Change without Martin Luther

Compared to individuals, societies change very slowly. That’s why I find the attached video very exciting, I do not expect the changes it suggests in my lifetime.

Empathic Civilization

Knowing the Answer, Not the Solution

I have little doubt that our system is broken. That our current way of life around the world is unsustainable. I suspect many share my few, and, like them feel frustrated that we can do little to alter the direction we head. That we need to change our view of life in order to save it. I knew the solution had to come from the spiritual side; that policy, without emotion, would not solve the complex issues we face. Since this cultural change equals that which Martin Luther or Karl Marx tried to implement, I felt that this was an issue ‘above my paygrade’. At the same time, I have been on the look out for the 95 Theses of 1893Neptune-Pluto2384.

Reformation & Secularism

1399Neptune-Pluto1893 was the last full Neptune-Pluto wave and its paradox centered around how reforming a corrupt led to secular progress, the root of our current paradox. Do you see the connection yet? The European Church stood fully integrated in the region’s DNA? How do you reform the Church, without killing? In the long run, the Reformation ultimately led to secularism, while the addressed corruption altered the Church, but could not save its influence. At the end, the world needed the whole process to get to secularism. At this point, I cannot decide whether Empathic Civilization represents the Reformation or Secularism. Could  be either, could be both.

“There is also a decidedly nonsecular response to wrongdoing that paves the way for second and third chances — and serial abuse. In the secular world, the molestation of a child is labeled a crime, and a heartfelt apology for it doesn’t obviate jail time. In the Catholic Church, it is discussed as a sin, to be confessed and then, by the grace of God, forgiven. Penitence may well supplant punishment.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/weekinreview/28bruni.html?scp=3&sq=vatican&st=cse” target=”_blank”>At the Vatican, Up Against the World

Best Intentions

My plan to write a quick post on papal denial lies under a pile of links to the topic. The idea arose because the war with the NY Times sounded familiar. Indulgences are fine, Martin Luther (as was John Hus) is the problem. We were not against science, we didn’t like Galileo’s tone. Priests committing pedophilia over decades? LA LA LA LA, I can’t hear you. See I have my fingers in my ears. What pedophilia? Why must yu attack the Church?

Just Sayin’

Okay, I know better than to wage war with Catholics, but the Church proves so central to our history, a review can only help improve perspective.

Jan Huss and Martin Luther

Both turned into heretics in the Rome’s eyes. Both wanted to reform an overtly corrupt and out-of-touch institution. Huss’ reward? Burned at the stake. Martin Luther would have surely met the same fate had not his protectors been so vigilant.

The Reformation

The Hussite and Lutheran movements led to Reformation. Church response? The Counter-Reformation agreed some reform would help, but declared Protestants heretics, igniting the 80 and 30 Years Wars.

Kepler & Galileo

About the same time, Kepler and Galileo forwarded geocentric theories of planetary movement. This went against Scripture. Galileo refused to recant his findings and when, found guilty, submitted to long-term house arrest. The Church didn’t like his attitude ishttp://www.catholicleague.org/research/galileo.html” target=”_blank”> one defense offered.

Beyond Enlightenment

Growing secularism led to intellectuals bypassing the Church. Its denial of Kepler/Galileo made it seem the world was passing it by. The response? Deny. Deny. Deny.

A byproduct of this appeared in the Syllabus of Errors published in 1864, denouncing modernism. Condemned in the document:

‘ “human reason, without any reference whatsoever to God, is the sole arbiter of truth and falsehood, and of good and evil” (No. 3) “All the truths of religion proceed from the innate strength of human reason; hence reason is the ultimate standard by which man can and ought to arrive at the knowledge of all truths of every kind.” (No. 4)’
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllabus_of_Errors” target=”_blank”>Syllabus of Errors

The Holocaust

I really wish I didn’t have to go here, but I can only go where research takes me, not where I would prefer to go

Throughout the http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/holo.html“>Holocaust, Pius XII was consistently besieged with pleas for help on behalf of the Jews.

In the spring of http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Chronology_1940.html“>1940, the Chief Rabbi of Palestine, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/IHerzog.html“>Isaac Herzog, asked the papal Secretary of State, Cardinal Luigi Maglione to intercede to keep Jews in http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Spain.html“>Spain from being deported to http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Germanytoc.html“>Germany. He later made a similar request for Jews in http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/lithtoc.html“>Lithuania. The papacy did nothing.http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pius.html#N_5_“>⁽⁵⁾

Within the Pope’s own church, Cardinal Theodor Innitzer of http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Vienna.html“>Vienna told Pius XII about Jewish deportations in 1941. In 1942, the Slovakian charge d’affaires, a position under the supervision of the Pope, reported to http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Rome.html“>Rome that http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/slovakiatoc.html“>Slovakian Jews were being systematically deported and sent to http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/ccpoltoc.html“>death camps.http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pius.html#N_6_“>⁽⁶⁾

