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Show CHURCH DOCTRINE AMD FALSE 0PIM0N Dogma and Discipline Regarding Marriage-Erroneous Marriage-Erroneous Opinions Concerning IndulgencesNot Indulgen-cesNot a Remission of Sin, Nor a Permission to Commit Sin. (Written for Tho Intel-mountain Catholic.) j " Tis strange but true; for truth is always si range. Stranger tlian fiction."" i j In replying to our "Xo Religion" correspondent, ill- writer showed that his objections to Catholic faith do not apply to inalters which Catholics must cpt as dogma, hut to matters- thoy are not ; obliged t accept as such. When this truth is im- : pressed ii tlie id i ml. those who confound the no tions and practices of Catholics outside of the faith -j Mid the dogmatic teaching of the Church, find it strange that they should be misled in their judg-i judg-i mcnt. To them "the real truth is always strange; j. j -! ranker, indeed, than fiction' The tendency 1 to confound discipline with V, dogma, or pious religious practices with the author- i ii-d Teachings of the Church, not infrequently niis- leads and misdirects the inquiring religious mind. dogmatic truths are irrefonnable, because they j arc infallible; discipline, on ihe countrary, is ro il f erasable, because it is the result of expediency or I human prudence: but the reformation must come 1 through the proper channel, .and be directed by these authorized to do so. The state sometimes modi fiefs, changes and even annuls its own laws to , meet the exigem-ies of the times, or for its own material benefit and welfare; so too docs the Church, in the interest of religion, from time to time modify, change and even annul some 01 her I disciplinary canons. To illustrate this, the teach- I ing of the Church regarding marriage, which is I dogmatic and merely disciplinary, may be given as I an example. The Church teaches dogmatically I that 'ihe matrimonial bond or tie that unites man ; and woman validly as husband and wife can not be broken, so that either party may solemnize' marriage- again. Death alone severs the bond and gives freedom for a remarriage. This being a revealed truth, ("Wherefore a man shall leave fa'her and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and ihey shall be 'two in one flesh; For the woman thai hath an husband, whilst her husband liveth is bound to the law. But if her husband? be dead. he is loosed from the law of her husband. There-fere, There-fere, whilst her husband liveth, she shall be called an adultress. if she be with another man. But to ! them that are married, not I, but the Lord com- ; niaiideth. that ihe wife depart not from her bus-- band. And if she depart, that she remain un married.'") the Church can neither modify nor cb-mgo it. Over the divine law,' revealed and promulgated, neither the Pope nor a General Council of the ! Church has any jurisdiction i. e.. both are power- e-s to declare otherwise; because it is a dogma, rnd dogmas are irreformable. The imped i.- i iiients to marriage, instituted by the Church, and forming a part of her disciplinary canons may be di-pens-d. This is reasonable, because disciplinary 4 ennoiis are constructed to suit the exegencies of , the times, and by human reason are not supposed ' to 1. invariable and fixed for all time like dogmatic dog-matic truths, which are unchangeable. "Truth is li ii'ii to the end of reckoning." Apart from revelation human science is variable. I ;!,!- the elements supplied by the human mind 'I; m-'jo. As we come down through the ages we i ;i. e ;i continuous change in the science of history, 1 e nian. and of the earth; so. too, in the history of 1 1 '.: Church, in its disciplinary canons there were I ci.Migcs and modifications, but never a change or 1 ' l;;i. ;iii.,n in that which was declared to le of I , ;';.;!,. Those objecting to. or investigating Catho- 7 V- : aching rarely bear this distinction in mind. I ; dail in contact with the human or fallible I of i!. Church and seldom, if ever, in touch i vi'i, die divine or infallible sile, all their objec- which are no objections at all are against '-' 'o'-irer. V.. Catholic is bound to defend all the actions i measures of ecclesiastical administration for T ' -1 twenty centuries. Viewed ill the light of -i .i v and experience, and the spirit of the age. L '.',i-b they occurred, in that light must they be j : I. be iliat judgment favorable or otherwise. I docniatie teaching, which is Catholic both in !: ami in lime, and which is irreformable, I o as ihe real test of the claims of the.Catho- i - cinirch to be ilivinelv authorized, and therefore I o'o'e. 'J liis authority protects both the dogma ' ' the reveah'd word of God which is the basis ' 'n inning as to what is of faith, that much 1 ':-- JM1) misunderstood word Indulgence may I -v- a- a practical illustration. All the Church j 1 - of faith is that she has ihe power to grant ! 'ml-ences. and lhat they arc profitable. It does 1,1 fellow from this, nor is any Catholic bound ;i i- Heve. that an indulgence remits the temporal 1 si. " of sin or jiny ortion of it. In the early ages f ii,e ciu,,-,.', penances were imposed for the viola-of viola-of the law of God. as the state imposes pen--'ic(.. i. ,1,,,. f;nos ,tr imprisonment, for the 1 'ion ,,f its laws. The application of an in-j, in-j, l ':u!