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Consider:
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The Catholic Church teaches religious truth and religious truth cannot change,
even if it is unpopular.
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The Catholic Church is not a creator of doctrine, but its guardian. She has
authority only to pass on what she has already received, not
to invent new dogma.
"[N]othing
of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed;
nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards
expression and meaning." (Pope St. Agatho)
"The
Holy Spirit was not promised to the successor of Peter that by the
revelation of the Holy Spirit they might disclose new doctrine,
but that by His help they might guard sacredly the revelation
transmitted through the Apostles and the deposit of faith, and
might faithfully set it forth." (First Vatican Council)
"To
announce, therefore, to Catholic Christians something other than
that which they have received is never permitted, is nowhere
permitted, and never will be permitted. And to anathematize those
who announce anything other than that which has been received once
and for all has never been unnecessary, is nowhere unnecessary,
and never will be unnecessary" (St. Vincent of Lerins, c. 434
A.D.)
"For
the Church of Christ, watchful guardian that she is, and defender
of the dogmas deposited with her, never changes anything, never
diminishes anything, never adds anything to them; but with all
diligence she treats the ancient documents faithfully and wisely;
if they really are of ancient origin and if the faith of the
Fathers has transmitted them, she strives to investigate and
explain them in such a way that the ancient dogmas of heavenly
doctrine will be made evident and clear, but will retain their
full, integral, and proper nature, and will grow only within their
own genus - that is, within the same dogma, in the same sense and
the same meaning." (Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis
Deus", 1854 A.D.)
Note
that even a so-called "new" dogma (e.g. the Immaculate
Conception of Mary), is not really new. Rather, it has
always been part of the deposit of faith (at least implicitly), but it is simply put
forth in a more explicit manner. As Pope Pius XI has stated, "For
the teaching authority of the Church, which in the divine wisdom
was constituted on earth in order that revealed doctrines might
remain intact forever, and that they might be brought with ease
and security to the knowledge of men, and which is daily exercised
through the Roman Pontiff and the Bishops who are in communion
with him, has also the office of defining, when it sees fit, any
truth with solemn rites and decrees, whenever this is necessary
either to oppose the errors or the attacks of heretics, or more
clearly and in greater detail to stamp the minds of the faithful
with the articles of sacred doctrine which have been explained.
But in the use of this extraordinary teaching authority no newly
invented matter is brought in, nor is anything new added to the
number of those truths which are at least implicitly contained in
the deposit of Revelation, divinely handed down to the Church:
only those which are made clear which perhaps may still seem
obscure to some, or that which some have previously called into
question is declared to be of faith." (Pope Pius XI,
"Mortalium Animos", 1928 A.D.)
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The dogmas of the Church are not subject to changing
interpretations over time.
"If
anyone says that it is possible that at some time, given the
advancement of knowledge, a sense may be assigned to the dogmas
propounded by the Church which is different from that which the
Church has understood and understands: let him be anathema." (First
Vatican Council)
"I
entirely reject the heretical misrepresentation that dogmas evolve
and change from one meaning to another different from the one
which the Church held previously." (From the Oath Against
Modernism, Prescribed by Pope St. Pius X, 1910 A.D.)
"For
the doctrine of the faith which God has revealed is put forward
not as some philosophical discovery capable of being perfected by
human intelligence, but as a divine deposit committed to the
spouse of Christ to be faithfully protected and infallibly
promulgated. Hence, too, that meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever
to be maintained which has once been declared by Holy Mother
Church, and there must never be any abandonment of this sense
under the pretext or in the name of a more profound understanding.
May understanding, knowledge and wisdom increase as ages and
centuries roll along, and greatly and vigorously flourish, in each
and all, in the individual and the whole church: but this only in
its own proper kind, that is to say, in the same doctrine, the
same sense, and the same understanding." (First Vatican
Council)
"Finally,
I declare that I am completely opposed to the error of the
modernists who hold that there is nothing divine in sacred
tradition; or what is far worse, say that there is, but in a
pantheistic sense, with the result that there would remain nothing
but this plain simple fact - one to be put on a par with the
ordinary facts of history - the fact, namely, that a group of men
by their own labor, skill, and talent have continued through
subsequent ages a school begun by Christ and his apostles. I
firmly hold, then, and shall hold to my dying breath the belief of
the Fathers in the charism of truth, which certainly is, was, and
always will be in the succession of the episcopacy from the
apostles. The purpose of this is, then, not that dogma may be
tailored according to what seems better and more suited to the
culture of each age; rather, that the absolute and immutable truth
preached by the apostles from the beginning may never be believed
to be different, may never be understood in any other way."
