"Every debate between Catholics could essentially be ended by invoking the phrase, “But the Church teaches…” This appeal to not just any authority, but divinely-backed, infallible authority, was a tremendously powerful intellectual shortcut."
I hate intellectual shortcuts, which is why I never thought “But the Church teaches…” necessarily invoked infallibility. I've had many fights with people over this.
Steve, I've been writing a series of Substack essays on science and religion. My goal is specifically to counter this tendency. If you read it you will see that the word 'humility' does come up:
Holy Saturday Aside and "Treat": I didn't get to my other abode yet to pass along to you a very beautiful picture of Jesus' face imprinted on St. Veronica's veil, but I stumbled across a youtube last night that I found quite arresting and mesmerizing. The youtube creator used AI to bring historical figures to life (very addicting watching these historical figures get a "live make-over", and there's a whole slew of them). Anyway, here's the AI-aided rendition of Our Savior's face "brought to life", as He would appear based on the image imprinted on the Shroud of Turin.
Re: trads feeling persecuted. Trads are being persecuted--the TLM is basically being squeezed out. I don't know what will happen, but it will not be Christian in spirit. Did you read about the FBI memo saying trad Catholics are potential dangerous extremists? Contemplatives, especially contemplative nuns, are being targeted by the Vatican. They get investigated and then are forced to join "Federations" that basically interfere with their prayer charism. That way of life (Carmelite, contemplative prayers) disturbs the James Martin types, who seem to be quite influential right now at the very top of the RCC. They're too holy, and they're too catholic.. So I've noticed that the Fairfield PA Carmelite nuns have taken (in their fund-raising literature) to refering to themselves as "Hermits" and not "Nuns." No doubt, in response to Cor Orans. I attach an interview with their marketing manager, whose sister joined the Fairfield Carmelites when the marketing sister was age 14. She explains how "Core Orans" interferes with the contemplative orders and monasteries (male and female).
Re: conspiracy theories. Can a conspiracy theory be true? Who killed JFK? Did Epstein commit suicide?
IMO: The CIA killed JFK, primarily, because they were angry about the Bay of Pigs. (Kennedy refused to send air cover when the invading CIA force was being overwhelmed in Cuba.) There were other parties that were happy for this assasination (like the Mafia and the Russians, since JFK had entertained the idea of the CIA of assassinating Castro). The Mafia was angry at the Kennedys because RFK decided to go after the mob as JFK's Attorney General, overlooking the fact that Joe Kennedy, Sr., was a rum runner during Prohibition (so had to collude with the mob to do that) and helped steal the 1960 election in Chicago with the help of Sam Giancana (Chicago mob) and the Richard M. Daley political machine in Chicago. (Aside: if you listen to and read Whitney Webb, a young journalist who has bravely investigated and reported on the ties of the mob and the CIA, you'd entertain the notion that when the CIA needs hitmen, it often turns to the mob hitmen to do the dastardly act, because let's face it, most civil servants, and even some ex-military, don't like this line of work. So it may be that mafia hitmen were involved in the JFK assasination). If you dig enough (and I have) you would at least entertain this as a real possibility. The USA can never tell the truth about the JFK assassination, no matter how many years pass, because it's too shameful, and also, the Kennedy family could sue the USA government if it were admitted.
Epstein in all likelihood was a CIA/Mossad double agent. He was in all likelihood murdered by the CIA with Mossad approval in jail. Read Whitney Webb or watch her many interviews. She is very brave--she lives in Chili or Peru (I can't remember), but I'd say her life is at risk for the level of reporting she does.
Why am I going into all this detail? To demonstrate that "conspiracy theories" can be true.
Here are my thoughts, which I will break up my thoughts: re: tribalism "We see it in politics, we see it on polarizing issues like the border and gun control and transgenderism and COVID. " Just because a topic is polarizing does not mean it is a "no go zone." Jesus went there (polarizing to the point of death). He drove the people who were about to stone the woman caught in adultery away. That was polarizing, and tribal. He marked a line in the sand: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." So that set up the tribe of one: Jesus, against the tribe of the stoners. It was polarizing. The stoners walked away, in disgust. I think when Jesus was writing on the sand (doodling), He may have been writing down the sins of the stoners, probably at their feet. He could have been.
Appreciate the reference to beginner’s mind. Shunryu Suzuki’s book on it is a classic. The point about the Thomists— yes conceptualism. A whole world of assertions and statements all relying upon a common vocabulary. One term defined by another and the conclusions just follow all within the enclosed system. The system loses touch with anything outside the system.
