John Marshall Harlan II

Terris Pope John Paul II addresses Pope John XXIII's writing in his Encyclical letter of Pecem in Terris. Pacem in Terris in English term is known as Peace on earth. John Paul II made it very clear to what he wanted to talk about in his version of Pecem in Terris. He actually writes it in a very organized manner. He puts it in almost a list of what has been happening in or before the 20th century, almost like giving us a history lesson of some sort. He then addresses the ideas of Pope John…

Concluding with Narnia’s rebirth into new and fuller life, The Last Battle necessarily engages with themes of judgement, salvation, and eternity. C. S. Lewis closes his chronicle with Narnia perfectly realized in eternity, where all of its heroes rejoice in Aslan’s presence. Delving deep into theology, Lewis undergirds his events and imagery with powerfully coherent message about salvation. Lewis’s vision of the final judgement reflects a distinctly Catholic theology through its communication of…

Chapter I Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) Eugen Berthold Freidrich known as Bertolt Brecht was born on 10 February 1898 in an upper-middle class family in Augsburg. The director of paper mill, Brecht’s father believed in Catholicism. The interesting fact is that his parents had a mixed Catholic-Protestant marriage and Brecht was mainly brought up by his mother’s Protestant faith. He attended elementary school and grammar school in Augsburg and his patriotism soon changed into pacifism in 1914 when…

In John Patrick Shanley’s play, the struggle for Sister Aloysius to prove—and for Sister James to believe—that Father Flynn molested Donald Muller serves as the central conflict. Father Flynn is progressive, hoping to reform the church which causes the more conservative Sister Aloysius to appear intolerant and suspicious of him simply for his radical ideas. This conflict addresses other concerns beyond abuse, such as that of the subjugation of gender in the Catholic church, which affects Sister…

There has been positive transformations in the Roman Catholic and Native American traditions. There were struggles that took place in both religious groups before these transitions occurred. Pluralism and ethnicity are two of the most important episodes in the Roman Catholic faith. Ghost Dance and inculturation have contributed significantly to Native American tradition. Each of these changes in both religions have created a more diverse congregation, unity, and collaboration of different…

A1. Pope John XXII announced the Second Vatican council (ecumenical council) of the Roman Catholic Church on January 25, 1959, as a chance for the church to take part in a renewal. Pope John XXII called the Council shortly after he was elected. He noticed that the Church needed to make the message of faith relevant to people in the twentieth century. Ecumenical councils had been called before, but usually during times of great crisis for the church. To most Catholics in 1959, the church didn’t…

beyond the boundaries of the formal classrooms I had been in at St. Thomas Seminary in Denver and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. One person has both watched and participated as this process unfolded over so many years—Father John Patrick…

The Fourth Lateran Council, as called by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216), was conducted on April 19, 1215. This council is sometimes referred to as the “Great Council” as over nine-hundred abbots and over four-hundred bishops attended the event at the Lateran palace in Rome. Some of these clergy men were “coming from as far afield as the Latin empire of Constantinople and crusader-held territories in the Levant (MP p. 139)” due to the importance of the event. The council, or synod as it sometimes…

The conflict between Catholics and Protestants in France assumed many forms. It was a physical conflict, but also an ideological one where both parties used propaganda to fight each other. Pamphlets and images where used by both the Catholics and the Protestant to discredit the adversary and rally people to their cause. The Great Marmite Overturned, Le Renversement de la grand marmite in French (Fig. 1), is one of those images. It is a woodcut, which was first produced in 1562 by an unknown…

Through the religions discussed thus far, I thought Christianity would have been the one I was most knowledgeable about since I attend a Christian church. However, I was intrigued when educated on Jesus’ upbringing and his role in the creation of Christianity. Previous to reading World Religions: Western Traditions, I was not aware that Jesus was born a Jew. I was also surprised to learn about Jesus’ birth. He was born in Bethlehem which is a small town southeast of Jerusalem. His birth was very…