7.31.2005

A New Direction

I feel like this blog has really fallen into something of a rut. It's also departed substantially from my original vision.

The reason I started this blog was to give myself a public outlet through which I could share my religious views. Because I have a professional and moral obligation to withhold my more unorthodox views from my students, and a pragmatic interest in keeping them from most of my colleagues, some of my family, and almost all of the people at my church, the idea of an anonymous blog where I could vent heterodoxy was an attractive possibility. But I've never really done that. I've said little on this blog that I couldn't say in my classroom (that may be a slight exaggeration).

The description of this blog (which is no longer visible, but used to be under the title) indicated that I was going to write about things from a "radically progressive Catholic perspective." I've come to realise that instead of writing about random things from such a perspective, what I really need to do is write about the perspective itself. What is "radically progressive" Catholicism? That is going to be my new focus. I already write about this extensively in a journal, but now I'm going to do it here instead.


There are already a lot of blogs out there doing what I've been doing on this one. I find a lot of self-described "progressive Catholics" have similar views on social issues and things like that, and my doing that here is just another drop in the bucket. So enough already!

3 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

I'm very interested in your views because it helps me to evaluate my own. What is progressive Catholicism? Is it something more Protestant? Or something more "New Age"? Or is it not Catholic enough?

12:03 p.m.  
Blogger PrickliestPear said...

What is progressive Catholicism?

It's not a monolithic entity, so it's hard to provide a simple definition. I've read stuff by self-described "progressive Catholics" who held progressive views on moral issues, but were very traditional in theological matters. As for my own definition, well, that's what this blog is about.

Is it something more Protestant?

As I would define it, no. Undoubtedly there are some "progressive Catholics" who share some important affinities with Protestantism, but I wouldn't identify myself as one of them (apart for my distrust of hierarchical authority). Which is not to say that I haven't been influenced by some Protestant thinkers (Kierkegaard, Tillich, Bonhoeffer, Gilkey, etc.), but I reject traditional Protestant notions like sola scriptura. Actually, a lot of the problems I have with traditional Catholicism are no less present in Protestantism.

Or something more "New Age"?

I don't know what you mean by that.

Or is it not Catholic enough?

I don't know what you mean by that, either.

2:31 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Read what is really going on!


Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI is heresiarch of Modernism, read:

101 Heresies of Antipope Benedict XVI

http://www.patrickpollock.com/101heresiesofbenedictxvi.html

+JMJ
Patrick, a Roman Catholic

5:41 p.m.  

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