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ISSUES OF FUNDAMENTALISM AND NEW AGE THINKING

In brief, the following are what struck me from the articles read in this topic.

To some extent Catholicism is similar to fundamentalist groups in that the Church is also against liberalism. (Fallon, 1993.p 6)
Fallon speaks of the fact that our 'basic values and attitudes' come from relationships'. (Fallon, 1993.p 6). It would seem that, whilst fundamentalists find this in their contemporary Christian church community and this reinforces their individual interpretation of scripture, they neglect the practice of the first Christian community as evidenced by the works of Justin Martyr, and others which speak of liturgies and penance, the primacy of the Bishop of Rome and the Sacraments; in a very Catholic way. Kollar also speaks of this irony (Kollar, 1985.p 3). They do not realise that this Early Church community gave them their Bible and began a history of tradition in the Church, which, if Jesus is telling the truth, was guided by the Holy Spirit who would 'be with you always'. Further more, the Sacraments enrich the Catholic Church in this regard. A close study of their history and practice reveals the place that Sacraments continue to have in the Church and in forming, sustaining and strengthening the Christian Community, linking the Christians of today with those of 1000 years ago. (Of course, there was diversity in the way the Sacraments were executed). As Kollar says, " a symbolic perspective [as used in the Sacraments] retains the identity of the past in the present while looking forward to the possibilities of the future…[symbols] are bridges between the world of the past, the reality of the resurrected Jesus…ourselves".
I was struck by the irony regarding the esteem with which the Bible is held by fundamentalists in particular (Hill, 1997.p 90). While they regard the Bible as the sole source of their beliefs and spirituality, they are very selective in their use of it, sliding over texts which support Catholic doctrine on the Eucharist, Forgiveness of Sin, Morality (in some areas) and so on.

Of concern to me is the understanding that 'felt experience' is crucial for a fundamentalist (Kollar, 1985.p 2). This is of concern because of the impact this can have on their faith when times of 'darkness' come along or 'the surprises of the future' as Kollar would call this. As Cassin states, 'The Spirit is a much more subtle teacher of our minds and hearts than fundamentalists usually allow'. When formation of the soul occurs in a Christian's life journey, as I experienced after my conversion experience, what we expect of God does not always occur. Blind faith amidst spiritual trials is the only guidepost. I wonder how fundamentalists would cope with this if what they hold dear is taken away: (1) a feeling that no signposts remain to distinguish you from a nominal Christian, who, in actual fact seems to be having a greater time than you; (2) a feeling that Jesus is no longer around; (3) all 'energy, vitality, and dynamism' which came from God is no longer present; (4) No truth is experienced and you are plagued by doubts; (5) Prayer seems impossible and no conceptual framework is viable.

I agree with that 'Reason need not be antagonistic to faith' (Cassin, 1995.p 15). I often find that the reason students see reason as antagonistic to faith lies in the way certain theories have been promoted as facts, by the media. For example, the theory of evolution is and always will be a scientifically unverifiable 'Theory' and yet some students are surprised when this is pointed out. I imagine this is due to the impact of the media. So often, we here talk of visiting our 'ancestors' in the Zoo, or Star Trek (which I love by the way) speaking of human evolution from a microscopic organism as FACT. Even the relatively recent 'Cosmic Voyage' documentary at the Omni Theatre in City West presumes the truth of the big bang theory and human evolution from a sole organism, without any qualification. I find it very dangerous to claim as truth, what is merely a theory, especially when this results in widespread loss of faith as has happened in the Western World, and when its fruits, ' a belief in the survival of the fittest' has allowed certain atrocities such as genocide to occur. As a result, I have sought to present a more balanced approach in class, investigating what the mainstream media often doesn't allow us too; the evidence in Creation of a 'designer' and the many flaws in the evolution theory. Here is an extract of material which I offer students to get them thinking.

According to Orthodox view, Darwinian selection is utterly blind. "The path of evolution is merely a random walk through the realm of possibilities." Darwin himself said ‘ The horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man’s mind, which has developed from the mind of the lower animals are of any value or at all trustworthy. Would anyone trust the convictions of a monkey’s mind if there were any convictions in such a mind? In other words, if my brain is no more than that of a superior monkey, I cannot even be sure that my own theory of my origin can be trusted." (J. Sire, The Universe Next Door, p. 84).

Creation happening by chance then is as likely as a dictionary being produced by an explosion in a printing factory.

Obviously, students speak like some parents and the media when they place Faith well below Reason and Science in their hierarchy of truth. So, I attempt to show them instances of events where no reason can explain the effect of faith, such as in Miracles which occur, including Eucharistic Miracles and AUTHENTIC statues weeping tears of blood. These have had a great impact on my students' faith. (Please see my Research Project).

