Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sacred or Secular?
Mrs. Caruso’s class
Vocabulary:
Heliocentric:
o Belief that the earth and other planets revolve around the
Sun.
Geocentric:
o Belief that the sun revolves around the earth
Scholasticism:
o A method of intellectual inquiry dominant in western
Christian civilization from the middle ages into the 17th
century, and into the 20th century among Catholic scholars
Enlightenment:
o The 17th and 18th century movement in Europe during
which reason and science held a privileged position as
sources of truth.
Rationalism:
o A theory that nothing is true unless founded on
scientifically demonstrable proofs based solely on reason
and the 5 senses: condemned by the 1st Vatican
Council
Deism:
o Belief that God created the world and then left it to run
according to natural laws
Infallible:
o Incapable of error in defining doctrines involving faith or
morals
Baroque:
o A style of art, architecture, and spirituality that emphasizes
feelings and sentimentality
Catholic Response:
• Catholics responded on 3 levels:
• Entrenchment of Scholasticism:
o Held onto scholasticism as their principal method of
seeking truth
• Popular Devotions:
o Offered very personal images of God, Mary, and the saints.
o Devotions to the Sacred Heart became popular.
• Moral and Spiritual Authority of the Pope:
o 1st Vatican council in 1870 declared the pope infallible
when making official definitive statements about faith and
morals
A changing World:
• Common people suffered and often looked to the Church for
comfort and meaning.
• Men and women gave their lives helping people in need.
• Christian message flourished even in the midst of the great
changes taking place worldwide.