Saturday, June 12, 2010

Catholic, nearly to a fault…

Catholic theology should be as close to fideism as possible––without being Fideism. >>
There must be a crucifixion of the intellect. The dark night of the soul––which includes the darkening of the intellect as the soul's chief power––is not a mystical "privilege" for Carmelites only. It is a necessity internal to the Catholic creed, albeit derivable in varying degrees based on the powers of the respective soul.

Catholic metaphysics should be as close to naturalism as it can get––without being Naturalism. >>
The Catholic thinker must respect the radical––and seemingly complete––autonomy of creation as the Creator's chief creature. The contingency of the world can only make sense, much less have any moral or spiritual "oomph" in the light of faith in the Creator.

Catholic anthropology should be as close to determinism as it can be––without being Determinism. >>
Teleology is just conformity with internal drives, and, as such, determinism is a crippled form of teleological anthropology, not its total antithesis. The key difference between the two views is that the willing of the good is internal to teleological personhood, whereas sheer willing of what is sensibly dominant is the linchpin of deterministic personhood.

Catholic piety should be as close to quietism as possible––without being Quietism. >>
Total abandonment to Providence. Indifference to all things, pleasant and repugnant, in the light of Providence. Prayer before all action and no action devoid of "inner quiet." Silence is the strongest expression of anger, which is why Catholic activism is (and out be) more active than raucous, more plodding than plotting.

Catholic ethics should be as close to deontology as imaginable–-without being Deontological. >>
We are obliged to "follow the rules" but the rules only make sense when heeded in communion with the Ruler. To honor a duty is but to honor a debt (Latin, debere; French devoir)––to give what is due-to Him by and from Whom all things are given. There is no deontology even in purely human terms if there are no human persons and a fortiori there is no deontology––no absolute duty for all––if there are no Persons over all.

No comments: