Catholic and Pastoral Epistle

                                                  Catholic and Pastoral Epistle

“False doctrine of the present time” Teaching of Bible and Teaching of the Church against the Catholic Church teaching”

What is false teaching: Teaching is “a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true.” Biblical doctrine refers to teachings that support with the revealed Word of God, the Bible. False Teaching is any idea that adds to, takes away from, contradicts, or nullifies the Teaching given in God’s Word. For example, any teaching about Jesus that denies His virgin birth is a false teaching. False doctrine of the present time against the Catholic Church Here I tried to find out some common issue in the present time. These are false teachers and false teaching-

Drug Addiction: The Bible and the Church teaches moral values, that is, they tell us what is fair and right for us. The Church is against deeds and things that take away people from the Creator. There is some teaching in the Bible and in the Church about drug addiction.

Drugs in the Scripture: In the Scripture there is no indication about drugs. The people of the Bible did not use drugs as is done today. But, Traditionally in Israel they drank wine, what is an alcohol, at feast and big celebrations. It made them drunk when after drinking people lost their senses and sometimes became involved in immoral and disorderly acts which created problems in society. This could become habitual. So, later it was forbidden especially before or during the liturgical celebrations. The Old Testament and New Testament discourage too much drinking of wine. (1 Samuel 1:13ff; Is 28:1,3; 28:7;5:11;5:22; Proverbs 26:9; 4:15 ;23:31;19:1; Je.35:1ff.) (Rom 13:13; 1Cori 5:11; 1Cori 6:10; Gal 5:21; 1Cori11:21; 1Timo3:3)

Teaching of the Church: The Church teaches that the abuse of drug is not good and that it brings indiscipline in the family and the community. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that ‘the virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air. Drugdoes not cause danger for the user only but especially for the others. So anybody that brings danger to others is guilty.

Mixed Marriage:Technically, Mixed marriage is a marital bond between Catholics and non-Catholics. Here both parties are Christians but they have differences in doctrinal matters. In broader sense, when a marriage takes place between a Catholic and a non-baptized, is called ‘inter-religious marriage’ or ‘mixed marriage’. For example, if a Catholic boy marriage a Muslim girls after securing necessary dispensations from the Church, it becomes an ‘inter-religious’ or ‘mixed’ marriage, we will use the term mixed-marriage between a Catholic and a Muslim party.

Concept of Mixed Marriage in Bible:Interfaith marriage or mixed marriage in the Bible is mostly discouraged. Yet, there are a number of instances of marriage between an Israelite. It is true that even for the first Hebrews it was considered proper to marry members of the same nation and the Bible disapproves of Esau (Gen. 26:34) and Judah (Gen 34:2) who married Hittite and Canaanites instead. Joseph is recorded as marrying Egyptian women. Mixed marriage- Ruth 1:16; Ezra 10:10-11; 1Cori 7:12-14.

Church Teachings on Mixed Marriage: Marriages between a Catholic and non-baptized person are not sacramental and fall under the impediment of disparity of worship. It is invalid without a dispensation, for which authority lies with the Ordinary of the place of marriage. In addition, the Catholic Church recognizes the Pauline privilege, wherein a Catholic may marry an un-baptized previously married person who consents to convert (1Cori 7:12-14). Marriage is an indissoluble covenant, which signifies the relationship between God and his people (Israel), and the relationship between Christ and the Church. Therefore, even though the non-Christian spouse leaves the Catholic reasons, the Catholic party cannot marry again.

Sexual abuse: Most of the people generally believe that sexual abuse means that very young Girls are raped by older men. Some Children that these people are some kind of secret monsters who go about stalking children all the time. A girl can be raped or sexually harassed assaulted by adults. A wife can be rape or sexually assaulted by her husband, when he forcefully commits sexual intercourse with his reluctant wife and persecutes her bodily, it will be rape.

