Abstract: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin loved the world, but, theologically and spiritually, he often tried to leave it behind. This essay shows that from the 1920s until his death in 1955, Teilhard de Chardin unequivocally supported racist eugenic practices, praised the possibilities of the Nazi experiments, and looked down upon those who he deemed “imperfect” humans. These ideas explicitly lay the groundwork for Teilhard’s famous cosmological theology, a link which has been largely ignored in Teilhardian research until now. This study concludes that such support requires a reconsideration of how Teilhard is used in twenty-first century theology. (paywall) – John P. Slattery, Dangerous Tendencies of Cosmic Theology, The Untold Legacy of Teilhard de Chardin, Philosophy and Theology, Volume 29, Issue 1, 2017More.
Note from Slattery: “According to a November report in America magazine, Pope Francis is already considering removing the “warning” attached to Teilhard’s historical writings, and more recently the National Catholic Reporter reported on an online movement to name him a “doctor of the Church.” Recent scholarly research, however, should cast doubt upon any such movements, as Teilhard’s positive influence may not be able to overcome his commitment to and employment of a philosophy of eugenics and social Darwinism.”
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin has had quite a following among Catholic intellectuals of the sort who consider the Catholic tradition the “enlightened” one. The question is, what sort of light is doing the “enlightening”?
See also: Teilhard de Chardin: The “evolution” priest’s legacy included racism and social Darwinism, says theologian (Slattery provides examples.)
Peace & Joy. The times changed. What were normal, mainstream ideas right through WW2 are now condemned with claims that race-based thinking had ALWAYS been an obscure idea held by people who were, for lack of better word, “insane”.
The Eugenics movement in the US, which was founded and run by Leftists, had as one of its goals to “breed out” people of African descent in the US. The Eugenics folks also created Planned Parenthood and backed abortion on demand to further that goal.
The German “race purity” laws of the 1930s were a DIRECT TRANSLATION of a law against “mixed race” (i.e., European/Chinese) marriages in the State of California. Why aren’t Californian racists condemned? This was NOT the work of the KKK. It was the work of mainstream politicians and voters.
In modern times, any racial group EXCEPT people of European descent is not only allowed to openly hold VERY racist views, but is ENCOURAGED to start Black Student Union clubs on college campuses, demand Black History courses, and give away race-based scholarships through the United Negro College Fund. (A corresponding United Irish College Fund would of course be “racist”.) And “traditionally Black colleges” have to be preserved even though they were never very GOOD as educational institutions.
The Bantus running amok in South Africa today are not simply racists: the also hate non-Bantu tribes to the extent that the Zulus have formed an alliance with what’s left of the Boers (who are being exterminated as I type for NOT being Bantus). But the Bantus will surely kill them all while singing their non-racist song whose chorus translates as “Kill the Boers! Kill the Boers!”.
And then there are the Japanese, who openly discriminate against other Asians (especially Koreans) while calling it “culture”. There are thousands of people of Korean descent who were born and raised in Japan who will NEVER be offered Japanese citizenship because, well, they’re not “Japanese”. Most of these Korean-Japanese are the descendants of slaves brought from Korea while Korea was ruled as a Japanese colonial possession. But of course no Japanese has been a racist since the USA A-bombed Nagasaki and ended “Fascism” over there.