Against The Grain

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2

The Torture Debate - Pt. IV (Roundup)
2006-12-08 00:41:31
I am reluctant to post again on this topic but at the request of a reader, for the sake of documentation and aiding the combox discussion, here is a roundup of recent responses on the topic over the course of the past week: Fr. Brian Harrison On October 19, Fr. Brian Harrison informed Tom McKenna (Seeking Justice) that the second part of his article has been published in Living Tradition:Since your comment mentions and links my last year's letter to "Crisis" commenting on Mark Shea's article on torture, you and your readers (and perhaps even Mr. Shea) may be interested to read my much more extensive two-part article on the morality of torture which has since been published in Living Tradition. Mr. Shea's Crisis article was a big factor in prompting me to research this difficult and unpleasant subject much more thoroughly. Part I of my article deals with the teaching of Sacred Scripture regarding the ethics of torture, while Part II deals with the witness of Tradition and Magister...
More About: Roundup , Debate , Torture , Round

Pope Benedict Roundup!
2006-12-08 00:41:31
Pope Bene dict XVI and Christian-Muslim Dialogue Among the interpretations of Benedict's Regensberg address are those which see a historical relevance to Benedict's citation of Manuel II Paleologus -- but an earlier stage of the "clash of civilizations" and the Islamic threat which now threatens the West. In "Paleologus and Us: What Benedict Really Said" (The New Republic Post date: 09.28.06 / Issue date: 10.09.06), David Nirenberg's poses the question:[W]hy in our troubled times did Benedict choose to bring the world's attention to the unoriginal words of this Byzantine emperor?One answer is that Turkey has long been on the pontiff's mind. Readers may recall then-Cardinal Ratzinger's interview with Le Figaro in 2004 in which he commented that Turkey should not be admitted to the European Union "on the grounds that it is a Muslim nation" and historically has always been contrary to Europe. Courtesy Bibliotheque NationaleLike Ratzinger, Manuel II Paleologus also worried about ke...
More About: Pop , Roundup , Pope , Round

Breaking Communion - Reactions to Rod Dreher's Eastward Turn
2006-12-08 00:41:31
Earlier this month Rod ("CrunchyCon") Dreher announced the news -- disappointing but not entirely unexpected -- that he and his family were now communicants at an Orthodox church ("Orthodoxy and Me" October 12, 2006). I encountered "CrunchyCon" Rod Dreher only briefly in his sojourn on St. Blog's parish -- in the combox of Amy Welborn's Open Book. I have yet to get around to reading the book for which is blog is named. As a journalist who covered the scandals in the Church and the resistance and obfuscation of the clergy, I think it is understandable how completely sickened, disillusioned and jaded one might become, having been exposed to that degree of corruption in the ranks of the clergy and heirarchy. As Dale Price reminds us, Rod's former bishop is Charles Grahmann,currently cooling his heels as he awaits the acceptance of his tended resignation offer. That would be the same bishop who is remarkably solicitous of gropers in the confessional and proved to be a noted enabler ...
More About: Action , Muni , Break , Union , War

Robert Sungenis & the Jews - An Update
2006-12-08 00:41:31
On September 18, 2006, in response to Michael Forrest's analysis Sungenis and the Jews , Robe rt Sungenis published an "An Open Letter to the Patrons of CAI", in which he indicated in part:As most of you know, CAI has been on a somewhat controversial path the last four years, ever since our critique of the Reflections on Covenant and Missions statement was issued in 2002. We began to focus on politics, culture and other peripheral issues that were not the frame and substance of our former work, which started in 1993. Although those areas certainly have their merit, they have detracted from the expertise we offered to the public in the area of biblical studies. Hence, we are retreating from those more controversial areas for the foreseeable future so that we can concentrate on our areas of strength. So what has transpired on Catholic Apologetics International since the publication of Sungenis' letter to his readers? -- Besides the fact that the old material on the Jews remains intac...
More About: Update , Geni

On Torture, "Aggressive Interrogation" and The Military Commissions Act of
2006-10-02 08:59:00
Readers of Mark Shea's blog (Catholic and Enjoying It) are no doubt aware of the exchanges between himself and another blog, cheekily titled "The Coalition for Fog", consisting of Victor Morton and other erstwhile (now exiled?) participants in Shea's combox-debates on torture, military interrogations and the ethics of combat. Much of their disagreement with Shea concerns his manner of labeling the opposition and framing the debate. I suppose I qualify as a Coalition-for-Fogger, having taken issue with Shea in recent months on his characterization of the "neocons" -- and I am certainly sympathetic when the CFF takes Shea to task for misrepresenting Vice President Cheney's statements on Iraq and Al Qaeda. Commenting from National Review's "The Corner", Jonah Goldberg addresses this unfortunate aspect of the "torture debate" as it has progressed thus far:It steals a base to say that the Bush Administration wants to legalize torture because you first have to demonstrate that what...
More About: Military , Inter , Commissions , Missions , Miss