In October http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Chronology_1941.html“>1941, the Assistant Chief of the U.S. delegation to the Vatican, Harold Tittman, asked the Pope to condemn the atrocities. The response came that the Holy See wanted to remain “neutral,” and that condemning the atrocities would have a negative influence on Catholics in German-held lands.http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pius.html#N_7_“>⁽⁷⁾

In late August http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Chronology_1942.html“>1942, after more than 200,000 Ukrainian Jews had been killed, Ukrainian Metropolitan Andrej Septyckyj wrote a long letter to the Pope, referring to the German government as a regime of terror and corruption, more diabolical than that of the Bolsheviks. The Pope replied by quoting verses from Psalms and advising Septyckyj to “bear adversity with serene patience.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pius.html ” target=”_blank”>Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pius.html ” target=”_blank”> In light of this, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/world/europe/03church.html?ref=global-home” target=”_blank”>likening criticism about not making every effort to eliminate pedophilia to antisemitism can be best seen as a slap in the face.

Homosexuality

The latest tactic seems to blame homosexual priests and ‘post-pubescent’ boys.

“Johnny, sorry I raped you repeatedly over many years, but you shouldn’t have worn  that (insert clothing item here) . You know I can’t help myself!”

If you have homosexual priests, should you not acknowledge the issue. I doubt homosexuality really is the issue, but either way the Church, by failing to deal with the reality that it exists does not help. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226410439?ie=UTF8&tag=mundaneastrol-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0226410439">The Silence of Sodom: Homosexuality in Modern Catholicism</a><img src=” target=”_blank”>Silence of Sodom exposed the issue long ago, yet it still goes unaddressed. Again the Church response is to blame others.

Public Relations Lesson #1

Please stop insulting the public. Thousands of families deal with your ruinous policies on child abuse all over the world. Stop blaming others, like you have done throughout your history (the list above is very condensed). Yes, Catholics still do good works, but unless you poke your head out of the window and see how people really feel, the backlash could be terminable. Europeans have grown to mistrust your institution over the decades. You are only making it worse!

For the sake of all, acknowledge that the problem exists and commit every resource to end it. The current uproar comes from what we know. What happens when the next round of  abuse surfaces? Blame no one but yourself  Mr. Ratzinger–your behavior in this matter makes me feel calling you anything other than your real name is disingenuous–fire yourself if you have to. But as they say in politics: “The buck stops with you!”

Life (especially human) itself is paradox. We make war to have peace. Being to peaceful sometimes leads to war. Humans mediocre potential in the wild make them band together in a way that threatens every species on the planet (paradoxically, even their own). With what may seem to be a leap these paradoxes play out in themes of Neptune-Pluto waves. I know. Neptune-Pluto waves?

Simply put a wave sequence occurs between the same alignments between planets. The ones between Neptune-Pluto happen to occur at a frequency of about 495 years, a  convenient number close to a common sense division of history into 500 year segments. One wave of note appeared between 576bce and 85bce. Its paradox centered around how Greek culture spread across much of the known world because the Greeks collapsed (partially) due to their own success. The process turned into Hellenization that endured from about through 300bce through about 600. Hellenization lived on through the Romans and was like the Code Napoleon of its time. It was a standard that people of many diverse cultures preferred as seen by the use of Greek as the linqua franca across a geographic expanse.

The next Neptune-Pluto wave 84bce to 410 spans most of the Roman Empire period. Its paradox comes with the saying ‘that which makes you strong. Rome’s armies made them masters of the Mediterranean, the major regional trading zone of the period. Her soldiers knew this and they used their leverage to considerable effect; many an emperor owed their thrones and lives to the armies desires. The paradox, never solved, comes the fact that without its military Rome would likely only ruled the Italian Peninsula, if that. But its military also undermined any attempt to rule over a vastly growing that grew in part to satisfy the ever hungry desire of its armies. Emperors who tried to lead with military approval rarely ruled for long (if they survived).

I can see the question forming: What is our paradox?

To start the current Neptune-Pluto wave spans from 1893-2384 (also seen as 1893Neptune-Pluto2384). And our collective riddle reads: progress.

Progress. What makes you stronger also makes you weak.

Our progress gives us a broader range of prosperity than any time in history. In much of the world few need to work the land, yet we produce more than ever. Nonetheless, our food supply still stands open to threat. Additionally, if corporate farming somehow failed most of us would know little about growing enough food to ourselves at a sustenance level, let alone at the lever at which we are now accustomed. And for  paradox within a paradox, this dynamic comes at a time when levels of obesity in developed nations touches chronic levels

A more encompassing paradox comes from the fact that Progress threatens our way of life in many ways. Human-made climate change is a reality (get used to it). Our technology (Progress) causes it, yet we look to it to solve the problem. A coarser view shows that technology helps more people live longer, bringing us to the edge of sustainability. At the same time, the technological genie is out of the bottle. We could not return to previous ways no matter what we do. Nuclear waste that will not decay for 30,000 years , just one example, shackles us to our advanced ways. And yes, who are going to tell the billions in China and India on the edge of western-like prosperity that they cannot own and drive automobiles?

What is the answer? Sorry. A paradox has none.