For nearly two thousand years, the Catholic Church has existed as the preeminent religious organization of the Christian faith. The faith's adherents are estimated to be in excess of 1.2 billion people, who look to the Vatican for guidance and interpretation of the Christian Scriptures. While most Catholics strictly adhere to the dictates of their Church, there is a more recent strain of Catholic fundamentalism that is in conflict with modern Catholicism.
This movement has arisen in response to what some priests and laypeople view as an increasingly liberal Vatican leadership. The goal of fundamentalists has been to force the Vatican to reverse its liberalization and return to the traditional doctrines and practices that had been in use for many centuries. This difference has led to serious debate among Catholics.
For most, the split occurred when the Second Vatican Council began its adoption of doctrines that many traditionalists viewed as compromise with the world. From the fundamentalist perspective, these compromises have weakened sound doctrine, and have set the Church on a path that leads it farther and farther away from traditional Christianity as expressed through Roman Catholic teachings.
Obviously, there are more than just a few minor disagreements involved in this rift. Fundamentalists are opposed to relaxed standards set during Vatican II on issues ranging from birth control to the notion of women as priests. The tradition of celibacy is another important area in which these traditionalists refuse to compromise, instead insisting that the classical Scriptural interpretations remain in place.
In addition, these more conservative Catholics are also opposed to anything other than a Latin Mass, and maintain that Vatican pronouncements are the final say in matters of Scriptural interpretation. They also hold fast to the notion that the Catholic Church is the only true pathway to salvation for Christians and that all other denominations must eventually return to the Roman Church or risk condemnation from God.
The fundamentalists' critics regularly denounce these traditional views as being dates, out of step with the times, and detrimental to every effort to spread the Gospel. According to the more liberal elements, the fundamentalist view of God is that He is a tyrant with unreasonable and exclusionary expectations. They feel that such a view does nothing to appeal to the fallen world.
The Church itself has maintained a contentious relationship with many fundamentalist groups, including the prominent Society of Saint Pius X. The Vatican has even gone so far as to declare many of these fundamentalists as being in effective schism with the formal Church, which places them in a position of being outside of Church fellowship.
For Catholics of strong faith, there is thought to be much work to be done in this new century. That work is somewhat complicated by the state of disunity the Church now finds itself in. Both sides are convinced that it is a fight worth having, though. For modernists, the work of modernizing the Church to appeal to modern audiences is of critical importance. For traditionalists, however, the compromises made in that quest for modernity do nothing but water down the Gospel message and deny the audience the truth it needs to hear.
This movement has arisen in response to what some priests and laypeople view as an increasingly liberal Vatican leadership. The goal of fundamentalists has been to force the Vatican to reverse its liberalization and return to the traditional doctrines and practices that had been in use for many centuries. This difference has led to serious debate among Catholics.
For most, the split occurred when the Second Vatican Council began its adoption of doctrines that many traditionalists viewed as compromise with the world. From the fundamentalist perspective, these compromises have weakened sound doctrine, and have set the Church on a path that leads it farther and farther away from traditional Christianity as expressed through Roman Catholic teachings.
Obviously, there are more than just a few minor disagreements involved in this rift. Fundamentalists are opposed to relaxed standards set during Vatican II on issues ranging from birth control to the notion of women as priests. The tradition of celibacy is another important area in which these traditionalists refuse to compromise, instead insisting that the classical Scriptural interpretations remain in place.
In addition, these more conservative Catholics are also opposed to anything other than a Latin Mass, and maintain that Vatican pronouncements are the final say in matters of Scriptural interpretation. They also hold fast to the notion that the Catholic Church is the only true pathway to salvation for Christians and that all other denominations must eventually return to the Roman Church or risk condemnation from God.
The fundamentalists' critics regularly denounce these traditional views as being dates, out of step with the times, and detrimental to every effort to spread the Gospel. According to the more liberal elements, the fundamentalist view of God is that He is a tyrant with unreasonable and exclusionary expectations. They feel that such a view does nothing to appeal to the fallen world.
The Church itself has maintained a contentious relationship with many fundamentalist groups, including the prominent Society of Saint Pius X. The Vatican has even gone so far as to declare many of these fundamentalists as being in effective schism with the formal Church, which places them in a position of being outside of Church fellowship.
For Catholics of strong faith, there is thought to be much work to be done in this new century. That work is somewhat complicated by the state of disunity the Church now finds itself in. Both sides are convinced that it is a fight worth having, though. For modernists, the work of modernizing the Church to appeal to modern audiences is of critical importance. For traditionalists, however, the compromises made in that quest for modernity do nothing but water down the Gospel message and deny the audience the truth it needs to hear.
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