Catholic Church Says Polluting = Sin

[mkohn]

Originally Posted by Chip

Like I said before, we have had 10,000 years to "awaken", what's our problem then?

Ten thousand years of being told what to think, instead of how to think...
Be it government, or organized religion, they take advantage of fear. I think John Lennon said it best:
“It's fear of the unknown. The unknown is what it is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that--it's all illusion. Unknown is what it is. Accept that it's unknown and it's plain sailing. Everything is unknown--then you're ahead of the game. That's what it is. Right?”

Why else does the D.R. government seem to have a lax policy on education?
Why else does the CC have the population there firmly by the cojones?

Great way to control. Fear of damnation, illiteracy: can't read the paper, let others think for them, social programs, lull people into a false sense of complacency -

Ten thousand years of being told what to think, instead of how to think...
Basta
mkohn
All you need is love. John Lennon

[Chip]

Facts

#1: the CC doesn't have the people here in the DR under control, if they did why dosn't even a substantial minority attend church services here on a weelky basis or for that matter, bother to get married legally by the Church? Yet somehow they are Catholic and live in fear of the church - good grief what propaganda! If you lived here and spoke the language you would realize that the CC is hardly ever mentioned in convestations, much less this "control" they apparently have.

#2 the CC hasn't been around for 10,000 years, nor for that matter established religion.

#3 I agree with the love part, but John Lenno isn't the best example of that.

[A.Hidalgo]

The mother church needs badly to make an attempt at contemporizing itself, so this is just one way of accomplishing that. Will it make a difference, most likely not.

[johne]

I knew absolutley nothing about this subject until today.Did a google search I found that Popes in the CC have made numerous talks over the past 15 years on this subject.Very interesting and a eyeopener for me. Doesn't seem to be a very new subject matter with the Church.
john

[fightfish]

If this is how the CC wants to modernize, I´m all for it. Take the number of Catholics who actually do practice, and it´s still in the millions. Multiply that by the number of ways that they can be proactive environmentally, and we all get substantial benefit. I don´t see a downside.

[Keith R]

Originally Posted by johne

I knew absolutley nothing about this subject until today.Did a google search I found that Popes in the CC have made numerous talks over the past 15 years on this subject.Very interesting and a eyeopener for me. Doesn't seem to be a very new subject matter with the Church.
john

True, John, but how many times have you heard a priest breach the subject in mass in those 15 years? I'm not Catholic, but my wife and kids are, and as a result I have attended numerous masses over the last 17 years, both in US and DR. Never heard it raised from the pulpit once during mass. Maybe it has in other parishes, but in talking with Catholics, I get the impression that it is not a priority issue in Catholic sermons elswehere either -- some Catholics seem to be unaware that the Vatican has even addressed the issue publicly.

Actually, the Protestant and Orthodox churches have been working on environment issues via the World Council of Churches (WCC) since the 1983 Vancouver Assembly decided to make it part of the "Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation" (JPIC) initiative. JPIC was tasked to develop a "Christian environmental ethic." The broad outlines of it were endorsed by the next WCC Assembly in Canberra in 1991.

Yet I have only heard the environment issue raised in Protestant sermons once or twice, so I've always wondered how much of the high-level concern was trickling down to "the flock."

However, there has been a noticeable uptick in interest in environment issues among evangelicals in the last couple of years. Several discussion lists I participate in have had new, enthusiastic members who identify themselves as evangelicals interested in environment issues, and a couple of evangelical groups contacted me for help in pulling together materials on key issues for their websites aimed at educating their flocks on issues. So who knows, the change might be glacial but it is change nonetheless...

[A.Hidalgo]

Originally Posted by fightfish

If this is how the CC wants to modernize, I´m all for it. Take the number of Catholics who actually do practice, and it´s still in the millions. Multiply that by the number of ways that they can be proactive environmentally, and we all get substantial benefit. I don´t see a downside.

I see it as the church trying to modernize, but at the same time being antiquated in using the fear factor with the usage of the concept of "sin". It should encourage the use of the intellect rather than scaring people.

[johne]

Originally Posted by Keith R

True, John, but how many times have you heard a priest breach the subject in mass in those 15 years? I'm not Catholic, but my wife and kids are, and as a result I have attended numerous masses over the last 17 years, both in US and DR. Never heard it raised from the pulpit once during mass. Maybe it has in other parishes, but in talking with Catholics, I get the impression that it is not a priority issue in Catholic sermons elswehere either -- some Catholics seem to be unaware that the Vatican has even addressed the issue publicly.

Actually, the Protestant and Orthodox churches have been working on environment issues via the World Council of Churches (WCC) since the 1983 Vancouver Assembly decided to make it part of the "Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation" (JPIC) initiative. JPIC was tasked to develop a "Christian environmental ethic." The broad outlines of it were endorsed by the next WCC Assembly in Canberra in 1991.

Yet I have only heard the environment issue raised in Protestant sermons once or twice, so I've always wondered how much of the high-level concern was trickling down to "the flock."

However, there has been a noticeable uptick in interest in environment issues among evangelicals in the last couple of years. Several discussion lists I participate in have had new, enthusiastic members who identify themselves as evangelicals interested in environment issues, and a couple of evangelical groups contacted me for help in pulling together materials on key issues for their websites aimed at educating their flocks on issues. So who knows, the change might be glacial but it is change nonetheless...

Keith--Your're correct in your statement about getting down to the "flock". I reviewed some of the searches I did and saw that they were made by Popes in front of "distinquished audiences". So, I guess, the local priests are not following what "The Jefe" is laying out there.

[Chip]

Originally Posted by A.Hidalgo

I see it as the church trying to modernize, but at the same time being antiquated in using the fear factor with the usage of the concept of "sin". It should encourage the use of the intellect rather than scaring people.

No offense primo, but imo it appears some of you guys have a fear (or at least uneasiness) of the word "sin", even more so than I have of the leaders of my church. If you feel more comfortable, use some other word in it's place that gets the genreal meaning across that some things should not be done.

I base this on the fact that generaly speaking, Catholics are guided not by fear per se but by an understanding of their faith. It may be you guys are confusing us with some of our "hell and brimstone" protestant brothers - yes they do use the "fear" factor quite frequently here in the DR and back home.

[Rocky]

One of the descriptions of the word sin is,

any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense: It's a sin to waste time.

Polluting could easily classify as all of the above.