This is a great explanation as to why logical arguments that make perfect sense will not connect with a person who is not predisposed to accept them. It specifically refers to Catholics in their rejection of this, that or the next doctrine, but the concept can be easily expanded out to the population in general.
I'm specifically thinking of the same-sex marriage debate when I say that the logical arguments do not connect. If you have a moral problem, then you're not going to engage your will in any other way except to escape that issue and all it's ramifications.
Related link: Struggling with Church Doctrine? Go to Confession! ~ Matins Musings
So if they understand on an intellectual level the general reasons for a doctrine, why do some Catholics accept doctrine and others reject it? The answer is that the fundamental obstacle lies not with the intellect, but with the will. One can provide all manner of logical arguments for accepting a given doctrine as true, but if the will is not predisposed to divine truth, the arguments will not matter one bit. When the will is turned against divine truth, and thus focused on the self, the intellect tows the line, defending the desires of the will at all costs.
I'm specifically thinking of the same-sex marriage debate when I say that the logical arguments do not connect. If you have a moral problem, then you're not going to engage your will in any other way except to escape that issue and all it's ramifications.
Related link: Struggling with Church Doctrine? Go to Confession! ~ Matins Musings
Very true!
ReplyDeleteKind of similar to Robert R. Reilly says -
Since failed rationalization means self-recrimination, it must be avoided at all cost. For this reason, the differences over which the culture war is being fought are not subject to reasoned discourse. Persons protecting themselves by rationalizing are interested not in finding the truth, but in maintaining the illusion that allows them to continue their behavior. For them to succeed in this, everyone must accede to their rationalization. This is why revolutionary change is required. The necessity for self-justification requires the complicity of the whole culture. Holdouts cannot be tolerated because they are potential rebukes. The self-hatred, anger, and guilt that a person possessed of a functioning conscience would normally feel from doing wrong are redirected by the rationalization and projected upon society as a whole (if the society is healthy), or upon those in society who do not accept the rationalization.
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The same is true in the other direction I think. The supporters of it are not open to reason or logic.
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