My dear precious ones
As I said in my last letter, it is a basic human need to believe in something transcendent something beyond our own small self that gives our lives meaning—especially when life is difficult or confusing. Part of the reality of adolescence and young adulthood is life is often confusing. I think that is especially true now.
I have a hypothesis as to why our county has become so divisive; it has to do with the decline of the Christian society and the rise of the Post-Christian Rationalist society. The ideologies and dogmas of each clash against the other. And so, without a common set of values that define what the United States of America is and seeks to become, the divide enlarges as each camp sees the other as evil.
It wasn’t always like this. In fact, it is a relatively recent development. I believe its seeds began in the late 19th century with the philosophies of the enlightenment which valued reason over everything else. They decided that religion and faith in God was akin to superstition and myth and of no use to the modern person.
This ideology took a couple of hundred years to come into its full bloom but I think what we can observe now in our society is its flowering. And without God involved, so many of its fruits have disastrous outcomes.
Revisionist historians have said our country was not founded on Christian principles, but that is not true. Benjamin Franklin reminded his countrymen during the 1787 Constitutional Convention of the need for prayer in civic engagement: He said, “In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened… that we have not once thought of humbly applying to the Father of Lights to illuminate our understanding?
“In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine protection. Our prayers were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor.
“And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”
The reason faith was so important to our founding fathers was they knew our country could only thrive if we had shared values which promoted good moral and ethical behavior. None of us can say we always choose the right thing, but with belief in God and a shared set of principles by which we live (doctrines and dogmas) at least we know when we mess up so we can correct the aberrant behaviors.
Christianity, especially as expressed in Catholic Christianity, has doctrines that guide ones understanding of morality and behavior, the basis of which relies on two basic commandments: love God and love others. Such moral behavior can be summed up quickly: each person is made in the image of God and is valuable regardless of circumstances or ability to contribute to society so don’t do anything that hurts another human being’s person or dignity. In essence, we will the good of the other out of respect for God.
Post-Christian rationalists have taken God out of the equation, substituting self-interest and the ability to define what is good without a guiding principle other than if it feels right, it is right; or, if it is profitable, it is right for me despite the consequences for anyone else; or even more detestable – if you don’t contribute enough to society, you can be eliminated. Such self-centered self -interest can lead to many types of immoral and/or amoral behaviors, such as human trafficking, drug trafficking, corporate or governmental greed and corruption, euthanasia, and abortion/infanticide.
In such an ideology, the ends justify the means. Truth becomes malleable and can be disregarded when its power impinges on the narrative being spun. Lying, if it serves the selfish purposes of a person, organization, or government can be justified as necessary to meet the objectives desired. Power rules.
Without truth there can be no justice. Without guiding principles beyond one’s own feelings or desires, the dignity of the human person is extinguished. A society cannot be guided by feelings because feeling are not facts and change when circumstances change. And not all desires are good.
A society can only thrive when guided by unchangeable truths and unassailable facts. When truth is censored, when fiction becomes fact, tyrants rise and freedom is no more.
In next month’s letter, I’ll do a side-by-side comparison of some of the dogmas and doctrines of Christianity and Post-Christian Rationalist ideologies so that you can see what fruits each produce.
It is my hope that such a side-by-side comparison will help you see through false compassion or fictions presented as fact so that you may make your choices and decisions based on what is truly good, factually true, and empirically beautiful.
PS: the good, the true, and the beautiful is another way to describe God.