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Vicious Worship of a Creature
Each work's treatment of this topic, whole and in its own order, in its own column. Paragraph numbers link to the passage in its place in the manual. Back to the topic page, where the passages of Spirago on this topic are also listed.
Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology
Vol. I, Bk. II, Tr. II, Diss. I, Pt. I, Sect. II, Ch. I, Article II. On Vicious Worship of a Creature
Idolatry and superstitious observance render vicious worship to a creature.
Vermeersch, Theologia Moralis
Vol. II, Bk. II, Tr. II, Ch. I, Article II: On Superstitious Worship of a Creature
Observation concerning order. The ancients were accustomed, and after them not a few modern writers of moral theology still are accustomed, to set forth the argument of superstitious worship of a creature in such a way that first they speak successively of idolatry, or explicitly of worship of a creature, then of divination by which knowledge is sought, then of vain observances by which other good or evil effects are superstitiously sought or avoided. (Cf. St. Thomas, 2, 2, q. 94-96.) This order, drawn partly from the matter, generates a confusion between those things which are grave by their whole genus and those which are practically excused from grave sin, which seems rather to be avoided 1. Wherefore it seems better to attend to formal differences, and thence to distinguish undue and open worship of a creature, or idolatry; implicit worship, which is contained in magic; and vain observances which can be purified from that worship.
1 Hence, if we are not mistaken, moderns have been moved to excuse implicit invocation of the devil from grave sin. Yet it does not escape us by what ratio a true invocation of the devil changes its theological species because it is implicit rather than explicit. (Thus, for example, Aertnijs, I, 419.)