Two There Are: The Church, the State and the Dangers of Radical Secularism

2/29/2012

(Page 2 of 2)

truth of the Gospels. Nature and Nature's God. Duo sunt.

The secularist does not like this, and he is a proud spirit who does not endure to be mocked. As James V. Schall states in his book The Sum Total of Human Happiness, there is, in the modern world, a real hatred to those who sing the song of duo sunt. There is, he says, "a real hatred of man as he is pictured in natural law and in the Gospels." Anyone who insists on this picture of man is likewise hated, is a persona non grata. And so it is in his encyclical Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II adverts to these singers of duo sunt, those "convinced that they know the truth and firmly adhere to it," and he recognizes that they "are considered unreliable from a democratic point of view." (No. 46)

In the face of the secularist state, we are unreliable citizens because we believe in an objective reality, because we believe in duo sunt. Christians are not to be included in the public secularist choir which sings songs only of unus est, as it worships not God but only itself.

In the main, secularists like to think themselves liberal, but they are intolerantly liberal. Leo Strauss called secularist liberalism a "seminary of intolerance." They are tolerant of all intolerance but their own, to which intolerance they are blind. And that intolerance is aimed at particular ferocity at those who insist on an objective reality outside of that which we make for ourselves. This includes those who insist-the way Catholics must do if they are to think like a Catholic-of the truth of duo sunt.

To be sure, the liberals--being effete in the main--do not like blood. But though they wince at drawing blood, they are not shy at wielding power, much less moral suasion. The problem they confront, as James Schall puts it is "how to silence Socrates without the nasty business of killing him, and how to tame the teachings of Christ without putting Him on the Cross." Their schemes to do this are legion, including ridicule, public banishment, the closing of the public square to them, and-increasingly-legal burdens and legal constraints. There are ominous signs of worse things to come.

Why this foreboding? "The claim that certain actions are wrong," Schall observes, "is implicitly a threat to the [modern] state, which is designed to prevent strife and which is neutral to all values except to intolerance . . . . In this sense, the theory is already in place that makes Christians enemies of the state. We simply await its enforcement, either by converting or coercing Christians to live according to secular norms or by marginalizing or eliminating those who insist in calling wrong what the state guarantees as 'right.'"

What Schall sees coming is secular dhimmitude. Unless things change, there will be a time where, like Christ, we will be "handed over" to the secular authorities. So, at least, the trajectory appears to be going.

-----

Andrew M. Greenwell is an attorney licensed to practice law in Texas, practicing in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is married with three children. He maintains a blog entirely devoted to the natural law called Lex Christianorum. You can contact Andrew at agreenwell@harris-greenwell.com.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Church, State, natural law, radical secularism, freedom, moral truth, Andrew M Greenwell

NEWSLETTERS »

Previous Page 1 | 2

Rate This Article

Was this helpful to you? Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Would you be interested in more articles like this? Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

