Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, May 10, 2001
Fmitlh AliwI
The Southern Cross, Page 9
Bending to the breaking point
By Father Herbert Weber
Catholic News Service
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.n the musical “Fiddler on the
Roof,” a Russian Jew named Tevye
tries to raise five daughters according
to his faith traditions.
—When Tevye’s first daughter
asks to marry the man she loves in
stead of the one he’s arranged for her,
he is willing to bend.
—When the second
daughter marries
. without asking per
mission, he allows it.
—When the third
daughter weds a
Christian, he declares
her dead!
Chava, the third
daughter, appears on
stage and asks her father to accept
her and her husband. Tevye struggles
with his heart: “How can I accept
them? Can I deny everything I believe
in? On the other hand, can I deny my
'own child? On the other hand, how
can I turn my back on my faith, my
people? If I try to bend that far, I will
break. On the other hand.... There is
no other hand.”
That sad scene postulates that
such acceptance is all about bending,
bending so far that one might break.
The playwright’s insight is that many
folks find themselves in this dilemma.
They feel that acceptance can mean
compromising oneself or even denying
one’s own beliefs and values.
The current discussion of relativ
ism, whether regarding morals people
live by or the value of various religious
faiths, is of major consequence. The
temptation is to go to one or the other
extreme.
On one hand, relativism would
mean that faith or values are fine as
here is another benefit of dealing with
relativism constructively: A person usually
must then try to understand his or her own
beliefs and positions more fully.”
long as the one holding them simply is
sincere.
I recall hearing someone say, “It
doesn’t matter what I believe in as long
as I truly believe.” Such an attitude
presents serious problems because
judgments become subjective. It allows
no room for objective truths.
It is akin to sincerely believing that
the world is flat. That would seem
harmless unless the person wanted to
travel to the other side of the world.
Then there is the extreme summed
up in a bumper sticker that read: “The
Bible says it. I believe it. That’s it.”
There is plenty of truth in that quota
tion. However, it leaves no room for
others’ experiences or interpretations.
This extreme often lets someone slip
lecturing, questioning instead of criti
cizing.
There is another benefit of dealing
with relativism constructively: A per-
CNS photo from Reuters
into a smugly judgmental attitude.
But it is possible to hold to truths
and still to respect others whose opin
ions somehow differ. This happens
quite commonly.
To respect someone else’s position
or belief does not mean agreement. We
are accepting and respecting the other
person. We are concerned here with
understanding — listening instead of
son usually must then try to under
stand his or her own beliefs and posi
tions more fully. As that happens, one
discovers new strength and confidence.
Unlike Tevye, in accepting and re
specting others, the person will not
have to fear bending to the breaking
point.
(Father Weber is pastor of St.
Peter’s Parish in Mansfield, Ohio.)
How truth factors into daily life
By Dan Luby
Catholic News Service
-l^or many years it has been my
privilege to be involved in preparation
of candidates for ordination, first as a
^seminary faculty member and later as
part of a formation team for perma
nent deacons. Always, the decisions to
be made are weighty.
On the one hand, there is the need to
treat candidates as individuals, to ac
commodate classes and formation re
quirements to their particular circum
stances and talents and limitations.
On the other hand, there is the
^need to establish and maintain clear,
^unequivocal standards for ordination.
To lean too far toward tailoring every
single aspect of the process to indi
vidual differences risks reducing to
mere suggestions those standards of
education and skill which guarantee
competency.
The latter approach would exem
plify a theological or spiritual frame of
mind called “relativism” — a way of
looking at the world which asserts
that the only measure of truth, the
sole criterion for right action, is in the
mind and experience of the individual.
It is a point of view that is both wide
spread and dangerous not only for the
church but for all of human society.
There can be no question that the
truth can sometimes be complicated
and difficult to name precisely. When
someone is seriously ill, the differing
opinions two doctors may have as to
the cause of the symptoms might not
stem from ill will or blindness or
moral weakness on anyone’s part.
But not being able to identify the
true origin of the illness doesn’t mean
there isn’t an illness. While it may be
satisfying for the doctors to agree to
disagree about diagnosis, that’s little
help to the patient suffering the mys
terious headaches or the debilitating
fatigue.
To deny the existence of objective
truth or the possibility of knowing it
is, in the final analysis, to render us
mute, unable to speak to one another
meaningfully.
Both experience and common sense
make clear that we can’t get through
a single day without agreed-upon con
clusions about what is true, what is
real, what is good. Commerce, public
order, friendship, family life: All
would stop dead in their tracks if ev
ery assumption about what is right or
wrong, true or false, were open to de
bate every time.
Relativism is at play whenever we
are afflicted by the curse of double
standards. Relativism is enfleshed
when luxuries for some are deemed
necessities for others; when laudable
mercy extended to the privileged is
lamentable leniency if offered to the
poor; when a gift given to a political
opponent is a bribe, but is a token of
friendship when given to a supporter.
For families, relativism makes
communication difficult, undermin
ing our agreement on what is good,
what is true, what is right. Trust, the
lifeblood of friendship, is eroded when
friends do not agree to submit them
selves to overarching standards of vir
tue and wisdom and honesty.
When moral absolutes and doctri
nal non-negotiables are absent, our
innate capacity for self-deception ex
pands dangerously.
Certainly, balance is needed. Per
sonal circumstances of freedom and
knowledge and intention must be con
sidered in our moral calculus.
At the same time, however, the an
cient wisdom of the church, guaran
teed by the living presence of the one
who is himself the truth, guides our
steps on the path of salvation.
(Luby is director of the Division of
Christian Formation for the Diocese
of Fort Worth, Texas.)
FAITH IN THE MARKETPLACE
How would you tell a young
person about the church’s
importance to you?
“The church is how I position
myself on major issues like social
justice, politics and international
affairs, and on my day-to-day
living. I’d hope to inform others of
the importance of church by my
words and by my example.” —
Deacon Paul Plaisance, Alexan
dria, Va.
“I’d tell them that for me, the
church is a strength and a shelter
that gives me calmness.” —
Teresa Ledue, Buxton, Maine.
“I would listen to a young
person’s question or concerns
about the church, and I would
respond from my own faith
experience. Also, I try to witness
the church’s importance to me by
the life that I lead.” — Father
Michael J. Schneller, Belle
Chasse, La.
An upcoming edition asks: Name a
way that contemporary Christians
can help transform their own culture.
If you would like to respond for
possible publication, please write:
Faith Alive! 3211 Fourth St. N.E.,
Washington, D.C. 20017-
1100.
Allcontents copyright©2001 by CNS
ln ° Nutshell
Relativism implies there are no universal norms or truths —
that norms may differ from culture to culture and may even
conflict.
Can members of the human family get through a single day
without agreed-upon conclusions about what is true, or real,
or good?
For some, relativism means that faith or values are fine as
long as the one holding them is sincere.