Submitted by Marie S. Rottschaefer (not verified) on Nov. 07, 2009.
Nov. 6, 2009
Dear Mr. Fox:
In recent correspondence to NCRonline in Sept. 2009 and in how many other communications in recent years, have I messaged repeatedly the need to study and act? I decided to discontinue both responding to NCRonline and my subscription when it comes due to renew because it is a large cost and seemingly almost no benefit in my trying to make a difference. I am breaking my own rule and writing now because of the extreme importance of your 11-6-09 NCRonline piece.
With all due respect Mr. Fox, if “healing” is the issue, then how do people heal? Granted, people are ill, injured, disabled, because the institution is failing, is dying. But we must understand what the remedy is. The remedy is getting to the root causes of the malady and applying the correct treatment. This takes education. By way of analogy it’s somewhat like the practice of medicine but at least at this point, it is not scientific like the practice of medicine.
Nevertheless, science is one of the answers. Scientific biblical-historical scholarship, more developed philosophy and a multitude of other science areas are answers as well. What are the roots of Christianity? Where did it come from? Where has it been? What is its fate and why? These are the primary questions Call To Action should be asking. Instead, there is far too much of secondary, tertiary, and irrelevant issues going on.
The laity can no longer afford to be so beholden to a perceived authority in the guise of the Catholic hierarchy or self-designated spirituality gurus. They, the hierarchy, either do not have the expertise or if they do have it such expertise has been accessed like any ordinary layperson could access it from various sources! The same principle could be applied to the spirituality gurus. I am talking about a twenty-first century mindset, meaning, we need to pursue the best education from genuine experts who make it their life’s work to continue to search for truth. This mindset has to replace a two thousand year old mindset that the laity has lived with and in large measure is only beginning to understand the colossal modification that is needed. We are only beginning to comprehend the education required to pursue a post-Axial Age faith and effective action that flows from that faith in grasping the reality in which we live in this tipping point twenty-first century. This is but one of the adaptations needed. The education is tailored to individual learning needs and is nothing to fear; rather it is something to be embraced joyfully. Herein lie the healing, the remedy, the cure, the peace, the newfound faith, and the desperately needed ready-to-go action for our people and planet’s survival and restoration to the degree feasible.
Nov. 6, 2009 Dear Mr. Fox: In
Nov. 6, 2009
Dear Mr. Fox:
In recent correspondence to NCRonline in Sept. 2009 and in how many other communications in recent years, have I messaged repeatedly the need to study and act? I decided to discontinue both responding to NCRonline and my subscription when it comes due to renew because it is a large cost and seemingly almost no benefit in my trying to make a difference. I am breaking my own rule and writing now because of the extreme importance of your 11-6-09 NCRonline piece.
With all due respect Mr. Fox, if “healing” is the issue, then how do people heal? Granted, people are ill, injured, disabled, because the institution is failing, is dying. But we must understand what the remedy is. The remedy is getting to the root causes of the malady and applying the correct treatment. This takes education. By way of analogy it’s somewhat like the practice of medicine but at least at this point, it is not scientific like the practice of medicine.
Nevertheless, science is one of the answers. Scientific biblical-historical scholarship, more developed philosophy and a multitude of other science areas are answers as well. What are the roots of Christianity? Where did it come from? Where has it been? What is its fate and why? These are the primary questions Call To Action should be asking. Instead, there is far too much of secondary, tertiary, and irrelevant issues going on.
The laity can no longer afford to be so beholden to a perceived authority in the guise of the Catholic hierarchy or self-designated spirituality gurus. They, the hierarchy, either do not have the expertise or if they do have it such expertise has been accessed like any ordinary layperson could access it from various sources! The same principle could be applied to the spirituality gurus. I am talking about a twenty-first century mindset, meaning, we need to pursue the best education from genuine experts who make it their life’s work to continue to search for truth. This mindset has to replace a two thousand year old mindset that the laity has lived with and in large measure is only beginning to understand the colossal modification that is needed. We are only beginning to comprehend the education required to pursue a post-Axial Age faith and effective action that flows from that faith in grasping the reality in which we live in this tipping point twenty-first century. This is but one of the adaptations needed. The education is tailored to individual learning needs and is nothing to fear; rather it is something to be embraced joyfully. Herein lie the healing, the remedy, the cure, the peace, the newfound faith, and the desperately needed ready-to-go action for our people and planet’s survival and restoration to the degree feasible.
Marie S. Rottschaefer
rotts@lclark.edu