Scorched earth Catholics: “The quality of discourse in the church has become increasingly nasty…”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:00 pm by Deacon Greg Kandra

Scorched earth Catholics: “The quality of discourse in the church has become increasingly nasty…” 2016-09-30T17:00:51-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The following editorial comes from The Southern Cross, a Catholic newspaper in Southern Africa, and describes a situation that will be familiar to a lot of people:

Earlier this month The Southern Cross took the difficult decision to suspend the comments facility on its website. The comments section was intended to serve as a forum in which readers could exchange ideas on topics within the Church. Perhaps invariably, these discussions frequently became marked by intolerable levels of hectoring polemic; sometimes accompanied by calumny and distortion. This stood in direct breach of the eleventh commandment given to us by Our Lord.

The Southern Cross has for many decades encouraged robust debate on questions of our faith, but such discourse must be rooted in a spirit of mutual respect, even when the positions of disagreement are in conflict. When this quality is lacking, fruitful dialogue – a necessary condition for effective evangelisation – is impossible. Conversations that lack in basic human decency cannot be facilitated by a forum that is truly Catholic.

It is deplorable that the quality of discourse in the Catholic Church, at least in its Anglophone regions, has become increasingly nasty. Debates within the Church tend to resemble more the scorched earth partisanship of US politics than discussions between fellow disciples of Our Lord.

Often those with whom we disagree are regarded as enemies whose arguments must be mercilessly vanquished – all this predicated on a burning love for Jesus and his Church!

But belligerence was not Christ’s way. Jesus did not bully those who did not believe him; he persuaded and healed, and had compassion even for those who crucified him.

Some Catholics, it seems, are prone to ascribe the least charitable interpretation to the positions taken by those with whom they disagree, ascribing to them agendas that may not exist.

Read it all.

Those of us who toil in the blogosphere know exactly what they’re talking about.

Blogging

Media

Previous Post

January 24, 2013

The Secrets of a Good Mass?

Next Post

January 25, 2013 More about excommunicating Catholic politicians

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Mad Men" 9/11 advent All Things New Amazing video amazing videos amazon america Anglicans Anti-Catholicism art ascension thursday ash wednesday Atheists baltimore Bible Bishops Blogging bonnie engstrom Books bridgeport Brooklyn Chaplains children christian art christmas Church Churches CNEWA Converts criticism Deacons Death Penalty easter eastern christian Eastern Christians Ecumenism Education education Eucharist Europe euthanasia Evangelization Exorcism Family Feasts Gay rights Good Friday Great links Great Moments in Journalism Hanging with the saints heather renshaw Hispanic Catholics Hispanics History homelies Homilies Humor Hymn of the Week Immigration indianapolis Inspiration Interfaith news ireland Jesus Jews Journalism Judaism lent Liturgy logos Marriage Mary Media Medical news Mental health Middle East Monks Movies Music Muslims My world and welcome to it New Evangelization new york News Nuns Parenting Parish life peoria Persecution politics Politics Pope pope francis pope john paul Prayer Preaching Priests Pro-life Quote of the day radio rebecca frech ripp Ripped from the headlines rippred from the headlines Sacraments saints Scripture sex abuse Sex abuse crisis SEX ABUSE CRISIS TAGGED WITH: SEX ABUSE CRISIS The people in the pews the visitation project theatre This & that Thomas Merton Trappists TV Uncategorized uncategorized Vatican VATICAN vocation Vocations Voices & Views Women Worth a thousand words Writing Year of Faith year of mercy young people

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Paul Isaiah Jesus Elijah

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »