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In 2004 the Pontifical Council for Culture published, Where is Your God? Responding to the Challenge of Unbelief and Religious Indifference Today. This document deals primarily with unbelief and religious indifference which have secularism as their cause, and a new subjective, emotive religiosity as its consequence. In this article we will explore the problem of this new emotive religiosity and its manifestation in the New Age.

Even though we are surrounded by a culture of unbelief and religious indifference, there is what seems to be a contradictory consequence, namely ‘the rise of a new religiosity’ (Introduction, §2). This is because man is in his very nature a religious being oriented toward God. All people have some sense of the supernatural, how it becomes manifest in their lives is a completely different story. For some, it is not much manifest at all. For others, their sense of the supernatural finds an outlet in such things as astrology, tarot cards, palm reading, and all sorts of New Age type of involvement. It is a fact that involvement in the New Age, ‘by its nature contributes to religious confusion’ (I.2.5).

‘People are searching once again for spirituality…in a whole variety of ways…’ (Towards a Pastoral Approach to Culture, 24). Frequently, however, there is often not a return to traditional religious practices, there ‘…is a search for new ways of living and expressing the religious dimension inherent in paganism’ (Introduction, §2). The Council identifies certain characteristics of the new religiosity of which the catechist must be aware.

First, ‘this ‘spiritual awakening’ is marked by a complete refusal to belong, and the search for an experience which is entirely individual, autonomous and guided by one’s own subjectivity. This instinctive religiosity is more emotive than doctrinal’ (Introduction, §2). There is the mentality of ‘religion yes, God no’ or even ‘religiosity yes, God no,’ at least not a personal God.

In this article Stratford Caldecott explores the faith by which we enter the twelve-gated City of Revelation, the faith that is the beginning of that Light by which we will see what the City contains, and above all the Lamb enthroned at its centre.

The first official summary (or ‘symbol,’ as it was called) of the Christian faith was a simple affirmation: Jesus is Lord. We find this in the Gospels and the Letters of Saint Paul. What we know as the Apostles’ Creed is a slightly later summary, enabling Christians to affirm not only their faith in Christ, but some of the main implications of that faith. Most Christians are also familiar with the so-called Creed of Nicaea, which is later and more elaborate still, being designed to refute the various christological heresies (i.e. mistakes about the nature of Christ) that had arisen in the early centuries of faith.

A Creed is more than a summary of faith, of what is to be believed. Like Scripture, it has a liturgical character. To recite it in the context of the liturgy is a ritual action, a celebration that aligns us with its divine source, making us receptive to grace. As Martin Mosebach puts it, the Creed ‘considered as a liturgical prayer, is not a collection of dogmas that were defined at various councils (and some of which were imposed by main force) but a means whereby the individual plunges once again into the purifying freshness of baptism, the presence of the communion of saints, the Church-creating power of the Holy Trinity.’[i]

In this issue, On the Spot looks at the misunderstandings, which often arise concerning the Sacrament of Ordination, and offers suggestions to enrich our catechesis.

‘Today the word “ordination” is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a “sacred power”...which can come only from Christ himself through his Church.’ (CCC 1538)

Two frequently heard groups of comments, which arise from two different age ranges, can summarise what would appear to be common misunderstandings about the priesthood, its nature and function.

‘What does Father do all day? Isn’t it boring spending all the time praying and reading the Bible? Does he have another job for weekdays?’
‘Well, the priesthood is dying out. The Church is beginning to see that lay people can do everything a priest does. The Holy Spirit is changing things so we don't need priests; hence hardly any priests being ordained now.’

In 2004 the Pontifical Council for Culture published, Where is Your God? Responding to the Challenge of Unbelief and Religious Indifference Today. This document deals primarily with unbelief and religious indifference which have secularism as their cause, and a new subjective, emotive religiosity as its consequence. In this article we will explore the problem of unbelief and religious indifference. In following issue of The Sower we will deal with this new emotive religiosity.

The phenomenon of unbelief in current culture is different than the militant atheism, and atheistic regimes, of the past. It is different in the sense that ‘often one becomes a non-believer not through choice at the end of a long inner struggle, but it just happens de facto, because “that’s what everybody else does” ’ (Where is Your God? I.1).

The Council identifies different causes of this new kind of unbelief and religious indifference.

The first cause mentioned is the rise of scientism, with its ‘vision of the world without any reference to God…’ (I.2.1). Notice, however, that the document does not say that the problem is the rise of science, but scientism.

A second cause is connected with the atheism of the past. The atheistic regimes have fallen, but ‘the underlying anthropological model has not disappeared, indeed it has become stronger taking on the philosophy inherited from the enlightenment’.

Moral education, especially in schools, deserves sensitive attention in a world divided along the fault lines of religious, irreligious and cultural diversity. Choosing how to make personal moral decisions requires an ability that is acquired, not implanted by nature. Helping individuals to make moral decisions is arguably a catechetical priority in Catholic education, but in schools, confessional or secular, this is not always considered to be a priority in an already crowded curriculum. A belief that human beings are free to do what they want to do within broadly utilitarian limits is already well established and virtually undisputed in a secular society. Liberalism tends to replace traditional religious beliefs about the source of ultimate and decisive moral authority with a utilitarian ethic based upon an unchallenged advocacy of autonomy and the virtues of relativism. The notion that there are moral absolutes to be acknowledged in the regulation of human affairs, as taught by the Catholic Church, is denied with dogmatic vehemence by advocates of moral relativism. Questions about the importance of the family, human relationships, or human rights and responsibilities, are thus approached in the spirit of non-interference. Learning to discriminate (a dangerous word) between the utility, the validity, not to mention the truth, of different responses to moral questions is discouraged if not forbidden in schools. ‘Multiculturalism’, once commended because it was said to promote the ‘enrichment of culture’ through an empathetic study of religious and cultural diversity, has begun to trivialise the religious and cultural traditions it was intended to affirm and celebrate.