(Pope St. Pius X, Oath Against Modernism, 1910 A.D.)
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The Church is bound to protect the purity of the faith by
preserving her constant teachings and upholding tradition
"Take
as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith
and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the
help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us." (2
Tm. 1:13-14)
"O
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid profane
babbling and the absurdities of so-called knowledge. By professing
it, some people have deviated from the faith. Grace be with all of
you." (1 Tm. 6:20-21)
"Remember
your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the
outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ
is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried away
by all kinds of strange teaching." (Heb. 13:7-9)
"I
praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to
the traditions, just as I handed them on to you." (1 Cor. 11:2)
"If
anyone rejects any written or unwritten tradition of the church,
let him be anathema." (Second Council of Nicaea)
"Let
them innovate nothing, but keep the traditions." (Pope St.
Steven I, 3rd century A.D.)
"The
best advice that I can give you is this. Church traditions -
especially when they do not run counter to the faith - are to be
observed in the form in which previous generations have handed
them down" (St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church, 4th century
A.D.)
"The
Church appeals to the faithful not to abandon or make light of the
traditions of the Fathers but to receive them reverently as a
precious possession of the Catholic family and to honor those
traditions." (Pope Paul VI)
"The
customs of God's people and the institutions of our ancestors are
to be considered as laws. And those who throw contempt on the
customs of the Church ought to be punished as those who disobey
the law of God." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, 5th
century A.D.)
"'Therefore,
brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been
taught, whether by word or by our letter.' From this it is clear
that they did not hand down everything by letter, but there was
much also that was not written. Like that which was written, the
unwritten too is worthy of belief. So let us regard the tradition
of the Church also as worthy of belief. Is it a tradition? Seek no
further." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, c. 400
A.D.)
"Those,
therefore, who dare to think or to teach otherwise or to spurn
according to wretched heretics the ecclesiastical traditions and
to invent anything novel, or to reject anything from these things
which have been consecrated by the Church...or to invent
perversely and cunningly for the overthrow of anyone of the
legitimate traditions of the Catholic Church; or even, as it were,
to use the sacred vessels or the venerable monasteries as common
things; if indeed they are bishops or clerics, we order (them) to
be deposed; monks, however, or laymen, to be excommunicated"
(Second Council of Nicaea, 787 A.D.)
"The
Church of Christ, zealous and cautious guardian of the dogmas
deposited with it, never changes any phase of them. It does not
diminish them or add to them; it neither trims what seems
necessary nor grafts things superfluous; it neither gives up its
own or usurps what does not belong to it. But it devotes all its
diligence to one aim: to treat tradition faithfully and wisely; to
nurse and polish what from old times may have remain unshaped and
unfinished; to consolidate and strengthen what already was clear
and plain; and to guard what already was confirmed and
defined." (St. Vincent of Lerins, 5th century A.D.)
"'Guard,'
he says, 'what has been committed.' What does it mean, 'what has
been committed'? It is what has been faithfully entrusted to you,
not what has been discovered by you; what you have received, not
what you have thought up; a matter not of ingenuity, but of
doctrine; not of private acquisition, but of public Tradition; a
matter brought to you, not put forth by you, in which you must not
be the author but the guardian, not the founder but the sharer,
not the leader, but the follower. 'Guard,' he says, 'what has been
committed.' Keep the talent [see Mt. 25:14-30] of the Catholic
Faith inviolate and unimpaired. What has been faithfully
entrusted, let it remain in your possession, let it be handed on
by you. You have received gold, so give gold. For my part, I do
not want you to substitute one thing for another; I do not want you
imprudently to put lead in place of gold, or fraudulently, brass.
