I am equal parts astonished and horrified that at this depressingly low point in American political history there are still faithful Catholics—even young faithful Catholics—who keep clinging to the promise of liberalism, as if one more First Things article paying homage to the public square or another Ethika Politika piece on civic engagement or a Crisis entry that mentions Tocqueville and Kirk two-dozen times in the span of half-a-dozen paragraphs will reverse our fortunes and make America that great bastion of religious liberty and civic virtue which it allegedly was during some distant point in history now lost in the fog. Granted, there does exist a contingent of Catholics who believe that we have entered a post-liberal age where liberalism has collapsed in on itself, but how quickly do they fall into unimaginative rhetoric concerning multiculturalism, tolerance, freedom of speech, and other sacred cows of the liberal order. Even ostensibly Left-wing Catholics, posturing Marxist (or whatever), can’t extricate themselves from liberal strands of thought concerning equality, pluralism, and the promise of a life without demands but plenty of room for entertainment.
Not that things are much better on the conservative-to-traditional side of the divide. Out of a mixture of fear and cowardice, many Catholics of the conventional Right are fleeing to their strong man, Donald Trump, to save them from every socio-political hobgoblin under the sun. “A failure to vote for Trump is a vote for evil!” Now, some might not use the T-word, but everyone knows what is meant with Catholics—clerical and lay alike—call on the faithful to “use all reasonable means” at the polls to stop Hillary Clinton’s ascendency. Following this “logic,” it appears that voting for a third-party candidate amounts to a sin of omission.
If there is an authentically Catholic and airtight case for voting for The Donald, I haven’t come across it. Sure, Trump and the alt-right camp(s) that claim to support him speak a big game when it comes to globalism, immigration, international trade, and a plethora of domestic social ills, but it is doubtful that a Trump presidency will deliver what many Catholics have been fighting for over the decades, namely a repeal of so-called abortion rights. The most optimal time in recent history to curtail abortion came during the first term of the Bush II Presidency and the Republican Party failed to act. Now it is more than a decade later and abortion, just like same-sex “marriage” and over curtails to religious freedom, have been accepted as a normative part of American political life, even among a growing number of conservatives.
I make mention of all of this not to throw in the towel or set the stage to propose some “Option” which will save those who can afford to flee to out-of-the-way communities of likeminded folks dedicated to preserving their imported craft beers and immaculately bound books. For Catholics truly committed to the Faith in full, here is no other “option” than following the perennial teachings of the Church, stretching all the way back to the Apostolic period. Yes, Tertullian’s Apology reminds us that we have a duty to pray for our temporal rulers just as the anonymous Epistle to Diognetus recalls that Christians “live in their own countries as though they were only passing through.”
Some may be inclined to read this and other passages in the letter in a hyper-eschatological fashion, leading to the forsaking of politics for an endless gaze toward the Second Coming. Indeed, there is a powerful argument available that the Roman Church’s decision to shift the forthcoming Feast of Christ the King from the Sunday prior to the Feast of All Saints to the final Sunday of the liturgical year (on the eve of Advent) has, intentionally or not, helped pull Catholic consciousness away from the temporal sphere altogether. And yet it cannot be denied that, at least in the United States, there remains a continuing Catholic quest to make peace with the present age, to become part of the liberal order in toto, and forego the always uncertain quest for Heaven in favor of some decaying pleasures and breathing room during the time that remains.
October 25, 2016
[…] so they relieve the surging of the blood around the heart, but occasionally, as when a man falsely accuses another of drinking imported beer, he is clearly intending ironically to point out the excellences […]
October 25, 2016
I’ve just read the SSPX’s “Catholic Principles for Voting,” and my takeaway is that, although it could never be morally obligatory, it is at least permissible to vote for Trump as the lesser evil. I don’t think he really cares about abortion, but I don’t think that he would act to expand it as Hillary would. It’s that old dilemma of being confronted with one candidate who doesn’t care about the Church and one candidate who positively hates her.
I could never fault a Catholic who opted not to vote for Trump: voting for the lesser evil is still voting for evil, and that can’t ever be obligatory. But, do you think that there is a moral obligation not to vote for Trump?
I’m quite torn about this. In particular, I have in mind those times when Judah was tempted to make alliances with her neighbors rather than trust in the Lord. It didn’t work out well. But does that mean we should abstain from voting altogether until the perfect candidate comes along?
October 25, 2016
“It’s that old dilemma of being confronted with one candidate who doesn’t care about the Church and one candidate who positively hates her.”
Personally, David, I think that is perhaps the best summation of the issue that I have read.
October 26, 2016
Statistically speaking, the chance of your vote making any difference in the presidential election is negligible, even in swing states. In such a case, you might as well just vote for someone you actually agree with. Perhaps Mike Maturen.
October 27, 2016
That argument, applied consistently, seems to counsel against taking part in any kind of collective action. Why should I get my kids vaccinated, if I can just rely on everybody else getting their kids vaccinated? Why should I join a union and pay dues, if I can rely on everyone else joining and winning the gains that will collaterally benefit me? Why should I refrain from littering? The reason voting, vaccination, union membership, etc., “work” is because an individual is statistically insignificant, but a group is strong. (“Solidarity Forever,” anyone?)
In the absence of a wider reform of our political system, I can’t shake the suspicion that third-party voting is a species of free riding. (That may be too strongly stated.) I mean, I’m all for Instant Runoff Voting or some comparable reform, but without that we really are going to be stuck choosing the “lesser evil.”
Anyway, alas, Mike Maturen is not recognized as a write-in candidate where I live. Apparently that means that a vote for him would spoil my whole ballot.
October 27, 2016
In other words, “If everybody thought that way…” But everybody doesn’t think that way. Social groups operate in a pretty deterministic fashion and the same sorts of people can be relied upon to vote mainstream parties every election. You are one person. The group is not going to shift because of your action. Your participation or non-participation will not effect a ripple in the political fabric. Presidential elections are not comparable to vaccinations, unionizing, etc because those are situations where a single weak link, or a few weak links, can spell disaster for the whole group. The chance of your single vote having that impact is negligible. So have fun with it. Or stay home. It really doesn’t matter.
October 26, 2016
I’m not American, but surely for those voting on 8 November it simply comes down to choosing the lesser evil? Can you support Trump as the lesser evil?
October 28, 2016
[…] post, “Heaven Forbid,” along with “All Earthly Cares,” were not intended to signal a new direction for Opus Publicum, though I can understand how […]