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Vatican II rolled back by the restoration of Latin Mass? : Comments
By Andrew Hamilton, published 26/7/2007Pope Benedict believes the decision to forbid Latin Mass was in principle wrong; to reverse it might win back people to the Church.
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The truth is that the catholic church is an entirely man made institution.It is also a very worldly power seeking institution.It is also a specifically western institution which grew and developed in the west---as distinct from Buddhism and Hinduism which everybody knows are Eastern.
This talk/essay addresses the topic of how all religions are cultic devices which in one way or another did or do provide means for understanding the Divine. At that none of them has the right to any exclusive claim to "holiness".
1. http://www.adidam.org/flash/truthandreligion/index.html
It seems to me that the reversion to the old Latin way is a return to a method of MYSTIFICATION---a way whereby the priests etc can manipulate their "flocks"---bah bah.
Also the metaphor of the pope being a "universal father" is illustrative. Big daddy knows best and all of you necessarily infantilised children had better do what daddy tells you---or you will rot in hell.
The church that I belong to has its equivalent to mass. Everyone is fully instructed in the meaning and significance of all the elements involved--candles (or light), water, ash, oil and incense. And of the meaning and signifance of the entire ritual. The various spoken and recitation aspects are all done in plain English which everyone understands. The structure of the language has a poetic beauty and rhythm which combined with the elements and ritual, invokes the Divine Presence in an extraordinary way. Everyone remaining fully conscious of what is happening.
The priest(s) that conduct the mass/puja have no other authority within the congregation--they merely have an obvious talent for invoking the Divine Presence.They also go through a training process. Other than that they are all co-equal before/within the Divine Presence.