Skt. Thomas More 1478 - 1535

Essays

 Sociology as an ecclesiastical  and a theological discipline

                      Why should theologians also occupy themselves with sociology?  To answer this question we must go back when the foundations for sociology was laid in the french enlightenment. In the french, as well in the german enlightenment, one started to view ”society” - the place for human interaction - as an entity arranged by nature contrary to the ecclesiastical understanding of society as arranged by God and with the churches as external signs of  the presence of God in the world. The materialistic philosophy ( Holbach – Helvetius – La Mettrie - Diderot ) was the key exponent for this thought, that the world, the society, and all the derived conceptions therein comes from matter.

                      All these thoughts gets their concrete expressions in the french revolution, which sweeps the old theological based society away. But the old society was for a short time tried to be re - established by the restoration ( 1815 – 30/48 ) It was not only the type of government, which was tried to be restored with certain limitations, but it was also an attempt to an ideological restoration. We finds this line of thought by two of the leading royalists ( de Maistre and Louis G. A. de Bonald ) They tries to connect some of the enlightenment thoughts to a catholic social doctrine, where the philosophy and theology are viewed as functions of “society”. This line of thought is secularised by Saint Simon and Auguste Comte and the following positivistic tradition. By them and their followers sociology is understood as the exterior side of modernity. Where the modern philosophy thinks in concepts, them sociology is  the science of interpretation, how nature arranges the human world, where humans live. In reverse order of philosophy the sociologist attaches things to concepts. The sociologists is the one, who interprets the unfolding of nature. That is why I see a great resemblance with theology and the theologian, who is an interpreter of the holy scripture and the church tradition. 

                      The modern world with industrialisation ( Comte ), democracy ( Tocqueville ), capitalism ( Marx ), differentiation ( Durkheim ), rationalisation  ( Weber ), and individualisation    ( Simmel ) is a fact for the christian churches which they have tried to deal with in different way at their best abilities. The features just mentioned are not that dominating today. Their rational content are not persuasive anymore. They have been weakened by the lack of belief in their rationality. Even if the religions have a larger influence today, then it is still a somewhat modern world the religion returns to. How will the churches handle this situation? First they have to study their social doctrines in past in their classical shape in order to understand the situation of today. They are in a supreme way described in “The social teachings of christian churches and groups” by Ernst Troeltsch, which I will recommend that you study rather than an ordinary introduction to sociology of religion.

                      When they are properly studied, then you are thoroughly prepared to understand the church in modern/postmodern world. The purpose and goal of the church is to promote and preach the gospel. That goal is not reached by the word alone, because the word is mediated through an external structure, which is the church with its liturgy, and its sacraments, and at the same time the church interacts and is being confronted with the ideas of day and their embodiments in institutions. The job of the church is to take every thought captive to obey Christ ( 2. Cor. 10,5 – Ignatius Bible ) and shape a new humanity, which is going to be fulfilled in glory ( Matt. 5, 18 – 22; Phil. 3, 20 – 21) These are two fundamental features of the church, wherewith  it will change the world, it is placed in. To understand these  processes the social teachings of the catholic church and church like associations are exposed to – what they promote or impede are of immense importance, so you don´t  trip yourself, and achieve the opposite result of what you have intended.

                      That is why, I want you to join this project of  The Saint Thomas More institute to learn and understand the place where the church is today.

                      At the end I would like to present the superiority of the position of Saint Thomas Aquinas in opposition to the modern epistemological malaise, and how to solve the modern problem of alienation. The dichotomies of body and soul, man and world, God and man, and individual and society, which are products of the modern era, have collapsed in a post - modern confusion. A sound approach which we find in Aquinas, where the dichotomies are non – existent, and where the individuals have maintained their personalities. Being is – a certain thing, not a process. The interconnectedness of things and concepts as natural and not as constructs is a more fruitful approach to society on a whole. The social consequences is a more orderly society, instead of a gathering of wavering individuals without direction or end and breakdown in social institutions. At the end of this paper I will quote Ernst Troeltsch from his “Social Teachings”, which gives a very praiseworthy assessment of the social teachings of Aquinas:

