The Joy of the Truth » Catholic Book Reviews

Final Thoughts on YouCat

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:25:33 +0000

OK, I know I let the topic run cold. But I never did address the final objection to the YouCat made by those who are calling for the YouCat to be recalled.

They claim that the YOUCAT gives confusing (some say ambiguous others say erroneous) catechesis on human sexuality and end of life issues.

Sexuality

So once again we turn to the YouCat itself to see what it teaches. Here’s what I found:

#403: “Sexuality must not be separated from love: they must go together.”
#404: “A chaste love is a love that defends itself against all the internal and external forces that might destroy it. That person is chaste who has consciously accepted his sexuality and integrated it well into his personality.”
#405: “Someone lives chastely when he is free to be loving and is not the slave of his drives and emotions.”

The YouCat teaches strongly against the sins of fornication, masturbation, prostitution pornography, and rape. It also teaches very clearly on homosexuality.

The YouCat also teaches clearly that sexual intimacy belongs in marriage, and that its purpose is the creation of love and life. It talks about the importance of children.

The YouCat teaches that contraception is evil but that natural family planning is a morally acceptable way to regulate birth.

End of Life Issues

#379: “Euthanasia – killing the handicapped, the sick, and the dying – is also forbidden.”
#382: “To bring about death directly is always against the commandment ‘You shall not kill’ (Ex 20:13). In contrast, to stand by and assist a dying person is humane and even obligatory. [2278-2279]. What really matters is whether a dying person is killed or allowed to die. Someone who kills a dying person (euthanasia) breaks the Fifth Commandment.

The YouCat makes the differentiation between ending someone’s life and assisting someone in the dying process. This is a morally valid distinction.It teaches that ordinary care should never be discontinued, but that extraordinary care may be refused. The YouCat properly applies the principles of ordinary & extraordinary care and double effect – two important principles for dealing with the difficult end of life decisions.

Overall Analysis

I honestly started this investigation with some concern. If the YouCat was shoddily done or worse yet teaching error, I certainly didn’t want to promote it or sell it. However, my investigation assured me that the criticisms of the YouCat are not well founded.

What I like about the YouCat is that it presents the teachings of the Universal Catechism in simple, easily digested segments. Of course, that same quality means that the YouCat is not a complete resource in itself.

As a teacher, I would confidently use the YouCat in place of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But I would use it in tandem with a good textbook and with my own teaching. The YouCat offers an official voice of the Church, which can be expanded upon by the teacher.

In conclusion, the YouCat is an awesome resource for catechists, educators, families and youth as part of their education and formation.

YouCat and the Church Fathers

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:15:57 +0000

The next objection to the YouCat that I wanted to explore is that it places greater weight on modern scientific speculation than on the Church Fathers’ unanimous interpretations of the first chapters of Genesis. Again, this objection is closely related to the others. But instead of rehashing what I’ve already said about the Church and evolution, I’d like to take this opportunity to explore the role of the Church Fathers.

Now, there is no denying that the early Church Fathers are an awesome and important source of knowledge of what is believed about Christ and the Church. Their importance is mostly due to their closeness to the apostles. The Church Fathers were directly discipled by the Apostles and, unlike the Apostles, they did a lot of writing to preserve the Tradition of the Church and pass it down to future generations.

However, one thing that is often misunderstood is the role the Church Fathers play in the development of infallible doctrine. A doctrine is determined to be divinely and infallibly inspired when the Holy Spirit guides the Church to “always and everywhere” believe something. Practically speaking, this means tracing a belief back to the Apostles. The writings of the Church Fathers are valuable gifts given to the Church to help us understand how a doctrine came to us from the Apostles. That does not mean that everything the Church Fathers taught is infallible. For example, Origen taught that at the Final Judgement everyone (including the fallen angels) would be redeemed and end up in heaven. On the other hand, Augustine believed that most of humanity would be damned but a few people were saved by God’s mercy to be in heaven. Which Church Father would have the infallible statement? Even more confusing, both of these beliefs have persisted through time.

That is why our sure guide to what is infallible Tradition and how to interpret the Sacred Scriptures is the Magisterium of the Church, not the Church Fathers themselves. The Church Fathers are instructional and a great gift to the Church. But they are part of a Tradition that needs to be interpreted through the Holy Spirit’s guidance of the Magisterium.

