<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Re: [Vision2020] Papal Forgiveness</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:16.0px'>I like this, Bob! It is all pretty complicated! <BR>
<BR>
One thing that I forgot to mention in Chas’s last post was the following. Chas writes:<BR>
<BR>
“Let's suppose that I had the choice to prevent genocide or to prevent someone from failing to digest a cracker. Apparently, according to Catholic dogma, I should choose the latter. I can't parse the absurdity of out that view; it won't go away even when I squint.”<BR>
<BR>
This all too quick. No one that I know, Catholic or otherwise, would choose genocide over spitting out a cracker.<BR>
<BR>
I’m reminded of Kierkegaard’s lesson about Abraham and Isaac, in <I>Fear and Trembling</I>. Abraham is asked by God to kill his son, Isaac. Pious Abraham set off to sacrifice his son but was saved from this choice in the end.<BR>
<BR>
In his retelling of the story, Kierkegaard challenges the complacency of most Christians, who claim to follow the word of God but who might think otherwise if given the sort of command that Abraham was given. Kierkegaard’s question is whether or not we are willing to live with God’s commandments should they bump up against our other worldly values, which eventually they must do. His answer seems to be that “No, we are not willing.” I agree with Chas that Abraham should be regarded as a lunatic, given his decision. But that doesn’t solve the problem. <BR>
<BR>
Chas himself might embrace the label of “lunatic” if given a similar choice, for he doesn’t care much if the rest of us find him nuts. (And good for him on this score! Just one reason that we should love him!) What matters to him is the “truth” as revealed by science and reason. But how familiar is he with the consequences of his own position? It doesn’t take much imagination to conjure up a scenario where “science and reason” claims that it is better to kill his own son than not. And what would Chas choose then?<BR>
<BR>
I think this only goes to show how removed we are from a true understanding of the world. All the more reason to be tolerant of other views. And I respond to Chas by saying “No one would choose genocide over spitting out a cracker. But what does that prove?”<BR>
<BR>
Best, Joe<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:16.0px'><FONT FACE="Baskerville Semibold"><BR>
</FONT></SPAN></FONT><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>On 1/17/09 4:38 PM, "Robert Dickow" <dickow@uidaho.edu> wrote:<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><FONT COLOR="#1F497D"><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'><BR>
<FONT COLOR="#1F497D">Doesn’t Jesus say once or twice that “I am the Word”.<BR>
Doesn’t this pre-empt the Bible being the Word? Or can there be two Words? What is the Biblical meaning of the word ‘Word’ anyway? Clearly, things are getting a bit verbose.<BR>
</FONT><BR>
<FONT COLOR="#1F497D">Bob Dickow, troublemaker.<BR>
<snip>…<BR>
</FONT>Joe, I believe that for Christians who believe that the Bible is the Word of God, that Word must then take its place as the basis for faith and practice. The Catholic belief <FONT COLOR="#1F497D">…<snip><BR>
</FONT></SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'><BR>
<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="95%"></SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="2"><FONT FACE="Monaco, Courier New"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10.0px'>=======================================================<BR>
List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>
serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>
<a href="http://www.fsr.net">http://www.fsr.net</a> <BR>
<a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a><BR>
=======================================================<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT SIZE="2"><FONT FACE="Monaco, Courier New"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10.0px'><BR>
</SPAN></FONT></FONT>
</BODY>
</HTML>