I do not want the appearance of gold, but the real thing. O
Timothy, O priest, O interpreter, O teacher, if a divine gift has
made you suitable in genius, in experience, in doctrine to be the
Bezalel [i.e. skilled craftsman] of the spiritual tabernacle, cut
out the precious gems of divine dogma, shape them faithfully,
ornament them wisely, add splendor, grace and beauty to them! By
your expounding it, may that now be understood more clearly which
formerly was believed even in its obscurity. May posterity, by
means of you, rejoice in understanding what in times past was
venerated without understanding. Nevertheless, teach the same that
you have learned, so that if you say something anew, it is not
something new that you say." (St. Vincent of Lerins, c. 434
A.D.)
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The Catholic religion is not subject to human progress:
"...that
progress of dogmas...is, in reality, nothing but the corruption of
dogmas." (Pope St. Pius X, "Lamentabili Sane", 1907
A.D.)
Error
CONDEMNED by Pope Pius IX in the Syllabus of Errors: "Divine
revelation is imperfect, and therefore subject to continuous and
indefinite progress, which corresponds to the progress of human
reason." (Bl. Pope Pius IX, This proposition was condemned in
the Syllabus of Errors, Dec. 8, 1864 A.D.)
"It
is with no less deceit, venerable brothers, that other enemies of
divine revelation, with reckless and sacrilegious effrontery, want
to import the doctrine of human progress into the Catholic
religion. They extol it with the highest praise, as if religion
itself were not of God but the work of men, or a philosophical
discovery which can be perfected by human means... Our holy
religion was not invented by human reason, but was most mercifully
revealed by God; therefore, one can quite easily understand that
religion itself acquires all its power from the authority of God
who made the revelation, and that it can never be arrived at or
perfected by human reason." (Bl. Pope Pius IX, "Qui
Pluribus", 1846 A.D.)
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The Church is a divine institution and cannot simply change
because her members might want her to.
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The Church's teachings are timeless and never need to be
"modernized".
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The Church cannot contradict what she has always held to be true -
genuine novelties can never become dogma!
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Christ's followers have a duty to reject novelties & strange
doctrine...
"Let
what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard
from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son
and in the Father." (Jn. 2:24)
"Remember
your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the
outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ
is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried away
by all kinds of strange teaching." (Heb. 13:7-9)
"Anyone
who is so 'progressive' as not to remain in the teaching of the
Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the
Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this
doctrine, do not receive him in your house or even greet him; for
whoever greets him shares in his evil works." (2 Jn. 1:9-11)
"I
am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you
by (the) grace (of Christ) for a different gospel (not that there
is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to
pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from
heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we
preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before,
and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than
the one that you received, let that one be accursed!" (Gal. 1:6-9)
"I
have learned however, that certain persons from elsewhere, who
have evil doctrine, have stayed with you; but you did not allow
them to sow it among you, and you stopped your ears so that you
would not receive what they sow... Do not err, my brethren: the
corrupters of families will not inherit the kingdom of God. And if
they who do these things according to the flesh suffer death, how
much more if a man corrupt by evil teaching the faith of God, for
the sake of which Jesus Christ was crucified? A man become so foul
will depart into unquenchable fire; and so also will anyone who
listens to him." (St. Ignatius of Antioch, hearer of St. John
the Apostle, c. 110 A.D.)
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Although it is clear that the Church cannot add to or
change dogmas, it should be noted that:
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Not everything uttered or written by a pope, theologian, saint,
council, doctor of the Church, etc. is dogma.
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Not all papal writings / utterances are considered
"dogma" or are protected by infallibility (click
here for more information on papal infallibility).
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Even the greatest theologians and saints have been wrong on some
points - and even popes (when not speaking infallibly) have
sometimes been wrong. Clearly, one must learn to separate
private opinions from true Church dogma. This is best facilitated
by looking to what the Church has always held to be true.
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Priests - and even bishops and cardinals - do not always expound
true Catholic dogma, especially in today's age. As indicated
above, one must learn to separate private opinions from true
Church dogma. Again, this is best facilitated by examining what
the Church has always held to be true.
