Liberal Catholics

When I started a spiritual journey via the Catholic faith, more than twenty five years ago, it never once occurred to me that I would one day be labelled a ‘liberal Catholic’. Labels are dangerous. Labels allow people to be lumped into one category with the immediate loss of their unique personality. It is always easier to dislike a group than an individual. Historically persecutions have always been aimed at groups rather than individuals – heretics, mystics, witches, gays, Jews, etc.

Wikipedia the online encyclopedia for the masses describes Liberal Christians as follows:

Traditionalist or Fundamentalist Catholics

Traditionalist or Fundamentalist Catholics are Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical forms, public and private devotions and presentations of Catholic teachings which prevailed in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council (1962–65). They are most commonly associated with an attachment to the Mass liturgy in general use in that time period (often called the Tridentine Mass, the Traditional Mass or the Latin Mass), but their theological and practical concerns are broader in scope and in some cases go so far as to consider the present-day Church teaching heretical.
Traditionalist Catholics lay stress on strict following of customs prevailing immediately before the Second Vatican Council, such as: abstaining from meat on Fridays, kneeling to receive Communion directly in the mouth, women wearing a head-covering in church, frequent confession, prayers such as the Stations of the Cross and the Rosary, fasting from midnight before receiving Holy Communion. These practices are of course not confined to traditionalists: many mainstream Catholics also follow them.

Conservatism in Catholicism primarily refers to the upholding of the Catholic Church official teachings concerning the sanctity of marriage, the prohibition of artificial birth control, the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, the importance of traditional male clergy, prohibitions on divorce and homosexuality, and other similar theological and moral matters.
All core traditional beliefs of conservative Christians can be found in the three creedal statements, i.e. Apostles' Creed, and Nicene Creed.
Liberal versus Conservative

The liberal Roman Catholic understands ecumenism as welcoming and exploring God through ongoing dialogue with other world faiths while Traditional Roman Catholics prefer to limit their understanding of God, and therefore ecumenism, to the tenets dictated by Church hierarchy. The liberal Roman Catholic understands and accepts personal responsibility by claiming primacy of the Freedom of Conscience guaranteed under Canon Law, while the Traditional Roman Catholic is more likely to defer personal responsibility by more rigorously accepting Church teachings in favour of the Freedom of Conscience. Accordingly a liberal Catholic is more likely to view his beliefs and God as the natural result of evolution wich brings both change and growth, while his counterpart prefers to define his beliefs based on past history and repetitive rituals.

Sadly as these labels indicate, Catholics today find themselves strongly divided by these two polarities. Roman Catholicism unlike most other Christian faiths is centralized and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy. Under Pope’s John Paul II and particularly Benedict XVI leadership of the Church has shown a more definite conservative trend or attitude. Today, Roman Catholics appear to be deeply divided between those who accepted the changes implemented by Vatican II (1962-65) and those who still hold strong to the values of the Council of Trent (1545-63).

Conservatives in recent years have adopted a more militant position in response to demands for change from their progressive or liberal brothers and sisters. Recent examples of such militanchy are Bishops who publically deny individuals their right to receive communion due to their political positions. While still other Bishops have dismissed Catholic professionals due to their refusal to interpret abortion in strict and absolute terms, etc. And, so the battle lines are drawn.

The most sensitive issues dividing the two groups are: abortion, homosexuality, birth control, same-sex marriage, celibacy, population, and women as ordained members of the clergy.

As the demands for even greater adherence to Catholic Orthodoxy are being made by the current Roman Catholic hierarchy, led by Pope Benedict XVI ,the only losers are likely those liberals who continue to hope for change. This is unlikely to happen until the present regime dies out or the Roman Catholic Church finally collapses under the weight of its heavy handed approach to oust the remaining liberals.

Perhaps the most shameful result underlying these issues is the debate held by both as to who today is the authentic Roman Catholic - this attitude is hardly one that would be ascribed to Jesus Christ. It is a wall that must be brought down if Catholics, liberal or conservative, are to be united as living examples of their faith. So far the Vatican has not shown any interest in doing so.

