The Catholic Faith and Modern Errors

We give here an outline of the Catholic Doctrine from the texts of the Magisterium, insisting on points undermined by modern errors.

This outline will be gradually augmented.

The numbers in brackets refer to the Enchiridion Symbolorum, Denzinger Schönmetzer, 34^th edition, 1975, Chinese edition.

I.- Faith or God revealing Himself

DOCTRINE
Chapter I: Knowledge of God

1.- God is one, perfect, distinct from the world [3001]
2.- The act of creation: its perfection, end, effect [3002]
3.- Divine Providence [3003]

Chapter II: Revelation

1.- The fact of a supernatural Revelation [3004]
2.- Its necessity [3005]
3.- Its sources [3006]
4.- Its interpret [3007]

Chapter III: Faith

1.- The concept of Faith [3008]
2.- Faith agrees with reason [3009]
3.- Faith is a gift of God [3010]
4.- The object of Faith [3011]
5.- The necessity of Faith [3012]
6.- External and internal aids of God to make us believe [3013, 3014]

ERRORS

The Doctrine of Modernists condemned in the Encyclical Pascendi of St. Pius X.

The Modernist Philosopher

PRINCIPLES

     Negative [3477]
          Phenomenism, Agnosticism
Beyond the phenomena (things appearing as they appear), all is unknowable.

But God, author of nature, miracles as such, and external Revelation, are all beyond phenomena.

Therefore God, miracles and Revelation don’t exist without, nor come from without the individual.

But as given facts they come from somewhere.

     Positive
          Vital (of life) Immanence
They come from within (immanent in-manens, remaining within).
Now Religion is a form of human life (vita-vitalis).
Therefore Religion comes from man’s life within (Principle of vital immanence).
Therefore Religion comes from the needs of human heart.

APPLICATION

          “Faith”
Therefore “Faith” is an inner sense coming from need of divine subconsciousness.
Excited by unknowable beyond phenomena, this sense produces the “God” it believes in!

          “Revelation” [3478]
Now, in this sense, God is manifested or revealed.
Therefore “Revelation” is the inner sense of “God” revealing Himself to the soul!

          “Supernatural”
Therefore consciousness is revelation, and the supernatural is natural.
Attracted by unknowable beyond, “Faith” transfigures and disfigures phenomena. [3479, 3480]

          “Dogma”
Therefore all Religions are from inner sense or feeling, all supernature emanated from nature. [3481]
Mind (a) expresses sense or religious feeling in primitive formulæ, (b) works these up into “dogmas.” [3482]
Therefore “dogmas” are secondary. [3483]
As to object, they are mere adequate symbols; as to subject, mere instruments.
Therefore dogmas must adapt to the sense (= truth), and to the believer using them, otherwise they are not vital or living. Therefore dogmas must evolve.

The Modernist Believer

PRINCIPLE

     The nature of “Belief” [3484, 3485]

The divine is knowable as a reality by a supra-rational experience.

APPLICATION

This experience, or religious sense, is what makes the believer.

     Ecumenism

All religions in which there is a religious sense are equally valid.

     “Tradition”

Tradition is merely an original experience so transmitted as to stimulate or awaken the religious sense.

     Faith and Science [3486]

Phenomenal science and ultra-phenomenal “Faith” have alien objects.

But “Faith” is subordinated as to (a) phenomena, (b) idea of God, (c) unity of mind.

Pius IX declare philosophy is to serve, not command, in matters of religion.

Gregory IX said puffed-up theologians were making philosophy, the servant, into a queen.

     Schizophrenia

With Modernists one page is Catholic, next page rationalist, and so on.

II. - The Transmission of the Faith

The Sources of Revelation are Sacred Scripture and Tradition. [1501]

A.- Sacred Scripture

DOCTRINE

1.- It is the Catholic Church, which decided the canon (list of books) of Sacred Scripture. [179]

2.- The Catholic Church alone is authorized to approve translations of Sacred Scripture. [1506-1508, 2771-2772]

3.- The Catholic Church alone is authorized to interpret Sacred Scripture. [1507, 3007]

ERROR

Modernist errors on Sacred Scripture. [3409-3419]

B.- Tradition

DOCTRINE

1.- From the Council of Constantinople, 870 AD. [650-652]
2.- From the Council of Trent, 1546 AD. [1501]
3.- From Pope Pius IX, 1854 AD. [2802]
4.- From the First Council of the Vatican, 1870 AD. [3070]
5.- From Pope St. Pius X, anti-modernist oath, 1910 AD. [3541]

ERROR

Modernist errors on Tradition [3458-3465]

Appendix

The Traditional Rite of the Liturgy

1.- The Canon of the Mass [1745, 1756]
2.- The Ceremonies of the Mass [1746, 1757, 1759]
3.- Latin or vernacular [1749]