The Grand WeaverBEING SHAPED THROUGH THE EVENTS OF OUR LIVES

Values and Culture

2014 U.S. Congressional Mid-Term Elections

2014 “Lineamenta” in Rome in preparation on Synod on the Family

2015 SCOTUS cases: Bergefell vs. Hodges (marriage) King vs. Burwell (health insurance)

The “Chasm”

Not just “Left/progressive” vs. “right/conservative.” Impact of “world views:”

In USIn world In Catholic Church

Genesis of ideas behind the “world views.” Importance: how world view - affects identity - leads to

activity

Source

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries Modern Christian apologist Arena: most highly critical, cynical,

hostile audiences world-wide Leading atheists and top universities

such as Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Cambridge, Penn)

Change of World View Over Time

Over past 50 years, “world views” have changed.

In each decade, something was lost: An integral component of what it

means to be a human person.

1950’s

Loss of innocence.

Started with discussion about the "gender gap.“

Eventually led to a society that shamelessly and publically discussed (and marketed) anything surrounding gender, intimacy, sexuality, etc...

1960’s

Loss of authority.

Berkley, Columbia, Kent State, Watts

Unfortunately nothing replaced it.

Led to disregard of any idea of boundaries or objective moral truth.

1970’s

Loss of love.

Shift away from love as “relationship” between people Towards overemphasis on "me" and "self" and "self-fulfillment.“ “Life Magazine” – “People” – “Us” – “Self” – “Me”

Combined with more "open understanding" of gender, led eventually to a loss of the meaning (and purpose) of sex.

1980’s

Loss of hope and the future.

Widespread use of, and support of, contraception, abortion and euthanasia.

"Why bring children into a world – or let people in pain continue to live in a world - that will never get better, will only get worse and perhaps might even destroy itself?" (confer Pope Benedict XVI, Spes Salvi)

1980’s

Loss of hope and the future.

End effect - societies (especially Europe) annihilating themselves:Reproduction/replacement rates far below what is

necessary.Economic time bombs. Psycho-sexual time bombs.Violence and “literal” bombs?

1990’s

Loss of power of reason.

Reality has become totally subjectified There is no way to "scientifically" measure what is God, truth,

beauty, goodness, transcendence, etc..

Modern History – Modern Eras

Modernism

Between French Revolution (about 1789) and Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989).

Rationalism(scientific method)and romanticism (free expression and feelings of he artist) were strong ideas.

Post-Modernism – 1989 until today?

Not so much a philosophy as a "mood" or "reaction" to ideas proposed earlier.

Not so much an “age of change” but as the total “change of an age.”

Ideas have not only changed dramatically, but at incredibly rapid pace.

Post-Modernism - Characteristics

Chafes against hard-and-fast ideas about truth, meaning and certainty. Those who propose absolutes (ex: “objective truth”) are guilty of

philosophical tyranny Statements:

“There is no objective truth." "How can you prove objective standards?" "That isn't scientifically based." "Where is the (scientific) evidence?"

Post-Modernism - Characteristics

“Cultural-thought-language paradigm." P-M holds to the “limitless instability and uncertainty of words.”

Language is totally subjective. Example: former President Clinton's statement during his impeachment

hearings, "Well, I guess it depends on what 'is' is.“ Example: King vs. Burwell (“Exchanges established and operated by a

State”) Word games, nuances, metaphors and playing with language is coin of the

realm Politicians, activists, courts and universities.

Post-Modernism - Characteristics

Words do not "describe" reality: words are used in these arenas to "create" reality.

There is no "meta-narrative"

Unlike middle-age, European Christianity or the current Islam-ist movements

These gave/give concrete connections between words and meaning.

Objective reasoning, or logic, is a myth.

Merely social constructs, rooted in language

All of it is merely “culturally conditioned” and arbitrary.

Post-Modernism - Characteristics

Philosophy also a mere social construct. Doesn't necessarily reflect reality.

"Power" determines truth: Who holds it at the moment.During this election cycle, whoever is sitting on the court,

whoever has the strongest military.

Post-Modernism - Characteristics

Law (based on objective moral values) totally up for interpretation.

Law is what the most powerful say it is

Often "socially" conditioned (i.e., whichever lobby or special interest group has the most influence, gets to form the law).

Since objective moral values don't exist, ethics don't exist.

Morals are relative, personal and subjective.

Formed based on lived experiences.

interpreted according to our freedom, spontaneity and feelings.

Sojourners in a foreign land.“IN THE WORLD BUT NOT “OF” THE WORLD.

John 17:15-20

As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, (they are not of the world,

just as I am not of the world), but that you keep them from the evil one.

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in

truth.

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.

In the world, but not of the world

Sojourners in a foreign land.

“Benedict Option” and a “Catholic Anthropology.”

At a time like this, truth needs to be defined and determined through: Correspondence Theory: does it "look like" and "feel like" reality? Coherence Theory: does it make sense? Does the logic hold

together?

Problems with their statements

“Those who would propose absolutes (like objective truth) are guilty of philosophical tyranny.”

The position, in and of itself, collapses.

To propose the idea that there are no absolutes is, itself, an absolute statement.

Problems with their statements

“There is no scientific proof of absolute truths.”

Results are inherently biased. Transcendent (non-scientific) topics/ideas are being

interpreted and judged by a scientific mindset Science has no business judging transcendent ideas by

"scientific standards“ (They slap us for the reverse! Cf. Galileo) Why? Because transcendence has nothing to do with science!

The Grand WeaverBEING SHAPED THROUGH THE EVENTS OR OUR LIVES

End of Presentation