THE CLASSICAL AND MODERN WORLD VIEWS (1st Paper submitted) (Catholic) Theology

The classical world view is a view that is cosmic centered and static. The modern world is dynamic. There is a foundational shift from one world view to another. This paper will provide the world view of the Classical and Modern world and explain why there is a shift from one to another. What will also be explained is how these worlds are present in my image of God, spirituality, prayer, theology, ministry and in my ways of living, feeling and interpretation. Static World vs Dynamic If a juggler has three balls it is important that they are each of equivalent weight. If not, the balance is affected and the balls fall. Think of three balls as one being the world, one being God, and the other being humanity. In theology one may understand our evolving state by utilizing this concept. We live in a developing universe. There was a time of nature gods, there was a mythology, but not a history and therefore a divine purpose could not be declared. By the time Christianity appeared, the Roman world would have been entirely familiar with the thought that the universe might have gradually come to be as it is. The biblical writers showed little if any interest in a causal explanation of natural process. The Greeks however were fascinated by it. Greek natural science attained its height with Aristotle. He created whole fields such as physics, theoretical astronomy, logic and biology. Aristotle foreshadowed evolution, "we should venture on the study of every kind of animal without distaste, for each and all will reveal to us something natural…Nature's works exemplify…the conduciveness of everything to an end, and the resultant end of Nature's generations is a form of the beautiful." (McMullin, p22) St Augustine (5th century) stated that if there is a conflict between a literal reading of Scripture and a well-established truth about nature, this is sufficient reason to take the scriptural passage metaphorically. There cannot be a contradiction between nature and Scripture since God speaks to both. In the mid 1200s, the natural science taught in universities, including theology students, was that of Aristotle (McMullin, p 27). Aristotelian cosmology and Christian theology were merged to form the medieval picture of the universe. Earth was the fixed central sphere surrounded by the spheres of the heavens. Man was unique and central in location and importance. This view would soon be challenged by science. Galileo (1564-1642) combined mathematical reasoning and experimental observation. Galileo formulated a new picture of nature, that as nature in motion. Galileo called mass and velocity, primary qualities. Galileo was a devout Catholic and found no conflict between his scientific and religious beliefs. He upheld the importance of scripture but claimed that it reveals not scientific facts but spiritual knowledge for man's salvation, truths that are above reason and could not be discovered by observation. Galileo put nature and scripture on the same level as avenues of God (Barbour, pp 23-30). In the year 1616, the Holy Office declared that the sun is the center of the universe, and consequently does not change place and that the earth is not the center of the universe and is not motionless, but is in motion as a whole and its daily rotation. We know with absolute physical certainty, that the stellar universe is not centred on the earth, and that terrestrial life is not centred on mankind Newton (1642-1727) invented calculus but he was also an ingenious experimenter in mechanics and optics. Newton's law of motion and gravity, a novel insight, was the idea that the earth's gravitational pull might extend to the moon. Newton believed and found time for God and the human spirit (Barbour, pp 34-37). The eighteenth century saw itself as the Age of Reason (Barbour, p57). Charles Darwin and the Church Darwin spent twenty-five years studying in detail the breeding of domestic animals, such as dogs where new breeds would be produced that never existed before from greyhound, to St. Bernard to Chihuahua. Here was evolution with human choice replacing natural survival. Darwin studied problems as diverse as hybridization of plants, comparative structure of embryos and the geographical distribution of animal and plant forms, both living and extinct. The range and magnitude of information he brought into correlation with his theory is staggering. After all this research, he published Origin of Species in 1859 (Barbour,p 86). By the close of the century, the fact of evolution was accepted by virtually all scientists, and by the vast majority of theologians. In 1951, an address of Pope Pius X11 cited with approval the views of several astronomers that the universe had a beginning in time. In general, it is maintained that the creation of both the universe and the first man and woman were historical events, but that the biblical portrayal of these events is figurative (Barbour p 374). The shift from the Classical World to the Modern World was a result of science. The weight of the juggling balls required to be balanced. What was once considered a static world where angels held the earth in place shifted because science provided a new reality that could not be dismissed. This view eventually was accepted by the Catholic Church, thus altering the theology of the Church. This has altered the theology of the church. Our world is dynamic and evolving. This shift is also seen as a shift from God-centered to man-centered. I believe that world views is a transcendence, a process, that of evolving towards God. This is achieved by keeping the juggling of the balls balanced. The classical and Modern World views are present in my image of God, spirituality, prayer, theology, ministry and the way I live feel and interpret. Spirituality My view of God is not of an old man with a cane often projected by the Classical world which continues to persist. I believe that God is beyond my