"Every debate between Catholics could essentially be ended by invoking the phrase, “But the Church teaches…” This appeal to not just any authority, but divinely-backed, infallible authority, was a tremendously powerful intellectual shortcut."
I hate intellectual shortcuts, which is why I never thought “But the Church teaches…” necessarily invoked infallibility. I've had many fights with people over this.
Steve, I've been writing a series of Substack essays on science and religion. My goal is specifically to counter this tendency. If you read it you will see that the word 'humility' does come up:
https://thomasfdavis.substack.com
Holy Saturday Aside and "Treat": I didn't get to my other abode yet to pass along to you a very beautiful picture of Jesus' face imprinted on St. Veronica's veil, but I stumbled across a youtube last night that I found quite arresting and mesmerizing. The youtube creator used AI to bring historical figures to life (very addicting watching these historical figures get a "live make-over", and there's a whole slew of them). Anyway, here's the AI-aided rendition of Our Savior's face "brought to life", as He would appear based on the image imprinted on the Shroud of Turin.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NOxDItF9gG0
Re: trads feeling persecuted. Trads are being persecuted--the TLM is basically being squeezed out. I don't know what will happen, but it will not be Christian in spirit. Did you read about the FBI memo saying trad Catholics are potential dangerous extremists? Contemplatives, especially contemplative nuns, are being targeted by the Vatican. They get investigated and then are forced to join "Federations" that basically interfere with their prayer charism. That way of life (Carmelite, contemplative prayers) disturbs the James Martin types, who seem to be quite influential right now at the very top of the RCC. They're too holy, and they're too catholic.. So I've noticed that the Fairfield PA Carmelite nuns have taken (in their fund-raising literature) to refering to themselves as "Hermits" and not "Nuns." No doubt, in response to Cor Orans. I attach an interview with their marketing manager, whose sister joined the Fairfield Carmelites when the marketing sister was age 14. She explains how "Core Orans" interferes with the contemplative orders and monasteries (male and female).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJMT3Gj2KTU
Re: conspiracy theories. Can a conspiracy theory be true? Who killed JFK? Did Epstein commit suicide?
IMO: The CIA killed JFK, primarily, because they were angry about the Bay of Pigs. (Kennedy refused to send air cover when the invading CIA force was being overwhelmed in Cuba.) There were other parties that were happy for this assasination (like the Mafia and the Russians, since JFK had entertained the idea of the CIA of assassinating Castro). The Mafia was angry at the Kennedys because RFK decided to go after the mob as JFK's Attorney General, overlooking the fact that Joe Kennedy, Sr., was a rum runner during Prohibition (so had to collude with the mob to do that) and helped steal the 1960 election in Chicago with the help of Sam Giancana (Chicago mob) and the Richard M. Daley political machine in Chicago. (Aside: if you listen to and read Whitney Webb, a young journalist who has bravely investigated and reported on the ties of the mob and the CIA, you'd entertain the notion that when the CIA needs hitmen, it often turns to the mob hitmen to do the dastardly act, because let's face it, most civil servants, and even some ex-military, don't like this line of work. So it may be that mafia hitmen were involved in the JFK assasination). If you dig enough (and I have) you would at least entertain this as a real possibility. The USA can never tell the truth about the JFK assassination, no matter how many years pass, because it's too shameful, and also, the Kennedy family could sue the USA government if it were admitted.
Epstein in all likelihood was a CIA/Mossad double agent. He was in all likelihood murdered by the CIA with Mossad approval in jail. Read Whitney Webb or watch her many interviews. She is very brave--she lives in Chili or Peru (I can't remember), but I'd say her life is at risk for the level of reporting she does.
Why am I going into all this detail? To demonstrate that "conspiracy theories" can be true.
Here are my thoughts, which I will break up my thoughts: re: tribalism "We see it in politics, we see it on polarizing issues like the border and gun control and transgenderism and COVID. " Just because a topic is polarizing does not mean it is a "no go zone." Jesus went there (polarizing to the point of death). He drove the people who were about to stone the woman caught in adultery away. That was polarizing, and tribal. He marked a line in the sand: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." So that set up the tribe of one: Jesus, against the tribe of the stoners. It was polarizing. The stoners walked away, in disgust. I think when Jesus was writing on the sand (doodling), He may have been writing down the sins of the stoners, probably at their feet. He could have been.
Appreciate the reference to beginner’s mind. Shunryu Suzuki’s book on it is a classic. The point about the Thomists— yes conceptualism. A whole world of assertions and statements all relying upon a common vocabulary. One term defined by another and the conclusions just follow all within the enclosed system. The system loses touch with anything outside the system.