Bishops Urge Catholic Schools to Ban Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson's Book About God

nytimes.com:

A committee of American Roman Catholic bishops announced Wednesday that a popular book about God by Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson, a theologian at Fordham University in New York, should not be used in Catholic schools and universities because it does not uphold church doctrine.

Read the whole story: nytimes.com

Comments

[rsttho557949]

07:22 PM on 05/26/2011

Compromise in the Church...the beginning of the end. If you want to read about the greatest conspiracy of all time, read The Emissary (Amazon) by R. St. Thomas. It's a pro Roman Catholic Church, pro Western Civlization novel in the style of "Raiders" and National Treasure.


It took the entire world to defeat the Nazis. What secrets did they have that made them nearly invincible?

[whaat]

03:09 PM on 04/06/2011

In the CatholicChruch, it is not a good thing to be a woman or a child

[Pamela Ricci]

03:06 AM on 04/05/2011

If the book is in opposition of Church doctrine, then it can and should be pulled from Catholic schools' bookshelves. It has nothing to do with resentment of educated and strong women. It happens with all books in the Catholic school system. The Church has many women in high positions. If it was a book about Boy Scouts and contained within it's pages statement that were contrary to the Boy Scout philosophy, my expectation would be that the organization wouldn't use the book. Same deal here. The book can go to Barnes and Noble, but not Catholic school libraries. It's a simple decision, and unless you are Catholic, really not a concern for you.

[TeeSC]

04:16 PM on 04/06/2011

I'm not sure I agree.  For one thing.. it's not in opposition to Church doctrine and I don't believe I even saw the word "opposition" used anywhere.  "The bishops are saying that the book does not adequately treat a Catholic understanding of God.”  Big difference than being "opposed to".
Personally I think the Church is just shooting itself in the foot by banning this book.  It's only going to make the young people want to know what it's about.  The Church needs to be reaching out TO the young people... not pushing them away even more. 

[YourNewNeighbor]

05:25 PM on 04/04/2011

It's amusing to see a group of people in Halloween costumes who believe in Dark Ages religious mythologies, telling another group of people in Halloween costumes who believe in Dark Ages religious mythologies what to say and what not to say.

[Andres64]

05:59 PM on 04/04/2011

It really is mind boggling.

[MIchael Dodd]

04:24 PM on 04/04/2011

When Sr. Elizabeth Johnson was working on her PhD at the Catholic University of America, I was one of her fellow students. (This, I realize, is neither recommendation nor condemnation in itself.) I imagine it is because she is a self-respecting and brilliant woman that she does not need the bishops' approval to be a Catholic, any more than she needs to leave the church because others disapprove of the bishops. This confusion of the "hierarchy" with the "church" is a persistent problem on both sides of almost every religious issue. Sr. Elizabeth's works indicate that the Catholic Church is indeed much more than a handful of American (of for that matter, European or African) bishops.

[drauz]

03:49 PM on 04/04/2011

why do American Bishops remind me of an extemist political organization?

[nervousexpat]

04:03 PM on 04/04/2011

Because they are.

[RedDogBear]

03:29 PM on 04/04/2011

According to the article the Sister claims that the bishops never even told her that they were reviewing her book. They didn't give her a chance to explain her point of view. How typical of this patriarchal authoritarian institution. I continue to wonder why any self respecting woman would want to be a part of such a church.

[ZenSufi]

05:25 PM on 04/04/2011

One reason: the bishops do not equal "the Church".

[RedDogBear]

06:05 PM on 04/04/2011

If you believe in Catholic dogma then they (along with the Pope) actually do. If you don't believe in Catholic dogma then why bother being a Catholic?