                      “Taken as a whole, however, this system is undoubtedly a splendid and brilliant attempt to unite the different motives which go to make up human society: the social aims of this earthly life, and these are religious, mystical and universal. In his endeavour to preserve the independence of the various spheres of life, and also in his desire to maintain, in the ascent of the lifemovement, the inner differences of the stages, while at the same time holding fast to a ultimate religious end, St. Thomas probably comes much nearer to the truth of life, than the biological naturalistic constructions of modern sociology, with their collectivism, which represses the individual, and the relativism, which finally end in monism".

Kapløbet om månen – en kort kirkelig analogi    26/7 2009.

                      Forleden var det 40 år siden, at amerikanerne vandt kapløbet om månen over russerne. Det har givet mig inspiration til at reflektere lidt over den traditionelle katolske bevægelses position i Skandinavien.

                      Den 27/6 2009 blev p. Håkan Erik Lindström ordineret til katolsk præst i præstebroderskapet SSPX. Det var på ingen måde noget, som kom som en overraskelse for nogen. Fader Lindströms ordination har været ventet længe, og folk i forskellige lejre har spekuleret på, hvordan man skulle reagere på dette. Siden at SSPX har opereret i Skandinavien siden 1998, har det været en kilde til anstød blandt den moderne kirkes ledelse i Skandinavien, hvilket også gælder de forskellige støttegrupper til de traditionelle præsteselskaber under ”Ecclesia Dei” kommissionen (Kristi Konge Instituttet og Skt. Peters broderskabet) De såkaldte progressive inden for den moderne kirke har vredet hænderne af led i bekymring over, at kirken nu er på vej til de dårlige gamle dage. Alt dette har naturligvis intet på sig. Alle sådanne spekulationer viser, at man ikke ved hvordan den moderne kirkes ledelse tænker. Man læser slet og ret ikke deres bøger og artikler. Man kunne sige det samme om dem i den traditionelle lejr, som med den gamle messes frigiven i 2007, ”at det hele bliver nu godt igen” (for nu at citere Keld fra Olsenbanden) Messens ”frigivelse” er højst et ben til den traditionelle bevægelse, som vil forblinde nogen, men der er kun tale om et ben og intet andet.

                      Tilbage til Skandinavien. Efter at have læst et nyhedsbrev fra en af disse støttegrupper kan man læse, at op til p. Lindströms ordination er det begyndt at myldre frem med præster i det københavnske katolske stift, som vil fejre messen. Selv generalvikaren og den stedlige biskop vil fejre messen, hvilket de ikke var glade for før. Ydermere så vælter det frem med præster fra de andre traditionelle præsteselskaber, som inviteres af støttegrupperne med stifternes tilladelse først – naturligvis. Megen kritik er udgået fra disse grupper af SSPX, men det er SSPX ´s fortjeneste, at messen bliver fejret i Skandinavien igen. Man har ved sin blotte tilstedeværelse lagt pres på den moderne kirke for at få den til at fejre den gamle messe, selvom det har fået dem, der fejlagtigt beskrives som progressive til at få onde drømme om gamle dage og de nævnte støttegrupper til at nære urealistiske forventninger om bedre tider. Kortsagt: SSPX har trukket den gamle messe til Skandinavien, og de er blevet efterfulgt af de andre traditionelle præsteselskaber under ”Ecclesia Dei” og jeg vover det ene øje og forudser, at det vil generere besøg fra sedevakantiske grupper som CMRI og Catholic Restoration, men det må tiden vise.

Næste punkt bliver at få at se, hvem der først etablerer et hus af de traditionelle bevægelser. Det er det, det egentlige kapløb handler om, og dernæst hvem der vinder kampen om indflydelsen på den katolske verden i Skandinavien.