think that epistemology (theory of knowledge and justification) and other philosophical areas and critical thinking skills, as well as relevant science including especially scientific biblical-historical scholarship, would immediately extricate people from the ‘indoctrination box’ ever implicit in each of these groups’ thinking as Catholic people.  The biblical-historical scholarship demonstrates the bedrock of Christianity i.e. the incarnation and resurrection beliefs.  If the bedrock is problematic then anything built upon it is even more so.  Philosophy and the relevant sciences will enhance the change that Christianity, as a religion that originated in the age of mythology must accept.  The significant lack of necessary acceptance is what is promoting Christianity’s demise.
Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church have had intellectuals in every age.  Thinking has both evolved and superseded one mindset over another depending on the circumstances of a particular historical period.  But this is the period of a twenty-first century scientific worldview, the age of the Internet, and moving towards a digital world library, as I understand it.  This means that the magisterial authority has to prove itself intellectually superior to the world depository of knowledge.  The hierarchy has access to the same experts for advice, as does anyone else.  Not only that, the church representing itself as ‘the sacred’ and the world representing itself as ‘the secular’ -- in the final analysis -- each has access to the same human knowledge base.   Evolutionary theory has preempted the assumed dichotomy between the hypothetical sacred and secular realms.  Sacred and secular reality and truth are one.  It is difficult for me to imagine how the hierarchical teaching authority can sustain its position.
Expert group minds giving expert advice as needed in such radically changing times for people and planet is the new necessity.  We are into the sixth mass extinction, climate change, depletion of global resources, a global population crisis, a global multifaceted crisis and more.  On the one hand we have global coalitions working for people and planet.  Yet on the other hand far too many live their lives in the spirit of ‘business as usual’.
Historically, new knowledge does supersede older knowledge often enough, and especially so in philosophy and science.  I admire the progressive Catholics who are the avant-garde and leading the church into a new age.  But I think that it will be a post-Axial Age faith replacing an Axial Age religion; cultural evolution will make it so.   Many required resources are already available.  It’s a matter of connecting the dots -- using the resources and activating the political will to enable people and restore the planet as much as is possible.
I wish you well in your endeavors.  I am sorry that I am not able to join you.  The cost-benefit ratio is not working for me.   Also, competing priorities prevent me from continuing my Blog People and Planet -- unprecedented change.   I appreciate the opportunity google gave me.  And I appreciate your kind consideration.  Marie.