comprehension. God is neither man nor woman but so much more. God is all good which I sense in the beauty of creation and in my relationship with God. I do not fear God, as is common and was promoted in the Classical World. I cannot fear goodness. I certainly cannot fear anyone or anything close to my heart. However, I do fear evil. I believe that God is everywhere. In the Classical world it was common to believe that God dwelled in the heavens and demons were beneath the earth. I believe that demons are very much a part of our lives. I see this by living in the modern world. The classical World cannot be dismissed. Jesus came to us in the Classical world. Jesus came to us as God and teacher preparing us for future world-views. I also recognize evil transcending into the modern world. Spirituality requires careful examination. What is ethical in Modern society? Was it more ethical in the Classical world? Was it more spiritual? I say naught. Can ethics be separated from spirituality and prayer in our way of living, feeling and interpretation? Can it be separated from our ministry? Again I say no. Christian Spirituality and Theological Ethics defines ethics as “the critical of morality, namely, the direct, lived experience of human values and obligations. Ethics stands to morality as theology stands to spirituality, the lived experience of faith.” During the evening news, I watched in amazement as “500 tons of oranges” were being used in a “massive orange fight” [playful] for a medieval re-enactment of a revolt against a local tyrant in northern Italy. My thoughts went to the people of Haiti who had suffered so much from an earthquake and where there was an outpouring of love with support of medical care, food, and money to rebuild their country. My thoughts continued to sweep across the poor in Canada and the poor in the States and the poor in the rest of the world. I thought of the millions of people, more often women and sadly children who die from malnutrition and starvation. I saw all this as I viewed the vivid, colorful, images of hundreds of crates of oranges to be used in a mock fight. My spirit cried. This is the culture of our modern world. There is a shift arising because this tears at the hearts of men and women. A balance of the balls is required. Berry professes that “the first thing we must begin to teach our children (and learn ourselves) is that we cannot spend and consume endlessly. We have to save and conserve….An economy based on waste is inherently and hopelessly violent…” Where is compassion? “Compassion…helps us recognize what the suffering need and inclines us to meet that need.”(Spohn, p 275). Poverty was prevalent in the Classical World but now there is an expectation that we should know better. Technology permits us to view the world from our living rooms. The ease of travel permits us to live among others and return home at a moment’s notice. Then why are we not balanced? Spohn states that” …emotions can be educated. They are not blind instinctual reactions but learned behaviors” (Spohn, p 277). Therefore, in my spirituality, when I viewed the news and felt the emotions I was feeling, others may not, since they have learned differently from myself. This is also encouraging because it reveals that there is hope for the future through learning which was more restricted to the rich in the Classical world. Pope John Paul II visualized a renewal of conscience, “…in the last few decades some consoling signs of a reawakening of conscience have appeared: both among intellectuals and in public opinion itself.” This is the stirring of another shift to come for humanity. Berry states that “we accept uncritically the belief that technology is only good; that it cannot serve evil as well as good; that it cannot serve our enemies as well as ourselves; that it cannot be used to destroy what is good, including our homelands and our lives.”(Berry, p 1). Since the Classical World everything we created has been used for evil as well as good. Wars have never ceased. Now we have the technology to destroy massively while in the Classical World it was direct contact. Thus less were killed and only soldiers died in battle. Now a bomb can kill so many innocents. Darwin’s experiments continues to this day where tampering has become unholy. The British Parliament voted to allow the creation of human-animals. When Legislators vote 336 to 176 in favor of such a law we must question our respective governments who speak for us. That is another shift. Do we really trust our leaders to decide for us? Is there another system required to revamp what was considered democracy? How democratic is our society by the structures in place? But we cannot dismiss the good of technology and science. We are living much longer than ever before because of modifications in the treatment of health and medicine. We must keep in mind that life requires a balance. There is a polarity of extremes. There is good but there is evil. There is positive and there is negative. There is light and there is night. There is life and there is death. There is God and there is Satan. Some like to choose a particular extreme. Others choose to look at both sides and still others pick a point in the middle of what is available to them. This too at times may be bias and misinformed. “There is no need to seek Truth; only stop having views…The ultimate truth about both Extremes is that they are One Emptiness..Whether we see it or fail to see it, it is manifest always and everywhere…. Prayer I consider prayer powerful. For me prayer is a blanket which provides me with warmth and protection from cold and evil. Prayer connects me directly to God. Prayer engulfs me with grace. Prayer does this for me and so much more. Prayer is my protection. Jesus taught us prayer and Jesus taught us forgiveness. Prayer is being removed from our schools and government. Even here at Regis, I have only had three professors who began class with a prayer. But, there is also a positive