…Shortly after the inauguration, the new president’s administration will begin an assault on the conscience rights of medical professionals, on the inalienable right to life from conception until natural death, and on religious freedom, which the administration’s nominee for secretary of health and human services believes is reducible to the state’s tolerance of certain weekend leisure-time activities.
In this unprecedented situation, what are the commitments to be re-affirmed by those promoting a religiously-informed public philosophy for the American experiment in ordered liberty? Here are my suggestions.
We should affirm that the United States is a national community of moral and political conviction, not a polity based on blood and soil, ethnicity or race.
We should affirm that democracy cannot sustain itself on the basis of a false idea of the human person that reduces men and women to mere bundles of desires, the satisfaction of which is the primary function of the state. We should affirm that expressive individualism and its playmate, moral relativism, are incompatible with democratic self-governance over the long haul. And we should commit ourselves to lifting up a truer, nobler vision of the human condition, one based on both reason and revelation.
We should affirm in the strongest possible terms that the method of persuasion is a moral and democratic imperative, and we should insist that violence is not an acceptable method of political protest in a democracy.
We should affirm that no grievance or ideology justifies a violent assault on persons or the profligate trashing of property, public or private.
We should affirm that public officials have a solemn obligation to maintain public order so that there is ample, protected public space in which to conduct the robust, candid, and civil debate that is the lifeblood of democracy.
We should affirm that cancel culture is the byproduct of the destructive idea of “repressive tolerance” and has no place in a democratic republic.
We should affirm that every nation—and especially a nation “so conceived and so dedicated” as the United States—needs a true story about itself in order to understand the roots of its current challenges, and thus be prepared to meet the obligations of justice in a rightly-ordered political community. We therefore reject any distortion of history in the name of ideology. And because of that, we affirm our duty to work with our fellow citizens so that the truth about America, in full, is taught to present and future generations.
We should affirm the imperative of a fact-based politics and reject conspiracy theories grounded in ideological distortions of reality: irrespective of whether the conspiracy theorists are religious leaders or public officials, and irrespective of whether those theories emerge from the fever swamps of social media or are promoted by the undeniable biases of the mainstream media. In particular, we should reject conspiracy theories promoted by politicians more concerned with the maintenance or seizure of power than by the truth. Such vandals appear at all points across the spectrum of political opinion, and they should all be rejected by reason of their obsession with self, which they confuse with the common good.
We should affirm that only a virtuous people can sustain the institutions of democracy and the free economy. We should affirm that freedom cannot be reduced to willfulness; that freedom must be tethered to truth and ordered to goodness if freedom is not to decay into mere license. We should affirm that the word “choice” can no longer be the all-purpose conversation-stopper and debate-ender in American public life, for a mature democracy is one in which the citizenry wrestles with the truly important question, choose what?
We should affirm that religious freedom is a matter of constitutionally protected rights of communal and institutional life, as well as the rights of conscience and personal conviction.
We should affirm that national moral obligations do not stop at national borders, and that moral autarky is as impossible in the 21st-century world as economic autarky. Thus we should affirm a robust policy of international support for religious freedom and other basic human rights by the government of the United States.
We should affirm the dignity of work. We should affirm the obligation to build an economy in which our fellow citizens have the opportunity to work, and thus to exercise their creativity and potential. We should support an open, serious, and thorough debate about the creation of opportunity in the post-industrial, information-technology-driven world in which we live, acknowledging that that world is not going away and that its emergence has led to serious economic and social problems for many to whom we have obligations of solidarity.
We should affirm that American education must be reformed in order to prepare young people for lives of productive and rewarding work—a reform that will include opening educational opportunities for poor children beyond those provided by often dysfunctional state educational systems.
We should affirm that we do not have the answers to every contested public policy issue—and that no one else does, either. Thus we should affirm the possibility that those we typically deem politically “other” may have a point, even as we insist that those “others” accept an obligation to concede the same possibility to us.
We should affirm that governance requires both expertise and the mature judgment that comes from experience. At the same time, we should reaffirm that “expert opinion” is not infallible and that those who bear the responsibilities of governance must listen to the voices of those who feel themselves ignored by those with political and economic power.
And finally, we should reaffirm our faith in the American capacity for national renewal. Politics, we affirm, is always downstream from culture. Thus our dissatisfaction with—our embarrassment at—the present, rancid state of our politics calls us to a new resolve: to rebuild the public moral culture that can sustain a democratic politics capable of advancing both human flourishing and social solidarity.
The above comes from a Jan. 18 article by George Weigel in First Things. Weigel is a biographer of Pope John Paul II.
Actions will speak louder than words, spoken or printed
I generally agree with the Professor; however, America, like all Godly nations, is based on blood and soil.
Anonymous, America is not like China, full of Chinese, or Mexico, full of Mexicans, nor even like France or Germany or Poland, full of French and Germans and Polacks! We are not one race, ethnicity, culture, etc., held together by blood and soil– “oh, my Chna, my France, my Mexico, my Germany, my Poland”– “my beloved Fatherland,” “my “beloved Mother country,” “land of my people,” etc. etc. America is a “melting pot” of many immigrant peoples, held together by the American philosophy of Democracy. That’s all we have. It is not as strong a bond, as a country of mostly one race, ethnicity, culture, language, religion, etc., bonded by blood (race, culture) and soil (the land of the country) for centuries.
I understood the first paragraph and gave up after the fourth. What is he even talking about?
Weigel writes like it’s still 1990 and JPII is still the pope. He writes books about the failed New Evangelization that don’t sell and nobody reads.
For one thing he implied that our educational system (mostly public and some private) has failed us. I would say for the last 50 years. Evidently he is right.
