THE LUTHERAN-MODERNIST EMOTIONALISM: ITS DESTRUCTIVE IMPACT ON FAITH AND CHRISTIAN ORDER

 

INTRODUCTION

Emotionalism, understood as the disordered exaltation of subjective experience in religious life, has deep roots in Luther’s doctrinal rupture and is consolidated through modern philosophies inspiring theological modernism. This phenomenon not only corrupts the faith but also disintegrates the social and political order founded on Christian principles. This article examines the destructive impact of emotionalism on spiritual, doctrinal, and political spheres, and proposes a restoration based on Catholic Tradition.

LUTHERAN EMOTIONALISM AND RELIGIOUS SUBJECTIVISM

Luther’s Protestant rupture marked a radical dissociation between faith and reason. By proclaiming sola fide and sola scriptura, Luther reduced faith to a subjective act of personal trust, detached from good works, sacramental mediation, and the Church’s authority.

The rejection of the objectivity of faith and the replacement of ecclesial authority with private interpretation of Scripture established a religious subjectivism that fragmented the doctrinal and social unity of Christendom. In this model, salvation is based solely on a “feeling of trust” rather than adherence to revealed truths lived within the Church.

In the political sphere, the Lutheran rupture subordinated religion to temporal power, fostering the rise of the modern state and the progressive secularization of society. This process stripped political order of its divine foundation and led to the proliferation of ideologies based on human autonomy.

MODERNISM AS THE HEIR OF LUTHERAN EMOTIONALISM

Modernism, defined as the tendency to reinterpret faith according to modern philosophical principles, is a direct continuation of the religious subjectivism initiated by Luther. Like Protestantism, modernism turns faith into a personal experience detached from objective truth, opening the door to relativism.

The main characteristics of modernism include the exaltation of individual religious experience as the criterion of truth, the denial of the immutability of dogmas, and the subordination of divine Revelation to human consciousness. From this perspective, dogma is no longer the expression of an eternal truth but a symbolic construction evolving with human needs.

These ideas have weakened the Church’s authority and introduced profound doctrinal confusion. Objective and supernatural faith is replaced by an anthropocentric sentimentalism that seeks to please man rather than glorify God.

THE POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF EMOTIONALISM AND MODERNISM

Emotionalism and modernism affect not only faith but also the social and political order. Religious subjectivism extends into the legal and political spheres, promoting the dissolution of a system based on natural and divine law.

In the legal realm, these currents foster a legislative relativism where laws are governed by the changing will of majorities, rather than seeking the common good according to universal principles. This has contributed to the destruction of natural community bonds such as family, parishes, and nations.

The anthropocentrism inherent in modernism denies God’s sovereignty in the political sphere and favors the establishment of a secular order centered on man. This secularization process has stripped society of its transcendent dimension, leading to the dominance of materialism and utilitarianism.

PROPOSAL FOR RESTORATION BASED ON TRADITION

To counteract the destructive impact of Lutheran-modernist emotionalism, a return to the immutable principles of Catholic Tradition is necessary.

First, it is essential to restore the spiritual and doctrinal unity of the Church, reaffirming the authority of the Magisterium and fidelity to traditional teaching. The Catholic faith cannot be adapted to the trends of the modern world but must be lived and defended in its integrity.

Second, the political and legal order must be re-founded on natural and divine law, recognizing that all legitimate authority comes from God. Laws must be oriented toward the common good and conform to objective truth.

Finally, the reconstruction of Christendom requires a collective effort to restore a social order where Christ is recognized as King. This ideal is not a utopia but the foundation upon which true Christian civilization was built.

CONCLUSION

Lutheran-modernist emotionalism has wreaked havoc both in the Church and in society. Its exaltation of subjectivity destroys objective faith and disintegrates the political order based on Christian principles. The solution to this crisis does not lie in adapting to the spirit of the world but in returning to the sources of Tradition.

Only a return to natural law, perennial doctrine, and the sovereignty of Christ can restore the order destroyed by subjectivism and relativism. True reform is one that, in the words of the saints, seeks to “restore all things in Christ.”

OMO

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907).

2. Commonitorium, St. Vincent of Lérins.

3. Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas.