note. Crucifixes are now in every classroom while at our prior school there were not. This too is improvement towards God. Spohn speaks of prayer which is my prayer, “when rightly done, liturgical prayer has significant moral consequences…Expressed in prayer and interpreted through preaching, ritual should help the congregation realize what God is empowering and requiring them to become. The complex affections shaped by Holy week ought to leave believers to take a definite moral stance toward their own culture and world ” (Spohn, p 280). This is another example of world views transcending into our modern time. The key words “when rightly done” is important because such harm can be harvested when it is not done right. Fundamentalists waving their bibles quoting the bible verbatim regarding hate can be used as an example. My spiritual director, as well as my studies have convinced me that reading the bible literally can be quite destructive. Interpretation through preaching is imperative in how we interpret the bible as we relate to others. And how is the community being affected by religion? “An estimated 20 % of adult Americans pursue spiritual experiences apart from organized religion…When, (however) spiritual pursuits are extracted from a community context of interpretation, they can easily become superficial or distorted” (Spohn, p281). This superficialness and distortion may also arise from religions which causes a person to seek spirituality elsewhere. What is positive is that there is a revival of spirituality and I argue that the spirituality renewal is a search for God in a quest for balance, another shift in perceptions and another world view. “In every era, Christian spiritualities mediate between religious tradition and the needs and challenges of a particular society” (Spohn, p 283) Ministry In my ministry I want to be a non-judgmental presence for people who come to me for counseling. People have come to me unhappy, discouraged, frustrated and confused about their relationship with others. Most need only to have their stories told in a safe, controlled environment. All have needed their feelings to be validated. I am preparing for my ministry which is a continuous transformation. I am in a position where I can take the time to study, think, read and pray. I have the opportunity to pause. I have choices as we all do, to sink into a world of negativity or to look at the options and do something good even if it is a small step. In our modern world most must focus on so many things in urban society that the self is lost in the process. But, I also believe that we are living in an amazing time with endless opportunities. Of course we are also living in a dangerous time. Wars kill more people, exploiting our planet has caused global warming, our rainforests are recklessly being stripped robbing us of medicinal opportunities. We are a people in trouble. Regardless of our scientific discoveries that continue to expand along with our technical and medical knowledge, we are still allowing people to starve in major portions of the world while we exploit our world in others. Hopefully we can continue to evolve intellectually as well as spiritually without destroying each other or our planet with our tampering. There is an end for all of us including our universe. As Catholics we should take our faith seriously, try to do something good for others and our world, even if it is in a small way. We need to understand the changes we are introduced to in science, economics and politics because we need to understand our faith in the context of a changing world. We need to maintain the balance of the three balls, of humanity, God and the world. We depend on our Catholic leaders to educate us, to enlighten us and to help us with our faith. We depend on our leaders to help us to help others. We depend on our leaders to guide us, nurture us and to help us understand God in our changing world. This is all being challenged and rightfully so. CONCLUSION In June 1988, in a message to a group of scientists and theologians, Pope John Paul 11 urged scientists and theologians to come to understand each other for their mutual benefit. Pope John Paul said, "Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes."(Korsmeyer, p20) I can only live as I know how on a balanced road toward God as I travel with others. Bibliography Barbour, Ian G. Issues in Science and Religion. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1966. CTV news, Toronto, Ont. 1800 hrs. 15 Feb 2010. Korsmeyer, Jerry. Evolution and Eden. New York: Paulist, 1998. Spohn, William. Ed. Holder, Arthur. The Blackwell Companion to Christian Spirituality. “Christian Spirituality and Theological Ethics”, Massachusetts: Black, 2005. McMullin, Ernan. Ed. Evolution and Creation. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1985. New York Times. London. 18 Feb 2110. www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20. Novak, Philip. The World's Wisdom. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Teilhard de Chardin. Christianity and Evolution. New York: Harcourt Brace Jamanovich, Inc. 1971. Vatican Translation. Letter To Families From John Paul 11. Sherbrooke: Paulines, 1994. Wildiers, N.M. The Theologian And His Universe. New York: Seabury, 1982. Windell, Berry. “Thoughts in the Presence of Fear.” Orion, Autumn 2001, www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/214. I would like to add here a prayer before going to sleep at night apart from the paper I have posted. I cannot remember my source. I actually took the notes for myself, but why not share. Before Sleep - Prayer What made me closer to God and what drew me further away today? 2. When angry and feel it ask for the Holy Spirit to help you. Don’t let emotions take control. When in bad mood - look at it. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you (maybe tired because not enough sleep and then God says sleep and don’t blame someone else). Next week, I shall return to Social Science.