Religion And Intellect

To read the world accurately and to proclaim the truth and value of the gospel persuasively, the church needs a willingness to communicate with the world and its wise men. Today, the term 'listening church' is often used. In a world where there is a strong tendency to assert and teach, the act of listening and learning is an important virtue. In the Catholic Times, the director of the Catholic Culture and Theology Institute gives the readers some thoughts on this important subject.
 
However, the act of listening requires a lot of effort. Listening includes the attitude and ability to hear spoken and unspoken words. Listening should be able to accurately read the true meaning and intentions contained in the words and stories of others. Listening is an act of precise reading. In the context of the church, listening is not just people's thoughts.
 
The object of listening is above all God and the will of God. Listening is reading the Bible and reading the will of God in history and life. Finding and reading the will of God in the Bible, in the historical tradition of the Church, and in today's life, involves a process of interpretation and discernment. Interpreting the Bible, understanding church traditions, and discerning today's world are not simple tasks. 

Listening is a high-level task that involves the act of reading and discerning. It is always difficult to read accurately, to discern delicately. Discernment is a delicate and accurate reading rather than judgment and criticism. Discernment is for a clear understanding of the will of God. Reading the world, reading the signs of the times, has become more difficult in today's complicated society. To read and identify complex societies, complex people, the humanities, social sciences, natural science competencies, and intelligence are required. Modern society and culture are too complex to be read through the eyes only of traditional philosophy and theology. The lack of intellectual capacity to read the changing world is often felt in the church.
 
The world is changing rapidly. It is not easy to read the times while keeping up with rapid changes. The phenomena of human life, which have become very complicated through the development of science, technology, and media culture, are difficult to analyze and read-only with the capacity of the church.

In a column, modern church historian Massimo Faggioli painfully points out the lack of intelligence and literacy often found in today's churches. To read the world accurately and to proclaim the truth and value of the gospel persuasively, the church needs an open attitude to communicate more with the world and learn from the wise men of the world. But today's church is moving in the opposite direction.

Faggioli criticizes the church for "intellectual disarmament in the face of great cultural challenges." He warns that intellectual fervor is disappearing in the church and only negative nuances of pietism are intensifying. Of course, pietism itself is a precious stream in religion. But sometimes pietism operates in the form of formalism and austerity. Distorted pietism that emphasizes only religious feelings is in danger of being reduced to an ideological religion based on hate and exclusion.

The lack of religious intellect in the church comes from a variety of causes. To be honest, it is difficult to read and discern the world while accurately reading and interpreting the traditions of faith. The church's capacity alone cannot keep up with the rapid changes in the world. In the flow of change, there is a risk that you may even lose your identity. That is why the church may have taken a strategic attitude to focus on its own business. However, it is arrogant to focus only on religious traditions and reject the culture of the world as mere secularism. The church must always carry the religious tradition and the culture of the world together.
 
The absence of religious intellect in the church, Faggioli argues, is related to clericalism. He talks about the problems of seminary education. It is pointed out that today's seminary education focuses on reinforced character education and psychological aspects as a preventive method against the sexual scandal of the clergy. This tendency can inevitably lead to neglect of intellectual education in theology and humanities. Faggioli diagnoses that the absence of strict intellectual training for clergy and the aging of high-ranking clergy are undermining the church's ability to accurately read the times and discern them through the eyes of faith.
 

Looking back on history, the intellect has not always played the right role within the times. It is not uncommon for intellect and knowledge to be reduced to empty knowledge because they are not connected with life. In the modern capitalist society, there are many cases where intellect and knowledge collide with power and capital and do not function as a proper social force. Moreover, in today's era, emotions and desires are more important than reason. So, paradoxically, it is an era in which reason is needed.
 
Aren't we witnessing the phenomena created by many in the present generation who are faithful to their emotions and desires? In politics, economy, society, and culture, reason seems to have disappeared and only emotions and desires remain. He wants to emphasize the role of intelligence (reason) again. The shining tradition of Catholicism has always considered faith and intellect (reason) as two axes.
 
The resurrection of the intellect does not mean the return of intellectualism. Intellectualism, which emphasizes the superiority of intelligence and knowledge, is nothing more than the arrogance of the intellectuals at one time. This is an era in which religious intelligence, not intellectual supremacy, is desperately needed. Faith includes reason, but intellect is always secondary. Faith and life come first. Knowledge comes from life. As an intellectual act, theology is a secondary work. Theology cannot precede faith, but theology is essential for proper faith. The absence of theology that can read and discern the signs of the times is evidence of the absence of religious intelligence in the church. In fact, isn't Catholic theology, by its very nature, the product of an effort to read tradition and the era at the same time? 

The intellect to study is urgently required. In an era in which knowledge has been reduced simply to the acquisition of information, and study has been reduced to a means of realizing desires, isn't the ideal of Catholic faith that paradoxically emphasizes the unity and balance between intellect and faith more fascinating? When literacy is developed in a community, it becomes a community that can think and judge. A time when the religious intellect is desperately needed for listening, reading, and discerning.

Corona Pandemic and Mental Health

 ‘Corona black.’ refers to a psychological state that feels hopeless, frustrated, gloomy as well as helpless as the COVID-19 situation continues. So begins a featured article in the Catholic Times on the mental state of many of the citizens.

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In the early stages of the corona outbreak, 'corona blue', meant anxiety and depression due to the risk of infection and social distancing, became 'corona red' expressing anger, and now it has reached 'corona black', where even hope cannot be found. In fact, one in five people is already in the Corona Blue situation, and can fall into Corona Black at any time. What role can and should the church role in these times? 

 

Rosa, a woman in her fifties, said last October, she wanted to let go of everything. She was living the  exact opposite of what she had dreamed of —her continuing feud with her husband, and  ill health of her children. Normally, she would have overcome depression and endured the difficulties in her parish life, but even that was not easy due to Corona. It was difficult for her to find someone to talk to, or freely go somewhere. She did receive spiritual counseling, and  is now living happily in search of the Lord's will even in the midst of difficult times.

 

As the COVID-19 situation continues for over two years, more and more people are complaining of helplessness. People complained of depression and frustration from the anxiety they might be infected. Continuing daily restrictions and broken human relationships have led to the expression of this emotion in anger, and in such a situation, people are showing dismay,  not finding the possibility of recovery.

 

According to the December results of the "Corona 19 National Mental Health Survey" released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last month, 1 in 5 Koreans was at risk of depression, and more than 1 in 10 were thinking of suicide. According to the results of the survey conducted by the Korea Trauma Stress Society on 2,063 adults aged 19 to 71, the rate in the depression risk group was 18.9% and the rate of those who had suicidal thoughts was 13.6%. The  national mental health is not improving.

 

Loss of control, not being able to do something at will, has a significant impact on people's feeling of helplessness. Humans are beings with free will, and when in control of their lives they better find the meaning of life  and gain generative power. However, the situation does not get better and shows no sign of improvement. 

 

In a  research report of the "Corona 19 National Mental Health Survey" in the second half of 2020 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, people were under the greatest stress when "planned things did not go as planned" among various situations. This is higher than the stress caused by 'economic difficulties due to reduced income and household debt' and 'confusion caused by inaccurate information or 'fake news'. 

 

A professor  pointed out in an academic paper titled "Consideration on Corona and Happiness in Daily Life," that not only quarantined people but also ordinary citizens are experiencing depression and lethargy as they face major changes in their daily lives. He explained: "The experience of temporary deprivation of free movement and physical freedom due to quarantine can be a factor that makes it embarrassing and difficult for individuals to control themselves."

 

Another professor in a nursing school emphasized that 'intentional ruminations' are helpful when daily stress  occurs. To think deeply about the meaning and purpose of life and  deliberately recalling  the trauma experience helps understand the event. People can positively change their lifestyle that affects happiness.

 

To this end, it is the role of the church to help people overcome feelings of helplessness, show them some light, the meaning of life, faith and being with them as companions. This is because Christians are people who seek hope in despair, discover God's will in adversity, and develop faith in God, themselves, and neighbors as a community.

 

In one of the dioceses a parish priest has been running a parish spiritual counseling center since February of last year. Any one can get help with healing. "The church should show its shepherd's devotion, not to manage believers, but a time to look for those who have gone over the fence and lost their way. The church needs with sincere mercy find the lost and wandering sheep.

Malicious Comments on the Internet

The number of people taking their lives due to malicious comments in cyberspace is increasing. So begins an article in the Catholic Peace Weekly.

Let's look at cases of injury before the National Assembly in recent years. In addition, the efforts that society and the church should make to solve this problem, and how the church literature sees the ethical issues in cyberspace and the cases of damage caused by malicious comments.
 
On Feb. 4th,  a volleyball player belonging to a famous club was found dead at his home. He received many messages and malicious comments after every game, difficult for him to accept.  A woman active on YouTube made the same choice at the end of last month. She suffered severe depression from numerous malicious comments and rumors. Earlier in 2019, a singer and actress died by their own hand in succession.
 
Malicious slander on the Internet was the main cause and the ‘Malicious Comment Prevention Act’ was born. As criticism of the comments on entertainment news grew, large Korean portals removed comments on entertainment news in March and October 2019. As a result, the malicious comments seemed to have calmed down a bit, but it was not correct.
 
Rather, following the various social networking services (SNS): Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, malicious comments penetrated wider and deeper. In the past, it was mainly aimed at celebrities, but recently, sports players, YouTubers, and the general public are increasingly exposed to malicious comments.
 
To break the cycle of social harm caused by malicious comments, institutional changes are necessary. In the current law, only some of the seven types of cyberbullying can be punished severely. In a post on his Facebook page, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea said, "Cyberbullying as stipulated in the law is not just a problem for young people." We need to listen to the criticism to change the atmosphere and culture of society.
 
A professor, recently said in an interview: "The structural cause of social inequality, the social-psychological ways of expressing social dissatisfaction based on anonymity, and the media and  political environment work in a complex way in online malicious slander." We need to resolve the conflicts in our society. Another professor viewed the psychology of people who habitually commented with malicious comments as a kind of pathological obsession and urged them to solve their problems. “People who use malicious comments excessively feel they have exceptional intellectual qualities. "But in reality come from inferiority  or are negative defense mechanisms, interpreted as pathological symptoms."
 
In 2002, the Catholic Church emphasized the importance of proper use of new media and Internet ethics through two documents, 「Church and the Internet」 and 「Internet Ethics」.“Teaching about the Internet and new technologies means more than just teaching techniques. Young people must learn to behave properly in cyberspace, make sensible judgments based on sound ethical standards on what they find in cyberspace, and  use new technologies for their own personal development and for the benefit of others”
 
Based on these documents, experts within the church said that the church should be more active in cultural ministry to change the culture of excessive malicious comments. The former president of the Korean Catholic Lay Apostolic Association, said, “If anything goes too far, it will hurt or inflict damage. We need to broaden the scope of our participation. The digital world is easily accessible due to anonymity. Expressions of anger appearing in malicious comments  is a consequence of the culture of death."
 

Love of One's Culture

 In the Catholic Peace Weekly, a former member of Congress gives his thoughts on what is happening in society. He begins with the use of 'Hanbok' (Traditional Korean clothing) at the Beijing Winter Olympics. It was interpreted by some as a move by China to appropriate a part of Korean culture and identity. Asserting that various aspects of Korean culture are of Chinese origin.

 

"If the Korean-Chinese do not do chores, our society will not function properly. Still, we are never tolerant of them. Koreans are treated as second-class citizens."

 

Besides, how many times a year do we wear 'hanbok', saying that we attach great importance to 'hanbok' because it is our clothes? It's hard to even remember the times except for a few people on their wedding day. It was unfamiliar to see one of our cabinet ministers at the opening ceremony of the Olympics wearing 'hanbok'. This also means that the Chinese side was aware of the plan in advance and took action to show that the 'hanbok' belonged to them. This idea upsets us even more.

 

If 'hanbok' is our pride, we should wear it more often and increase its use and beauty. We should try to make the wearing of clothes common at various events. If clothes are also a part of the culture, we must be faithful to the values ​​of our own culture and give them meaning. Although it takes a bit of effort to wear it properly, wearing 'hanbok' is beautiful to look at, and those wearing traditional clothing should do so with a natural warmness about them.

 

Since we've already started talking about Korean culture let's mention Korean food. Even the First Lady of a past president promoted the globalization of Korean food. Nevertheless, a believable Korean restaurant has not been established in our society. We were stingy in adding value to our food. Complaints outweighed compliments for expensive Korean food. 

 

Korean food requires a lot of work and did not grow as a result. At Japanese sushi restaurants or French restaurants, they don't talk much after paying high prices. However, we are particularly picky about our food. As a result, Korean food that is introduced and popular abroad is only 'bibimbap', 'bulgogi', and stir-fried rice cakes, no place for more sophisticated Korean food. After all, whether it's clothes or food, we're stingy about giving meaning to our culture. 

 

Only when we are generous with our own can we open our hearts to the history and culture of neighboring countries. 

 

 A professor at the Korea National University of Arts, who has devoted his life to researching architectural history, has published a book by collecting articles written in newspapers. A book called “The Time of Architecture, the Eternal Present”. From prehistoric dolmens to modern buildings, he has selected and introduced the buildings in our history. 