-( according to most divines was a relaxa- l! "T; of t .,, canonical jienanees. ''Some Catholics I J' id."' wrote Suarez, a profound theologian, "that I "I'luieiices do not remit the penalty due to God, j 1"!' simply remove the obligation of performing j !l" ;iiiouical penance or penances enjoined by the 1 Hinvh." Tlie Church does not claim, and much j do,.s she decree that she can concele a true in- ''':( nee. which would mean a remission of ! "ddiment to the dead, nor has she ever done so j '- "' pt by May of suffrage. Hence, according to the ;j ' a. lnnjr (lf t)(. nmrch, an indulgence either for ''if living or the dead, and viewed as a relaxation f " '"oionical jienances. is efficacious only as are the fl I Ifavf-ry or suffrages of ihe Church, and in pro- If '"rtion to ihe piety and devotion of the suppliant. I V1 '"dulgenced crucifix, or oilier sacred emblem. I llniply means that the prayer and suffrages of the Church arc pledged to those who use these objects according to her intention. So very brief the real teaching of the Church on this subject, it excludes all that it is supposed to mean. How far from being an article of traffic when viewed in its proper meaning. Xo one knowing know-ing the mind of the Church could for a moment entertain the notion that she teaches or ever taught that an indulgence may be purchased, because an indulgence can be obtained only by faith, repentance, repent-ance, and the reception of the sacraments. The general impression was that an indulgence was a permit to commit sin, whereas it can not be granted at all until sin has been washed away from the soul and its eternal guilt pardoned by God. F. D. - . If it can be logically demonstrated that man's God-ordained destiny individual and social, industrial indus-trial and political can only be achieved, in its most complete sgnificance, by faithful conformity to the principles and ideals of the Christian religion, re-ligion, does it not follow, as a philosophical conclusion, con-clusion, that this system embodies the highest truths for the guidance of mankind? If the agnostic can supply even hypothetically an idea that transcends, in soul-loftiness, that of the God of the Christians, he may reasonably hope to irresistably appeal to the minds and hearts of all aspiring men and women, and thus effectually supplant their Christian ideals by the "rational" ideals that he would propose. In the meantime the highest and most aspiring type of human beings will persist in cherishing the sublime ''truth that I shall make them free." The man or people who prove recreant to his or its most sublime concept of the higher human-life, and who habitually refuse to strive after its attainment, at-tainment, is doomed to ultimately sink to a lower spiritual, moral and intellectual level than that "degree "de-gree of culture" that revealed to him or it the more exalted ideaj. It is therefore that Christianity seems absolutely essential to the civilization and progress, of the most highly developed races. Savages Sav-ages or pagans, who have never been animated by tlie sublime ideals presented to mankind by the religion re-ligion of Christ, cannot, of course, feel their loss; and they may steadily advance toward the highest state of civilization which is possible, or which is conceivable without such salutary influence. It would seem, however, that a people that is, in its salient characteristics, essentially the product of a Christian civilization, and which consciously or unconsciously" un-consciously" repudiates the vital influences of the Christian religion, may be doomed to sink to lower levels, in some respects, than that occupied by the more advanced pagans. Progress depends upon being steadfastly true to one's highest ideals be thev more or be they less, noble and exalted. If it be indeed true that the character of every individual is chiefly determined by the nature of the ideals that he cherishes, it is easy to explain why the Christian peoples present the hghest types of social, civic and national development, and why the highest and most noble type of manhood is to be seen in the character of the humble but faith-ful follower of "the meek and lowly Xazarene;" for is not their ideal infinite holiness, beauty and lov-ingness, lov-ingness, as personified in the God Whom they wor-su-p the most exalted that was ever conceived by the race of man, or that is possibly conceivable by ihe human mind I ' To apathetically perceive or to ardently cherish it makes a world 'of difference which of the two mental or moral attitudes you assume toward the ideals that are presented to your mind and heart. If you conceive them to be admirable and estimable, why not incline the passions of your heart in their direction, and thus strive to make them your own? Xo other effort will be more certainly rewarded with a gratifying degree of success. It is that which we cherish with all our heart that we strive to possess. The man or woman who cherishes an all-consuming love for the infinite God of love, shall assuredly possess Ilim in blissful completeness in the end. How comforting to our hearts is not the assurance that, however much that is ardently prized may be denied us by "an adverse fate." the best that an omnipotent God Himself can bestow shall be ours if we ardently and faithfully 1 seek it' i |