I agree with the tolerance that Hill speaks of but feel that this should be qualified. Respecting different 'values and different beliefs' does not just lead to restoring Galileo's dignity and a ' loving acceptance of all' and to adapting 'structures' (Hill, 1997.p 91). It has also lead to acceptance of homosexual practices, divorce, sexual impurity, Mardi Gras etc., even by members of some Churches. We need, therefore, to be clear on the difference between tolerating difference and tolerating sin and what distorts the image of God in humans. Truth is, in fact, the highest good, as long as it is the infallible truth, which God has entrusted to the Church and which Jesus says 'sets us free'. (It is to be remembered, more so because in this day and age, it is not recalled very often, that the Church's condemnation of Galileo is not indicative of the supremacy of the relativity of truth over truth as absolute. The Church never declared infallibly that Galileo was wrong. Hence, no one could honestly say that the Church's claim to infallibility in 'faith and morals' is inauthentic. I am saddened, however, when I go to seminars and hear even Priests talking about the many wrongs of the Church in the past without qualifying the distinction between human error and revealed truth).

I think the framework employed in Ryan's work sustains the objectivity of the work. It is valuable to think of the New Age movement as multifaceted but I do think some criticism would have been good. I disagree with Ryan's interpretation of the active convergers, whom, he says, 'hold to much of the traditional Christian religious identity' while adopting new age practices. Despite the example used to support his assertion - Fr. Denis Edwards, Spink and Pierre Telhard de Chardin, this interpretation needs some criticism too. The Active convergers are contradictory if they say they wish to transform the Church from within, but that the ends and the aims are shared by Christians and New Agers (Ryan, 1997.p 17).

I call into question Ryan's alignment of anti-new age sentiment with 'conservative critics' (Ryan, 1997.p 14). It is good that he qualifies this by stating that these critics come from 'fundamentalists sects', however, he later speaks of mainstream conservative Christians (quoting from the Catechism) and then speaks of Conservative critics collectively. Given that the word 'conservative' has developed negative connotations, and given that Ryan states, ' The tone of response of conservative critics is often alarmist, strident and severe' (Ryan, 1997.p 14), it is feasible to say that the reader would respond negatively to Ryan's analysis of 'Conservative critics'. Not all conservatives (which I prefer to call orthodox to distinguish them from fundamentalist conservatives) are 'alarmist' and 'severe'. If standing for an absolute truth is 'severe' then I am proud of being severe.

The New Age does not have a place in Christianity unless it is a first step for non-Christians becoming Christian in some mysterious way, past all the confusion. It is not 'risible' as liberal skeptics see the New Age movement, especially when you consider the extent to which New Age philosophies and practices have become prevalent in the lives of youth; crystals, seances, palm reading, tarot cards, etc. I do agree with one of Ryan's understanding of the view of tolerant sympathizers; namely that "Christians are advised to listen to the questions posed by New Agers and respond from the depths of the Christian tradition' which is more mystical than any Eastern Religion. Any good teacher must do this, however, without ever saying that any other religion is on an equal footing as a path of God. As Pope John Paul reiterated recently (and as was stated in the Vatican Documents) other religions contain 'seeds of truth' not the entire plant.

Finally, I think it is important for teachers and Church leaders to re-present the beauty and the mystery of the Church through a good understanding of our rich tradition and through a love of the Church. I have found that when the 'mysteries' are expressed in the way we know how, they come alive and engage our imagination, one of our best gifts as humans. If we take a good look at what youth enjoy today, much of it is spiritual; love of music, friendships shared, spending time with others. The secular context, within which youth experience these things, is strong only because the religious context has been presented in a negative way and has not been modelled well enough for 1 - 2 generations. We must do all in our power, therefore, to: (1) involve youth and the Christian community, engaging their talents so that they can experience their innate capacity for the spiritual in a Christian context; singing at Mass and organizing retreat experiences with a good deal of fun; (2) reintroducing a belief (with evidence) in the supernatural, (in a wise manner); (3) making community service in VARIOUS forms, compulsory in Catholic School and; (4) employing various strategies which highlight to youth, that the Christian religion, is in fact, the most human institution, supporting all the values, which youth actually adhere to as ideals, if not in practice. These include, honesty, peace, friendship, love over lust, kindness, fidelity and so on. (My research project bears this out in more detail).

The experiential element of our tradition is important and I agree with the fundamentalists on that point. But mystery is important too and we must have a sound relationship with God to appreciate and teach students, the meaning of certain of life's mysteries such as suffering.