So what DOES Pope Benedict XVI think about Islam?
2006-09-18 09:36:03
Benodette, from the RatzingerForum, reminded all of us today of a much-overlooked address by Benedict to representatives of some Muslim communities, whom he met while visiting Cologne for World Youth Day on Saturday, August 20, 2005. A portion of the address is printed below. You can find the full text on the Vatican website. In light of everything that has happened in the past several days, the words of our Holy Father appear all the more striking and relevant for us today.Dear Muslim Friends,It gives me great joy to be able to be with you and to offer you my heartfelt greetings. . . . I am certain that I echo your own thoughts when I bring up one of our concerns as we notice the spread of terrorism. I know that many of you have firmly rejected, also publicly, in particular any connection between your faith and terrorism and have condemned it. I am grateful to you for this, for it contributes to the climate of trust that we need. [...] If together we can succeed in eliminating from...
More About: Islam , Pop , What , Hat , About

Pope Benedict XVI on "Faith, Reason and the University" (Reg
2006-09-17 15:30:08
In 1969, following a tense period at the University of Tübingen (see The difficult years, by Gianni Valente 30 Giorni May 2006), Joseph Ratzinger received the invitation to teach at the University of Regensburg in Bavaria. Having turned down the initial invitation in 1967, he remarks in Milestones that "I was still dean [of the faculty of theology at Tübingen], but the exhausting controveries I
More About: Pop , Faith , Pope Benedict X , Benedict X

A Second Response to Mark Shea
2006-09-11 14:45:05
I see Mark Shea has responded to me ("The Ratzinger Fan Club is Taking Me to Task" Catholic and Enjoying It August 17, 2006). Let me point out that this blog is hosted at the RatzingerFanClub -- I do employ it as a means of posting the monthly Pope Benedict Roundups as has become a hobby since the time of the conclave. But as I clearly note in the margin, Against The Grain features "Occasional
More About: Second , Econ , Response

Michael Forrest on "Sungenis and the Jews"
2006-09-10 05:26:00
A bit of history is in order . . . In September, 2002, Robert Sungenis of Catholic Apologetics International (CAI) wrote an article entitled, "Conversion of the Jews Not Necessary? The Apocalyptic Ramifications of a Novel Teaching" in response to the document Reflections on Covenant and Mission, a joint-publication of the National Council of Synagogues and the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. Sungenis' article caused no small amount of controversy in the online Catholic world -- not because of his criticism of the document itself (indeed, a good number of Catholics found justifiable reason to do so), but rather because of his (unwitting?) citation, and proclaimed agreement with, some rather unsavory charges against the Jews drawn from anti-semitic sources (including neo-Nazis, "white seperatists" and "historical revisionists"). The whole scandalous affair was researched and documented by Bill Cork, first on his blog and subsequently compiled in his in...
More About: Michael , Rest , Geni , Mich

Pope Benedict XVI Roundup!
2006-09-04 08:03:03
Greetings and welcome to another installment of the Pop e Benedict Roundup , an occasional -- usually monthly -- roundup of news and commentary on the Holy Father and all things Benedict. You can view previous editions at the recently-established Benedict Blog, the blog of the Pope Benedict X VI Fan Club. Pope Benedict XVI and the "Evolution Debate" This weekend (September 2-3, 2006) Pope Benedict is taking some time to gather with a group of close friends, students and scholars in a private seminar to discuss the topic of Darwinian evolution. Ian Fisher ( Pope Benedict and his ex-students holding seminar on evolution, by Ian Fisher. The New York Times Sept. 2, 2006) reports on those attending:As might be expected from a German professor, all sides of the evolution question will get a hearing, though with an emphasis on skepticism. The seminar on Friday reportedly began with a presentation by Peter Schuster, an eminent molecular biologist, president of the Austrian Academy of Sciences ...