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Certain disciplines / practices of the Church - e.g. fasting regulations - (and not
dogma or doctrine) are subject to change. Such changes,
however, should only be made for the glory of God and for the good
of the Church and of souls.
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Do you think the Church has changed her teachings? If so, you
should refer back to her earliest teachings. You will find that
her dogmas have not changed, even if certain expressions have
changed. Further, it should be noted that:
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While dogma cannot change, expressions of dogma may change.
"She may magnify what was already there, not change
it."
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Dogma may be developed or made more precise over time (but never
developed in a contradictory manner).
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The Church's ways of presenting truth may vary over time,
according to circumstances ("would you do everything the same
in the winter as in the summer?").
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The early Church was persecuted and would naturally be expected to
change appearance somewhat after the persecutions had passed (much
like a plant that starts from a seed). Such changes are proof of
life, not death! Just as the plant remains the same plant (only
better developed), the Church remains of the same essence, only
visibly 'fuller'. It would be wrong try to try to shrink the Church
back to infancy, just as it would be wrong to want a grown man to
shrink back to infancy or a tree to return to a seed! "Just
as all those things, which, through the seasons, develop in the
tree, were already present but invisible in its seed" (St.
Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
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The "coining of a term" to define a dogma does not
mean that the dogma was invented, but rather a term was invented
to describe an existing dogma. Such terms are especially useful
for making belief more precise and for passing doctrines on to
future generations.
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The defining of a doctrine does not mean a doctrine was
created, but rather what has always been believed (at least
implicitly) is made more
explicit, more clear.
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Certain terms originally employed by the Church may have later
been distorted by heretics.
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In earlier days, certain elements of the faith weren't disbelieved
or debated, so persons could discuss them without fear of their
words being taken in the wrong way.
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Not all writers discuss every point of doctrine, especially since
certain points of doctrine were so well known and accepted, there
was no reason to address them.
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The lack of written evidence of any particular item is not
infallible "proof" that it did not exist. We must
remember that some things were purposely not written down,
many person were illiterate, writing materials were hard to come
by / expensive / non-durable...
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The Church as a whole should not be blamed for the failure of a
certain persons (or persons) to expound true doctrine. The views
of certain person(s) do not necessarily represent the teachings of
the Catholic Church.
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The fact that something may have been taught in a certain location
(or locations) does not mean it was the universal teaching of the Church.
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Not even Vatican II changed dogma (especially considering that the
Council has been considered pastoral and not dogmatic).
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The Church cannot change her dogmas because Christ promised
that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church (Mt.
16:18),
and that He would remain with her always (Mt.
28:20), along with the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:16). Certainly we know that Christ would
not make
such promises unless He intended to fulfill them! How then can you
maintain that the Catholic Church has changed her dogma - are you meaning
to imply that Christ set up a church and said the gates of hell
would not prevail but then let it fall into error? Do you make
Jesus a liar? Do you pretend that He does not live up to his
promises? Do you imagine that He speaks in error?
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It would be wrong to try to change the Church's teachings as it would
be a corruption of Christ's teachings. As St. Augustine says, "What
else do those preachers of another gospel than that which we have
received try to do, but to corrupt us from the purity which we
preserve for Christ, when they stigmatize the law of God as old,
and praise their own falsehoods as new, as if all that is new must
be good, and all that is old bad? The Apostle John, however,
praises the old commandment, and the Apostle Paul bids us avoid
novelties in doctrine."
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The Church cannot change because truth - by its very nature - is
unchanging. One cannot change 2+2=4 for any person, no matter how
unpopular the formula may be, precisely because it is a truth
which is not subject to change. The dogmas of the Church are
also truths which are not subject to change.
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The Church cannot change because her purpose is to preserve
doctrine, not to create new doctrine; "the Faith is not a thing to be refashioned by any human intelligence, but something to be
safeguarded by the Church's authority against any such refashioning."
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The dogmas of the Church are God's revealed truths. No one on
earth has the power or authority to change them, not even the
pope.
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The Church teaches infallibly through the protection of the Holy Spirit
(click
here).
Do you seriously expect the Church to put aside the assistance of the
Holy Spirit so that instead of teaching truth she may simply teach
what you like?
