True Philosophy

By Charles Cloud

This is a collection of essays. Most touch in some way on the teachings, practices and leadership of the Catholic Church. The essays address a wide variety of subjects, from Environmentalism to Eschatology. They are presented here for your entertainment, inspiration and education.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles Cloud
• Release date: Sep 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370988792

Charles Cloud

I spent almost 25 years as a Catholic Christian pastor. After leaving ministry, I earned a Master of Science in Addiction Counseling and worked in that capacity for almost two years before health issues forced me to quit. I am currently on disability and spend my time writing or working around my home. Working in the yard has been a key means for me to maintain my mental health.

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TRUE

PHILOSOPHY

Charles W. Cloud, M.Div; M.S. Addiction Counseling

The essays included here are the sole property of the author.

Table of Contents

Introductionintro

1. Being Nicebeingnice2

2. Renewing the Churchrenewingthechurch3

3. Women’s Ordinationwomensordination4

4. Substance Abusesubstanceabuse5

5. Life Support and Euthanasialifesupportandeuthanasia6

6. Suicidesuicide7

7. Capital Punishmentcapitalpunishment8

8. Annulmentsannulments9

9. Married Priestsmarriedpriests10

10. Abortionabortion11

11. Homosexualityhomosexuality12

12. Disarmamentdisarmament13

13. The Problem of Evil and Divine Loveproblemofevilanddivinelove14

14. Artificial Means of Contraceptionartificialmeansofconception16

15. Artificial Means of Conceptionconception

16. Ecologyecology17

17. The Immunity of the Bishiopsepiscopalimmunity17

18. Eschatologyeschatology18

19. Pillars of the Catholic Churchpillarsofthecatholicchurch19

20. Men and the Catholic Churchcatholicmen20

21. The Abuse of the Political Lefttheabuseofthepoliticalleft

INTRODUCTION

St. Justin the Martyr, who lived in the early 2nd century, is known for three major works: A Dialogue with Trypho and 2 Apologies. In his 1st Apology, Justin describes Christianity as ‘true philosophy’. This describes his understanding that Christianity is not merely a set of doctrines but rather a way of understanding all that exists. It describes a way of looking at the world and understanding the role of humanity in the world. The essays that follow will touch on a variety of subjects, both religious and social, and is written from a Christian point of view. In the USA, you might describe our national philosophy as pragmatism. In pragmatism, a thing is worth what it can accomplish, what it can be used for. A good example of this is the question of babies suffering from cerebral palsy. There are those who say these children are worthwhile just for who they are. There are others who say their lives aren’t worth living because they won’t be able to accomplish as much as other people. That’s the difference between Christianity and pragmatism. The essays here, again, are written from a Christian perspective. I ask the reader to keep that in mind.

1. Being Nice

At the present time, many progressive cultures place great importance on being nice. Dictionary definitions of the word generally focus on being agreeable or pleasant. Who can argue with the importance of being pleasant or agreeable to other people. We should try to be nice to others, of course. The question is: how important is it to be nice? Are there things that are more important? Is it possible that actions or attitudes which aim at being nice are actually not as nice as we thought they were? Do our best intentions sometimes end up causing more harm than benefit? I suggest that being nice is one value among many others and that being nice can sometimes be harmful.

Many people think that a part of being nice is helping others. Helping others sometimes robs people of the opportunity to develop their skills or experience the self-esteem that comes from achieving something on your own. To respond generously when another person requests our help is a good thing, but to do for others what they want to do for themselves is disrespectful and even destructive.

I am reminded of signs in various places urging people not to feed the animals. Why? Isn’t it good to give food to others? Bears, for example, are able to forage for themselves. When they begin to receive food from people, they may very well become dependent upon people to give them the food they need to survive. In other words, they lose their independence. There are, of course, many differences between bears and people, but people can learn to be dependent upon others to provide for their needs. Just like a bear fed by humans, some people become dependent upon others and lose their ability to provide for themselves.

A good example of this problem is welfare. It’s one thing to provide temporary help to a person who is in need, but it’s something very different to provide a person in an ongoing, lifelong manner. Far too many people have surrendered their independence and have learned to rely solely upon the generosity of others.

There is another problem with this way of being nice. True self-respect is based upon accomplishing difficult or challenging tasks. When somebody is merely handed whatever they need, when they do not have to struggle to improve their lives, they are denied the ability to develop self-respect. We can be proud of what we do for ourselves, but not of what somebody else does for us. If a teacher, for example, were to announce that all students in the class would receive an A+ irregardless of the work they did, then no student could be proud of their grade in that class.

Some people think that being nice requires us to protect others from their own self-destructive behaviors or decisions. The real problem here is that it is based upon a sense of superiority. Do we have the right to tell somebody what is or is not good for them? Should we try to control the behavior of others? Government often gives in to the temptation to increasingly control the behavior of citizens. Restaurants are told how much soda they can sell to an individual. Tax laws are used to discourage citizens from engaging in eating behaviors that are considered unhealthy by the government. Non-governmental institutions are guilty of this as well. Insurance companies penalize individuals who smoke or who are overweight.

When governments or other institutions treat people as if they were immature children in need of guidance or control, they undermine independence and freedom of those they seek to help. It is one thing to provide people with the information they need to make better decisions, but it is something very different to compel others to make better decisions. The fact that you don’t agree with somebody’s behavior does not mean you can sabotage their freedom.

Other people think that being nice requires us to seek equality. Equality is really hopeless pursuit. We are not equal in our physical, intellectual, or social abilities. People are born with a wide variety of intellectual abilities. Some people are developmentally disabled while others are geniuses. Some people are able to develop remarkable social skills; others remain introverted their whole life. Not everybody has the physical ability to win the NFL’s Heisman trophy or to play on a championship basketball team or play on a major league baseball team. Some people are, in a word, klutzes. The simple fact is that not all people are created equal.

Some institutions attempt to eliminate this disparity. Communism in theory, if not in practice, promises equality for all people. Progressive tax codes also attempt to create equality by taking from those who have more and giving it to those who have less. It sounds nice, but it ignores a basic fact of human nature. People expect to be rewarded for what they accomplish. In other words, most people are motivated by self-interest. Sure, they may be willing to share with others who are in need, but they want some reward for their labors. When people do not expect to be rewarded for their efforts, they are no longer motivated to do their best.

In fact, equality is often undesirable or destructive. Imagine, for example, if rules were made which created equality in athletics. There would be no NCAA championships; no professional sports; no Olympics; no World Cup; no competitive sports events of any kind. Even worse results