Recently, I've been developing a new conviction about liberal Catholicism. For a long time, I believed the liberal Catholic was simply naive and wrong-headed. I thought that he, or she, truly believed that a greater liberalization of the Catholic faith would reverse the fortunes of the Church in the West-- that new converts would flood into the Church, and that lapsed Catholics would return, the less emphasis there was on "thou shalt not" prescriptions and the more emphasis there was on the warm fuzzies.
What I wondered was: how? How could they think this? How could they think this, when the post-Vatican II era had witnessed such a spectacular exodus from the priesthood and religious orders, and such a dramatic decline in congregations? How could they think this, when the Church of England, which had implemented most of the reforms they wished for, has all but disappeared? Was it simply delusion, wilful blindness?
Increasingly, I've come to believe that many (most?) liberal Catholics do not expect that liberalizing the Church will reverse its decline. They don't particularly care about reversing the Church's decline. Perhaps they are even happy to see it decline.
A liberal Catholic is not a Catholic who is liberal, but a liberal who is Catholic, or who identifies with the Catholic "faith tradition". Their allegiance is not primarily to the Faith, but to liberalism. They are interested in using the resources and the moral weight of Catholicism to further the various liberal measures they support. What happens to Catholicism itself is of subsidiary importance.
This surely explains the attitude of so many religious orders, who seem blithely unconcerned with their imminent demise and their inability to attract new members. They are so intent upon their left-wing activism that it's simply not a priority for them. Their work will go on-- whether it is conducted by missionaries or NGOs is not important.
Behind all this I identify the "death of God" theology which sees the renunciation of Christianity itself as the ultimate act of Christian sacrifice. How far can Christians imitate the self-giving of Christ-- even beyond the sacrifice of their lives? Well, to sacrifice their very claim to be right, to sacrifice their claim to a revelation. Liberal Christianity is Christianity turned against itself, humble and contrite where it should be most proud and unapologetic. It agrees with Nietzsche: "To take upon oneself, not all punishment, but all guilt-- only that would be godlike."
Good point!
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation of the whole "death of God" especially in the usage by Nietzsche, applies not to a general absolute statement that God "is dead" but rather that God's laws "are no longer relevant to humanity." And there you nail it on the head! For liberals it matters little what the Church teaches. Philosophy is dead to them as well. Relevancy is the only living being, which materializes in a sort of anti-humility.
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I think Nietzsche meant something very specific, not just the non-existence of God but the implications of realising this. As for the philosophy of liberal Catholics, its so confused its impossible to probe. Well you might say philosophy is dead to them!
DeleteExcellent post Maolsheachlann. This is something well worth pondering. Well observed.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm actually surprised it took me so long to realise this.
DeleteSuperb analysis, and very obvious once you say it. Perhaps liberal Christians are attracted to martyrdom after all, but aspire to be martyrs of the cause of their own persecutors: to be liberalism's martyrs at the hands of liberalism, the lambs so lamb-like they became scapegoats.
ReplyDeleteThanks hisperic. I think that's a very good way of putting it. The weird nobility of the liberal Catholic may have something perversely generous about it-- I've often thought so. Priests who denounce clericalism, Catholics who denounce Catholicism, usually white men who denounce white men....etc. etc. etc. Not to mention (in the case of liberal priests) celibates who denounce celibacy.
DeleteI think your assessment that Liberal Catholics are liberals who are Catholic is spot-on. It's about conforming the Church to a modern liberal-left of centre mindset. Anything in Church teaching, liturgy or tradition that jars with that mind-set must be ditched.
ReplyDeleteAll the while insisting that they are entirely in continuity with Church teaching and perverting Newman's doctrine of development....unless they have become completely brazen about it, which also happens.
DeleteAs someone who once identified as a liberal I sometimes scratch my head when I attempt to make sense of my old mentality. During my undergraduate years I carried the liberal label with honor because it was seen as something "bad"; some said you couldn't be a faithful Catholic while being a liberal - I thought of course you can: I'm one! A couple of years past and I grew up.
ReplyDeleteThe good thing with those that stuck with liberalism longer is at least some are outright admitting their gladness of the decline of X "archaic, old, mythical" institution.
I once wrote a blog post about some of the old opinions I held, but decided not to publish it, because I worried how people would take it! I had some pretty awful beliefs, over the years... Not that I was ever anti-Catholic, or liberal.
Delete>They are interested in using the resources and the moral weight of Catholicism to further the various liberal measures they support. What happens to Catholicism itself is of subsidiary importance.
ReplyDeleteI'm studying to become a social worker. Though a secular field, I feel this is the case as well when I have class discussions - many extol NGOs and government agencies, as they should to a degree, but little is given credit to the Christian foundation of US social work unless it's in a social work history class. If a Christian charity is talked about it's usually about how the charity doesn't give out contraceptives (as part of the ACA mandate) or how it doesn't offer its employers overtime work. The discussion tends to lean towards on what they're not doing because of their "religious bias."
Many seem fine with religious agencies independent of the Church to be fined millions because "X agency discriminated against X maligned group". I get the feeling that some even know that if sued successfully the agency will shut down, after all such agencies aren't rolling in the bank. But they will complain how the state budget is affecting secular agencies that depend on state money though.
There always seem to be tension in the air when Christian agencies are mentioned, as if every other agency is a New Salem Philanthropic Society. Of course I could be biased and be excusing or softening any real injustices being done.
Oh, I think you're right. I think balance and fairness goes out the window when it comes to the Church-- I don't think anyone can be fair about Catholicism. Even people who seems very calm and rational, and whose criticisms of the Church seem measured and reasonable, tend to betray themselves at odd moments. It took me a long time to come to this conclusion.
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