Is it better...

[Brother Adam]

Is it better to err on the side of Traditionalism than to err on the side of unorthodoxy?

[qfnol31]

I would say Traditionalism because:
1) Not all Traditionalism is bad.
2) You have more to fall back on than unorthodoxy.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Assuming that you're talking about ultra-traditionalism...

Traditionalism, because the SSPX is schismatic, but heterodoxy (as we most commonly see it) is heretical. Heresy is the worse sin.

[philothea]

I think this is a good question, but the concept of "unorthodoxy" should be better defined. Which kind of unorthodoxy?

Obviously, some people think the current (and previous) pope were unorthodox!

[Brother Adam]

The unorthodoxy that dictates liturgical abuses are okay and livable with, and changing things to fit personal preference rather than what the Church strongly urges.

[qfnol31]

Now what's Traditionalism?

[Brother Adam]

The group that seeks to correct all of this primarily attending Tridentine right masses and often rejecting the CCC, the writings of the last 2 popes, and at times ending up in schism.

[qfnol31]

I'd rather be the second choice, Traditionalism.

[qfnol31]

By last two Popes, do you mean John Paul II and Paul VI because Benedict and John Paul I didn't promulgate very much.

[Guest Eremite]

I just started reading "The Ratzinger Report", and the Holy Father notes that even though SSPX type dissidents are numerically smaller, they have a formal structure to work through (Churches, seminaries, Bishops, etc); whereas the so-called "leftist" dissenters are more prevalent numerically, but they do not have a structural form, and thus it is easier to deal with their dissent.

I was struck by the Holy Father's contention that the opposite of conservative is not progressive, but missionary. Only when one rests on a sure foundation themselves can they open up to learn from others (eg, the world). This is what the Church did at the Second Vatican Council.

[qfnol31]

I always did like that book.

[qfnol31]

I attend the Tridentine Mass. I really enjoy it, and in some ways like it much better than the Novus Ordo. I think our current Holy Father might actually agree.

[Colleen]

[quote name='qfnol31' date='Jul 7 2005, 10:32 AM']I attend the Tridentine Mass.  I really enjoy it, and in some ways like it much better than the Novus Ordo.    I think our current Holy Father might actually agree.
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I've only been to one Tridentine Mass, but it was so reverent. I was very impressed. I'd take that any day over an irreverent Novus Ordo Mass.

[philothea]

Unorthodoxy:
[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Jul 7 2005, 10:14 AM']The unorthodoxy that dictates liturgical abuses are okay and livable with, and changing things to fit personal preference rather than what the Church strongly urges.
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[/quote]
Traditionalism:
[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Jul 7 2005, 10:19 AM']The group that seeks to correct all of this primarily attending Tridentine right masses and often rejecting the CCC, the writings of the last 2 popes, and at times ending up in schism.
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Of course, it's better not to err at all . But, given that we are fallible, we probably do. I choose to follow the current pope, and the latest catechism to the best of my ability. As a layperson, I'm not qualified to get into graded interpretations of the whole 2000 years of Church documents.

I'm not sure where that puts me, probably on the side of unorthodoxy, as weird as I find that!

[Socrates]

Traditionalism (this is a somewhat vague term), as long as it is not unorthodox (I would consider a denial of the Church's authority as unorthodox). Unorthodoxy is wrong, whether it is of a "left-wing" or a "right-wing" variety