The Roman Catholic Church is in the midst of internal upheaval and is experiencing turbulent times. The thicket of idiosyncratic dogmas accumulated over centuries is now impenetrable. But the simple and clear truth of the gospel is still seen as a threat. The confusion is not only desirable, but is also a hallmark of the Church of Rome.
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Confusion is already a tradition
In the Roman Catholic Church there is not only acute disunity in the face of the process of the “synodal path”, but also “traditional confusion”. Simple answers to questions of faith are not only rarely available in this church historically, but are even undesirable. After all, it was believed that faith had to stand on an immovable foundation.
But not in the Roman Catholic Church. The question that arises there is how much security is actually needed in faith. In conservative clerical circles, calls for a clear line can be heard again and again. But this seems to be outdated. Such clergy are considered “critics of Francis” and even dangerous, because the great risks lie in the temptations of supposedly simple solutions, according to the Erfurt dogmatist Julia Knop in an interview with “katholisch.de” (Source).
Between truth and confusion
There is a “spreading confusion” in the teaching of the faith, said Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller years ago. Cardinal Raymond Burke described it as a “very harmful confusion” in his letter “Amoris Iaetitia”. The complaint concerned the nuanced answers given by the Pope and the denial of clear yes and no answers to crucial questions of faith, according to the Catholic magazine.
Clarity is demanded by conservatives
Why are clarity and confusion such important categories in conservative circles, is the magazine’s introductory question. According to the dogmatist Knop, such motifs are known from church teachings so that believers should not be confused. Anyone who is of the opinion that believers should not be confused by reform movements also takes the position that the task of the magisterium is to establish clarity.
In this understanding, faith is obedience to the will of God. Here the magisterium takes on the role of a mediator between God and the world. The magisterium sees itself in a privileged position regarding the truth and has the responsibility to first explain God to ordinary believers.
Paradigm shift after Vatican II
The dogmatist emphasizes that a paradigm shift occurred after the Second Vatican Council. Today the “relationship between truth and language, revelation and dogma, magisterium and faith” is understood in a differentiated way. According to Knop, the truth cannot be contained in sentences, but rather lies in the relationship with God. This is a direct faith and does not need any teaching from the magisterium.
Benedict XVI constructed a problem
After Pope Benedict XVI. the alleged “dictatorship of relativism” was brought into the world in order to then fight it, the church today faces a challenge in the opposite sense, said the dogmatist. A “dictatorship of relativism” is not the problem today, but rather a “dictation of truth”. Such a “truth”, which does not prove itself in discourse and in life, but must first be enforced with the help of an authority, is not a promise of salvation, but a declaration of war, according to Knop. This also applies when it comes to God.
Clarity is not the task of theologians
The Catholic magazine asked questions and wanted to know whether the dogmatist didn’t see it as her job to ensure clarity and unambiguity. Knop denied this and justified this with her position as a scientific theologian. Their job is to ask questions and discuss church teachings. As far as religious beliefs are concerned, she examines their meanings, developments and corrections made within the framework of the church’s positions. “Theology always has a task of criticizing ideology,” says Knop.
In the conversation, the scientific theologian also mentioned Jesus’ concise statement according to John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life”. This sentence was ultimately formulated by Jesus and not by Peter, who was appointed by the church as a representative of its own institution. In Christianity, truth is neither a theory nor a rule. The truth is a relationship that gives life and hope.
This church is seething
In other words: things are going haywire in the church of Rome. It has always been traditional, but with Pope Francis the wind has unmistakably taken a completely different direction. It is storming hard and this is kicking up a lot of old and crusty dust. On social media, comments on some Catholic press reports about the Pope’s decisions are very mixed.
Between approval and accusations of “high treason,” the entire spectrum is covered. The level of satisfaction of those baptized Catholic with their institution can also be seen in the number of people leaving the church in Germany (Info).
The grown thicket of dogmas
These discussions about approaches to faith, dogmas, magisterium, understanding of the Gospel, communication to believers, all embedded in the Roman Catholic catechism and canon law, show the now almost impenetrable network of church doctrines that has accumulated over many centuries. None of this has anything to do with the straightforward and simple gospel.
With its presumption to be the successor of Peter and to represent Christ on earth, the Church of Rome has defined its own infallibility, which prohibits the correction of dogmas that are nevertheless recognized as errors. New teachings must be brought into the world in order to cover up the previous mistakes as much as possible. The result of their arrogance can be admired in all its dimensions today.
Science doesn’t help here
It is no secret that a “scientific theologian” cannot do anything with faith, but rather looks at the Gospel purely analytically, using human reason, ethics and philosophy as standards. Nevertheless, the Church of Rome cannot be highlighted better than what it is described in the Bible. The term Babylon, such as in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 18, not only stands for an ancient world empire and its pagan religion, but also as a symbol of confusion.
This confusion in questions of faith is actually desirable in this church and the urge for a simple truth represents a danger. This is exactly what defines Babylon (Info). The mixing of truths and lies into a poisonous mixture (“the wine of fornication”), poured into a golden cup. Served to all peoples, nations and kings.
The gospel is “straight” and simple
The gospel is clear with the truth. The Word of God is the truth, Jesus Christ is the truth and the law is the truth (Info). That would have already said it. The Church of Rome is not interested in the simple truth of the Gospel and “scientific theologians” do not feel responsible for it. If the scientific theologian were also concerned with the theological (Theos=God, Logos=Word, God’s Word) aspect of the Gospel, then she would also recognize that such a sharp paradigm shift in the church even appears to be absolutely necessary.
New ecumenical beliefs (“preservation of creation”) cannot be enforced with violence, tyranny and death. This was an exploited procedure by this church in the “Dark Ages”. The new recipe is not iron-hard dogma, but rather the “tender seduction of love” (Info).
Was bleibt dann dem ernsthaften Gläubigen, der die Wahrheit gerne erfahren möchte? Es bleibt nur die Eigeninitiative und diese beschreibt die Zurhandnahme der Bibel für das Eigenstudium!
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Revelation 14:8
Bible verses from King James Version