Concept of abuse in Bible: The Old testament portrays the goodness of sexuality. The story of human sexual love begins in the Garden of Eden. The misuse of sexuality is also considered sin. God has forbidden the Israel to have illegal sex. That is very clear in the TenCommandments: `Do not commit adultery’ (exodus 20:14). ``Do not desire another man’s wife’ (ex.20:17) The Old testament passages condemn prostitution specially the prophets Amos and Jeremiah spoke against prostitution (Amos 2:7, Jer. 5:7). The Book of Sirrach warned against adultery, prostitution and sexual misbehaviour (Sirrach 9:3-6, 23:16-21). The law of Israel forbade sexual misconduct including adultery, incest, rape and bestiality (Lev. 20:10-21. Deut. 22:23-29, Gen 18:20, Ex 22:18). In the New Testament: The New Testament emphasized the holiness and authentic love, which is the basic background of sexual morality. `One who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart’ (Mt.5:28). Sexual morality is not a matter of external behaviour but a person’s internal disposition. Jesus rejects adultery (Mk. 7:22, Mt.5:19). He condemns both divorce and remarriage. ‘Whoever divorce his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her’ (Mk. 10:11). It is adultery and a serious violation of God’s will. (1Cori 6:9; Heb.13:4)

The Church Teaching: The Holy Mother church does not allow any sinful act. The Church always hopes, wants our mutual eternal love, help and understanding. It does not hope anything insistently doing which cannot out freely from the persecuted fellow. ‘Rape is illicit sexual intercourse with a woman against justice. Because the woman’s right over her body is violated. In addition to the violation it may bring social dishonour to her and abstract a future marriage.

Homosexuality:The Catholic Church teaches that, as person does not choose to be either homosexual or heterosexual, being gay is not inherently. All sexual acts must be open to and express the symbolism of male-female complementarities.Sexual acts between two members of the same gender cannot meet these standards. Homosexuality thus constitutes a church teaches that gay people are called to practice.

The church also teaches that gay people "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity", and that "every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided”. Whilst holding that discrimination in marriage, employment, housing, and adoption in some circumstances can be just and "obligatory”. The church points to several passages in the Bible as the basis for its teachings, including Genesis 19:1-11, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, I Corinthians 6:9, Romans 1:18-32, and I Timothy 1:10.

The Christian tradition has generally prohibited all sexual activities outside of this includes activities engaged in by couples or individuals of either the same or different sexes. The Catholic Church's position specifically on homosexuality developed from the teachings of the, which was in stark contrast to Greek and Roman attitudes towards same-sex relations,

Canon law regarding same-sex sexual activity has been shaped through the decrees issued by a series of ecclesiastical councils. Initially, canons against sodomy were aimed at ensuring clerical or monastic discipline, and were only widened in the medieval period to include laymen. In the stated that "the unnatural vice" is the greatest of the sins of lust.

Divorce: ‘Divorce is a legal or customary decree that a marriage is dissolved. The term was employed in ancient Rome for the mutual separation of married people. Etymologically the term divorce does not indicate whether the mutual separation included the dissolution of the marriage bond and fact, it came to be used in ecclesiastical law in this neutral signification. There are many causes for divorce in our country- Lack of respect, Sex Discrimination, Lack of Love, Lack of Equality, Neglecting of Religion, Individual affair, Dowry etc.

Biblical and Christian view about Divorce

Divorce in the Old Testament: A number of texts of the Bible tell us what Jesus said about divorce and remarriage. The texts give insights to the meaning of what he said, in two instances Jesus refers to passages in the Old Testament in order to explain his own teaching regarding marriage and divorce. The two passage found in the Old Testament are the following: Genesis 1:27; Gene 2:22-24; Dt 24:1; Dt 22:13-19; Dt 22:28-29; Dt 24:1-4; Leve 21:7, Ho 2:4; Ben Sir 7:26;25:26;

Divorce in the New Testament: Then some Pharisees came up and as a test began to ask him whether it was permissible for a husband to divorce his wife. In reply, he said, ‘What command did Moses give you? They answered, ‘Moses permitted divorce and the writing of a decree of divorce’.  But Jesus told them: he wrote that command for you because of your stubbornness. At the beginning of creation God made them male and female; for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and two shall become one. They are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined”. Back in the house again, the disciples began to question him about this. He told them whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery against her; and the woman who divorces her husband and marries commits adultery. Divorce in the New Testament-Luke 16:18; Matthew 5:31-32;

Christian view about Divorce: ‘Among Roman Catholics there are two cases in which a marriage, which is otherwise indissoluble, can be dissolved in special circumstances. If two unbaptized persons are lawfully married and one of them became a Roman Catholic, the other refusing to live ‘Without offences to God”, the marriage can be dissolved according to what is known as the “Pauline privilege”( 1 cor. 7: 15; Canons. 1120-7)

 The second case is that of two baptized person whose marriage has never been consummated. “This union can be dissolved either by solemn profession of one of the parties or by a dispensation of the Supreme pontiff for good and just reasons” (Canon 1119). These decisions are quite different from declarations of nullity.