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How could you respect the Church if she changed her doctrines to
suit your likes and dislikes? You would be worshiping not God, but
yourself!
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Like it or not, there are fixed truths not subject to the whims or
opinions of human beings.
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The Church is not a democracy, nor was it founded by Christ to be
a democracy.
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Since when does opinion dictate religious truths?
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Do you also expect God to change for you?
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Why do you think that the Church - Christ's body (see Col 1:18) -
should cater to your likes and dislikes? *
The Church's dogmas are not hers to change. She did not
manufacture them, but only passes down what was committed to her. *
How can dogmas of the faith be subject to negotiation? *
"The Church is not a medium for or an outlet
for self-gratification; rather, she is the living safeguard of
Christ's teaching." *
The Church's unchangeableness and protection of dogmas has actually
led to the protection of human life on earth. Note that
heretics have been around from the beginning - some of them even promoted suicide as a positive good. If not for the unchangeable
Church, people would be swept away by all sorts of strange
teaching. *
Although you may consider the Church's unwillingness to change her
teachings as a bad thing, it is actually a good thing - and it is
proof of Christ's fulfillment of His promises. The Catholic
Church is the only religion with fully consistent doctrine since
its inception. In
fact, it is an excellent way of distinguishing the true Church from false religions (who are unable to maintain consistent
doctrine precisely because they don't consider truths as fixed but
rather allow each to 'come to their own doctrine' by means of
personal interpretation). Thanks to God's protection, the Catholic
Church has managed to preserve her teachings intact for all these
many years despite great persecution, barbarians, threats from
heresy, etc... *
Those whose doctrines contradict the teaching of the apostles
"by that very fact show themselves as false teachers."
Whereas the Catholic Church can prove that her teachings agree
with apostolic teachings, those outside the Catholic Church cannot
trace their teachings (at least not all of them) directly back to
the apostles.
In
Closing...
"We
do not advocate one thing at one time and change it at another;
otherwise the faith would become a joke to those outside." (St. John of
Damascus, Doctor of the Church)
"As
regards the substance of the articles of faith, they have not
received any increase as time when on: since whatever those who
lived later have believed was contained, albeit implicitly, in the
faith of those Fathers who proceeded them. But there was an
increase in the number of articles believed explicitly, since to
those who lived in later times some were known explicitly which
were not known explicitly by those who lived before them." (St.
Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church)
"It
is of necessity, then, that these aforementioned heretics, because
they are blind to the truth, walk in various and devious paths;
and on this account the [traces] of their doctrine are scattered
about without agreement or connection. The path of those, however,
who belong to the Church, goes around the whole world; for it has
the firm tradition of the Apostles, enabling us to see that the
faith of all is one and the same." (St. Irenaeus, 2nd century
A.D.)
"If
then these things are so, it is the same degree manifest that all
doctrine which agrees with the apostolic churches - those moulds
and original sources of the faith - must be reckoned for truth, as
undoubtedly containing that which the churches received from the
apostles, the apostles from Christ, Christ from God. Whereas all
doctrine must be prejudged as false which savors of contrariety to
the truth of the churches and apostles of Christ and God." [Tertullian ("an excellent early Christian writer" - although he would ultimately fall into heresy), 3rd century A.D.]
"As
I said before, the Church, having received this preaching and this
faith, although she is disseminated throughout the whole world,
yet guarded it, as if she occupied but one house. She likewise
believes these things just as if she had but one soul and one and
the same heart; and harmoniously she proclaims them and teaches
them and hands them down, as if she possessed but one mouth. For,
while the languages of the world are diverse, nevertheless, the
authority of the tradition is one and the same. Neither do the
Churches among the Germans believe otherwise or have another
tradition, nor do those among the Iberians, nor among the Celts,
nor away in the East, nor in Egypt, nor in Libya, nor those which
have been established in the central regions of the world. But
just as the sun, that creature of God, is one and the same
throughout the whole world, so also the preaching of the truth
shines everywhere and enlightens all men who desire to come to a
knowledge of truth." (St. Irenaeus, 2nd century A.D.)
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