4. Cornelio Fabro, entry “Modernism” in the Enciclopedia Cattolica.

5. Ernst von Lasaulx, Über die Verfassungsformen der Kirche.

6. Miguel Ayuso, El estado en su laberinto.

TRUE

 

What are the proximal occasions of sin?

By Jesus Urones and Yasmin Oré

It is said that the person who is in danger of offending God is because he is in a situation that leads him to sin; that is, in circumstances that make it easy for him and incite him to sin. The proximal occasion of sin can come from people who incite him with their bad example or from things that attract his will to evil.

Therefore, we should not always think that it is the result of bad company, they are also habits or places that we frequent that lead us down the wrong path. To understand this, we can use as an example those friends who invite us to participate in activities that incite lust, drunkenness, vanity, etc. or certain places that are not recommended for Catholics due to their high content of temptation towards vices or sins of the flesh such as discos, disco-pubs, taverns (bars), casinos, etc.

It is important to know that consenting to occasions of sin is similar to “loving danger,” because you are putting your soul at risk of falling into temptation. Approaching sin (a near occasion) is letting ourselves be bitten by the serpent. Scripture says:

The hardened heart will fear evil in the end, and he who loves danger will perish in it. Sirach 3:27

"Flee sin as a serpent, for if you come near it, it will bite you. Its teeth are like a lion's tooth, taking away the life of men." Sirach 21:2

Therefore, we must learn to avoid these occasions, or what is the same thing, "not put ourselves in temptation." Temptation is a request, instigation or encouragement, internal or external, to commit some sin. We say it is internal when it comes from our concupiscence (egoism, pride, impatience, the flesh). The apostle James teaches that: “Everyone is tempted by his own desires, which attract and entice him” (James 1:14). But there are also external temptations, in this sense they would coincide with the proximate occasions of sin: Suggestions from the world, or from the devil. Many of the temptations that we suffer in the course of our life come from the suggestions and insinuations of the devil and the world. In this case, the scripture itself recommends that we flee from what will cause sin:

And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. for it is better for you that one of your members should perish than that your whole body should be thrown into hell" Matthew 5: 29-30

This text should not be understood literally but the teaching that is derived from it is that when we are faced with an imminent occasion of sin, we must act quickly avoiding all dialogue with it or giving it pleasure, moving away from temptation, in short, cutting off all relationship with what is going to generate that temptation that will incite us to sin.

Evidently the division into the two types of temptations is due to the fact that there are three enemies of the soul: the devil, the flesh and the world. The three act together, they induce us to sin and condemnation, that is why it is essential to know who the enemies of man are in his spiritual progress and his path of holiness in order to be able to face them.

When in theology we speak of "occasion of sin", we usually differentiate between "proximate occasion" and "remote occasion". The proximate are those that put us in a serious and grave danger; that is, a danger such that One should prudently fear that it will cause the person in question to succumb. Those that involve a slight danger, which calls for caution, but which are assumed to be easily overcome, are remote.

Practical examples of proximate occasions of sin:

Let us give some examples of proximate occasions of sin: let us say that I have the habit of gossiping about people, talking behind their backs. Let us say that God gives me the grace to repent of this sin, to confess it and to feel a strong desire to break this habit. To do this, it will be helpful to avoid situations that tend to encourage gossip (these situations are the “occasions of sin” that we are considering). Perhaps having lunch at the tennis club is a situation in which gossip tends to dominate the conversation. Or perhaps going out for a drink with friends who have this bad habit and incite us to do so. Avoiding going to these places frequently or not spending much time with these people can be a good choice. They would help me avoid situations (occasions) in which I tend to give in to the temptation of gossip.

Another example, I know that temptation comes to me through sight, because men are tempted by the flesh, by sex, by excitement, through their senses, specifically through sight. If I know that I have this temptation, I will avoid buying magazines that generate this temptation, I will avoid watching films with erotic or sexual content, and even going to places where I will be tempted, such as discos, beaches, disco-pubs, etc. 

 How to avoid temptations and the immediate occasions of sin? 

