Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction: The Controversy over Religion in Politics
- I Mainly for the Agnostics and the Exclusionists
- II Mainly for the Agnostics and the Inclusionists, Especially Inclusionists Who Are Religious Believers
- 4 Christians, the Bible, and Same-Sex Unions: An Argument for Political Self-Restraint
- 5 Catholics, the Magisterium, and Same-Sex Unions: An Argument for Independent Judgment
- 6 Religion, Politics, and Abortion
- Conclusion: “This Nation, Under God”
- Notes
- Index
5 - Catholics, the Magisterium, and Same-Sex Unions: An Argument for Independent Judgment
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction: The Controversy over Religion in Politics
- I Mainly for the Agnostics and the Exclusionists
- II Mainly for the Agnostics and the Inclusionists, Especially Inclusionists Who Are Religious Believers
- 4 Christians, the Bible, and Same-Sex Unions: An Argument for Political Self-Restraint
- 5 Catholics, the Magisterium, and Same-Sex Unions: An Argument for Independent Judgment
- 6 Religion, Politics, and Abortion
- Conclusion: “This Nation, Under God”
- Notes
- Index
Summary
The two types of authority that concern us here (authority to govern and authority to teach) are, of course, distinct and can be discussed separately. In the Roman Catholic Church, however, we find that they are often intermingled, and sometimes even confused with each other. Over the centuries governing power has often been used (and misused) to bolster teaching authority. Such an approach can easily amount to little more than “we are right because we are in charge” or “we give orders, not explanations.”
Some Catholics concede that the church admits the principle of doctrinal development, but they accuse [John] Noonan, in Richard John Neuhaus's words, of too often equating development with “a change, or even a reversal, of doctrine.” At a recent meeting of the Catholic Common Ground initiative, Noonan and theologian Avery Dulles had a polite, but sharp, exchange on the subject, with Noonan again insisting that “the record is replete with mistakes – the faithful can't just accept everything that comes from Rome as though God had authorized it.”
In the preceding chapter, I spoke (mainly) to Christians generally, and I spoke to them about the Bible, which is authoritative for Christians generally. In this brief chapter, which is a kind of addendum to the preceding chapter, I speak (mainly) to Roman Catholics, and I speak to them about the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, which is authoritative for Roman Catholics.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Under God?Religious Faith and Liberal Democracy, pp. 86 - 97Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003
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