Banned Books

[rachael]

Rexi, what is your purpose of threads such as these?

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='rachael' post='1925818' date='Jul 20 2009, 05:20 PM']Rexi, what is your purpose of threads such as these?[/quote]

My purpose is to discuss and dialogue about an important topic.

Edited July 20, 2009 by Resurrexi

[homeschoolmom]

Why is this so important to you?

[Resurrexi]

So far NihilObstat and Goldenchild have both suggested interesting possible solutions. Perhaps this discussion will bring about more interesting and innovative ideas such as those.

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1925829' date='Jul 20 2009, 05:28 PM']Why is this so important to you?[/quote]

I like the idea of harmful and dangerous works being banned (or perhaps even only reviewed) to keep Catholics from being led astray by erroneous opinions.

[Resurrexi]

It is important to note that, even though Pope Paul VI did indeed abolish the Index, that the Index "the Index retains its moral force despite its dissolution" ([url="http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/poem_of_the_man.htm"]Letter of Cardinal Ratzinger[/url]). This means that Catholics still should not expose themselves to harmful books for no reason.

Edited July 20, 2009 by Resurrexi

[Fidei Defensor]

[quote name='Resurrexi' post='1925839' date='Jul 20 2009, 04:37 PM']It is important to note that, even though Pope Paul VI did indeed abolish the Index, that the Index "the Index retains its moral force despite its dissolution" ([url="http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/poem_of_the_man.htm"]Letter of Cardinal Ratzinger[/url]). This means that Catholics still should not expose themselves to harmful books for no reason.[/quote]
I think that's a no brainer for anyone serious about their faith. Again, it's the case of people who aren't strong in their faith/aren't practicing aren't going to follow Church directive anyway, and those who are serious about their faith are going to guard themselves and only read what they find necessary.

But the idea that the Church should take the responsibility in deciding what people should and shouldn't be reading is somewhat offensive even to the faithful because we all have free will and are capable of making decisions, and being that reading a book isn't a sin in and of itself, its not the place of the Church to say you can't do it, even if they have a complete lack of faith in your own ability to control your own mind and avoid being "led astray."

[Marie-Therese]

On a personal level, I am opposed to the concept of banning any type of media. However, I think that book/movie reviews etc. would be very helpful in terms of deciding what content a person should expose themselves to. I would find an entity of the Church which offered guidance on that sort of thing very helpful.

When I hear the word "ban" I can't help but get this immediate cringe and think of goose-stepping Nazis. I do think that there would be several effective ways to guide the faithful without going to that type of extreme.

[eagle_eye222001]

I think having a list of banned books back in the day (Council of Trent) was a useful tool as the people were not as learned back then and it was much more difficult to balance out the bad with the good reading material. If someone read a sketchy book, it was much more difficult to find a comparable book to address it.

Having a list nowadays would not be good since many people are learned and can tell for themselves that a certain book may be questionable (hopefully anyway ). Plus, you can read a sketchy book and find solid Catholic books that address it without too much hassle as we have the internet and libraries all over the place. It doesn't take much effort to find good Catholic reading material.

In short, back then, they did not have much information at their fingertips. Today, we drown in it.

[quote name='philothea' post='1925530' date='Jul 20 2009, 03:22 AM']

Nowadays, it would be a free publicity push for any title listed. Authors would TRY to get on it.[/quote]

Yep. Look at the Vatican and compare it's actions against the first DaVinci movie with the second.

[BG45]

I voted no. I quite frankly enjoy knowledge for knowledge's sake; and reading things gives one a better idea about them. I'm quite welcome in any local pagan group for example, because they know I actively disagree with them and won't hesitate to voice those opinions, but I know my stuff as far as Neo Paganism goes. Being able to have a civil discourse on knowledge most Christians would look down upon as unworthy of study. And thus comes my main fault with the idea of reinstating the Index; Saint Paul calls upon people to be as he, all things to all people. One can not engage people of different viewpoints if one has no clue what they're talking about...at least if one wishes to be taken more seriously than a nuisance.

As to the subject of refutations...this is slightly off topic, but a good example of a Catholic work responding to what would be a banned work is Scott Hahn's utter refutation of the God Delusion by Dawkins. Hahn and his co-author go through and systematically refute points on mathematics, philosophy, scientific theory, and even quote other Atheists who stated Dawkins took them out of context.

Edit: The book is "Answering the New Atheism". Thank you channel surfing and hitting EWTN.

Edited July 21, 2009 by BG45

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
but scott hahn is a fairly well-educated man.

[BG45]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1925952' date='Jul 20 2009, 10:24 PM']+J.M.J.+
but scott hahn is a fairly well-educated man. [/quote]

Indeed. Many books I suspect that would have been banned. Though to play Devil's Advocate to my own prior sentence, he wouldn't have been bound by the Index since he was at the time, a Protestant, when he read a good number. (I hesitate to even say "half" or "more than half", not privy to what he reads...but good gravy, I'd read his blog if he kept one about it.)

[Lil Red]

[quote name='BG45' post='1925972' date='Jul 20 2009, 08:35 PM']Indeed. Many books I suspect that would have been banned. Though to play Devil's Advocate to my own prior sentence, he wouldn't have been bound by the Index since he was at the time, a Protestant, when he read a good number. (I hesitate to even say "half" or "more than half", not privy to what he reads...but good gravy, I'd read his blog if he kept one about it.)[/quote]
+J.M.J.+
lol. i just meant that as an educated Catholic theologian (right? ) that he would naturally be better at reading 'heretical' materials and picking them apart than the average layperson.

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1925994' date='Jul 20 2009, 09:46 PM']+J.M.J.+
lol. i just meant that as an educated Catholic theologian (right? ) that he would naturally be better at reading 'heretical' materials and picking them apart than the average layperson.[/quote]

An educated theologian would have certainly gotten permission to read a banned book so that he might refute the errors contained therein, anyway.

[BG45]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1925994' date='Jul 20 2009, 10:46 PM']+J.M.J.+
lol. i just meant that as an educated Catholic theologian (right? ) that he would naturally be better at reading 'heretical' materials and picking them apart than the average layperson.[/quote]

Oops. Gotta agree there.