 Finally, I leave you with some teachings from priests who have dealt with this subject more broadly: 

 Jose Maria Iraburu: 

 Temptation must be fought from the beginning, from the moment it appears. The spark of the fire must be extinguished immediately, before it starts a fire. The head of the tempting Serpent must be crushed as soon as it appears, immediately, without entering into dialogue, without giving it any option. 

 Royo Marin in his work “Theology of Christian Perfection”: 

 During temptation. - Practical conduct during temptation can be summed up in one word: resist. It is not enough to maintain a merely passive attitude (neither consent nor fail to consent), but positive resistance is necessary. But this positive resistance can be direct or indirect.

 a) DIRECT RESISTANCE is that which confronts the temptation itself and overcomes it by doing precisely the opposite of what it suggests. For example: starting to speak well of a person when we were tempted to criticize him, giving a splendid alms when stinginess tried to close our hand to a common alms, prolonging prayer when the enemy suggested shortening or suppressing it, making an act of public manifestation of faith when human respect tried to frighten us, etc. This direct resistance should be used in all kinds of temptations, except those that refer to faith or purity, as we will say later. 

 b) INDIRECT RESISTANCE is that which does not confront the temptation, but moves away from it, distracting the mind to another completely different object. It is particularly indicated in temptations against faith or chastity, in which direct struggle is not appropriate, which would perhaps increase the temptation due to the dangerous and slippery nature of the matter. 

 Adolfo Tanquerei in his work “Compendium of Ascetic and Mystical Theologies”: 

 To overcome temptations and make them redound to the benefit of our soul, we must strive for three main things: 1st prevent temptation; 2nd fight it bravely; 3rd thank God after the victory, or get up after the fall. 

 Source: ReL 

 Note: It is convenient to know and keep in mind that exposing oneself voluntarily and deliberately, AND WITHOUT ANY NECESSITY, to a proximate occasion of mortal sin (even if one does not incur in it), is already in itself a serious fault.

THE FIAT OF NAZARETH: THE YES THAT CHANGED THE DESTINY OF THE WORLD

The Angel of the Lord descended to the humble corner of Nazareth, where heaven and earth waited in expectant silence. There was Mary, Virgin and maiden, unknown to the world but chosen from all eternity. “Rejoice, full of grace,” proclaimed Gabriel, and in that moment, the divine words sought an echo in the heart of a creature.

The Fiat of Nazareth was not mere assent; it was an act of absolute love, a “let it be done” that tore the veil between the eternal and the temporal. Mary, the new Eve, offered her flesh to the Word, allowing the infinite to become incarnate in time. Oh, unfathomable mystery! In her “yes” echoed the cries of all the ages, and from that moment, human history was imbued with redemption. In her humility, Mary made the world a manger for the Savior.

THE FIAT OF CALVARY: THE YES AMID PAIN AND GLORY

But that first “yes” was not the only one. From Nazareth to Calvary, Mary lived her Fiat as a continuous offering. On the Mount of Olives, her heart prayed alongside her Son. During the trial, her eyes remained fixed on the Lamb. And at Calvary, standing at the foot of the Cross, her soul was pierced by Simeon’s sword.

In the Fiat of Calvary, Mary became the universal Mother. “Woman, behold your son,” said the Lord, and in that moment, she welcomed into her heart the beloved disciple and all of us. There, as the skies darkened, Mary gave her “yes” once again. It was not a triumphant Fiat but a silent and heartbreaking one, pronounced through tears. There, her spiritual motherhood was fulfilled; there, sorrow embraced hope.

THE FIAT OF TEPEYAC: THE YES THAT ENVELOPS THE NEW WORLD

Centuries later, the echo of Nazareth and Calvary resonated on Tepeyac Hill. Mary once again offered herself, now as the Mother of the New World. Clothed with the sun and with the moon under her feet, she came to console a wounded people, lost in the shadows of conquest and idolatry.

At Tepeyac, Mary’s Fiat became closeness. She spoke in Náhuatl, the language of the indigenous heart, and in her mestizo face was interwoven the promise of unity and hope. “Build me a little house,” she asked Juan Diego, not for herself but to gather her children under the starry mantle that reflects the heavens.

