2000 Years of History Can't Be All Wrong.

For the life of me, I will never understand how most moderns view the Catholic Church. Ever since the Pope's death it's been the same thing all the time. When will the Church change to suit the times? When will the Church allow priests to marry, gays to marry, women to be priests, more democracy in the leadership, artificial contraception, and the list of issues goes on. It's a peculiar arrogance of modernity that believes the Church must change to suit the political issues of the times, as if it is self-evident that the Church's positions are wrong.

What all the commentary seems to miss is that the Church is an institution devoted to a particular religious faith. Its integrity demands that it hew to that faith. Whatever obligation it has to its adherents is to their souls. It's not a government that exists to answer to the earthly demands of its members.

The Church is something like 2000 years old. Its traditions stretch back for centuries. How old is modernity? 100, 200, 300 years tops? Modernity is a child compared to the Church. Perhaps the modern world has more to learn from the Church than the other way round.

The Church has done very well for itself with the doctrines it embraces. It was born in persecution in the Roman Empire and thrived because its adherents stuck firm to their principles. It did so well it took over the Empire from within. Think about that for a moment. The Catholic Church was born during the Roman Empire and it survived its fall and all the history that followed that event.

I dare say that the Roman Catholic Church is the longest-lasting human institution in the world today. It may be in trouble in the West but it is thriving around the world. If I were to bet on which institution is likely to be around 2000 years from now, I'd bet that the Church will still be here but that most else will be gone.

-tdr