So the Church Fathers are not a special authority on the Old Testament. They do not enjoy a special infallibility. Furthermore, Darwinian evolution was not really an issue they dealt with. The question to ask of Tradition would be – has science and faith been seen as compatible or incompatible? The answer is definitely compatible. Myths to the contrary aside (Galileo is so misunderstood), the Church has always embraced science as a method of knowing God’s creation, especially of knowing how God works (while the Bible explains why). I guess another question to ask Tradition would be if Sacred Scripture has been seen as a source of scientific knowledge.

The main teaching in the YouCat in the area of evolution is that Scripture and Science deal with different realms of truth. This statement is in line with Tradition, judging from what the Church teaches about the nature of truth in Sacred Scripture.

OK, I’m not feeling that what I wrote here was quite as coherent as my previous posts. Give me your feedback! What do we need to discuss / debate / clarify?

YouCat and Progressive Creation

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:50:07 +0000

The next objection to the YouCat is that it “teaches that God made an incomplete world filled with defects and deformities.” Again, I am assuming a bit here in my interpretation of the objection, but I think I know where they’re coming from. By giving a nod to evolution, the YouCat seems to side with those theologians who say that the creation of the world was progressive. These theologians say that God created the world, but that he did so as a process, not immediately as it seems to happen in Genesis 1.

First of all, let’s take a look at what the YouCat says.

The creation account is not a scientific model for explaining the beginning of the world. “God created the world” is a theological statement that is concerned with the relation of the world to God. God willed the world; he sustains it and will perfect it. Being created is a lasting quality in things and an fundamental truth about them.

from article 41

The Church teaches that God’s actions are not limited to time. God Creates. The Church also teaches that human beings cooperate in the work of Creation to perfect it for human use (see Pope John Paul II’s document Laborem Exercens – on the Dignity of Human Work – as an example). So, to see Creation as a process the way evolution does just doesn’t seem contradictory to the faith. In fact, Saint Augustine wrote about the progressive nature of Creation. He uses the figure of a seed – God creates the seed, with everything in it that makes it a plant. But the plant comes into the fulness of being through a process of growth. This does not mean that God did not create the plant, or that he created the seed and then abandoned it to grow into a plant on its own. God’s act of creating the plant is continuous, but within time it takes place as a process (“The Literal Meaning of Genesis”).

Look, is the YouCat saying that a good Catholic should believe in the theory of evolution? Nowhere does it say that! What it’s saying is that the scientific theory of evolution as a way of explaining the history of the world’s genesis within time is not opposed to Catholic doctrine or theology, and neither does it disprove Catholic faith in God as the Creator.

So you may ask, why even go there? The Catechism of the Catholic Church doesn’t get enmeshed in this debate. It sticks with the theological meaning and leaves the whole evolution question alone. The fact is that are youth do go there. They are hit hard and often with the message that evolution is truth because it is science and that Genesis is myth. The distinction that the YouCat makes between the realm of science and the realm of theology is really important for young people to get. The recognition that science and faith don’t contradict each other when each is properly understood is a point that I often make with young people that I teach, and to great effect. I applaud the authors of the YouCat for recognizing the need for the Church to address evolution in a way even a science teacher can understand.

YouCat and Creation

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:01:39 +0000

The next objection to the YouCat forwarded by those who are asking for it to be recalled is that the YOUCAT alleges that Genesis does not give a true account of creation. This objection seems very related to the first. The YouCat states that there is no contradiction between Creation and the theory of evolution as a scientific theory. However, it also states that we must believe that God is the source of all creation and that Creation was not a matter of chance. It states that science and Scripture are different realms of knowledge – and that Evolutionism and Creationism both err in erasing the line between science and truth. I do wish that this section would have taken the next step in saying that all truth is from God, but I don’t think its teaching is unclear. Again – no real objection here.
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YouCat and Biblical Inerrancy

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:33:31 +0000

The first objection to the YouCat is that the “YOUCAT insinuates that The Holy Bible contains errors.”
From what I can tell, this objection stems mainly from a concern about the YouCat’s treatment of the Creation story. The concern seems to be that the YouCat gives in to modernist concessions about Evolution. Further objections state that the YouCat places more trust in modern scientific claims than in Church Fathers and Doctors.

