Where the Rubber Hits the Road: Natural Law from a Birmingham Jail | Feature

18 January, 2011

Natural Law from a Birmingham Jail | Feature | Articles

InsideCatholic.com | Natural Law from a Birmingham Jail | Feature | Articles

7 comments:

Anri18 January, 2011
Hmm... interesting that a Catholic might seek to quote King.

Correct me if I am wrong, but King, being a Baptist and therefore not having received communion nor been shriven of his sins, was almost certainly damned to hell?

Certainly, his inspiration, Mohandas Gandhi, as a Hindu, is (according to your church's doctrine) currently writhing in eternal agony for his horrible, sinful life, yes?

Or am I off-base here?
ReplyDelete
Fr. Tim Moyle18 January, 2011
Anri: The days when we taught that only Catholics are in heaven are long gone. You are somewhat out of date with your theology.

There is every reason to believe that MLK and Gandhi are with God. His mercy is far more expansive than is his wrath. Who knows? Maybe (God willing) we'll meet up there as well!

Fr. Tim
ReplyDelete
Larry Green18 January, 2011
What date did that theology all change Tim?
ReplyDelete
Fr. Tim Moyle18 January, 2011
Larry: Vatican II clarified the understanding of the necessity of the Church for salvation to mean the Church of Christ which subsists within, but not exclusive to the Roman Catholic Church.

Fr. Tim
ReplyDelete
Anri18 January, 2011
"There is every reason to believe that MLK and Gandhi are with God"

John 14:5-7 seems to disagree with you about the Mahatma and myself. Am I misreading it?

Moving on to King...
Am I to understand, then, that confession to a Priest is totally unnecessary for salvation? That the threat of excommunication therefore carries - literally - no weight?
Or, rather, that they are both strictly human-to-human interactions, with no assumption of god's involvement? I will happily admit that I am more familiar with the Medieval Catholic Church (which is to say, very slightly), and I understand that the inerrant word of god changes with the times like all other things, so I might very well be out of date on this.

Lastly:
"His mercy is far more expansive than is his wrath."

Do all humans truly deserve hell? I am under the impression that Christianity holds that they do.
Is god's justice perfect? (Deuteronomy 32:4, just for example)
Is someone getting something other than what they truly deserve justice?

I hate to hit you with so many questions all in one post, but they all seem to tie together to me.
ReplyDelete
Larry Green18 January, 2011
Tim
So are you absolutley sure that pope Benedict would agree that Christ susists in all churhes other than the catholic church ?
ReplyDelete
Fr. Tim Moyle18 January, 2011
Larry: The Church of Christ subsists in its fullness within the RC Church. It also subsists in differing degrees in all other Christian, Jewish, and other human churches and communities. We acknowledge this at the Easter Vigil Mass each year in the intercessions and prayers that are celebrated and offered in that sacred liturgy.

Even B16 would not have the ego needed to believe that he could know the limits of God's grace and mercy throughout creation. If you need evidence of that, look at his first two encylicals, one on the subject of love, the other on hope. He offers a far more humane and loving face of God and Church than he is given credit for in the MSM.

Fr. Tim
ReplyDelete