From: kriz@skat.usc.edu (KRIZ)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Cath. Christianity 101 - Looking back/synthesizing the posts so far
Date: 11 Apr 1992 20:58:39 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: skat.usc.edu


As this project continues, and more and more of the various 
documents on Church teaching become available via posting
on the net, it becomes progressively easier to assemble these 
documents and sections thereof, into subjects and groupings 
for better application of these documents for educational
and discussion purposes (with of course the whole documents
being available too).

Basically, a number of intelligible groupings can begin to be made.
These are ... 


I. Church teaching regarding the Church itself. 

       	(1) Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, Chpt I, 
		"The Mystery of the Church"  

	(2) Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, Chpt II, 
		"On the People of God"

	(3) Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, Chpt VII, 
		"The Eschatological Nature of the Pilgrim Church and its
		 Union with the Church in Heaven"

	(4) Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 
		Gaudium et Spes, Part I, Chpt. 4: "The Role of the Church
		in the Modern World"

    Not posted as yet, but pertaining to this heading are:

	(1) the Second Vatican Council's Ecumenical Decrees on the
		relation of the Church to the other Christian Churches
		and other religions.

	(2) much of Pope John Paul II's encyclical on Christ, Redemptor 
		Hominis, (Redeemer of Man) which among other things,
		served as the present Pope's inaugural encyclical.

    Finally, also clearly pertaining to this heading are:

	(3) the rest of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen
		Gentium.

	(4) the bulk of the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
		Modern World, Gaudium et Spes.


II. Expectations of personal conduct on the part of the Church's 
	individual members.  Posted already:

	(1) Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, Chpt V,
		"The Universal Call to Holiness in the Church"

	(2) Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 
		Gaudium et Spes, Part I Chpt 1, "The Dignity of the 
		Human Person"

	(3) Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,
		Gaudium et Spes, Part I Chpt 2, "The Community of 
		Mankind"

     Particularly poignant though not posted yet:

	(1) John Paul II's encyclical, Redemptoris Mater, "Mother of the
		Redeemer" - Mary as the ideal model for *all* the Church
		faithful.

     Also pertainant, and somewhat covered:

	(2) The lives of the saints as examples.  A very good recent book 
		on this is the guide by Rev. Leonard Foley, O.F.M. "Saint 
		of the Day" (St. Anthony Messenger Press)  The book's cover 
		advertises it as "a book you will not be able to put down"
		... my personal experience is that the publishers are 
		not really exaggerating.

     Pertainant though frequently used as a red herring by virtually every-
		body, are the Church teachings on sexual morality.  I have
		this image sometimes of Christ just finishing the Sermon on 
		the Mount, and some idiot coming up to him asking, "But man, 
		do I get to fuck..."  Note well, that the Church does not
		teach total abstinance from sex, just within the context
		of marriage, and in the context of being capable of taking
		responsibility for the kids it produces.  Note also well,
		that even Gandhi became celibate, and the Dalai Lama is 
		also celibate.  We often choose to forget that.

		Anyway ... the teachings on human reproduction, notably
		Humanae Vitae, I will get to also ... if I'm still around
		by then ...

	    
III. A social vision of the world redeemed.

There are an inordinate number of encyclicals on social teaching, which 
all build on each other.

     The core posted already:

	(1) An article from Salt Magazine, Nov/Dec. 1991 providing a survey 
		and summary of each the Church's social encyclicals.

	(2) An interview of Fr. Hehir, a professor of ethics at Georgetown
		University, and counselor for the United States Catholic 
		Conference on social justice issues, in Salt Magazine, 
		Nov/Dec. 1991 providing a means to make sense of all the 
		documents.

    Also posted:

	The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,
	Gaudium et spes. (Which I am presently posting ... having 
	finished part I).

	A citation for a three volume anthology of all the papal 
	encyclicals from 1740-1979 to allow readers to use the survey 
	provided to read ahead if they wish.

		The anthology is called:

			The Papal Encyclicals
			Call No: BX 860.C85 1981

   Eventual hope of posting:

	Pope John XXIII's encyclical "Pacem im Terris" (Peace on Earth).

	Pope John Paul's encyclicals "On Human Work", "On Social Concern"
		as well as his 1989 document on the environmental crisis.

   Perhaps:

	Leo XIII's encyclical "Rerum Novarum", (On Capital and Labor),
		which started it all.


IV. Church teaching with regards to miracles.  This of course caused
	me the greatest amount of problems, and is something that
	I actually really did not expect to step into, though it
	was perhaps naive/stupid of me not to have expected it.
	But sigh ... 

	The Church teaching on miracles once again is:

		(1) Catholics are to take it as an article of faith	
			that miracles can happen.

		(2) Catholics are to specifically believe in the 
			miracles (with some qualifications) described 
			in the Bible, particularly those attributed to
			Christ. 

		(3) Outside the miracles described in the Bible,
			Catholics are not required to believe
			in any other subsequent miraculous claim,
			EVEN IF the Church after investigation
			determines it to be worthy of belief. This
			is because Catholics are to take it as an
			article of faith that all that is necessary
			for salvation has already been revealed by
			the time of the death of the last Apostle.
			However, they are also free to believe if
			they wish so long as it is not inconsistent
			with Church teaching on faith and morals 
			and in particular if the Church upon investi-
			gation determines it worthy of belief. (Clearly
			if the Church determines it not worthy of belief
			then ... you're to take the Church's word for it
			... but that might have some qualifications too).

Anyway ... 

dennis
kriz@skat.usc.edu
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc