Word: catholicism
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...climate at Harvard might justly be deemed very cold for Catholicism, and indeed discouraging to all faiths. The fundamental difficulty stems from a lack of understanding among students and the faculty as to the nature of a Catholic's religion. And this is frequently compounded by an insufficient awareness in Catholics themselves of the implications of their position as members of the Church and at the same time students of the University. This dual misunderstanding often leads to the skeptic's sneer at the intellectual vacuity of Catholicism, and breeds in some Catholics a shy defensive attitude, or even...
The Church acknowledges that the most tested faith may be the strongest, that people may grow spiritually under tension; but the Church has no faith in strain per se. And certainly a continuous process of questioning will not in itself appear as a positive good, either to the Catholic Church...
...times by some of the amazing statements various of the faculty seem compelled to make; but these he can answer, if only to himself. As always it is more baffling to cope with the indifference, for it assumes a prior judgment; it rests on an implied assumption that Catholicism is by nature phony; that Catholicism is patronizing, and assumes the air of a father who won't tell the child there is no Santa Claus. Catholics are certainly not despised, but in general they are respected only despite their Catholicism...
...Certainly at some point the individual's act of faith becomes a distinguishing factor--Credo ut intelligam, I believe that I might understand--but up to this point explanation is surely possible, and for that matter so is defense. Fifteen of the Catholics questioned had periods of reaction against Catholicism; some at least of the others have examined their religious beliefs from their vantage point in college. The examination of one's beliefs is almost essential to every intelligent being, or else the beliefs will not expand as the individual develops, and will soon become empty and useless. Thus every...
...Catholicism is different from most of the religions represented at Harvard--different in its stress on tradition and dogma, and also in its claim to catholicity. There is an undeniable fascination for the agnostic of a positive faith--an attraction which may be disliked but cannot be denied. Skepticism may pose a threat to the Catholic's faith, but Catholicism, on the other hand, is an open threat to the skeptic, because it holds forth hope...