 

The writer was able to attend a meeting on the publication anniversary and asked questions of the author. “He said that this book was an attempt to depict the society of the time through architectural expression. What is the central concept of architectural thinking that reflects the author's point of view of 'the present and the place of 'Korea'?" 

 

Regarding this, the author cited the expression in the book, “Architecture that embraces breath and life asks and answers questions from the beginning to the present, even after eons have passed.” He answered that the elements that permeate and form the root of architecture that transcends time and space are the beauty and value that can contribute to the world beyond where we live here and now. It was said that the time had come to have an open mind and thought that our architecture, along with other cultural elements, should be established as a part of world history. 

 

It is the season of politics, so it seems that we will have to put up with harsh, embarrassing, and rude talk. However, we desire and long to live as members of a different kind of world. The self-harm and 

offensive political behavior sadly will not easily disappear.

A Sick Society Makes a Sick Populace

 

"It is neither a physical force nor a miracle that enables sinful humans  to change a heart of stone into a heart soft as flesh.  Only love can truly transform man and the world." (From Who Do You Love?  by Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan).  

 

In the Catholic Times, Light of the World column, the priest writer reminisces on the decrease of vocations to the religious life. He heard from a priest in charge of nurturing prospective seminarians, these days, high school students talk like this: "Father, it seems pointless to be a priest in today’s world." As proof of this, the number of vocations to the priesthood this year are only 10 seminarians at Catholic University Theological Seminary for the 2022 academic year. 

 

About 10 years ago, there were about 30 to 40 seminarians, so why did it drop so sharply? Is it because of the declining population due to low fertility? Or was it a lack of interest in the things of the spirit? The causes may be complex, but hearing the stories of those who work in the relevant institutions brings us to a consensus that the roots of our faith have been weakened. It is said that the youth's vocations to religious life have decreased because difficulties in families have increased, and the awareness of the life of faith in the individual and society has weakened.

 

How close are you to Jesus Christ? The decrease in vocations  and the number of young people in the faith community is a situation that was predicted many years. ago. It is necessary to improve the pastoral vision, effectiveness, and system, but fundamentally, it is necessary to examine whether the church community faithfully follows and practices the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Children, and young people learn from the faith of the church community. But what faith are they learning now? Also, are they receiving spiritual and evangelical nourishment: warm love, hospitality, protection and care, attention and affection? When the world says that real estate, stocks, and money are happiness, are the priests, religious, and believers of the faith community speaking of the joy of the gospel as the highest value and testifying to the life of  'agape love'? Isn't this the source and essence of our faith? 

 

Obviously, the existing way of life and society are changing rapidly. Moreover, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, competition, anxiety, loneliness and alienation have increased. That's why there are so many sick teenagers. This is because the circumstances of the family and society are tiring and difficult. Because of the pain, there are many wounds and conflicts. 

 

But is it just the youth? There are so many people who have been hurt in body and soul. So what is necessary?  The pastoral heart of our church leaders, and policies and systems that consider and respect people are also necessary, but it is to give warm love and comfort to the people next to me. The writer of the column reflects on whether he is actually living and practicing such love. 

 

"In the formulation and teaching of this social doctrine, the Church has been, and continues to be, prompted not by theoretical motivation but by pastoral concerns. She is spurred on by the repercussions that social upheavals have on people, on multitudes of men and women, on human dignity itself, in contexts where  'man painstakingly searches for a better world, without working with equal zeal for the betterment of his own spirit'. For these reasons, this social doctrine has arisen and developed an 'updated doctrinal corpus' ... [that] builds up gradually, as the Church, in the fullness of the word revealed by Christ Jesus and with the help of the Holy Spirit  reads events as they unfold in the course of  history" (“Society Doctrine in Brief” 104).

 

 

Gossip And Elections

 

"Gossiping about others is an epidemic worse than the coronavirus," words of Pope Francis. Gossip destroys peace. It hurts the souls of those who put it in their mouths as well as those who hear it. Even knowing this, it is easy to fall into the temptation of gossip, so it spreads quickly like a virus. In a sermon, Pope Francis said that if you don't gossip you may become a saint. It's that difficult. "Don’t gossip" was also the first in "10 New Year’s Resolutions for 2014".

This presidential election is unusual. Disgusting gossip pours out, and incidents beyond our imagination continue to come out. There are profanities on the Internet that cannot be translated. With all eyes on the provocative stories, can the candidate's promises get attention?

