If you can concede that faith and reason are intertwined and integral to reaching god's magic garden, then surely you must also acknowledge that reason (for you folks) is in rather short supply. our context simply does not permit it, we know too much. the great institution of the church, one that once ruled lands with an Iron fist, is now akin to some sort of merchant, hardly noticable, often desperate, peddling their rusted wares amidst a crowd of other religions all of which claim to be equally true and great and fulfilling. Here I return to my previous question, why doesn't god simply make his follower's voices louder, his miracles more profound and sublime?
...If only your response was less rhetoric and more reasoning. To your questions.
We belive that God does make his follower's voices louder, their mind's more intellectual, their orator ability unparralleled. Take the examples of Paul, Peter or any of the apostles. They were transformed from common man, fisherman perhaps, to become some the Rock of the Catholica Church. Such acheivement requires power, it requires loud voices and strong reasoning.
And why is there nothing moral about discovery? you talk about the 'here and now'. In the here and now, the mumblings of holy men and the sacrifices of prophets have been replaced with vaccinations and bionic body parts, why is this immoral? the excommunication of a young girl for having an abortion, when giving birth would have killed her was immoral. indicting and executing women for witchcraft is immoral. claiming that condoms spread AIDS is immoral. i reiterate: we know better than this.
The Church does infact support many of the modern technolgical advances. There are specific cases that the Church does not support, i.e. abortion. It only exhibits some universal truths of Christanity, that certain values and morals are time immemorial.
To your second point; the Church alike all humans are imperfect creation of God. Mistakes are occasionally made and sometimes corrected othertimes not. You question and criticise that as if there were fatal flaws in the Church. But isnt that what Christanity is about? The constant sin of humans, forgiven by the blood of Jesus? If the Church was perfect, then we wouldnt need Christ.
i noticed that you make a claim that can be summarised roughly as:
reason as an end = nuclear war? gas chamber genocide?
(forgetting of course, that the vatican more or less turned a blind eye to the extermination of the jewish diaspora and sponsored nazi escape routes)
faith and love are not mutually exclusive, your creed alone has proven this. In fact, I contend that it is religion - excess faith with too little reason - that has caused all of the suffering, agony and torment of our world. This may be what god wants, but it is not what humanity needs.
Your premise about "religion" is wrong. Your dogmatic belief in that religion is SOLEY all rules and regulations, its influences in society, whether past or present is completely insignificant compared what true Christianity present itself to be. That is the forgiveness of sins by the blood of Christ.
I do admit that perhaps the Church has made numerous blunders in the past and present, and undoubtedly what will be the future. And I agree completely with you, this is not what humanity needs, it is humanity, the imperfect nature that is present within all of us.
What humanity actually need is Christ, and his blood, which the Church is communicating to society right at this moment, and will do so until the He returns. And it matters not which ever denomination whether it is Catholic, Protestan or Orthordox, for all are headed by Christ.