A Collection of Writings on The Assumption of the Blessed Vi
2006-08-17 19:09:09
Teresa Polk ("Blog By The Sea") has compiled a remarkable Collection of Writing s on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
More About: Writings , Esse , Less

Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ
2006-08-08 18:54:16
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud. "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only.And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. [Mark 9: 2-10] Trans figuration Catholic Enyclopedia
More About: East , Christ , Chris , Feast

Faux Ordination on a Riverboat
2006-08-06 18:48:30
On July 31st, 6 members of Roman Catholic Womenpriests "ordained" themselves "priest[esses] of the Catholic Church on July 31st. Needless to say Catholic bloggers are responding with mixed emotions -- amusement, befuddlement, and not a few groans of disgust. Here is a roundup of some reactions: The Diocese of Pittsburgh has provided a good Q&A on "ordination" Ceremony, while Robert Lockwood, director for communications, Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, and general manager of the Pittsburgh Catholic, puts it bluntly:"The Catholic Church does not ordain women because it has been committed for 2,000 years to honor the teaching of Christ. It has nothing to do with discrimination or prejudice." Amy Welborn posed some pertinent questions to the priestly impersonators :The hard questions that I wish these participants would be asked are these, in really what amounts to a simple exercise in logic.If you wish to be ordained and to practice Christian ministry as an ordained person, there is n...
More About: River , Nation , Boat , Dina

Israel - Hezbollah - Lebanon, "Proportionality" and Just War
2006-08-06 18:48:30
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the loss of civilian life and the targeting of "civilian infrastructure" compromised by Hezbollah has provoked a discussion of proportionality and just war criteria -- for the benefit of our readers, this post will compile the key articles and contributions on this subject. Just War for the Sake of Argument, by Stephen Bainbridge. TCS Daily July 18, 2006. Proportionality in War Rob Driscoll. The Remedy July 18, 2006. Bainbridge?s ?Just War for the Sake of Argument? Democracy Project July 18, 2006. How Just Must a Just War Be?, by Jordan Baillor. Acton Institute PowerBlog July 20, 2006 at 09:08am. A Question About Just War Theory July 20, 2006. Prof. Bainbridge. When is a War Just? by Anthony Clark. Georgetown.edu: "Exploring International Law" July 20, 2006 (6:03pm). Proportionality in jus in bello by Kenneth Anderson (Law of War and Just War Theory Blog). July 21, 2006. Answers to Just War Questions, by Jordan Ballor. Acton Institute Pow...
More About: Lebanon , Port

Prayers Needed . . .
2006-08-06 18:48:30
for Sandra Miesel, and her husband. God be with them both and give them strength and comfort. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
More About: Prayers , Prayer , Need , Raye , Pray

Pope Benedict Roundup - Easter 2006, a Birthday and a One Year Anniversary
2006-04-18 06:17:00
An occasional roundup of news, articles and commentary on Pope Benedict XVI On April 16, 2006, Pope Benedict celebrated Easter services in Rome, marking the resurrection of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ: From the Vatican website, a recap of Holy Week 2006 -- including the Holy Saturday homily of Pope Benedict XVI, in which he discusses the question: "Of what exactly does this "rising" consist? What does it mean for us, for the whole world and the whole of history?"The crucial point is that this man Jesus was not alone, he was not an "I" closed in upon itself. He was one single reality with the living God, so closely united with him as to form one person with him. . . . His own life was not just his own, it was an existential communion with God, a "being taken up" into God, and hence it could not in reality be taken away from him. Out of love, he could allow himself to be killed, but precisely by doing so he broke the definitiveness of death, because in him the definitiveness o...
More About: Anniversary , Roundup , Birthday , Birth

To evangelize -- or not to evangelize?
2005-03-21 06:29:00
Bill Cork posts an excerpt from Rabbi James Rudin on a recent gathering at Catholic University of America, expressing his disappointment in an address by Cardinal Avery Dulles. Apparently Cardinal Dulles rejected the "two covenant" concept popularized in some circles of Jewish-Christian dialogue ("valid covenant for Jews made at Mount Sinai (the life of Torah) and a valid one for Christians made at Calvary (the resurrection of Jesus)") and affirmed traditional Catholic teaching that all humanity, Christians and Jews, should "benefit from Christ's teaching and . . . enjoy the fullness of sacramental life (conversion to Christianity)." Dulles also acknowledged that Christians must "learn to be patient . . . (while) they gladly acknowledge Jews as their elder brothers in the faith." According to Rabbi Rudin:The cardinal's views elicited sharp negative responses from both Catholics and Jews. The Catholic critics charged that Dulles' view does not properly reflect the church's adva...
More About: Angel , Evan