The world around us would replace Christian virtues with secular ones. While tolerance is arguably a subcategory of justice, contemporary humanism would redefine it as an overriding permissiveness to a whole host of evils. Christianity cannot be tolerant of moral evil. Indeed, real Christianity makes moral judgments, seeks repentance and conversion, and amendment of life. A false Christianity would buy into the mentality of gross toleration. But the assertion that no judgments are made is a deceit. Any who would judge as God does or against the grain of selfishness would themselves face a negative judgment. The joke about this is that everything is tolerated except another’s intolerance. The tables are turned by those cohabitating in sin, living in adultery or pursuing intimate same sex unions. “Who are you to judge me! How dare you be so intolerant and backward? All we are doing is loving each other!”
Of course, such a stance makes moral life subjective. Life and behavior are not under human whims but must comply with both divine positive law and natural law. Neither liberal politicians nor progressive churchmen can substitute their statutes for those of the historical Gospel. When such people want to argue with me, I explain that their grievance is not with me but with God. They are essentially saying that God is at fault, that the Almighty has no right to judge them or to make demands.
As Catholics we are obliged to render human respect, but this does not mandate surrendering our basic principles. We can love others without embracing or enabling their sins. Those who act as if they were ashamed of Jesus Christ, failing to witness and to testify to the Lord, are doing no one any favors. Instead of promoting civility they are exhibiting cowardice. Believers should be willing to suffer persecution, imprisonment and martyrdom for the Gospel. It is an odd situation when the sinner is tolerated, and the would-be saint is oppressed. While much dissent comes from the left, the right is also guilty, as with the philosophy and cult around Ayn Rand. While an anti-communist, she was virulently anti-religion. Her popular philosophy of selfishness and a stark individualism stands in diametrical opposition to the communion of the Church and charity admonished by Christ. Religious liberty in the United States helps to preserve the place of the Church and the faith in society; however, it also makes room for competing creeds and contrary messages.
The reason why some states like Communist China persecute and manipulate the Church is because it sees Catholicism as a threat. While we might argue otherwise, insisting that believers make the best citizens, in truth the Church is dangerous. The Church and her message about justice and human dignity make her a threat to those states aligned with the principles of hell. Yes, the cosmic confrontation also has terrestrial allies. Despite propaganda, threats, imprisonment and executions— faith communities are hard to silence and neutralize. Communist China is intimidated by symbols like the cross. Lately there has been a campaign to remove crosses from churches. When possible, the churches themselves are bulldozed. There is a competition for souls. While it takes a different form, the tension is taking place in the Western world, too. The Marxist atheist and the Secular humanist are kindred spirits. The existence of God would not only be inconvenient but would place their materialistic objectives in peril. The battle is for hearts and minds. The devil is never more effective than when he is hidden from sight, presumed as a fairy tale without real existence.
I well recall the Solidarity movement in Poland during a time when a Polish Pope had been elected in Rome. What was happening in the Eastern bloc countries was thought impossible. Strides were being made for truth and freedom. The news recollected Stalin asking a mocking question of Churchill after the war, “How many divisions does the Roman Pope have?” Given time, the joke was on him, for the Pope evidently had enough. Not all wars are won with guns and bombs. Some victories come with trust in God and a willingness to take up the cross and follow the Lord.
Christian faith and values are often quite personal, but they are also communal and never private. Modern secularists assume that religion is merely a false superstition. Increasingly militant, they are forcing believers and their God out of the public forum. Sadly, if God is removed then there is no protection from those who have usurped the Lord as the chief lawgiver. Politicians make themselves into gods, lawyers become their priests, and the police are made the muscle to keep everyone in line. Media personalities and public-school teachers make possible the necessary indoctrination. By contrast, the Church does not indoctrinate but seeks to inform free men and women with the truths that come from God. Conversion and faith are the work of the Holy Spirit. Saints and the damned are fashioned in this world, not the next. Even though they may be unaware, all are being prepared for eternity, for heaven or hell. The demarcation as to which side we might be on is made possible by asking pertinent questions of ourselves. Are there certain truths that are immutable or are all things relative or subjective? Are all people regarded as having an incommensurate value as “persons” or do some matter more than others? Is human life sacred or are some judged as expendable? Anything that undermines human dignity and the sanctity of life is not from God. Human rights and freedoms are cherished by the Church and believers. The commandments reflect the mind of God and our nature as men and women. Any license to sin is not a nod to true freedom but rather its misuse and the derogation of human dignity. When we fail to think with the mind of Christ and his Church, we compromise the Gospel. We begin believing something other than the Christian faith. Reflecting upon such matters can enlighten us as to whether we are walking toward the kingdom of God or to the fiery trash heap of Gehenna.
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