Fulton Sheen On Justification And Depravity

[thessalonian]

I find this quote from Fulton Sheen in Peace of the Soul very interesting.

"The denial of the existence of objective guilt by materialist psychologists is due to a false understanding of human nature. About four hundred years ago, some errant theologians said man was intrinsically corrupt and therfore was incapable of justification by works. From this flowed the idea that man is justified by faith in Christ, Whose merits are imputed to the corrupt man. Later, other errant theologians said that, since man is intrinsically corrupt, he is incapable of being justified either by faith or by works: his restoration was made dependent on predestination, or the Soveriegn Will of God Who elects or damns. The false concetion spread and did much to destroy man's belief in human freedom. Finally, totalitarianism came on the scene to say that, since man is intrinsically corrupt, he can not by justified by faith, or by words, or by the Sovereign Will of God, but only by collectivity which absorbs man; this we are told, will do away with human deprvaity by substituting state conscience for individual conscience and a dictator for God."

Thoughts?

[journeyman]

[quote name='thessalonian' post='1156702' date='Jan 5 2007, 02:29 PM']
I find this quote from Fulton Sheen in Peace of the Soul very interesting.

"The denial of the existence of objective guilt by materialist psychologists is due to a false understanding of human nature. About four hundred years ago, some errant theologians said man was intrinsically corrupt and therfore was incapable of justification by works. From this flowed the idea that man is justified by faith in Christ, Whose merits are imputed to the corrupt man. Later, other errant theologians said that, since man is intrinsically corrupt, he is incapable of being justified either by faith or by works: his restoration was made dependent on predestination, or the Soveriegn Will of God Who elects or damns. The false concetion spread and did much to destroy man's belief in human freedom. Finally, totalitarianism came on the scene to say that, since man is intrinsically corrupt, he can not by justified by faith, or by words, or by the Sovereign Will of God, but only by collectivity which absorbs man; this we are told, will do away with human deprvaity by substituting state conscience for individual conscience and a dictator for God."

Thoughts?
[/quote]


I saw one of his TV programs on EWTN this week . . . he was talking about (among other things) civility . . . one of his examples was the similarity between "Rhode Island Reds," flocks of which he apparently tended when young, and "Moscow Reds," the modern (in his day) collectivist leadership in the Kremlin.

[phatcatholic]

How does a false understanding of human nature lead to a denial of the existence of objective guilt? Also, what does Sheen mean by "objective guilt"?

[thessalonian]

My point in posting it was primarily with regard to his comments on justification. You really need the context of the chapter to understand what he is saying with regard to your question. The chapter deals with psychoanalysis and how modern pychology, which has separated itself from religion, has to find a way of absolving man from his sin. This of course they do by either blaming it on our upbringing or on society or completely remove the concept of sin at all so that there is no objective guilt. No reason to feel guilty. No personal accountability for sin. That is what he means. He states that guilt is not bad if it brings us to repentence, which is very liberating.

[phatcatholic]

I see