Moral Theology: A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern AuthoritiesCallan, Charles J. (Charles Jerome)
Religion
Moral Theology: A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities
Callan, Charles J. (Charles Jerome)
Christian ethics -- Catholic authors
822. Contrary unbelief (see 818), which not only refuses to believe but
also assents to contrary errors, has three degrees according to the
greater or less number of truths denied or errors admitted in these
three degrees. Some theologians see different species of unbelief,
while other theologians regard them as only accidental modes or
circumstances of the one species of sin.
(a) The most extensive denial of faith is found in infidelity, which
rejects both Christ and His revelation. To this form of unbelief belong
atheism, agnosticism, pantheism, paganism, polytheism, animism, and
denials of Christ and Christianity. The chief religious bodies today
that profess such errors are: Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism
(founded in China and Japan), which are polytheistic and practise
idolatry and ancestor worship; Brahmanism (founded about 14 centuries
before Christ), which is polytheistic or animistic: Buddhism (founded
6th century B.C. in India), which is polytheistic and practises
idolatry; Zoroastrianism (founded in Persia about the 7th century
B.C.), which is dualistic; Mohammedanism (founded in Arabia in the
6th century A.D.), which makes Mohammed and his religion superior to
Christ and Christianity, and rejects the Trinity and the Incarnation.
(b) A less complete departure from faith is found when Christ and His
revelation are accepted as contained in the figures and prophecies of
the Old Testament, but rejected in their fulfillment and development in
Jesus and the New Testament. This is the error of Judaism, which today
has about 15 million adherents.
(c) A still smaller degree of rejection of faith exists when Christ
is recognized as leader and teacher, but not all of His revelation
is accepted. This kind of error is called heresy, and those bodies
which profess it are known as sects. The chief heresies in times past
were Gnosticism and Manicheism in the first centuries; Arianism and
Macedonianism in the fourth century; Nestorianism, Monophysism and
Pelagianism in the fifth century; Monothelism in the seventh century;
Iconoclasm in the eighth century; Photianism in the ninth century;
Albigensianism in the eleventh century; Waldensianism in the twelfth
century; Wicliffism in the fourteenth century; Hussism in the fifteenth
century; Protestantism in the sixteenth century, and Modernism in the
twentieth century. Today, the erring Christian groups outside the
Church are the Orientals, called Orthodox, and the Protestants.
823. Since error is not consistent, false teachings are found that
accept all the above-mentioned degrees of unbelief, or borrow
impartially from all.
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