The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1952-03-14
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or ineonsidersts

little over four centuries ago, Europe witness
ed tremendous upheaval in religion. This violent
movement has passed into history under the quiet
and orderly of 'the Reformation" But the
movement sudden in its devastating outburst yet
ongdevelopng through decades and decades of
worldliness and materialism among many who knew
better and some who ddn't-was in no real sense
reform II rebellion.
To reform anything is to bring it back to its
form to restore it to its true character and place.
The sixteenth century rebellion was no effort to
bring people back to the true practice of the true
faith. 1t was the abandoning of the faith for new
religion, and, almost at once, for whole shoal
of new religions Yet all these religions which
tnued to fray out into and more sects as time
went on came to be Jumped under one heading as
Professionalism. The is apt enough for all the
religions had one point in common, and still
have; that point is their objection to, or protest
against the Catholic Church.
The central truth of the Catholic Faith - the
truth that Jesus Christ is true God as well as true
man-was neither doubted nor denied by the earliest
of the 'reformers." Nor was the truth that Sacred
Scripture is Gods own Word For the rest the chief
common tenets among the Protestants
these two that faith alone is necessary hat is, solid
faith in the divinity of Christ and in His Atonement
for mans sins) so that mans conduct, his
WOTkS are OF no significance IN the saving OF MS
soul and, secondly that the Scriptures to be in
terpreted by private or individual judgment.
Now, the principle of faith alone" takes away
human responsibility for right living, and even de-
stroys the concept of what right living is. And the
principle Of private and individual Interpretation of
the Scriptures destroys the possibility of knowing
what the Scriptures actually and effectively teach.
That these two principles destructive, of
themselves, might have been known to anyone who
thought about them for moment and cannot fail
to be known to people who have read the history
of the last four hundred years.
Private Interpretation of the Scriptures quickly
brought about failure in faith especially in that
central truth of faith that Christ is God. People led
by private Interpretation found the Christ of their
Bible great and holy man, and that is all. Christ
came to be esteemed, among an increasing number of
people who still retained the name of Christian as
sheerly human being who divine only inasmuch
as he worked to bring men to God and Gods grace
was in Him. Thus was faith, the lone thing neces-
sary," undermined by private Interpretation of the
Word of God.
The same private Interpretation OF Gods word soon
brought question TO many minds as TO the authen-
ITCHY of Scripture; the Word subjected to human
minds could not long maintain itself as the Divine
Word. Lawless and individual Interpretation of texts
from the Book could not and did not fail to bring
the Book itself under question and to subject it to
doubts and denias. People, still exercising the rule
of private Interpretation began TO decide what
they would and what they would not accept of the
teaching of the sacred pages To illustrate, recently
a minister speaking for modern Protestants, said
"ProtestantS generally accept the miracles of heal
ing recouned in Scripture they do not accept the
miracles of raising people from the dead, nor the
miracle of Christs actual resurrection from the
dead"
The doctrine of faith alone" under the devasta-
ton of private Interpretation" was soon thin and
shadowy business. People grew foggy in mind about
God, and since works for God were of no avail
they began TO attach Importance TO works for men.
Religion began TO change into kind of sociology
And today after four hundred years of Protestant
ism whose soul and core is faith; not works." you
viii hardly find Protestant who accepts the state
ment that il does not matter what man does so long
as he believes rightly On the contrary, nearly every
Protestant win maintain that except for the Cath
Ollie religion BELIEF ii does not matter what 4
man believes as long as he is asgood man. that is,
long his works good. Thus has the Protest
ant rebellion come full circle, standing squarely OPP
posed TO what IL was at the outset.
One thinC the spreading and frayng-out move.
ment OF Professionalism has retained This is its neg
atve character its position OF protest objection to
the Catholic Church Indeed, in this point of negaton
IL is increasingly intensified Its current call for
unity" (although difference and diversity is the
natural effect of private Interpretation or iudgmenO
is for unity the only point in which all the sects
agree and can be made to agree effectively and
aggressvey. Despite pious talk of fellowships nd
hroherhoodS despite vague vaporings about values
spiritual other. the cry for unity" is cry for
consolidation and attack.
Well II is interesting surely to notice how four
centuries have brought about conflicts and contra
dictons. Faith in Christ God was everything; but
now that faith hHS practically digaunaared Works
vain and meaningless now everything other
than works is vain and meaningless The Bible was
the great authority and divine guide; the Bible
evscerated by higher and lower criticism. is good
for quoting solemn exhortaton and as source oil
example but carries no final and decisive authority
Only thing remins constant and is the rallyins
cry for battle and oppositon 1t proves that there ii
still, GKC. remarked, "a halo of hatred around
the Church of Cod"