The tilma is not merely a miracle: it is the perpetual Fiat of the Virgin offered to her people. It is the Gospel woven in colors, the promise that the Son is with us until the end of time. On Tepeyac, Mary renewed her mission, leading us to the encounter with the True God for whom we live.

THE STABAT MATER: MOTHER OF SORROW, MOTHER OF HOPE

Mary, standing by the cross, Stabat Mater dolorosa, is the living image of the perfect Fiat. Her sorrow was not passive nor resigned; it was an act of total love. As she gazed upon the lifeless body of her Son, Mary offered her soul as an altar. Her Fiat was not extinguished by suffering but ignited by faith in the resurrection.

At every step of her life, from Nazareth to Tepeyac, Mary teaches us that the Fiat is not just a word but a daily response to God’s love. She invites us to live our own “let it be done,” transforming our lives into an echo of her obedience and faith.

“AM I NOT HERE, I WHO AM YOUR MOTHER?”

Today, as we contemplate Our Lady of Guadalupe, we once again hear the words that resounded in the heart of Juan Diego: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” Her eternal Fiat envelops us like a mantle of stars, reminding us that we are never alone.

Brothers and sisters, Mary’s Fiat invites us to look to heaven with hope, to embrace our crosses with faith, and to build our lives upon the firm rock of her Son. Before such immense love, let us respond as grateful children, joining our voices with that of the Queen:

Holy Mary of Guadalupe, pray for us!

THE PERSONAL FIAT: TO GOD THROUGH MARY IN THE ETERNAL FIAT, SIGN OF FILIATION AND PREDESTINATION

Brothers and sisters, Mary’s Fiat is not a distant echo nor an act reserved for the chosen. It is a call to each of us, beloved children of the Father, made His in Christ and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Our personal Fiat, the “let it be done” of our lives, is the free and loving response to God’s plan, which invites us to walk as His children in His light and as heirs of His glory.

Saying “yes” to God is not an imposition but the revelation of our true identity. We are adopted children of the Most High, predestined to partake in His grace and kingdom. Our Fiat is not an isolated word but the echo of that “yes” pronounced by Mary in Nazareth, confirmed at Calvary, and proclaimed at Tepeyac.

Today, as we contemplate Mary, Mother of the perfect Fiat, let us respond with her:

“Let it be done to me according to your word.”

Mother of the Eternal Fiat, Lady clothed with the sun, guide and refuge of your children, help us to live our Fiat with love, fidelity, and hope, until we reach the heavenly homeland, where united with you and Christ, we may praise His glory forever.

OMO

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE MODERN AGE IS FAITH IN GOD

The whole contrast that exists between the Middle Ages, which sought first causes, and the modern age, which pursues secondary causes, is exemplified in art: in the Middle Ages, no sculptor ever carved his name on a sculpture; and the reason was that he worked for God; and he acknowledged that it was God who gave him the ability to sculpt, and the mind of an artist; and when he left his work anonymously, it was God, the first cause, who brought the credit. Today, the sculptor carves his name on marble, because he works for man, and has forgotten the First Cause, the Cause of all causes, which is God. (... )

Medieval art is the art of a redeeming humanity. It is rooted in the Christian soul, on the shore of living waters, under the sky of theological virtues, and among the sweet marshmallows of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. For in the Middle Ages it was not a question of making Christian art, but of being Christian. If you were a Christian, your art was Christian. If you believed in eternal dogmas, your art would express eternal truths. The medieval artist used to say: "If you want to carve things of Christ, you must live with Christ." For medieval man, art required calm and meditation rather than excitement and feverish motorcycling. History tells us that the Blessed Angelic wept while painting the "Crucifixion" which is today in the Convent of San Marco in Florence.

(Fulton J. Sheen, from "Truth and Lies: A Prophetic Criticism of Modern Thought" Mimep editions)

THE «CHURCH» OF LIES, FROM BIRTH TO GRAVE

By Miguel Ángel Yáñez.

«The double-minded man shall not dwell in my house, and the liar shall not endure in my presence». From the Book of Psalms, 100-7.

