tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213316015209503694.post8497084670966955943..comments2024-01-22T01:52:37.473-06:00Comments on RENEGADE TRADS: Why Do They Care?A Sinnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05083094677310915678noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213316015209503694.post-15117530183428638772010-08-17T10:24:04.622-05:002010-08-17T10:24:04.622-05:00Rowe says in the intro to the Phaedrus, "Socr...Rowe says in the intro to the Phaedrus, "Socrates out-dazzles him, first by treating the philosopher, that exemplar (surely) of rationality, as mad, then -- even more extraordinarily -- by giving Phaedrus, and us, an ideal of eros that seems to overturn the whole idea of eros. (Eros without sex? What on earth is next? Isn't sex what eros is ultimately about?)..."<br /><br />And ideal eros MUST be without sex, if it is --ideally--a passion for Beauty (as the speech suggests), not for the bit of beauty that happens to be present in this particular body (and soul), since sex with this body will merely distract from the search for Beauty, about which the ideal beloved will be equally obsessive."<br /><br />Ideas go back to the Greeks, not just ChristianityTimotheusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213316015209503694.post-56601081609266882662010-03-26T20:58:13.229-05:002010-03-26T20:58:13.229-05:00Or was, perhaps.Or was, perhaps.A Sinnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05083094677310915678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213316015209503694.post-47553917679948217072010-03-26T17:28:14.111-05:002010-03-26T17:28:14.111-05:00While I appreciate most of your post, I wouldn'...While I appreciate most of your post, I wouldn't write off those who have a problem with the fact that so many Catholics fail in the morality they profess. While it should be understood that being judgmental is wrong, it should remain an indictment against the sincerity of our faith if we live no differently than the heathen. Confessing our guilt and acknowledging our weaknesses is only the beginning. As a Church community we live as practical atheists. In the past, non-Catholics could see higher church attendance, fewer divorces and larger families among Catholics. Much leverage is given to liberals who go against Church teaching by its--apparent--failure to transform lives. One point to note, as well, is the banning of condoms for prevention of AIDS. There are many people--believers and unbelievers--who hold (incorrectly in my opinion) that acceptance of the Church's teaching among the poor populations of Africa is a tremendous challenge to curbing the spread of the disease. Most of them could give a hoot about having to face Confession for doing what they really don't want to admit they know is wrong. Their goal is often to influence dissent in the Church or rejection of the Church altogether to curb a harmful superstition (such as veneration of the Small-pox goddess is India when vaccinations were being offered.).<br /><br />"But then there are those who technically live up to the standard due to extreme repression (if you can call that living up to it) but are extremely judgmental and self-righteous nevertheless; they're spiritually sick, but rather rare. Unfortunately, the next category is rather common, perhaps the largest category. It's those self-righteous, judgmental types who don't, in fact, live up to the standards, but then strangely enough are all the more repressive and jansenist in their attitudes. Defensively, over-compensating for their own weaknesses instead of accepting and embracing them. Because their cycle depends on guilt (when they fall) and self-righteousness (when they're in the "good" phase) and because they feel a need to create a false distinction between themselves and "the sinners" even though they sin too. "But at least we try!" they'll tell you, or some such false distinction. As if they think they can make themselves better just because they feel guiltier or are more stridently condemnatory and judgmental due their self-loathing. Methinks they do protest too much." <br /><br />You sound like one who is an insider.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05846505482231411080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213316015209503694.post-70137105124279520302010-03-22T12:50:41.603-05:002010-03-22T12:50:41.603-05:00"they feel a need to create a false distincti..."they feel a need to create a false distinction between themselves and 'the sinners' even though they sin too"<br /><br />That's always so frustrating. <br /><br />Your take is refreshingly honest.<br /><br />"As if they think they can make themselves better just because they feel guiltier or are more stridently condemnatory and judgmental due their self-loathing. Methinks they do protest too much."<br /><br />lol, you mean, like, the whole Catholic blogosphere? And everyone on Catholic message boards, and all the uptight Christians out there who seem so concerned with OTHER peoples' private sex lives.<br /><br />I think if you investigated a little further, you'd find out that a lot of them are deviants themselves, thinking they can hide it or make up for it by merely taking an extreme position against it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213316015209503694.post-20440298983721923282010-03-22T11:43:27.077-05:002010-03-22T11:43:27.077-05:00"These teachings basically amount, in terms o..."These teachings basically amount, in terms of external effect in practice, not to a statement that faithful Catholics won't do these things, but merely that faithful Catholics will mention these acts in confession before receiving communion after committing them (and inevitably someone will at some point). Big deal. Lots of us fornicate, masturbate, and have lustful thoughts sometimes, even while accepting the Church's teaching on the immorality of it. And so we go to confession before receiving communion and resolve to try harder next time. That's not hypocrisy, it's just sin, and we're all sinners, but God loves us anyway. It's really not the big scary oppressive regime they're imagining."<br /><br />exactly! thank you! ive tried to explain this before but found a hard time putting it in words.<br /><br />"The difference between them and those of us who accept the teachings isn't that we are really objectively behaving all that differently, it's that we glory in our infirmities and don't mind being reminded of them."<br /><br />yes! though let me tell you that your very realistic attitude towards all this is going to make some of those selfrighteous neoconservative and traddie types very upset, because they are very much invested (for some reason, one suspects personal) in the idea that the moral standards largely line-up with behavior in practice, so its sort of just like the other side of the coin of the liberal position. one wonders what is going on inside their head.Georgenoreply@blogger.com