Nihil Obstat Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I absolutely agree, but all I'm saying is that an index of banned books is, in this day and age, probably not the best way to see to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Kitty' post='1925523' date='Jul 20 2009, 02:01 AM']That's what book reviews are for...[/quote] It is also beneficial to have an Index of Banned Books because it keeps the books from being spread. Until the late 1990s, when the internet became more popular, the main way to read a book was to buy a print copy. (In fact, that still is the most popular way to buy a book.) Catholic booksellers were forbidden to sell banned books under most circumstances. This kept the erroneous ideas from being diffused. Edited July 20, 2009 by Resurrexi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' post='1925525' date='Jul 20 2009, 02:02 AM']I absolutely agree, but all I'm saying is that an index of banned books is, in this day and age, probably not the best way to see to it.[/quote] What would you suggest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='Resurrexi' post='1925527' date='Jul 20 2009, 02:04 AM']What would you suggest? [/quote] A Vatican department analogous to the index of banned books to write brief reviews for popular books, or books which address theology or morals in a serious manner. Off the top of my head, at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philothea Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='Nihil Obstat' post='1925525' date='Jul 20 2009, 03:02 AM']I absolutely agree, but all I'm saying is that an index of banned books is, in this day and age, probably not the best way to see to it.[/quote] Nowadays, it would be a free publicity push for any title listed. Authors would TRY to get on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregorius Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I have unknowingly read a few of the books on the index, and my faith is still intact. Did you know Victor Hugo's [u]Les Miserables[/u] was on the index? Some books were placed on the index not because they were "dangerous" but simply because they were inaccurate or contained inaccurate information about the Church or the faith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zunshynn Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='philothea' post='1925530' date='Jul 20 2009, 01:22 AM']Nowadays, it would be a free publicity push for any title listed. Authors would TRY to get on it.[/quote] I agree... I just don't think it would work. I do like the idea of the Vatican reviewing books, though. And I'm pretty sure Catholic book stores will still sell heretical books, even if there was an Index. I mean, does Notre Dame follow the Church's guidelines for the way Catholic Universities should operate? Umm... no. And when there are rules like that and they are disobeyed, it just makes the Church appear more outdated, like "its fine to ignore it because it doesn't know anything" But I don't think that the abrogation of the index is the cause of the problems we have in the church today, and I don't think reinstating it will solve them. Of course, I totally agree that the Holy See has the RIGHT to institute an index, and I think the faithful should obey it if it was, but I'm just saying they probably won't. Making more rules doesn't make people more obedient. For better or for worse, we live in a culture where even Catholics disdain the Church's teaching and authority... and the Church does have to address that culture, not just try to make it go back to the way it was at the Council of Trent. Even if that was ideal, it just won't happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='Gregorius' post='1925575' date='Jul 20 2009, 09:01 AM']I have unknowingly read a few of the books on the index, and my faith is still intact. Did you know Victor Hugo's [u]Les Miserables[/u] was on the index? Some books were placed on the index not because they were "dangerous" but simply because they were inaccurate or contained inaccurate information about the Church or the faith.[/quote] [i]Les Mis[/i] was on the list because it supports condemned economic systems, If I am not mistaken. [i]The Count of Monte Cristo[/i] was on the Index, too, by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenchild17 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='Resurrexi' post='1925433' date='Jul 20 2009, 12:31 AM'][/quote] Someday I think it needs to be reinstated. But definitely not now. I think in some years, maybe decades (or more?...) after certain things pass then yes it should be brought back. As for right now, I think it would just cause far more trouble than it would help. The bishops instead should be counseling their priests on popular books that aren't appropriate and the priests should then take the initiative to relay the message to their faithful, whether through the homily or letters or some other means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidei Defensor Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='Resurrexi' post='1925522' date='Jul 20 2009, 01:00 AM']The point is so that the faithful know what books are dangerous.[/quote] Because the faithful are mindless sheep? In your case, how can you argue against something if you have no idea what it's even about? Reading books about a subject is the lowest level of research you can do, i think it would be unwise to rid people of the option of researching things that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='fidei defensor' post='1925789' date='Jul 20 2009, 04:51 PM']Because the faithful are mindless sheep? In your case, how can you argue against something if you have no idea what it's even about? Reading books about a subject is the lowest level of research you can do, i think it would be unwise to rid people of the option of researching things that way.[/quote] Books about heresies and other erroneous opinions were never forbidden. There were many widely available books about heresies that anyone was welcome to read and were probably even recommended. Books defending heresies, however, were indeed forbidden, since they might lead the faithful astray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachael Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Oh brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidei Defensor Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 [quote name='Resurrexi' post='1925792' date='Jul 20 2009, 03:53 PM']Books about heresies and other erroneous opinions were never forbidden. There were many widely available books about heresies that anyone was welcome to read and were probably even recommended. Books defending heresies, however, were indeed forbidden, since they might lead the faithful astray.[/quote] Books written about condemned things aren't as helpful as reading the books themselves. You have to try to understand from the point of the author, not to agree, but to get a grasp on their argument in order to better structure your own. Your argument rests on believing that people have no control over their minds and need someone to tell them what to believe. In this day and age, it's not like that anymore. People have a far wider access to knowledge and don't need the church to explicitly tell them what and what not to read. Besides, if the people who can't handle their own minds are the ones you are targeting, why would they even listen to the church in the first place about what not to read? It's bass ackwards logic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) [quote name='fidei defensor' post='1925798' date='Jul 20 2009, 04:58 PM']Books written about condemned things aren't as helpful as reading the books themselves. You have to try to understand from the point of the author, not to agree, but to get a grasp on their argument in order to better structure your own. Your argument rests on believing that people have no control over their minds and need someone to tell them what to believe. In this day and age, it's not like that anymore. People have a far wider access to knowledge and don't need the church to explicitly tell them what and what not to read. Besides, if the people who can't handle their own minds are the ones you are targeting, why would they even listen to the church in the first place about what not to read? It's bass ackwards logic.[/quote] In the past, if one had a good reason to read a forbidden book, he could always get permission from ecclesiastical authority to read it. I think that this helped to make sure that the person reading the banned book wasn't doing so without a purpose. If a person wanted to read a book defending Protestantism because he was taking a class on the Reformation, he would probably be granted permission. If a person wanted to read that same book because he was merely curious about Protestantism, he probably would not. Edited July 20, 2009 by Resurrexi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now