Lies permeate everything around us today, they have penetrated [...] the faithful. Very little, very little, is saved from the downpour, it would seem that we live in a gigantic bubble from which it is impossible to escape. There exists a church of lies [the false church that the Holy Scripture warns us about] that today is overwhelmingly opposed to the Church of Truth.

As soon as a child is born, many lie in front of their children, when parents and/or godparents swear before the most sacred thing to educate and guard the Faith of the infant... without having the slightest intention of doing so, and with the sole purpose of using the sacred temple and the ceremony as a prelude to a private party for the presentation of their new child. In case there was any doubt, the priest had already previously taught us about the new Baptism, no original sin, it is a welcome party.

As soon as they teach us to pray they lie to us, showing us an Our Father in which the very words of Jesus Christ have been falsified... could there be greater audacity?

They deceive us when we go to catechism, instructing us in a Christianity alien to Catholic truth, to authentic sacramental life and to moral obligations... replacing it with a vague humanist and historical teaching of Christ, with no moral obligations. Of course, there is a thousand nonsense that is not lacking, from painting boats, doing theatre, to reminding us of urban planning and being "good" to the environment, but the children end up not even knowing how to make an act of contrition. Meanwhile, the parents completely wash their hands without assuming that it is not the "catechist", but that they are the main ones responsible for forming their children in a Christian way.

They lie to us at our first communion, when many parents take their children to catechism, not out of interest in them being catechized, but as a mere formality so that the priest on duty allows them to celebrate the beginning of their little "coming out" party... hours and hours preparing invitations and not a single one to see what education the child has. After communion, he does not appear again in the Church. A round of applause for consistency!

They cheat us in all kinds of "Catholic" groups, parish groups, choirs, prayer groups, renewal groups, communities... where in the end everything is encouraged, except a true sacramental and moral life in accordance with the traditional doctrine of the Church, and where the proper adoration and respect for the "weakest", the Eucharistic Jesus, is not promoted.

They falsify courtship when parents do not teach the values ​​of Christian commitment, and reduce everything to the search for perfect physical, economic and character attributes, but excluding spirituality and Christian values, tolerating, approving and applauding all the obvious immoralities that their children commit before their very eyes… parents apostatize to justify their children's apostasy.

They lie to us when we get married, selling us marriage as an open bar of concupiscence, where children are an object to be studied and dissected, rejecting full dedication and trust in God's Plan… responsible parenthood.

They mock us when we go to Mass, attending a ceremony in which the sacrificial reality of the Holy Mass has been camouflaged, concealed, hidden, to make us believe that it is a dinner of fraternal prayer… they want to sell us sugar wrapped in a packet of salt.

They deceive us with doctrine, when they try to pass off as Catholic what is nothing more than pure apostasy…

The Society does not only try to deceive us, but to make us lie, when they want us to call a man a woman, to call a woman a man, to call sodomy an orientation, to call the abnormal and aberrant normal and an option.

We are forced to agree with deception, when we have to dissimulate, remain silent, not say anything so as not to offend, the flood of nonsense, apostasies, immoralities and irrational acts that we never stop seeing in almost everything and everyone around us: concubinage, adultery, divorce, immorality, abortions, playing with embryonic life…

They deceive us even when we die, when they tell everyone who attends our funeral that we are already in heaven, when most likely, in the best of cases, we are in purgatory waiting for someone to pray for us to relieve us… but nobody does it, because a heartless man in a chasuble has taken it upon himself to tell everyone that it is not necessary, since I am saved.

They lie to us from birth to death and, what is worse, they try to force us to lie. They want us to believe that we live in a fairy tale, when it is a horror story, although wrapped in a giant smile. But do not forget, we cannot lie to God. He is filming the movie of our lives, in very slow motion, with all kinds of details, and He will ask us to account not only for what we have done, but for what we have failed to do... and say.

Who is not complicit in this great lie to a greater or lesser extent? The crisis of the Church and of society is, above all, a crisis of Saints, of brave people.

He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.

TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

 

With general applause

let everyone sing in unison:

You were conceived, Mary,

without original sin.

A voice of joy resounds

in the eternal holy city,

a voice of joy raises

the Church full of emotion:

Who, Virgin, does not alienate

your divine purity?

With general applause.....

Long live the Immaculate Conception!