Without guidance in their formative years, many people find themselves unable to think clearly about the important moral decisions they have to make, incapable of reflecting thoughtfully about the issues rather than merely disinclined to do so. The sceptical critic and the curious inquirer alike are thus deprived of a coherent account of the essential guidance offered, not least by the Church. It is tempting for teachers to employ an ostensibly ‘non-indoctrinatory’ method in the classroom in order to promote openness, objectivity, fairness and balance. This approach, paradoxically, curtails the education of the critical faculty. Were students to be left without guidance and advocacy in the rest of the educational curriculum ‘to choose for themselves’, it would rightly be judged to be an abdication of the teacher’s responsibility. A laissez faire approach in moral education shows a failure of nerve. The resulting face-off between those who favour a faith oriented approach to morality and those who favour a secular approach to ethics without reference to religion is of little use in developing the critical faculty. A ‘hands off’ approach is often justified on the grounds that ‘indoctrination’ is to be avoided, but in educational terms the resulting neglect is culpable. Fear of being accused of indoctrination makes teachers cautious about any approach to moral questions that might be prescriptive and didactic, yet an ostensibly ‘neutral’ description of what is acceptable to different groups of people can, and often does, conceal its own dogmatic ideological agenda.

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Fr. Stravinskas argues that young people today are looking for a form of worship that is ennobling and uplifting, based on traditional forms of liturgy.

We hear a great deal today about ‘culture’: the youth culture, the culture of life, theculture of death, the anti-culture. And so, I would like to begin my reflections by demonstrating the connection between culture and worship. As a die-hard Latin teacher, I want to establish the etymological linkage. The word cultura (culture) comes from the word cultus (cult, as in ‘worship’). To enter into a language is to enter into the mindset of a people.

Thus, one can say that for the ancient Romans, ‘culture’ was rooted in ‘cult’ or worship. We can smirk at the Greeks and Romans of old with their thousand little gods and goddesses inhabiting the Pantheon but, for all that, they still lived within a transcendental horizon. In other words, the individual human being was answerable to a higher and ultimate authority. And within that horizon, those peoples forged impressive cultures. Similarly, within the Christian scheme of things, we find that what historians have dubbed ‘TheAge of Faith’– the high middle ages – produced a nearly unimaginable font of literature, art, music and architecture – unrivaled to this very moment.

As a teaching method in catechesis, dialogue is often given a prominent place: it is seen as a ‘democratic’ mode of teaching, enabling a range of views to be heard and considered within a relationship of mutual give and take; it seems to be respectful of the learner, speaking ‘with’ rather than ‘to’ the person, allowing the other into the teaching which is taking place; and it can develop the learner’s potential, encouraging the development of critical and intellectual skills through a mutual and shared engagement with questions.

Many go further, arguing that catechesis should privilege dialogue as the preferred means of communication of the Faith.

The Church documents speak of God’s ‘dialogue of salvation’[i] being at the heart of catechesis, so that ‘The wonderful dialogue that God undertakes with every person becomes its inspiration and norm’.[ii] God speaks his word and seeks the response of his creatures. God reveals to man the plan he is to accomplish and calls for a response in faith to that Revelation. At the beginning of the first part of the Catechism this fundamental orientation of catechesis towards dialogue is implied: ‘The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being’.[iii] Cavalletti rightly emphasises that in catechesis there is a call to ‘be attentive to the dialogue that is concretized in the covenant’.[iv]

Pope2You.net

A Vatican webpage designed with the aim of bringing the words and messages of Benedict XVI to the youth. This site features the Pope’s message for the 43rd World Day of Communications. From this site, young people can send virtual cards to friends that contain an attractive image of the Pope and a quote from one of his addresses.

Pope2You.net also contains the follow features:

Facebook application
iPhone application
The Vatican’s official YouTube channel (http://youtube.com/vatican)

‘I am conscious of those who constitute the so-called digital generation and I would like to share with them, in particular, some ideas concerning the extraordinary potential of the new technologies, if they are used to promote human understanding and solidarity.’

With these opening words, Pope Benedict communicated his message for the 43rd World Communications Day on May 24, 2009, which held the official title: ‘New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship.’[i]

In sum, our Holy Father addressed the reality pervasive in the lives of those popularly identified as Generation Y as well as those born in the 1990’s and the 21st Century in Western or First World countries, whom sociologists now identify as Generation Z, Generation I, or the iGeneration (‘i’ for ‘internet’).[ii] We are experiencing ‘fundamental shifts in patterns of communications’ that affect how we relate to one another. The digital world brought upon us by the advent of the Internet and cellular communications has changed the method by which we converse and relate in our day-to-day lives.

But how is this authentic experience of grace appropriated without the negative side effect of disaffection from communion with the Roman Catholic Church and casting one’s hermeneutical loyalty in the arena of biblical fundamentalism? The answer is to be found in the early Patristic practice of uniting the spiritual sense, a highly personalized appropriation of the biblical message, with the living tradition of the community of faith.[ii] We shall begin by first noting some of the features of fundamentalism, both biblical fundamentalism and a peculiar manifestation of fundamentalism among Catholics.