Does the new understanding of religious faith make any positive difference anywhere?

[Thats my opinion]

For a long time I have been a student of the religious life of South Americans—ever since the Spanish brought their conquistadores to subdue these “backward Indians.”
For a long time church leaders were in bed with the military and the landowners, who together ran Latin America for their own benefit. Most L.A. nations were military dictatorships. Probably the worst was Brazil, which was dominated by a clique of Colonels.

But a generation ago there came to L.A. a new theological movement, which has gained a significant following. It is called “Liberation Theology.” Sometime back I ran across the work of Bishop Dom Helder Camera of Recife, Brazil one of the nation’s poorest places. While he had come from the Spanish oligarchy side of the church, he found in this new theological understanding a whole different understanding. While he had always been a man of compassion, he discovered that the gospel is primarily a call to justice for the nobodies.

So he said, “I can spend all day pulling people out of the river, but sooner or later I must go up the river to see who is throwing them in.” He also said, “When I feed the hungry they call me a saint. When I ask why they are hungry they call me a Communist.”

Liberation theology—a new understanding of the Christian faith—has been vital in the democratic justice-oriented revolutions that have occurred all over Latin America. Thousands of Christian groups gather to work through the relationship between the message of freedom in the story of the Exodus, the new wine that they find in the Jesus story and how this understanding is important to their own culture. These “Base Christian Communities” work for land reform, the rights of the poor and bringing down the landed oligarchies and their military companions.

If you are interested in how the new Catholic theology works over against the old Catholic fundamentalism, discover what Liberation Theology is all about. If you are interested in how it affects North America, you may want to get hold of my book, “A Guide to Liberation Theology for Middle-class Congregations."

[Vincardog]

1. Kicked to note “A Guide to Liberation Theology for Middle-class Congregations."

[NAO]

2. Didn't the Vatican aggressively condemn "Liberation Theology"? -nt

[Thats my opinion]

3. The Vatican, which represents the old order,

tried to silence three of the 30 or more prominent theologians in this movement. But the popularity with the people was hardly diminished. Good for the Bishops and theologians. Bad for the Vatican. old vrs. new.

If you want to know what the Bishops said, get hold of either the report coming from the first general conclave of Bishops held in Medellin, Colombia, or the second held in Puebla, Mexico.

They came off saying, "God has a preferential option for the poor."

[Goblinmonger]

6. Couple things.

1. Cardinals are bishops and Ratzy condemned this when he was a cardinal.
2. The Vatican has never stepped back from their response to this movement.

I think it is a little disingenuous to say that this is the new RCC. It is a splinter group. And one that is not in good standing with the hierarchy.

[onager]

4. Blatant shilling for your book, belongs in DU Marketplace

And frankly, I don't know why I'd read your book, since this statement clearly shows you don't know much about Latin America:

Most L.A. nations were military dictatorships. Probably the worst was Brazil, which was dominated by a clique of Colonels.

The 1964 Brazil coup was FAR from the worst.

Try a Google on Pinochet, Trujillo, Somoza or Stroessner.

Incidentally, one of my best friends grew up in Brazil. His father was a Protestant missionary. The family lived there for 15 years, only returning to the US for vacations. None of them ever mentioned seeing the sort of horrors that took place elsewhere in Latin America.

But a generation ago there came to L.A. a new theological movement...

And most of us had already heard about it by 1980, when Romero was killed in El Salvador.

In fact, your entire post seems to date from some time in the 1980's.

For the past decade or so, the fastest growing churches in Latin America have been Fundamentalist/Evangelical. But since you don't seem to recognize the strength of Fundamentalism right here in the USA, it's not surprising that you're clueless about its growth elsewhere.

[cleanhippie]

5. "your entire post seems to date from some time in the 1980's. "

[Goblinmonger]

7. Well, to be fair, the book was published in 1986.

So it would make sense that the post feels like the 80s.