1 - 5 of 5 Comments

Irl Gladfelter
1 year ago
DLL: Change is not necessarily bad. What I am afraid of is anyone who runs their political campaign on making fundamental change without going into detail about what, precisely, is that change. Do not beware of change, per-se. Beware of politicians who try to sell the people "a pig in a poke" by saying, "Change is coming," without telling us precisely what the change is that he or she is promising to bring. As far as the Church being at odds with the world, that is nothing new. The secular world has been opposed to the Church from the very beginning, sometimes violently. In the 2nd century, Tertullian wrote: "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church," Let us never give in to secularism.
DLL
1 year ago
Obamaism?????,Secular Humanism? The Future?... The executive office of government shall reign supreme. No one should seriously object to executive orders mandates or proclamations. Proposals from the executive office must be more than just considered they must be turned into law and obeyed. These orders and proposals need not be read to be approved of for mandate. Anything the right party of the right kind of people with the proper and politically correct viewpoint approves of,is correct for all mandates and laws. Assisted suicide is a necessity as is abortion to help control the futile plight of the elderly and of the excessive procreation of newborn,to reduce all medical costs and and to create affordable healthcare for all. Contraceptives for men and women help to prevent sexual accidents and will be free without copayment and preferably without any financial charges. Hopefully sex toys will eventually become more accepted than normal intercoarse for sexual pleasure. The general public are not real thinkers,they are chemical thinkers,subhuman,to be taxed heavily so that government expenses can be met without inconvienience reducing the annual budget,so the taxpayer incurs all expenses. Taxpayers are not really a viable entity with so called human rights or any real true humanity. Any party that opposes the one true political party is to be treated as a none entity,as agenda politics are the basis for all political action,reaction and mandate proclamations. Religion is really ridiculous especially Christian activity in the public arena? There really is no such thing as religious freedom or religion. It is a myth. Muslim people must be highly respected and even feared until,this group of people can become controlled to be made doscile,peaceful and not so devoted to religious fervors that make them so quick to become violent and uncontrolable. Eventually they can be controled and manipulated like all Christians to obey all mandates,taxes,fines and laws. All are to eventually sumit and obey proper political thought and to serve the proper politically correct platform,that really appove all politically approved of mandates. State government and federal government need not agree in principal or in constitution,so all moral laws and traditions can be controlled or changed at the whim to be what the individual states mandate and believe appropriate to satisfy those that contribute the most money to promote their individual agendas. A lie is the truth and the truth can be a lie it,is all perfectly correct as to influence popular opinion so that new agendas that are politically correct,can seem to be the best ones to suit the so called needs of the population as a whole. Change is difficult but can be nurtured to be accepted and mandated,if all politically proper proposals are inacted and acted upon immediately to be signed into law as unread and immediately,absolutely,urgent. Marriage is a social failure so the states can regulate what the terms of marriage are to suit agenda and cult preferences,so slowly as every kind of marriage will be mostly a failed one,the government will necessarily become family as traditionally accepted norms of yesteryear will be decried inappropriate. Women will be encouraged one day to accept artificial insemination as opposed as so called male, female sexual relations so after birth the state operated child care centers will bring up all children so that all women can have the right to continue with her career choices. Women that choose to accept to be pregnant for artificial purposes can receive a stipend from local officials,as she must be proven to be as healthy,as embryonic implantation will become the normal way to become pregnant,replacing the older convential form called sexual intercourse. Any baby born as defective will be terminated when this determination is medically agreed upon. All people who live a full lifetime must remain intact and functional units to be considered as optimal. Elderly people will be "Patriots of Honor" if they volunteer to be euthanised. Assisted suicide will be available as the one true freedom for all but the elite. On and on this goes as secular humanism,Obamaism or what ever,if these trends continue CHANGE is Not Good! Anyone who runs their political campaign on making fundamental CHANGE! BEWARE!
Andy Holland
1 year ago
Joseph's argument is extremely clear and cogent. It is not hatred to admonish and even to excommunicate; it is always an act of love if the purpose is love and gentleness and examples are ancient and extant. It was refreshing to hear that Joseph Biden was on the outs by going against the health care birth control nonsense at the White House. When the line in the sand is drawn by the Church, even politicians on the other side of the spectrum will have more guidance to take a firm stand and save not only their souls, but others around them.
Joseph
1 year ago
The secular progressive juggernaut has no intention of stopping and we would do well to combine the best of post Vatican II with the best of pre Vatican II, and do it as quickly as possible. We urgently need a more robust and measured balance between Love and Mercy and Justice and Damnation. We must seek to reason and persuade, yes, but we are also called upon - without self-righteousness - to condemn actions and attitudes that fly in the face of the moral law as expressed in Holy Scripture, Tradition and the Natural Law. The State as State has nothing but contempt for us. Let us be quite clear about this. So though we must never close down our dialogue with the State and its forces, we are also morally obliged to speak out, at times with loving bluntness, and condemn before God and man the godless and presumptuous course currently being pursued by the USA and Europe. A pastoral strategy which does not include recourse to open, honest, firm condemnation, which does not reassert the terrible reality of sin and hell (regardless of the chorus of laughter arising from the lips of the liberal elites) is a pastoral strategy that is doomed to failure. We simply must, as a matter of the greatest urgency, blend the best of the pre Vatican II Church Militant with the best of the post Vatican II Church if we are to do justice to our beliefs and our duty of obedience and evangelisation before God.
As God has made abundantly clear to us: "If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life." (Ezekiel 3: 18-20).
abey
1 year ago
But for the Catholic there can be only one, for all that is created is off GOD, even though all that man does is not to God, an ever increasing failure of his memory through Pride, to radical secularizations, again to the lusts & desires of the flesh in the order of Paganism where demons are called as gods & Atheism where demons stay hidden , starving the Spirit of its needs so as to disconnect the spirit from its source, which source is GOD, leaving the body, by the soul, to its lusts & desires back to its origin, from dust it is & to dust it returns, making the soul void of the Spirit to become a lost soul, open to demons, in their world. In short, this is where today's secularism lead to.

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment