News Flash!

As many Loyal Readers are already aware, I am a flat atheist and do not believe in any deity, divinity, or supernatural being, whether that being is responsible for the creation of the universe, the creation of man, whether that being is falliable, infalliable, benign, malevolent, passive, or active. However, that does not mean that I am blind to the effects and power of religion, particularly Christianity, in particular the prominent position of the Roman Catholic Church within the sphere of Christianity. I am fascinated by religion of all sorts, and I follow news from the world of religion as avidly as I do news from the world of politics.

To non-Christians, the Roman Catholic Church embodies Christianity, and Protestants and Orthodox Christians are factions that have minor theological or historical disputes with the Vatican. This only makes sense. Most westerners do not really understand the difference between Shia and Sunni Islam, and most Christians do not ever take the time to learn about and understand the difference between Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism, even though Judaism plays a prominent role in western civilization as well as Christianity. So those who are not Christians tend to regard the Roman Catholic Church as the focal point of Christianity, and the Pope as its singular leader.

So with a new Pope just put in power, I've been wondering what we might expect to see from the Church by way of trying to guide the world, or at least the Christian world, through troubled times. Recently, I learned of our first real look today at what Pope Benedict XIV's papacy will be like. Several British bishops have issued a document called The Gift of Scripture, in which it cautions the faithful that not every word of the Bible is literally true.

Well, I'm glad we got that issue resolved. And here I thought I only had a few intellectual bedfellows on that point. But it does appear that the Church has finally changed its tone on the role of science and reason in the world.

Obviously, this in no way diminishes the powerful moral lessons of the Bible, nor does it diminish the faith that Christians have in the passion and resurrection of Jesus, which events are the very focus and essence of Christianity. Nor does it provide incentive for those of us who lack or have lost that faith to re-subscribe to it. I will not join the chorus of Pope-haters who will make the cheap shot that "Catholics claim to be christians but reject the Bible." That's not what this document says. It says that portions of the Bible are not literally true and acknowledges that the passage of time, translations, and effects of politics have had their effect on those literal words, and that true Christians should look deeper than the words themselves to reflect upon the moral meaning and importance of the Bible's teachings.

Many Protestants believe this to be true also and the fires of my criticism are not aimed at them. But in a very real sense, this document is saying that understanding the true meaning of the Bible is not as easy as reading a detective novel.

It also confirms that the Church no longer subscribes to geocentricity, among other facially ridiculous beliefs of some Biblical literalists. This will throw down the gauntlet to fundamentalist Christians who do insist that the Bible, and every word in it, is the literal truth, divinely handed down to man by God himself. This will widen, not narrow, the schism between Roman Catholics and their Protestant counterparts, particularly in the United States.

This is pretty much what I expected from Benedict; while the document is not written by him, nor does it bear the Papal seal, it does come with at least the tacit approval of the Vatican. Both his background serving under the previous Pope and his choise of name indicated that he views his mission in the papacy to "clean house" and make sure the Church's theological and moral standards are in order. He would prefer to preside over a smaller but purer church to larger and more diverse one. So with The Gift of Scripture, the Church is saying two things. First of all, he's saying, you're either a Christian or you're something else, and ultimately, Biblical literalists are something else. Secondly, he's saying, that faith does not require blinding oneself to truth. True Christians do not view any truth, whether it derives from science, logic and reason, or empirical observation, as a barrier to faith and morally correct behavior.

Now, this does not inspire me to rejoin the Church; that would require a belief in the divine which I lack. It does, however, inspire some admiration in me. If the Church shares my disdain for religious teachings that require unreasonable beliefs, and is willing to take the inevitable cheap shot criticisms of "not believing in the Bible anymore" in the name of establishing a more meaningful faith, then hopefully it can better bear its legacy of moral leadership in the Western world.