I know that Theology of the Body is a controversial thing, but recently I've started to approach it cautiously and take a closer look on what it is all about, as it's more than just sexual ethics. You see once I understood the Traditional Philosophical understanding of the human person as being made up of an intellect, will and body with appetites; and that socialization is really a bodily thing, it really helped me understand myself and the world much better. Having watched and re-watched some of Christopher West's interviews on Matt Fradd's Podcast, I noticed he seems be touching a lot of things I've learned and observed through these last couple of years, and it's made me really consider the Theology of the Body and what it all entails. What are your thoughts on it, is it compatible with Traditional Catholic Philosophy and Theology?
I really don't know much about the Theology of the Body. Here is a talk based on St. John Paul's Theology of the Body. Fr. Dave is a psychologist. Given that he is doing doctoral studies on Anthropology, Theology of the Body and 'Gender Theory', I would be interested to find out how Orthodox it is. To my mind the any gender theory should be fairly simple. Male and female He created them. I must watch the videos.
I think what is required, is to take Pope John Paul II in small dosages. He is brilliant enough to overwhelm one at times. Christopher West has a teaching series on Theology of the Body with a workbook included which helps one to absorb it in small bites.
Father Dave is a solid faithful priest. I have been good friends with him for many years. Its a shame he's no longer based in Ireland
Agreed. His philosophy is a unique blend of thomistic principles, and the 20th cent phenomenological method. Many contemporary philosophers have the focus on consciousness but are clueless about the metaphysical and it leads to many errors and confusions which we see all around us. The "transgender" madness is one such error.
RW, i was trying to find that I read and found it so here it is for your reading since you asked about CW. https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/li...-and-christopher-west-modern-enthusiast-10064 I also read an editorial from Inside the Vatican (Moynihan) about CW which I can't find now, but if you search for his name and Inside the Vatican, I see other articles that come up. Personally I am not a fan of his approach, having been influenced by a number of mystics who insist on the importance of purety and what it entails. I did buy a few books for my teens several years ago written by authors using similar approach as CW and decided they were not appropriate after having read through them.
Yes, I think Fr. Dave is a good and Holy priest with a lot of compassion, and orthodox in his approach. Fr. Dave talks about the Four Ruptures. 1. The rupture within ourselves 2. The rupture with God 3. The rupture with other people (interpersonal rupture) 4. The rupture with creation or environment or work (Personally, I would put the rupture with God as number 1 to reflect the fact that it is the most important rupture or sin giving rise to all the others.) Fr. Dave sees this rupture within ourselves as resulting from the loss of harmony that formally existed between our body and our soul before the Fall (of Adam and Eve). Fr. Dave says: "The presence of anger or agression towards our bodies ... is a huge motivational force behind a lot of body issues like body dysphoria ...so from anorexia to obesity often anger and agression play a dominant or a very subtle role. Frustration with body image and sexuality have led us into the transgender phenomenon that is engulfing our culture. It is actually a profound hatred of the human body. Isn't that tragic." I was concerned at first to see Fr. Dave studying anthropology and 'gender studies'. My fears have been allayed after watching the above video and this one below. Fr. Dave feels that the Church in its compassionate mission needs to reach out to those who are trapped in these gender dysphoric and related (disordered) states. Fr. Dave acknowledges that there are 2 almost mutually exclusive ideologies or anthropologies (views of the human person): 1. the Christian anthropology (which holds to God's Biblical revelation of 'male and female He created them') (which incidentally is closely aligned with biological facts although there are exceptions in nature) and 2. the modern anthropology involving gender fluidity. I am glad to see that Fr. Dave does not see that there can be, at this time, a dialogue between the two ideologies. In fact, he says that the modern 'gender theory' ideology is so dominant that we adherents of the Christian anthropology are in a period of (white) martyrdom.
