The freedom to change one’s religion.
Imagine.
The Holy Father called for the right of all people to change their religion in a plea for religious liberty directed at Islamic nations. Hopefully, everyone is aware of the very real persecution of Christians in several Islamic countries, and not just in Iraq. He stated:
Yesterday, near Rome, the 80-year-old pontiff made a speech in “defence of religious liberty”, which, he said “is a fundamental, irrepressible, inalienable and inviolable right”.
In a clear reference to Islam, he said: “The exercise of this freedom also includes the right to change religion, which should be guaranteed not only legally, but also in daily practice.” - Pope Benedict’s rebuke to Muslim nations.
Freedom to change.
Another thought came to mind in reference to his words; that of dissident Catholics who seek to undermine Church teaching and discipline. In the West religious liberty is still extant, so why don’t these people who want the Church to change her teaching on divorce and remarriage, homosexuality, abortion and contraception, and so on, simply change religions and leave the Roman Catholic Church in peace?
Most dissidents, if not all, resent the Pope and the hierarchal structure of the Church, and are opposed to Church teaching and tradition anyway. In effect, they are really no longer Roman Catholic, so why not change religion and become Universalist or Old Catholics? It would certainly be more honest.
Today, in this country at least, one always has the freedom to change one’s religion - or just stop believing all together if one chooses. There is no prohibition against that.
(Art: Image of Our Lady of Mercy whose feast it is today.)
September 24th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Gutsy. Yay Holy Father!
September 24th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
…simply change religions and leave the Roman Catholic Church in peace?
My 2 bits:I think it is the effect of Democracy. “If we scream loud enough, and get enough people to do the same, then things will change”. They do not believe the Church to be of Divine Origin. Why don’t they leave? Because the Church is the only thing left in the West that has the intransigence (in their eyes) not to have given into their ideologies(abortion,feminism, female priests, acceptance of Homosexuality, etc..). It’s the lone challenging voice to their “secular orthodoxy”. And they are intolerant of disordant voices.
September 25th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Some people are never content unless they have something or someone to “fight”. In my dissident days, I ran into the same people at different events. Some of them could not even tell you why they were there. They were just asked to be there by a friend and they were always ready to just stand around and yell, hold signs etc. In many ways, there is such a thing as a professional protester.
I read in a book by Father Rutler called: Crisis of Saints that it’s cheaper/easier to dissent within an established structure then it is to just strike out on your own. He said you can use the copy machines at the parish office. It was a pretty funny phrase but true.