Conversation Among Friends - Philosophy - Comments

delusional?

Peter — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 10:50:46 -0500

JS - i looked at the reviews of the d'souza book, and it sounds like he falls *splat* on his face when it comes to arguing science. reading the one-star reviews on amazon is revealing. ow! which may be a really bad idea when you're trying to vy for supremacy with a bunch of scientists? i am afraid well intentioned, but uninformed defence of the faith may play strongly into the hands of those with bad intent. that's why i'm so keen on getting myself well prepared.

the other book, however, i think is really worth reading. it's in my shopping cart now thanks for the pointer. keep it up!

Discusson about ranting atheists

Joey — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:09:54 -0500

PM,

FYI, I think this book by Dinesh D'Souza is an attempt to respond to Dawkins and company. This looks like an excellent response. One reviewer summarizes each chapter on Amazon.

Oops, I was actually thinking of the Dawkins Delusion. The link will get you there.

so....

Peter — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:32:53 -0500

Keung on PBXVI

Joey — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:28:57 -0500

PM,

From Wed-13-Sept-06:

Tuebingen, Germany- Hans Kueng, the Swiss-born Catholic theologian who has been a long-time critic of the Vatican, slammed Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday for not offering dialogue during a six-day visit to Germany. There had not been "a single future-oriented signal" from the pope, nor were there any suggestions of reforms on the way, Kueng told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in an interview.

Kueng, who was invited to a long lunch and talk with Benedict in Italy last year, said the visit had made a contradictory impression.

"He didn't fulfil any of the hopes of reform-oriented Catholics.

"But on a personal level, he made a nice impression and was on the wavelength of the faithful. He's not a media pope with acting talent trying to pull in applause. Rather he is someone who concentrates on the central truth of Christianity, belief in God," he said.

Speaking at his home in Tuebingen, Germany, the retired theologian said Benedict had been "tactically smart to stay silent about the rule of celibacy for priests, or the ban on contraceptives and other uncomfortable Roman rules.

"He was always stressing the nice side of faith and the church and leaving the harsh church rules that still exist unmentioned."

Kueng added, "I don't see dialogue in practice."

Asked how he judged the one-year-old Benedict papacy, Kueng said, "His trademark is still unclear. But I still hope that the pope will manage to leave behind the dark shadows of the former doctrine watchdog and offer constructive solutions for the church and ecumenism."

Kueng said theologians had offered the Vatican many ways of letting Protestants share in the Catholic communion ceremony and said, "It's up to the pope to act."

books: here we go..

Peter — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 12:54:08 -0500

Story of a Soul (St Therese of Lisieux), John Clark, O.C.D. (p)
A Grief Observed, C. S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis(!)
Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis
Das Bild von Jesus dem Christus, Romano Guardini (p)
The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis
Miracles, C. S. Lewis
The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis(!)
Everyday Simplicity, R. Wicks (p)
The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis
The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis(!)
The Need and the blessing of prayer, Karl Rahner(!)
Encounters with Silence, Karl Rahner
Perelandra, C. S. Lewis(!)
Out of the silent planet, C. S. Lewis(!)
That Hideous Strength, C. S. Lewis(!)
The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis(!)
Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph Ratzinger(!)
Neither Poverty nor Riches, C. Blomberg(!)
Interior Castle, Teresa of Avila (p)
Dark night of the soul, John of the Cross (p)
The Way of Perfection Teresa of Avila (p)
Th Life of St Teresa of Avila by Herself (p)
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Ronald Sider
Diary of St Maria Faustina Kowalska (bought but not read)
The City of God, Augustinus (p)
Go in Peace, Karol Woytyla
Aquinas Shorter Summa, Thomas Aquinas
Theology of the Body for Beginners, Christopher West
The Cambridge Companion to Karl Rahner, ed. Mary Hines (p)
Confessions, Augustinus(!)
Catechism of the Catholic Church(!)
The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren (p)
Till we have faces, C. S. Lewis
The Foundations of Karl Rahner, Mark Fischer (!)
The Foundations of Christian Faith, Karl Rahner (p) (!)
In Conversation with God, Fernandez (p)
God is Near Us, Joseph Ratzinger

(!) means of particular interest. (p) means partly read, sometimes because the work is encyclopaedic and i skipped sections that were not of particular interest.

mini summa

Joey — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:50:27 -0500

PM,

Theology isn't something that I tend to dig into. I have the Short Summa of Aquinas. It is very nice but I have not felt compelled to read it - knowing that it exists if I need it seems to keep Aquinas on the shelf. (Also, I'm reading pre-Aquinas as I like to study cronologically).

You assent less to Christanity than I do, it seems that you are more of a buzzard who tends to want to pick away until every last piece of flesh has been eaten. It seems that you are very driven to verify that this all makes sense. I admire your tenacity and hunger for depth and truth.

You do seem to like the taste of God. Some people spit him out. Interesting that when some taste this honey they still turn away from it while others know that it is the only thing worth their time.

Could you do us a favor? List all the books you have read over the last two years on Christianity or faith etc. I am interested in what your journey has been.

easy...

Peter — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:42:47 -0500

the book is a shortened and explanatory version of a "101" theology textbook for seminarians. so, it covers everything that is central to the christian message. can't put it any better. like a mini summa theologiae of the 20th century...

Mark Fischer

Joey — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:58:34 -0500

PM,

Can you give us a bit more on this book? Why do you like it? What's so good about it? What is Rahner's essential message/approach etc.?

Thanks,

unreadable...

Peter — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:57:46 -0500

the problem is that Rahner's english translation, although presumably correct, is almost unreadable. sentences go on seemingly for pages, so that the average human almost has to draw a flow diagram for every sentence. i have at least twice tried to read it, but it's like driving a car into a snow drift: after initial progress, the wheels start spinning, and after a while you just bog down...

finally! someone has actually spent the time to read and analyze every sentence, and summarize it at a quarter of its original density, which brings it down to normal textbook complexity.

you should absolutely read it.

pmm

Karl Rahner

Joey — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:35:24 -0500

"This was written as an answer to the problem..."

PM - What problem are we talking about?

Thanks -- js