[This is from a Catholic site I randomly stumbled across]
That Dark Hole called Enlightenment--
Since the French Revolution we have been spoon-fed the philosophy that extols science and reason while relegating Theology and Spirituality to the Dark Ages. Often the weapon is to look at the intransigence of the church to Copernicus or to remind everyone of the uncompelling views of Christian fundamentalism with respect to literal translations of the bible concerning creation. It is always to poke fun and derision and to ridicule the obvious protruding foreheads of people of Faith.
This purpose of this tome is not to challenge the right of anyone to present critical analysis of Christian thought and praxis. Lord knows, valid criticism always evidences the truth and power of Christ's message as well as the nobility of the human spirit we claim as the likeness of God. No indeed, Christianity can stand on its own strength.
What irks me is that challenge to reason is never made to our "enlightened culture" you know that culture we often like to call the "Culture of Death". We have no criticality because the truth of our culture is a floating, unanchored series of unchallenged assumptions that never undergo scrutiny. When they become indefensible the error is not recognized only forgotten. It happens in every area of Enlightenment attack.
Christian belief has been under steady assault from historical criticism groups like the Jesus Seminar and their every press conference receives blanket coverage. Scholarship, if this is indeed scholarship, must be subjected to its own criticism. The assumptions of the Jesus Seminar, the intellectual prowess of the group and the methods of critical analysis have been under siege by real scholars of the Bible for many years but their rebuttals of conclusions made by the seminar are never allowed to see the light of day. Instead the debate ends with points made to open discussion and nothing published about what happens after that discussion is engaged.
We are under assault by the great revelations of the Dead Sea scrolls. A never-ending litany of releases shows Gnostic thought and structure to a certain point. When it gets into its pagan sourcebook that portion does not see the light of day. Where one might question the theology it is never revealed because it would be immediately obvious that Gnostic Christianity is not original, it is not early in Christian development and it possesses a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. Even Elaine Pagels (who should be read by everyone) acknowledges the assimilation of Christian beliefs into an earlier specialize religion. But Gnosticism is never challenged. It was always said that "the church" destroyed Gnostic writing for their own purposes but Irenaeus recorded them all as he rejected them. Some of the most insidious forms of worship are recorded for all to see and the Dead Sea scrolls support that statement. The Gnostic writings are interesting history but were never early Christianity.
Here is a news report presented last week on most networks:
A premature baby that doctors say spent less time in the womb than any other surviving infant is to be released from a Florida hospital Tuesday.
Amillia Sonja Taylor was just 9 1/2 inches long and weighed less than 10 ounces when she was born Oct. 24. She was delivered 21 weeks and six days after conception. Full-term births come after 37 to 40 weeks.
Neonatologists who cared for Amillia say she is the first baby known to survive after a gestation period of fewer than 23 weeks.
In our "Culture of Death" we expound a women's right to her body but never the child's rights to an environment in which to live. Fetus is the key neutral word here, demolishing humanity as it morphs the baby into a mere parasite living off the host. What say we of a child of 21 weeks? Doctors assure us that the baby is normal in every way and has been released to sleep at home in its own crib. What do we say of the aborted who will never get that privilege? They are not babies do you say? Oh! Another anomaly falls off the radar. And what of the unique embryo of stem cells that is capable of producing a one of a kind human that can never again be duplicated? What is the difference between 21 minutes and 21 weeks? Are not both unique and unduplicatable? Science please answer that question. Isn't unduplicatable the sign of personhood?
Since the French Revolution we have been spoon-fed the philosophy that extols science and reason while relegating Theology and Spirituality to the Dark Ages. Often the weapon is to look at the intransigence of the church to Copernicus or to remind everyone of the uncompelling views of Christian fundamentalism with respect to literal translations of the bible concerning creation. It is always to poke fun and derision and to ridicule the obvious protruding foreheads of people of Faith.
This purpose of this tome is not to challenge the right of anyone to present critical analysis of Christian thought and praxis. Lord knows, valid criticism always evidences the truth and power of Christ's message as well as the nobility of the human spirit we claim as the likeness of God. No indeed, Christianity can stand on its own strength.
What irks me is that challenge to reason is never made to our "enlightened culture" you know that culture we often like to call the "Culture of Death". We have no criticality because the truth of our culture is a floating, unanchored series of unchallenged assumptions that never undergo scrutiny. When they become indefensible the error is not recognized only forgotten. It happens in every area of Enlightenment attack.
Christian belief has been under steady assault from historical criticism groups like the Jesus Seminar and their every press conference receives blanket coverage. Scholarship, if this is indeed scholarship, must be subjected to its own criticism. The assumptions of the Jesus Seminar, the intellectual prowess of the group and the methods of critical analysis have been under siege by real scholars of the Bible for many years but their rebuttals of conclusions made by the seminar are never allowed to see the light of day. Instead the debate ends with points made to open discussion and nothing published about what happens after that discussion is engaged.
We are under assault by the great revelations of the Dead Sea scrolls. A never-ending litany of releases shows Gnostic thought and structure to a certain point. When it gets into its pagan sourcebook that portion does not see the light of day. Where one might question the theology it is never revealed because it would be immediately obvious that Gnostic Christianity is not original, it is not early in Christian development and it possesses a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. Even Elaine Pagels (who should be read by everyone) acknowledges the assimilation of Christian beliefs into an earlier specialize religion. But Gnosticism is never challenged. It was always said that "the church" destroyed Gnostic writing for their own purposes but Irenaeus recorded them all as he rejected them. Some of the most insidious forms of worship are recorded for all to see and the Dead Sea scrolls support that statement. The Gnostic writings are interesting history but were never early Christianity.
Here is a news report presented last week on most networks:
A premature baby that doctors say spent less time in the womb than any other surviving infant is to be released from a Florida hospital Tuesday.
Amillia Sonja Taylor was just 9 1/2 inches long and weighed less than 10 ounces when she was born Oct. 24. She was delivered 21 weeks and six days after conception. Full-term births come after 37 to 40 weeks.
Neonatologists who cared for Amillia say she is the first baby known to survive after a gestation period of fewer than 23 weeks.
In our "Culture of Death" we expound a women's right to her body but never the child's rights to an environment in which to live. Fetus is the key neutral word here, demolishing humanity as it morphs the baby into a mere parasite living off the host. What say we of a child of 21 weeks? Doctors assure us that the baby is normal in every way and has been released to sleep at home in its own crib. What do we say of the aborted who will never get that privilege? They are not babies do you say? Oh! Another anomaly falls off the radar. And what of the unique embryo of stem cells that is capable of producing a one of a kind human that can never again be duplicated? What is the difference between 21 minutes and 21 weeks? Are not both unique and unduplicatable? Science please answer that question. Isn't unduplicatable the sign of personhood?