A Matter of Theology

I am no theological expert. But what I do know is the Catholic Church has had its history of reformers who set out to bring people back to the scriptures. Martin Luther and John Calvin were two such men. They were known as Protestants. They were brave men who stood up for their convictions. They were hunted by the power-hungry men in leadership within the Catholic Church. In 2010, nothing has changed. Power-hungry men still remain.

The on-going corruption and sex scandals in the Catholic Church are nothing new. Not to down play or turn an eye away from it, but this type of sinful-behavior has been rampant in Catholicism for centuries. Cover-ups are the norm. The(worldly)image of the church is to be upheld. And, unfortunately, this comes with a cost. Many innocent people are affected in the most grievous of ways.

It is difficult to discuss such a situation without talking about God. And the very utterance of God offends people. Offenses will come. We need to take a step back back and examine ourselves when we become offended and ask, "who am I in relation to an all powerful God who is pure. Am I greater than He? Does the fate of all of mankind rest on my imperfect shoulders?" And if you disagree, so be it. I implore you to research C.S. Lewis and his quest to disprove the existence of God. In doing so, he was converted. No man can change another man's heart. That is not my purpose.

Leadership in the Catholic Church have, historically speaking, exulted themselves to the level of a god; reminiscent of the Roman Emperors. "...for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized." 1Corinthians 11:19. We are seeing the leadership as they truly are - far from the true nature of God. One way these scandals will affect the church is that a large number of people will see this true nature and flee.

As I had said in the onset, there have been reformers. There will be more. People who are led by God, will be given the ability to see things as they truly are. And they will not stand by and let this happen. People will break away just as Luther and Calvin did. However, those who are led by worldly ambitions will call for justice in a worldly manner. Not to say that these men shouldn't be held accountable. Rightly so, they should be. But to go after them as the Catholics went after the Protestants centuries ago, will by no means bring us to a place of reform. It will perpetuate hatred and discourse. And we will be no more the better. In fact we will have placed ourselves at the very same level as these corrupt men. "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it[1] to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:19.

People will be out for blood. Leadership will attempt to make payouts. The Pope will remain in his seat for which he will defend and continue to do so till he dies of old age. There will be those who are removed from lower levels of leadership on the basis of being "caught". Then there will be those yet to be "caught" who will remain. The cover ups will continue. A worldly image will be fought for. Time will move on and this wont be the number one story on the evening news and this issue will once again move to the back of people's mind.

This problem is deeper than we see on the surface. It is wholly a theological problem within the Catholic Church. At the heart of any problem in a religious institution is purely theological. And until this is recognized by the vast majority within the ranks of Catholic Leadership, these problems will persist. Mine is just one opinion among many. God will be the final arbiter. Whether we want to believe this or not, we will stand alone before our Maker upon our death, and we will have to give an account. This is true for those within the leadership. They are not exempt. No matter how they think of themselves or to what level other men have put them.

The only thing that can be done at this juncture to rid the church leadership of this corruption is to flee. Flee far from this man-made institution. Those who are genuine would effectively pull the rug right out from underneath them. The leadership would have no one to wield their false power over. And the major affect on the Catholic Church would finally be the revelation of how a corrupt man-made institution cannot effectually exist in totality or in part.

John Calvin's words should resonate in the minds of the genuine,
"True wisdom consists in two things: Knowledge of God and Knowledge of Self." and "Man's nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols."