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May 6,1964 THE SKYSCRAPER Page Three Intellectual Commitment Week Karl Stern Refutes Freud's View; Redefines Religion For Individuals Dr. Karl Stern, Canadian psychiatrist, appearing at Mundelein April 14, redefined the meaning of the Church for the individual and refuted Freud's view that religion is a collective form of compul sive-obsessive neurosis. According to the psychiatrist, Freud blamed religion for mak ing some lives so strictly struc tured that they are able to be lived only within a very limited frame work of actions. Freud postulated the belief that people do not un- by Mickey derstand why they perform many of these actions, they merely know that if they do not do them, they feel uncomfortable. Dr. Stern pointed out that the Church should be more signifi cant to the individual than a mere external organization devoid of freedom of thought and totally in comprehensible within the bounds of a negative morality. The noted author of Pillar of Fire, The Third Revolution and Through Dooms of Love elucidated Conformism and Non- Parent Conformism in Religion by citing the life of St. Paul as an example of a life both Christian and mean ingful. For St. Paul, the Church was an organism, the Mystical Body of Christ, not an organiza tion. The real problem, as Dr. Stern defined it, seems to be included in this one of nega tive morality. You would be amazed, he interjected, at how many patients, when asked about their religious practice, insist: 'I am a good Sister Mary Ann Ida Emphasizes Christian Idea of Intellectual Life by Tina Speaking on The Christian Basis for the In tellectual Life, April 21 in McCormick Lounge, Sis ter Mary Ann Ida, B.V.M., president, emphasized that, theoretically, the Christian intellectual should be richest because, in his search for truth, the Christian combines the totality of reason and reve lation; he excludes no possibility of reality. In answer to student queries as to whether the word Christian enhances or inhibits the word in tellectual, Sister pointed out that the Christian approach to the intellectual life should be historically most complete. Asked if Catholics are defin itely limited by having to ac cept an authority that decides to some extent which truths should be known, Sister ex plained that man is already limited by virtue of his human S. M. Ann Ida existence. Stresses Intellectual Freedom On the other hand, Sister emphasized that stu dents, especially on the college level, should be al lowed the intellectual freedom to disagree with in structors and to explore ideas which may be vital DeRosa to the process of growth. There are few univocal answers; there are very many 'goods', Sister stated. As long as there are univocal thinkers, there will be black and white answers. The Index was drawn up as a result of univocal thinking. Asked to define intellectual, Sister l-eplied that the term is not a universal. A Christian intel lectual is one who recognizes his place in the uni verse, who is aware of the relevance of his particu lar existence to the past and to the future. Urges Hunger for Ideas In discussing the importance of motivation to the intellectual life, Sister emphasized that an in tellectual has a relishing for knowledge ... a hun ger for ideas. If someone hasn't made you realize that just as the eye is made for color, the mind is made for truth, if, in your young lives, you cannot sit down and enjoy an idea, you will never be an intellectual. Sister continued, stressing that self-motivation is equally as important as the external stimulus. You young people are failing because you are al ways waiting for us to stimulate you. Basically, your education comes from yourselves. We only expose you. If we fail it is because you let us fail. Catholic I don't This is nega tive Chris- tianity, con- f o r in i s t Christianity, Le galistic Christianity. Why, then, need anyone Dr. Karl Stern strive to some how synthesize his life with a re ligious system, an unmoving, plasmaless organization, piously presented to him as a child? Bridging the gap between his afternoon and evening talk dealing with the dynam ics of group prejudice, the Bavarian-born expert quoted Dante, The power of love is harmonious ... It has the power to move the sun and the stars. He emphasized that love, unlike hate, can not be engineered. Love must exist of and in itself; but hate, in its mechanism and dynamics, is no more than a frustration of love. Faith, the psychiatrist pointed out, is interwoven with love. On the other hand, paranoia, which has all the qualities which seem to underlie prejudice, in inter woven with hate and mistrust. It is, then, simply a turning out ward of frustrated love. In thus turning his paranoia away from himself, the prejudiced person finds himself grasping for anything that will serve as a suitable object for his hate and mistrust. He will usually grasp and cling to a culturally defined scapegoat may object it would be socially acceptable to hate. Panel Members Define Scholars by Maxine Tyma Intelligence is used in every hu man pursuit, but in the life of the intellectual ideas are manipulated, classified and identified as well, said Sister Mary Jean Michael, B.V.M., chairman of the philoso phy department, speaking on a panel on the Intellectual Life. Other panel members included Dr. Russell Barta, chairman of the political science department, and Mr. Robert Hassenger, psychology instructor. The panel was the be ginning in a discussion series for Intellectual Commitment Week. Describes French Sister said the French are con sidered to be an intellectual peo ple because of their conspicuous intellectual habits. In the intellectual group the re cruit is a person of diffused inter ests and the trained soldier is a person of ideas. Sister said the habits of an intellectual include reading books, being articulate and looking at things in a critical way. Intellectual life is a search for meaning, she continued. Defines Intellectual Mr. Hassenger stated that the role of the intellectual was to participate in the key task of the layman of our time, which is me diation. Dr. Barta sought to distinguish between the professional intel lectuals poets, philosophers and theologians and the ones with a liberal arts education which al lows them to participate in the knowledge which the professionals create. The term metaphysical anxiety was used to distinguish between one who is leading an in tellectual life and one who is not. This anxiety occurs in one who is struck by the why things exist and should be the mark of an intellectual. .;.w. -v.v:--.v.x x:-: :::';-:.::.:v:-:X-xr::'::Xw -.. . ... .'. . . .. :. .. ..: : .. ....: .':...'. -.' - -*. ..'. . .. Archbishop Says Total War Cannot Be Moral A just war is no longer possible and because of this there is a moral necessity to lay down aims. This was English Archbishop Thomas D. Roberts' general comment on the arms race, peace and war when he addressed both Loyola and Munde lein students, April 27. He led the audience gradually from the Vati can Council's problems, aims and purpose through his views on peace, just wars and disarmament, and finally to a discussion of the relevance of the population ex plosion to peace and war. One purpose of Vatican II, the Archbishop mentioned, was very human in its meaning and scope. He said, This council is for all human beings who can participate by being ready to come together in matters of nature's laws. This means re spect for other's lives and prop erty and keeping laws to insure this. On the topic of war, the arch bishop commented that It is re- proachable that we (Catholics) have practically thrown overboard the traditional Christian doctrine of peace and war. The Church teaches that a war must be just, meaning strictly defensive, and this sets certain limits on actions, re quiring a distinction between com batant and non-combatant activity. This question of the possibility of a strictly just war in modern war fare is very important. Weapons used today not for defense but for universal destruction were cited by the archbishop as a prime factor in the impossibility of a strictly just war. Archbishop Roberts also com mented on the French Bishops' statement on the problem of war. This document, published in 1950, brought the issue up to date and left no possible doubt as to their position on war and peace. In the statement, the Bishops condemned both the use and the making of nuclear weapons, reasoning that these actions were of their nature in discriminate; and indiscrimi nate killing is not reconcilable with Catholicism. Archbishop Roberts commented, We all noticed the great effect this let ter had on DeGaulle - none at all. Now this letter is dead, as is the doctrine of a just war. Even if the Council came out with such a statement as the French let ter, Archbishop Roberts believes that there could be no influence on the Americans if they are so afraid of Russia that they will still keep arms. Again, the Archbishop in sisted that this problem must really be faced. by Nancy Vandenberg Moving on to the population problem, Archbishop Roberts explained that he was in charge of the See at Bombay, India, for a number of years before he resigned the post to let an Indian take over. Thus he knows much about the social conditions in India and he commented on the population explosion. The United Nations will give serious thought to the requests of the new Indian government only if they will lower the birth rate to a proper level; that is, if all the chil dren in a family can be fed and educated. To the Archbishop, it seems to be the height of unna- turalness to regulate passion with a calendar or a thermometer. The problem now, said the Arch bishop, is not the morality of a limited family, rather it is the means to planning the family. Prot estants react to this problem by reasoning that the intent is to limit families and it is only an effective method they seek. Catholics, in the words of the Archbishop, can only say that both abstention, though nearly impossible, and rhythm, though impractical, are the only methods of control. The Archbishop concluded his talk with this com ment, As a possible cause of war, the population explosion is over whelmingly important. A discussion on the need for de terrents was the main trend of the lively question period after the talk. The Archbishop became more ada mant when he insisted that nuclear arms cannot be merely defensive, because the threat inherent in pos sessing arms means that the op ponents must believe the U.S. is prepared to use them. The inten tion of not using arms is uncon nected with the fact that the coun try would and this fact is morally wrong. The Archbishop used the analogy of two boys fighting, say ing that one must have enough sense to say, 'I will do the right thing and leave the other to his own decision,' to point out American responsibilities in the arms race. An objection was immediately raised, stating that people can't simply avoid the opponent as chil dren can, rather they must be con stantly aware of other nations. The Archbishop concluded with his opin ion, War can no longer be moral because it is total. Quality School Portraits Official Photographer for 1964 Graduating Class of Mundelein, St. Xavier, Barat KOEHNE STUDIO (K-NEE) Since 1892 WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BRIDAL PORTRAITS CANDID ALBUMS at modest rates for all sewices 17 North State DE 2-2780 Stevens Building, 19th Floor
title:
1964-05-06 (3)
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Women and Leadership Archives http://www.luc.edu/wla
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Mundelein College
description:
Student newspaper for Mundelein College
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Newspapers
subject:
Religious communities--Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Students
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Universities and colleges
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Women's education
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Mundelein College Records
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Mundelein College