By the way, Anonymous, I was teasing you. You might not be good at deciphering Weigel, but I am sure you have other accomplishments. Another thing Weigel is saying is that some people are not meant for college. Sometimes plumbers, craftsmen and other workers make just as much and more money than some college grads, especially if they know how to play the stock market well.
I agree with that. Which paragraph is that in?
Maybe you should be my translator.
To me that seventh paragraph implies such. When one prepares a child for rewarding and productive work, that should not only include the professions and white color jobs but also the trades, mechanical, woodwork and so forth, according to his/her aptitude. None of us have the same talents; we are all different.
Correction: make that somewhere between the 15th to 17th paragraph from the top. I cannot get an exact count from the top as my computer keeps jumping around when I scroll down from the top. It is exactly the fourth paragraph from the bottom of the article, though, as that is easier to count.
Thanks Anne Te. I really didn’t know what that meant.
Sorry, I tried to help, but my computer does not always co operate.
I am sure he is also talking about having the choice for alternate schools and colleges besides public education.
What we do now is be the best Catholics we can. Remember when God told Abraham “For the sake of the ten [innocent people], I will not destroy it [Sodom].’
Gen 18:32
Best advice I have heard in a long time. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
“Nothing under the sun is new neither is any man able to say: Behold this is new. For it hath already gone before us in the ages that were before us.” — Ecclesiastes 1: 10, Douay-Rheims.
Advanced civilizations rise and fall. We know there were running toilets on the decadent isle of Santorini before its volcanic destruction. Some think there were cars, et al on Atlantis before its destruction, was it myth or real? With all the horrid experiments by “mad” scientists mixing human and animal DNA were stories of Satyrs just myths?
George Weigel writes so beautifully. I always love to read whatever he writes. I will always remember what I learned long ago in school and in the Church, that freedom is a big responsibility. And absolutely nothing in life is “free” — as toddlers mistakenly think! In ancient Greece, true democracy only lasted about three generations– about 150 years. True democracy requires a lot of hard work, self-sacrifice, morality, and responsibility. You can’t “play games,” “party” and refuse to grow up and act responsibly, deceive yourself, and magically think all is well, or that “someone will always take care of you!” The Wolf is always waiting at the door– unforeseen catastrophes (like the Great Depression, WWII, etc.), and various kinds of social misfits, criminals, political conspirators, etc.– to strike your Achilles heel, whenever possible! Nothing in this world, is ever 100% certain! Pray, be obedient to God, work hard, be vigilant, and always give your best, for God, family, community, and country! You cannot live by selfish, babyish, immoral, misfit thinking and ideas, of leftist liberals, in any era! You will end up completely destroying your marriage and family, community, Church, and country.
those promoting a religiously-informed public philosophy for the American experiment in ordered liberty? What???? Who????
What is expressive individualism?
Moral relativity I understand. It is a sin.
“Expressive individualism and moral relativism”: irresponsible hippies, beatniks, lawless, anti-society rebels, juvenile delinquents, Antifa, lawless leftist liberals, lawless, immoral, self-styled “make up your own irresponsible, individualistic “morals” to suit yourself” kinds of misfitts.
Thanks for the answer. I get it now.
Perfedt! Linda Maria. Got to laugh at your “take no prisoners” attitude. Now how do we change them into responsible citiz ens? tis the question.
A correction: that first word in my last post today at 11:43 am is “Perfect!”.
We should affirm that the United States is a national community of moral and political conviction, not a polity based on blood and soil, ethnicity or race. What???
I see that one other commenter disagreed with this.
Explain it to me, please.
Or any other paragraph. Take your pick.
I get the one about nobody knowing how to fix our problems-3rd paragraph from the bottom.
Well, Anne TE– I am not always using my own computer! So, that is the explanation for my “monikers!” Anyway– there are three main components that are universally recognized, in a good society:
1. Good, stable, loving, Traditional Marriage, home and family (the core of all societies)
2. Good, traditional neighborhood schools, that uphold and instill traditional, Biblically-based morality, and patriotism, along with good training and good standards in reading, writing, math, etc.
3. Churches/synagoges that preach and form people in traditional, Biblically-based beliefs and morality
And then, help the few misguided juvenile delinquents, rebels, outlaws, and and misfits who get into trouble (there should only be a few of them– not a whole society of them!) Societies that morally deteriorate extensively, eventually fall to pieces and die.
Anne TE– Oh– of course, in my post of Jan. 24 at 4:33pm– regarding three necessary things for a solid foundation for a good society– this is what I was taught, long ago, especially for our country, America! Other non-Western, non-Judeo-Christian-based societies may be very different– the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.– but still very similar, in their basic foundations. So what can we do, as Americans, to “change them into responsible citizens”? (as you mentioned in your reply to me, in your post of Jan. 23 at 11:43 a.m.)– well, those three things, are all I know! We were also basically taught that civilizations may rise and become very great, when there is good leadership, and also, strong, stable marriage and family at the core, with everyone practicing morality, discipline, and working together for a great nation (patriotism)– plus, appropriate training and education for all. I don’t think a life of wild partying and dancing to the Golden Calf, like the Israelites did in the desert, after their exodus from Egypt, will work very well. Moses got so mad, when he came down from Mt. Sinai, he broke the two stone tablets with the 10 Commandments, and had to re-do it all, and lead his people back to God! Well– where is our “Moses,” for poor America?
Anne TE — I just read all about a Catholic married couples’ group, started by an Oblate of St. Joseph priest, Fr. Larry Toschi, in Calif., called the Holy Spouses Society, in which married couples renew their Wedding Vows on Jan. 23rd, the Feast of the Espousal of Mary. Their website is: http://www.HolySpouses.org
This society was founded in the 1980s, I think. It is based on the Rosary, and much more! Have you ever heard of it? Sounds great!