Peter Espeut
IT'S ALWAYS difficult to debate with my colleague Martin Henry, because he does not stick to the point. Two weeks ago, I replied to his column of April 14, where he put forward the view that the Roman Catholic Pope holds "the office of supreme authority in things spiritual and things temporal, in matters heavenly, matters earthly and matters in the lower realms." After wildly asserting (contrary to the history taught in serious universities) that "Pope Pius XII precipitated both World War I and World War II to further the political ends of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church," he then advanced a fanciful conspiracy theory that the Roman Catholic Church is seeking to establish "the first one-world system of government that has ever existed in the society of nations."
I replied, of course, to explain the truth, but in his rejoinder to my reply, Martin ignores almost everything I wrote, does not seek to address any of my explanations or assertions, but puts forward an entirely different attack on the Roman Catholic Church. Why is he running away from debate? Again, today, I am going to try to engage him in dialogue, even though it is clear that he is only interested in a one-way anti-Catholic harangue.
SEVERAL TRUTHS
In last Thursday's column entitled 'Chief inquisitor, chief bishop', Martin's latest objection to the Roman Catholic Church is that it seeks to maintain the purity of the truth of its doctrine. But isn't that exactly what Martin, the inquisitor himself, is trying to do? Like many other fundamentalists, Martin believes that Roman Catholics are not really Christians. This view is similar to the position of the Mormons, who believe that their church is the only true church for modern (latter-day) saints. The Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh-day Adventists also believe that their doctrine is the only true Christianity, and so they will not yoke themselves with unbelievers by, say, joining the Jamaica Council of Churches.
Indeed, the Muslims believe that worship of Allah, as revealed by Mohammed, his prophet, is the only true faith, and all others are infidels (in-fidel = without-faith). And no doubt, Martin himself believes that fundamentalist Christianity is the only true path. And, lest I be accused of calling him names, I take note of the column he wrote about 12 years ago titled 'In defence of fundamentalism'. Martin is proud to be a fundamentalist a genuine Christian and is not shy of heaping scorn upon other less-than-valid churches, like, e.g., Roman Catholicism.
The Roman Catholic Church is the first and oldest Christian grouping in history, and although we are in the minority in Jamaica, there are more Roman Catholics in the world than in all other Christian denominations combined. One of the reasons we have been able to hang around for so long is that we have relentlessly pursued the truth (since that is what will set us free). Roman Catholics, more or less, believe the same things no matter where in the world we come from. We greatly treasure our unity in faith and doctrine.
New ideas come up all the time (as well as refurbished old ideas) and they must be evaluated for their consistency with the Bible and our Christian tradition; and we have in place a mechanism to do just that: the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of which former Cardinal Ratzinger was head. No one knows the Christian faith better than he, and his former job supremely fits him for his present job. But, Martin always looking for a conspiracy under every stone sees something sinister in this.
ROMAN CATHOLIC 'OFFSPRING'
Over the centuries, there have been many split-offs from the Roman Catholic Church over doctrinal disputes. The Anglicans split off from the Catholics, the Methodists from the Anglicans, the Baptists from the Methodists; and Bishop Ian Boyne's Armstrong Church split off from the Seventh-day Adventists. Throughout the world, there are lots of Christians calling other Christians heretics, like the vast number of Jamaican inquisitors who condemn Roman Catholics, saying they are not Christians, or that they are trying to take secular control over the world.
It is indisputable that in the past, the Roman Catholic Church went to excess in its effort to root out heretics, and for these excesses, the Second Vatican Council and the last few Popes have profusely apologised. It is to dissociate itself from the excesses of the past that the church changed the name of the congregation responsible for the purity of doctrine. The mind of Martin the inquisitor can only see conspiracy, and so in last Thursday's column he calls it 're-christening' and 'rebranding'.
Even though the many Christian denominations claim to worship the same God, the fact is that many of their doctrines conflict; and some churches are rent asunder by doctrinal disputes. What is splitting the Anglican Church asunder is a divergence between American Anglicans and the rest of the world with respect to accepting homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle. In our Church, it is the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that minimises the chance of error and division. I suppose that among the fundamentalists it is people like my colleague Martin the Inquisitor who perform that function.
Rev. Peter Espeut is a sociologist and a Roman Catholic deacon.
