-
The Reproach of Christ now features guest posts by: Francisco Figueroa
Pope Francis is Our Holy Father, Supreme Head of the whole Church, Father and Teacher of all Christians, and Supreme Pontiff.
Papal critics: “Let us explain to you why Pope Francis is wrong.”
Ron Conte: “Let me explain to you what the word ‘faith’ means.”Those who reject the Magisterium, grasp at straws seeking its replacement.
-
The CPDV -- my conservative Catholic translation of the Bible, from the Latin Vulgate into English, is available at Amazon.com in Kindle format and online here.
-
To read the Kindle versions of my books, without a Kindle device, get the free cloud reader — or — any of the free Kindle reading apps.
Subscribe to my RSS Feed. (If you use Google Chrome, first add a Chrome RSS reader or extension.)
+ Important Posts
- A Primer on Roman Catholic Salvation Theology
- How To Go To Heaven
- Intrinsic Evil and the Moral Object
- Profession of Fidelity to Pope Francis
- St. Bellarmine, his works in Latin
- The Certainty of Salvation for Prenatals who die before birth
- The Many Errors of Religious Fundamentalism
- What Saint Bellarmine really said about Popes and Heresy
+ Salvation
Biblical Topics
Catholic Theology
Eschatology
- First Part of the Tribulation
- Great Catholic Monarch and the Angelic Shepherd
- Kingdom of the Ten Kings
- On World War 3 and World War 4
- Second Part of the Tribulation
- Secrets of La Salette and the End Times
- Secrets of Medjugorje and Garabandal
- The Bible and the Future: 2015 edition
- The Return of Jesus Christ
- The Warning, Consolation, and Miracle
- Three Days of Darkness and the Time of Peace
Free Booklets
Mariology
Moral Theology
Other Topics
Some Links
Versions of the Bible
Categories
Archives
Meta
Add this badge to your site:
-
If the works of God seem foolish to you, who is the fool — God or you?
The Problem of Oversimplification in Catholic Theology
The answers to many scientific questions are complex, and cannot be explained, with any breadth or depth, in very simple terms. Any attempt to explain a scientific insight, in the simplest possible terms, necessarily removes much of the substance of the answer discovered by science. You see this sometimes in the popular press, on scientific stories. They dumb it down so much that the story is highly inaccurate and most of the insight is gone.
And the same applies to theology. The correct answers to various questions on faith, morals, and salvation — answers found in Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium — are often complex. When various authors, bloggers, and anonymous online commentators oversimplify those answers, they harm the truths taught by Christ and His Church.
But in discussions and arguments online oversimplification prevails over good theology. One reason is that many of the faithful do not want to spend much time learning their Faith. They prefer the easiest to understand explanation. Another reason is that the simplified version of moral theology often omits or glosses over various requirements of ethics that make living the Faith more difficult. What appeals to fallen sinners is not merely an oversimplification, but an answer that justifies grave sins and makes adhering to the moral teachings of the Church seem easier.
It is also easier to win an online argument (seemingly win) about religion when your position is oversimplified. There are fewer points to explain and defend, and your audience is more likely to accept the oversimplified answer as it is easy to understand (even when it is wrong). Many times I’ve seen blog articles and forum posts which propose a grave error on faith or morals, and following it are comments thanking the author for making the answer to that question easy to understand. If your position on a complex theological question fits on a bumper sticker, then it has the advantage in online arguments. But it might not be the right answer.
But, for better or worse, the internet is where theology is being done today. No one reads printed theological journals. Few persons read books of theology. When Catholics have questions on faith, morals, and salvation, they turn to a search engine on the internet. And they don’t want to read a whole book or even a long post on any question. They want simplified answers on every point. As a result, many souls are being led astray.
by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.
Please take a look at this list of my books and booklets, and see if any topic interests you.
Related