Liberal Christians tend to regard the Bible as the record of human doings composed of humans encountering the Divine within their specific historical context. They often interpret passages of the Bible as being less a record of actual events, but rather stories illustrating how to live ethically and authentically in relation to God. Some might, for instance, see Christ's death and resurrection in terms not of actual physical reanimation, but in terms of the good news of Jesus' teaching: that God's children are no longer slaves to the power of death.

Some professional exegetes consider the Bible, to a greater or lesser degree, to be a document of its time, taking on attitudes which may not be God's. While they may hold the document as sacred and most certainly as central to Christianity, they are also aware of the historical and cultural context in which it was originally written through archaeological and from critical study. Some scholars feel that in addition to its spiritual components, portions of the text merely reflect the human authors' beliefs and feelings about God at the time of its writing, and their cultural sensibilities. The influence of such persons may reflect a heightened spiritual consciousness, or may simply represent people attempting to explain the world as best they could give the tools of the time. Such scholars purport that passages in scripture related to slavery, war, genocide, female marginalization, and sex between men may not necessarily be about God's wishes, but rather about the predominant culture's opinions at the time of the passage's writing.
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward. The word "liberal" in liberal Christianity does not refer to a progressive political agenda or set of beliefs, but rather to the manner of thought and belief associated with the philosophical and religious paradigms developed during the Age of Enlightenment.

A Word from a Reformer

St. Angela of Foligno

There is nothing in Canada's secular newspaper the National Post Religion Blog to suggest it cannot be ecumenical or is restricted to one religion. In fact, the invitation to 'get down on your knees and blog' clearly states that "this section is intended as a forum for everyone who has an interest in today's great religious issues. You will find a range of commentary on religion and society, intercine(?) battles within faith and the meaning and purpose of religious beliefs and observance. All views are welcome and being religious is not a requirement to join in the comment sections." However, its articles and views often appear to have a particular Roman Catholic interest sparking a variety of debates. It even has acquired a 'resident' Roman Catholic priest. Perhaps we could now invite a representative from each major religion.

If the Catholic Church seems to be a frequent target, in this blog, it is only because many people, Catholic or otherwise. are directly and indirectly affected by its global influence and exposure. You don't have to be Catholic to notice Pro-Life rally's, to be aware of its position on gays, abortion, etc. and its ongoing demand to impose legislation of its particular brand of ethics and morals throughout the country. The fall-out of these issues affect everyone. It should not come as a surprise that some of these views are going create battles within the faith when they conflict with inherited beliefs.

Some of the issues raised in Charles Lewis' recent article 'Dear Catholic reformers: thanks for the advice, really' suggests that the Catholic who does not share the Orthodox view of the Church is 'free to go'. We know that many have. But does the Church belong only to the conservatives? Where would you draw the line? How would you know? And, finally who would decide? A religion based on such criteria is better known as a cult. Religion that 'grows like wildfire' due to the strict observance of orthodoxy will not survive. History has shown it will be quickly taken over by more evangelical religions such as is happening in South America. The Church may continue to resist change or reformation, but change is the way of the Spirit.

Statistics reveal that today, in North America, there are more lay people (especially women) studying theology then members of the clergy in our seminaries. This represents a major shift in what was once, and until recently, considered to be the exclusive domain of the clergy. Educated lay people are learning today that matters of religion belong to them as much as it does to the institution. While this may be seen by some, especially the clergy, a serious assault on their authority, it does not really need to be so. When scripture tells us that the 'body of Christ' is made up of many parts we need to consider sharing our combined and unique God given gifts for the good of building his Kingdom.

What the Catholic Church is experiencing is a challenge to its authority. But that challenge is no different than it was for Peter and Paul on the question of circumcision. A wise spiritual advisor once said "A Church in crisis is a church alive"! The battle between 'conservative' and 'liberal' was every bit as intense between rivalling Bishops at Vatican II. At times it was even vicious! Just read O'Malley's book What Happened at Vatican II. Change is inevitable – Jesus said it was even necessary if we were to experience transformation- it's called metanoia or repentance.

