I am the first to admit I am not schooled in philosophy, theology, and Church history. That is why I am considering going back to school. I had the occasion today to sit in on some classes at a fine institution a little north and west of here. The lecture topic in one of the classes was how Vatican II responded to atheistic philosophies that led to some of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century, and to a large extent are entrenched in the world to this day. I’ve heard plenty of people say the church needed an “update” or “to get with the times.” No one ever stated that Vatican II occurred so that the Church could examine its mission in the modern world and respond to the threats that grew out of those atheistic philosophies like communism, secular humanism, etc. When you look at Vatican II in that manner it is a lot different than “we get to have Mass in English.”
This crucial context is missing from most discussion of with dissenting Catholics on a topic such as abortion. The culture of death has grown out of atheistic and humanistic philosophies, the same evil ideas that gave rise to Nazism and Communism. As a result people are treated as objects – the effect is dehumanizing – exactly the opposite of what Neitsche and Marx had in mind. Maybe that’s just too deep for the average Jane or Joe. It doesn’t take much brain power to appreciate the Church’s roll in fighting this evil, you just have to see that it is evil and not progress.
In fact the idea of the inevitability of human progress – our race skulking towards utopia – is totally wiped out when looking at history. Modern humanism promised total freedom, nothing less than the complete liberation of man. That is what John Paul II has called the “Anti-word,” a pseudo religion of atheism. It’s obviously given rise to evil and suffering on a global scale. Uncountable lives and souls have been lost as a result. I can’t speak definitively with respect to souls being lost, of course.