The veracity and truthfulness of Catholic dogma and doctrine can be measured by the power by which the holy Spirit concurred and supported those teachings. Or whether some other means needed to be used in order for them to be accepted. 19th Century American poet, John Godfrey Saxe, wrote, “Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made.” The same could be said for dogma, and in particular Catholic canon law.
Several examples could be offered as test cases, but I would cite but two. The introduction of Sunday sacredness, and the Catholic version of the Godhead as taught in the Nicene creed, and revised later in other councils. If one is willing to cast a glance at history, it would be discovered that both these doctrines were enforced through persecution of dissenters, threats and political connivance to dissuade others from disagreeing and presenting contrary beliefs. The holy Spirit was conspicuously absent from the proceedings.
Significantly, I see this same coercive atmosphere attenuating the discussions even here. Bullying and put-downs, suggestions of intellectual shortcomings, and charges of "heretic" and "blasphemer" etc quite common. As if God Himself actually approves of such behavior, and doesn't desire that anyone honestly discuss and face up to the actual Biblical issues.
