MORAALPROBLEMEN

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SUMMARY

Idolatry is a sin against the virtue of religion because by it divine honour is offered to a false god or to an image in which the godhead is either thought off as present or at least as represented. The sin of idolatry really occurs, either as „idolol.atria materialis” or as „idololatria formalis”. The various forms of honouring God, however, which are found amongst pagan peoples should not be considered as idolatry because they often are founded on a real belief in God. The authors of the handbooks, it would seem, brand all these forms of honouring God more or less as idolatry. This is clearly shown in the fact that they distinguish between „idololatria perfecta” and „idololatria imperfecta” as subdivisions of the „idololatria formalis„. The „idololatria perfecta” while being the result of a subjective opinion, would, according to them, nevertheless be considered a sin of idolatry even if it be a sin of lesser quality than the „idololatria imperfecta„ is. Would not it be better to omit this distinction from the handbooks?

According to the traditional opinion sooth-saying and sorcery must be counted as specific sins against the virtue of religion because they contain a „cultus rei indebitae sc. daemonis”. The fact that an superstitious person very seldom invoces the help of the devil consciously, does not change the matter: his superstitious action objectivily taken, is an appeal to the devil because it applies means to obtain an effect for which these means in the natural order of things do not suffice. Even if he rejects the appeal to the devil purposely, his superstitious action would nevertheless imply an appeal to the devil implicitly (a „pactum implicitum cum diabolo”) and therefore because of its „idololatria implicita” be called „superstitio„—the same as obvious idolatry.

Without any doubt to commit sooth-saying and sorcery with a conscious appeal to the devil is a sin of devil-worshipping. But this very seldom occurs. Much more frequently sooth-saying and sorcery is practised without any conscious appeal to the devil. These cases therefore should not be considered as devil-worshipping but much more as superstitious actions. The traditional doctrine of a „pactum implicitum”, which tends to brand every superstitious action as formal devil-worshipping is a marked example of a logical deduction which does not sufficiently take into account the reality of human life. In his superstitious actions man does not act according to abstract principles and logical arguments but as driven by magical powers which he considers to be latent in innumerable happenings „aus unlogischen Süchten der Seele” (HÄRING). This magical power belongs to the objective structure of every superstitious action and the means that are used exhibit the same magical cloak.

Distinction should therefore be made between sooth-saying and sorcery in the strict sense of the word as devil-worshipping (with conscious appeal to the devil implicitly or explicitly) and sooth-s.aying and sorcery in a larger sense (without this conscious appeal to the devil). This distinction helps us to judge the many forms and practises of superstition which are found both in our own world as well as in the mission-countries; it will help us to harmonize the moral code with the moral consciousness of the people. The authors of moral handbooks who on the one side call every superstition „mortale ex toto genere suo” but on the other side exculpate practically everyone from mortal sin, because of his ignorance or simple-mindedness, prove by the induction of this „deus ex machina„ the internal weakness of their mental construction.