Northern Overexposure
  • Home
  • Musical Interludes
  • Blog
  • Contact Me

Bad Religion - Ross Douthat and Andrew Sullivan

5/10/2012

0 Comments

 
Andrew Sullivan discussed New York Times columnists, Ross Douthat's new book Bad Religion. Both are rooted in the Catholic tradition. Andrew Sullivan is a gay rights activist who has struggled to reconcile his experience as a gay man in the Catholic church and Ross Douthat is more of a conservative columnist.

They discuss the emphasis on sexuality that seems to exist today while, in fact, the New Testament and Jesus in particular speaks very little about it. In fact, the contrary is actually true. Jesus seems to subvert the traditional family (e.g. his saying that unless you hate mother, brother, father, sister you cannot be my follower); the famous story of the woman caught in adultery. Given that history, it seems paradoxical that human sexuality has occupies such a seemingly central place in church teaching when it occupied such a small part of Jesus' words and when it did, it appeared to be the opposite of the general punitive tones associated with messaging from the church. On the other hand, it is true that Jesus does elevate marriage to a more permanent status than had existed previously.


However part of the problem with the emphasis, Douthat argues, is that sexuality is a popular topic in the culture. In fact, the pope rarely speaks of it but it is emphasized in the media. Historically and traditionally, sexual sins have been the least serious in the Catholic tradition. For example, in Dante's Inferno, sexual sins occupy the first ring while the lowest region is betrayal and injustice.

It is a very good discussion on modernity and the impact that modernity as a historical movement has had on the hierarchy as it did on the monarchy.

It is rare to find such a balanced, informed dialogue among two people discussing religion, public life and ideology.




0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    My Pensées

    The title of this blog is an allusion to the famous work of Blaise Pascal.  This blog represents the variety of my interests and thoughts on any given day and are  strung together, like Pascal's Pensees, in no particular order. I work in the field of mental health,  education, and human rights. I write and am a human rights advocate. I enjoy poetry, jazz, spirituality, politics and a potpourri of other interests that you will see reflected in this blog.

    Archives

    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.