But everything's different now under Ratzy.

for the impaired.

[Thats my opinion]

9. Of course rhe Vatican is a terrible problem,

and the radical movement in the RC church is a minority, but not a tiny minority in the Western Hemisphere. In the US, the hierarchy is difficult, but among the laity, support may be substantial if not a majority. Northern Europe has long been a hot bed of progressive Catholic thought. If 80% of American Catholics use some mechanical or chemical form of birth control, that's a solid sign of something. The two leading news outlets in the US, "The National Catholic Reporter" and "Commonweal" are aligned with both Liberation Theology and the great liberal wing of the church. Orbis Press, of the Maryknoll order, is probably the major Catholic publisher in the US. And it it 100% dedicated to Liberation Theology.

In Latin America many of the the bishops are still resistant to Vatican pressure. If you take a look at the increased political liberalization in L.A. it will be clear that the impact of Liberation
Theology is not only alive and well, but growing. But the more the Pope is able to select new conservative Bishops, the more the progressives feel in a corner.

American TV evangelists and other fundamentalists have invaded Latin America.
But their press is larger than their real impact. They are not part of the answer. They are part of the problem.

An aside. Sometimes I feel that there are a few of you who just don't want these fresh liberal religious movements and organizations to do well, or even to exist. Instead of celebrating and encouraging them you continue to cast stones. Why? In most posts about them, there is rarely any comment on the post, but just snide remarks about them and about anyone who dares post any information. If much religion is in a new place, does that take wind out of your sails? I hope not, but I am curious.

[mr blur]

16. It's not that we don't want them to exist,

but I see nothing exciting in parts of the Catholic church trying to pull itself out of the 13th century and right into the 14th.

Also, just what is "progressive Catholic thought."? Women aren't evil after all? Gays won't burn in hell? Condoms do help prevent the spread of AIDS? It's maybe not altogether a good thing for priests to abuse children?

Different parts of a Church disagreeing over theology is like two bald men fighting over a comb.

[Thats my opinion]

17. While I recognize the honest sarcasm in your middle paragraph,

millions affirming "progressive Catholic thought," hold to those things and much more. If you read any of the national papers and journals I have already suggested you would see it. And if you were anywhere near my part of the world I would be glad to personally introduce you. But maybe your prejudices are in the way of even hearing other information.

[MarkCharles]

8. A book published in 1986 is..

26 years out-of-date.

What is the "new" part about something a quarter of a century old?

[laconicsax]

15. Now, now. Be nice.

After all, the Church didn't accept a heliocentric model of the solar system until the 19th century. By those standards, a quarter-century is practically overnight.

[Angry Dragon]

10. Who are the new Catholics??

[Thats my opinion]

11. Check out the references I offered in #9 newspapers and journals

In addition there are now scores of Catholics privately ordaining women. Perhaps the leading exponent is Rosemary Radford Ruether. Google her and you get a sense of what is happening.

There is another large group that continues to support the work of Pope John XXIII and the work of Vatican II.

Still another group works with Fr. Dom Crossin and is deeply involved in the Westar Institute, which is the continuation of the Jesus Seminar.

There are others, but if you are interested, this is a start.

[Angry Dragon]

12. The problem I have with this is that the RCC

would call them heretics.
So I question how they can call themselves Catholics when they do not follow
the dogma of the RCC.
Now if they want to call themselves the American Catholic Church and actually break away from the RCC that would be good.
Or if they want to cover more, something like The World Catholic Church.

[Thats my opinion]

14. The church--if you meanthe Vatican

has been very hesitant to call these people and their large groups heretics. In fact, they have not done so. They are still Catholics within the Church.

[skepticscott]

13. Except that if they are ordaining women

they are not Catholics, and whatever they call their newly invented religious sect, it is not Roman Catholicism. But these people want it all. They want, for some unfathomable reason, to still be able to consider and call themselves Roman Catholics, while they do things fundamentally violative of that faith.