Perhaps it's the digital world and the Internet that made the situation worse. The technology that has changed the lives of mankind fantastically is also a weapon if misused. Numerous cameras and recorders are used without hesitation, and some are abused. In some cases, the facts are distorted by 'evil editing', in which certain parts are intentionally edited in a recording or video. There is also concern about "deep fakes" based on artificial intelligence. A 'cheap fake' that is manipulated by simple computer technology is easily created. Digital gossip like this has already spread around for laughs.

The properties of digital are endless copying, reproduction, and rapid spread. Once on the Internet, it's there forever. It's repeated endlessly with the same image quality. Some are maliciously edited and floating around. According to the 2021 Media Audience Survey by the Korea Press Foundation, 69% of the respondents chose the Internet as the medium they rely on to learn about major issues. In particular, 94.9% of 19-29 year-olds use the Internet. I fear that the Internet, the highway for information, will become a gossip highway.

Elections are a war of words. It is easy to use gossip and lies when you fight not to die. It seems that the faults of a leading candidate and family in this election are not small;  they may be brushed off, inflated, and painted over. His ability to cover his eyes with words is amazing, but he also tells outright lies. If even a small number of voters fall for gossip, it affects the outcome of the election. Should a precious election be determined by gossip?

Candidates who repeat lies or gossip should be filtered out. If public opinion realizes the power they have, it will appear in the results of the polls and restrain candidates.

Media audiences need to develop media literacy, an ability to judge the media, to determine fake news. Social media such as YouTube, which is overly biased, needs care in accessing.

If an election is compared to a trial, the people, who are voters, are judges. To pass gossip on to a judge is to testify falsely. It influences good judgment and darkens the future for all of us. The gossip virus spreads easily during an election season. We need to be sensitive to false gossip, not to listen or spread it. "You must not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16).

The End is Just Another Beginning

 

On the 18th of last month, there was a general meeting of the Catholic Journalists' Association. On that day, the 55-year-old Association, joined with two other organizations, Signis Seoul and the Catholic Newspaper Publishers Association, starting the Catholic Communication Association. In the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Times the writer gives us some thoughts on retirement and its meaning for him.

 

The change came about because of digital technology, new media, and the convergence of media. Discussions on the integration of the three media organizations have been going on for nearly 10 years. 

Organizations, political parties, or any organization, integration is bound to bring pain, but despite all the difficulties it was concluded. At the general meeting, the writer who was finishing his term as President of the Catholic Journalist Association said: "Let us all move from one word to another," the end of one era and moving on to a new one. 

He looked up the word 'deadline' in an internet dictionary. The deadline is 'to finish the work you were doing, at a certain time'. In particular, the deadline familiar in the writer's world is 'time to conclude the writing of a manuscript for a newspaper or magazine'. 

It's difficult to write the first sentence. As the time for handing over the manuscript approaches, he wants to escape from this predicament; it's the fate of a writer to write, erase, and rewrite, the same problem for all writers. Think again about the deadline. Ending a day's work, graduating or being discharged from the military, preparing for death... all the big events in life have deadlines. 

"Now the writer has come to the end of the deadline war." The writer has reached retirement age this year, and hears the same questions: "Do you have any plans after retirement? How will the second half of your life play out?" The words my juniors and acquaintances use are the same, and his response is the same. "Now I need to rest. While recharging, I will do what I wanted to do." What would have happened if it hadn't been for his three joys: reading, writing, walking, and finding vitality through them?

He worked as an editor for the Economic Daily for over 33 years. Deadline wars were common. Sometimes he shuddered at the time-pressed work stress. However, life for most is different but only in degree. He has been able to start a family, raise a daughter, and live a life without any major problems. Most of all, the Lord helped. He is proud and grateful for the experience of beginning and ending in one job. It may seem silly to young people these days, who find it easy to change jobs. 

But is the end literally the end? No. The end is and should be a new beginning. From April, there were six months to prepare for retirement. "Let’s not go wild in the second half of life, let’s hold on to something." 

He found a new activity in his life. He applied for the theological education course and will attend for two years from March. First of all, He wants to learn in-depth about Catholicism in general, including the Bible, doctrine, and church history. He worried about what would happen if they couldn't fill at least 15 seats due to COVID-19. But the Lord, who knows his wish, solved it at once. He's excited to meet new friends who will study with him.

There are also verses like this in the Bible. "I am the beginning, I am the end" (Isaiah 48:12). We walk again while praying and trusting in the Lord who is the end and beginning. Towards his unknown future... However, he will not be impatient and will devote himself to life with a more relaxed and generous mind. "Lord who leads me on the right path and gives me strength, let me know that my end is another beginning. Amen!"