The assumption that proper catechesis produces assent to Catholic doctrine\u2014which thereby fosters Catholic identity and practice\u2014assumes that people choose their actions and identity primarily on the basis of theological beliefs. Yet this widely held assumption has come under fire recently. James K. A. Smith’s work on cultural liturgies draws on Augustine, cognitive psychology, and philosophies of action to challenge this myth: people’s behavior is not driven primarily by what they know and believe but by what they love and imagine as good. This is not to say that beliefs are unimportant, but that what gives shape to human action is primarily one\u2019s imagination and enduring dispositions (habitus) rather than mere assent to doctrine.<\/p>\n
This notion is consistent with St. John Paul II’s critique of modern culture in Evangelium Vitae, which focuses on \u201cthe eclipse of the sense of God\u201d (\u00a721). He argues that people do not lose their sense of God because of their beliefs, but due to a \u201closs of contact with God’s wise design,\u201d which occurs \u201cwhen nature itself, from being \u2018mater\u2019 (mother), is now reduced to being \u2018matter,\u2019 and is subjected to every kind of manipulation\u201d (EV \u00a722). John Paul II names this loss of the sense of God as \u201cthe deepest [root] of the struggle between the \u2018culture of life\u2019 and the \u2018culture of death,\u2019\u201d which is characteristic of a \u201csocial and cultural climate dominated by secularism\u201d (EV \u00a721). People who lose \u201ccontact with God’s wise design\u201d and their sense of God are prone to begin \u201cliving as if God does not exist,\u201d (EV \u00a721) also known as \u201cpractical atheism.\u201d The most shocking aspect of this diagnosis of modern secularity is that it even describes many who maintain belief in God and superficial religiosity, since assenting to orthodox theology does not protect someone from losing their sense of God and living as if he does not exist.<\/p>\n
This is not to say that beliefs are unimportant, but that one\u2019s imagination\u2014whether Catholic or secular\u2014is ultimately more important for determining whether someone embodies a life of faith.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Very good article. Solid catechesis (and apologetics) is needed, but most important are parents and friends \u201cwhose everyday lives are an attractive witness to the Catholic faith.\u201dhttps:\/\/t.co\/w6fi5l89Xz<\/a><\/p>\n — Matthew (@Matthew0331) September 26, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n