The YouCat states that the Bible is without error in its revelation of God, but contains historical and scientific error because it was written by human beings who were immersed in a specific time and culture. There is nothing wrong in the YouCat’s description. The objection seems to be seeking a more Creationist form of literalism – a word for word interpretation of the text. There is a blatant confusion in the objection about the inerrancy of the Bible.

The Church’s unchanging doctrine is that the Bible is inerrant in its revelation of who God is, our relationship with him, and what he expects of us (morals). The Church does not doctrinally teach that the Bible is without any and all error regarding (for example) history and science. This is why biblical study is so wonderfully complex, with the different senses of scripture and various legitimate schools of exegesis.

Do you agree? I think it’s important that the people of God discuss these things!

Is the YouCat Recall Legitimate?

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:04:26 +0000

I have been touting the YouCat as the next important tool for catechesis and evangelization. It puts the faith in simple, everyday terms that young people and adults alike will find more understandable and relevant than the more formal theological language of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The purpose of the YouCat is to take advantage of the dialectic model of teaching used by other catechisms such as America’s Baltimore Catechism and the relatively recently released Compendium of the Catechism. I have said that I wish I had the YouCat when I taught in the Catholic high school.

However, not all of the news about the YouCat is good. There has been a movement to have the YouCat recalled due to doctrinal errors and ambiguities. In fact, the Italian translation was actually recalled and revised. So are there legitimate concerns about the English translation of the YouCat?

Here is what I have discovered so far. There are six major objections.

YOUCAT claims that the Bible contains errors.
YOUCAT alleges that Genesis does not give a true account of creation.
YOUCAT emphasizes modern scientific speculation over the Church Fathers’ unanimous interpretations of the first chapters of Genesis.
YOUCAT teaches that God made an incomplete world filled with defects and deformities.
YOUCAT gives confusing (some say ambiguous others say erroneous) catechesis on human sexuality and end of life issues.
YOUCAT can give the impression that modern Catholic and non-Catholic authors are more important for young people to read than the Fathers and Doctors of the Church.

These objections are lifted from http://www.dfwcatholic.org/petition-to-recall-youcat-for-doctrinal-errors14256/.html but are repeated on a number of websites in part or entire.

I’ll answer each objection in turn. But what do you think? Have you read the YouCat? Have you found anything to be ambiguous, misleading or contrary to the teachings of the Church? Let me know in the comments below!

Book Review Notes: Faith Finances | Truly Human Action

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:00:54 +0000

Faith Finances by Tomas Zordani

When someone understands their ‘why,’ they have a true sense of purpose. They will go after, and most often succeed, if they know why they want to do or accomplish something. When you understand the why, you don’t care how hard something is or how long it takes or how scared you might be, you simply do it! (170)

This is exactly what makes human action unique and important – and why all human action (including finances) has transcendent meaning and can even be beautiful!

Book Review Notes: Faith Finances | Filled with Expertise

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:00:19 +0000

Faith Finances by Tomas Zordani

Faith Finances is not only filled with good connections to faith and morals. It is also filled with expertise.

“People who understand compound interest collect it; people who don’t, pay it!” (152). Compounding interest makes it important to start saving for retirement early.

Book Review Notes: Faith Finances | The Importance of Virtue

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:00:29 +0000

Faith Finances by Tomas Zordani

Virtue is key to Thomas Zordani’s financial plan. I love that! Learning the virtues of temperance and delayed gratification are keys to financial success. Control your spending and apply your income to carefully budgeted necessary expenditures (including tithing), paying off debt and building up an emergency fund. After three years of disciplined spending you will be debt free and have a firm financial foundation on which to build. Then you can start spending you discretionary income (carefully) on wants instead of just needs.|

Book Review Notes: Faith Finances | Awesome Debt Payment Plan

Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:00:47 +0000

Faith Finances by Tomas Zordani

In Faith Finances, Thomas Zordani lays out a really effective debt payment plan that puts the power of planned payback to work! This chapter alone is worth the price of the book!

The Joy of the Truth » Catholic Book Reviews

Final Thoughts on YouCat

Sexuality

End of Life Issues

Overall Analysis

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YouCat and the Church Fathers

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YouCat and Progressive Creation

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YouCat and Creation

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YouCat and Biblical Inerrancy

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Is the YouCat Recall Legitimate?

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Book Review Notes: Faith Finances | Truly Human Action

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Book Review Notes: Faith Finances | The Importance of Virtue

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