So how can Christendom be restored? Liberals view the question as one of force—will people be forced to accept some particular religious dogma, or will they be free to follow their own consciences? In fact, of course, it’s not fundamentally a question of force, but of how the world is understood. Is equal satisfaction of preferences the highest law, or something else? If something else, what? Such questions precede law and indeed rational action, and so can’t be decided by political instrumentalities.
Christendom begins to exist when there are Christians who understand their faith as the reality in which they live and act. A political society becomes part of Christendom when its center of gravity comes to be among such men. To restore Christendom is to restore recognition of Christianity as an authoritative reality that transcends human habits and desires. It is most fundamentally a spiritual and intellectual quest, although the pervasiveness of government at present gives it a necessary political aspect as well.
Taking up Christianity as a
Taking up Christianity as a means to a political end does not seem a correct way to practice Christianity. Christianity’s purpose is to save us from eternal damnation and to help us to love and to obey God.
I doubt Mr. Kalb was advocating taking up Christianity as a means to a political end, but it is what I take him to mean.
I thought I was making
I thought I was making it clear here that the restoration of Christendom is not and cannot be a fundamentally political matter, because it’s a question of what people think the reality of things is, and that’s a question of the intellect and spirit and not a question of power.
His Holiness follows scripture.
His Holiness follows scripture. Some of the other leadership follow their feelings more, or as the Quakers call it, their “Inner Light.” …some of the US bishops in both the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches. This is happening in all Judeo-Christian religions.
We need honesty on Biblical matters in order to restore Christianity. Catholics should listen to and obey Pope John Paul. Relativism must go. And we must teach others for the rest of our lives, just as you are doing, Jim.
We must reject certain seductions that have mucked us down and perverted our theologies from the lower levels, up.
But the current Holy Father
But the current Holy Father is a progressive, a weak disciplinarian, and supports the so-called “New Theology” of folks like Hans Urs von Balthasar, DeLubac and their ilk. Until we get a good Thomist Pope back on the Papal Throne, we’d better stick with the SSPX.