Indifferentism
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Indifferentism, in Roman Catholic theology, describes the belief that there is no evidence that one religion or philosophy is superior to another.[1] The Catholic Church ascribes indifferentism to all atheistic, materialistic, pantheistic, and agnostic philosophies. There are three basic types of indifferentism in Catholic theology: absolute, restricted, and liberal or latitudinarian indifferentism. Indifferentism was first explicitly identified and condemned by Pope Gregory XVI, in his encyclical Mirari vos.[2]
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[edit] Catholic teachings on indifferentism
In the Catholic Church, the belief that one religion is as good as another, and that all religions are equally valid paths to salvation, is a condemned heresy. Its condemnation is closely linked to the dogmatic definition that outside the Church there is no salvation. Despite this stance, Pope John Paul II said "This does not lessen the sincere respect that the Church has for the various religious traditions, recognizing in them elements of truth and goodness" [3]
[edit] Absolute indifferentism
Immanuel Kant argues that absolute indifferentism represents an extreme form of skepticism that argues that there is no rational ground for accepting any philosophical position,[4] a position that matches the Roman Catholic understanding of the term. According to the Catholic Church, this type of absolute indifferentism results in a willingness to concede any position.[5] It is often associated with moral relativism.
[edit] Restricted indifferentism
Catholicism also condemns as "indifferentism" a spectrum of ideas that admit the necessity of religion because of its positive influence on human life; but which hold that all religions are equally true. The classic advocate of this theory is Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who maintains, in his Emile, that God looks only to the sincerity of intention, and that everybody can serve Him by remaining in the religion in which they were raised, or by converting to any other that pleases them more (Emile, III). This doctrine is widely advocated today on the grounds that, beyond the truth of God's existence, we can attain to no certain religious knowledge; and that, since God has left us thus in uncertainty, He will be pleased with whatever form of worship we sincerely offer Him.
From a Roman Catholic perspective, to say that all these irreconcilable beliefs are equally pleasing to God is to say that God has no preference for truth and to deny reason. The Roman Catholic Church argues that restricted indifferentism is no different from absolute indifferentism because while nominally acknowledging the utility of religion, to affirm that "all religions are equally good" ultimately means that religion is good for nothing.
[edit] Liberal or latitudinarian indifferentism
The Catholic Church also condemns as indifferentism the belief that, while Christianity generally is superior to other faiths, it makes no difference which of the several Christian denominations the believer chooses to join. Catholicism condemns Protestantism specifically for this sort of indifferentism, noting that many Protestant denominations do not claim that they exclusively possess the truth of the Christian gospel, and that various forms of worship may be equally pleasing to God: a latitudinarian position. Pope Pius XI explicitly criticized the Ecumenical movement on these grounds in his encyclical, Mortalium animos.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.- Connell, Francis J., C. SS. R., Freedom of Worship (Paulist Press, 1947)
- Connell, Francis J., C. SS. R., Morals in Politics and Professions (Paulist Press, 1946)
- ^ http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indifferentism
- ^ http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Greg16/g16mirar.htm
- ^ http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html#_ftn30
- ^ Rees, D.A. "Kant, Bayle and Indifferentism," The Philosophical Review, 63(4) doi:10.2307/2182293
- ^ Fox, J. (1910). Religious Indifferentism. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 17, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07759a.htm
- ^ http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_19280106_mortalium-animos_en.html
[edit] External links
- Religious indifferentism in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