We may not all be experts on matters of religion but our unique experience of God cannot be denied. Nor should this experience be dependent on fixed formulas or legal requirements. God meets us where we are – not where someone or an institution would have us be. There is the mystery! Vatican II teaches that while Dogma and doctrine can inspire and guide us it must never become the substitute for an informed conscience in Christ.

In recent years the Catholic Church has indicated a desire to return to a more predictable understanding of the 'faith'. This has been expressed in various documents such as 'Dominus Jesus' (2000), Catechism of the Catholic Church (1993), Canon Law 1983). Some of these documents contain wonderful scriptural interpretations, but they all reflect a legalistic rather than a 'holistic' approach to religion. This negative approach makes it extremely difficult to encourage any true and honest dialogue among God's people. Instead we become angry and issue forth judgments based on unquestionable teachings of the Church. This attitude leads only to division. Who is in and who is out. Jesus never turned down anyone, that I recall. So, what is really needed is dialogue, not monologue. We need dialogue between clergy and laity and more importantly with God - that requires reformation!

The role of the any religious institution is to bring people into a personal relationship with God. A God, to quote St. Angela of Foligno, who is present in everything that exists, in a devil and a good angel, in heaven and hell, in good deeds and in adultery and murder, in the beautiful and the ugly. So why can't we learn to see him in all those issues that are being presented in the Holy Post Blog. In the end these exchanges must lead us to grow in our faith and not force us to pour new wine into old wine skins.

Is God a Conservative or Liberal?

A recent National Catholic Reporter editorial (Feb. 18,2010) asks the question "are liberals dying or hiding?" Furthermore it states "The proposition that liberal Catholicism is dying has been offered from time to time, for decades now, often in a way that reminds one of the schoolyard scuffler more interested in the fight than in any point being made."

The ongoing tension between liberal and conservative Catholics continues to be seen as a threat to the entire institution by some camps. In what should be seen as a healthy approach to spiritual growth as well as promoting mutual understanding is becoming a battle ground for determining 'who is in and who is out!'. Many conservatives have suggested to their counterparts that they cannot be considered true members of the faith and should therefore leave the Church as soon as possible. Fear not that liberals always avoid being equally abrasive or inflexible in their opinions.

So, for the benefit of both I am prepared to lay bare where I stand on some of the issues that challenge the Catholic Church (and many other religions) today. Should I therefore consider myself a dangerous heretic and/or dissenter of the faith if I think a Catholic is someone that:

• joyfully embraces the spirit and vision of Vatican II
  

• continues to search for God in all humankind and creation
  

• never stops asking questions about his/her faith
  

• risks & looks for God beyond established dogma and doctrine and Tradition
  

• trusts the God within
  

• often 'misses the mark'
  

• believes in a God who does not punish and loves all unconditionally
  

• shares the belief that Jesus did not found a church but rather a way of life!
  

• is dedicated to ministering in his community including gays.
  

• believes in equal justice for both women and men in Church leadership
  

• believes that spiritual growth requires 'letting go' and 'letting God'.
  

• challenges the institution to find our unknowable God in and beyond the traditional understandings
  

• recognizes Satan, the devil, etc., not as a separate entity, but as the False-Self or Ego.
  

• understands 'pro-life' to mean life from the Alpha to the Omega
  

• we must not judge people, especially on such divisive issues as abortion/euthanasia, etc., because we have not walked in their shoes.
  

• fears change; but realizes that change is necessary if we are to accept God's ongoing creation and our role in it.
  

• none of the world's religions have the 'corner on the faith market', but all have a purpose and contribution to make under God's plan
  

• the Church has not yet learned the truth behind the dark periods of religious history and the suffering it brought to humankind.
  

• needs to discard judgment with Christ's compassion and understanding
  

• puts God's gift of human potential before human failings
  

Finally, I believe everyone should be free to to add their own personal and unique view on these issues. Bearing in mind that we cannot possibly expect everyone to agree in perfect harmony with one another. Each person's faith journey will take a different or unique path - as was evident for the many saints and believers in our Church. A Church alive is a church engaged in dialogue (not monologue) with all its members. A Church alive recognizes that matters of faith and belief are based on diversity not a some kind of forced institutional idea of unity. The latter has resulted in much religious passivity. If we cannot agree with each other we must at least learn to love one another.