“There is thus great variety among Christians with regard to the matter of divorce. Modern developments have created a situation in which Christians are faced with difficult moral decisions about divorce, since the teaching of the churches and the practice of the civil legislatures have more and more diverged. There can be no doubt that Christian teaching from NT times onwards has been that marriage between Christians is a lifelong union to the exclusion of all others, and almost all Christian services of marriage stress this aspect of marriage. There is also strong Christian tradition that this concept of marriage is not merely a Christian ordinance but that it derives from the natural moral law. The Roman Catholic Church because of its structure and discipline has succeeded in maintaining discipline among its members, which most other Christian Churches have been unable to secure. But even in the case of the Roman Catholic there have been actions, which seem to outside observers to be stretching their own principles rather further than they ought to go. On the other hand, we see that strict law in a Christian community is impossible to maintain unless there is a workable system of dispensation for cases where this is needed. Most of the Christian Churches must depend on the free readiness of their people to live according to their teaching, though in the conduct of the marriage service by ministers an opportunity exists to establish rules which uphold to some extent the Christian belief as to the intrinsic nature to the marriage bond”

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OPPOSED TO UNNATURAL BIRTH CONTROL

The basic reason for the Church's opposition to any sort of sinful action is that such actions are contrary to the nature God has given us. Jesus said about marriage, "Let no one take apart what God has put together" (Mk 10:9). This can also be applied to the act of sexual intercourse which has been called "the marriage act" for centuries of Christian history.

In the natural act of completed marital sexual intercourse, there is a symbolic bodily unity of man and wife. However, in every form of unnatural birth control, there is a positive effort to destroy the procreative potential of an act that God has given us as a unique sign of married love.

Looked at in another way, the sex act is meant by God to be a symbolic way in which a couple are called to renew, at least implicitly, their marriage covenant. In this bodily union, they are called to affirm anew their original promises of married love, to take each other for better or for worse, to be as one until death.

Unnatural birth control contradicts the symbolic renewal of the marriage covenant. Instead, it says, "I take you for better but not for the imagined worse of parenthood."

In the New Testament, it is possible that the Greek "pharmakeia" refers to the birth control issue. "Pharmakeia" in general was the mixing of various potions for secret purposes, and it is known that potions were mixed in the first century A.D. to prevent or stop a pregnancy. The typical translation as "sorcery" may not reveal all of the specific practices condemned by the New Testament. In all three of the passages in which it appears, it is in a context condemning sexual immorality; two of the three passages also condemn murder. (Gal. 5:19-26; Rev. 9:21, 21:8). Thus it is very possible that there are three New Testament passages condemning the use of the products of "pharmakeia" for birth control purposes.

THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AGAINST UNNATURAL BIRTH CONTROL: The question of birth control has been raised many times for 19 centuries of Christian life, and the Church has always responded with a firm and universal negative to abortion, sterilization and all forms of unnatural birth control. The encyclical Humanae Vitae in 1968 simply reaffirmed this universal Tradition.

Bibliography:

1.BIJOY, Rebeiro Gabriel `Sexual Abuse’ Affiliated with pontifical University, Rome, Dhaka, 2001.

 2. TAPAN BlaiseRozarioÔMixed Marriage: A New Challenge in the Family Life, Affiliated with pontifical University, Rome, Dhaka, 2011.

3. MICHAELDewriMilon, Drug Addiction and Pastoral Care in the Context of Bangladesh, Affiliated with pontifical University, Rome, Dhaka, 2009.

4. JND Kelly: A Commentary on The Pastoral Epistles, I & II Timothy and Titus, London, Adam & Charles Black, 1963.Pp. 188-190.

5. BROWN, R. E. ed: The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Bangalore, TPI, 1990.

6. DONALD, Senior, ed.: The Catholic Study Bible, New York, Oxford University Press, 1991.

7. Terence j. Keegan, First and Second Timothy Titus, Philemon. New Collegeville Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2006.

8. http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=54&c=3

9. http://godswordonline.net/titus1.htm