A good article in National Catholic Reporter

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*As I have serious doubts that the following response that I left at the *National Catholic *Register’s website will ever see the light of day there, I post it here as well. *

To fellow readers:

Mr. Allen is a most intelligent man and, one might add, a most shrewd one. He fully understands that the average reader will lack the education and a sufficient level of sophistication to realize the mendacious nature of his characterization of conservative Catholics as being adherents of “Taliban Catholicism.” He further realizes that the average reader (and Catholic) will only hear the sinister sounding catchword and “learn” to associate it with those with whom Mr. Allen disagrees.

For the benefit of those not well versed in such matters (as I have no doubt Mr. Allen is), the Taliban is a collection of Islamic dissidents who have derived from the Koran a radically fundamentalist interpretation of their faith which challenges the validity of mainstream Islamic thought and denominations. They castigate the mainstream faith as “having it all wrong” and being unfaithful to the faith’s founder’s principles. The analogous situation to this within historical Catholicism would be represented by Martin Luther and subsequent Protestant “reformers” who dissented more radically than had he.

Conservative Catholics, on the other hand, do not dissent from mainstream Catholicism on scriptural grounds at all, nor do they contest the validity of any Catholic dogma. On the contrary, they staunchly adhere to it and, as a result, are derided by people like Mr. Allen for their having the unmitigated audacity to expect the leadership within the Church to actually *act *as if they believe their own doctrines and rhetoric.

Without a doubt, the most divisive issue within the Church today is abortion. In 1930, in his encyclical On Christian Marriage, Pope Pius XI unequivocally equates abortion to murder and the teaching was reaffirmed by Paul VI. The problem with the abortion issue is that it is indeed one of those black and white issues. Quite simply, abortion is murder or it is not. There is no third alternative such as: “Well, it’s sort of murder;” or “It’s murder, but not really.”

If the Church declares abortion to be murder, then Her leadership must act like they believe it and so should the laity. If one cannot accept the tenets of the Church, then one should have the integrity to leave as at least Luther had had. For those who lack such integrity, then the Church is obligated to make that decision for him or her in the hope that he or she will reflect and later return with contrition and thus save his or her soul which, in case one forgets in the mania to achieve "social justice,” is the primary mission of the Church.

In regard to others blessed with intelligence quotients comparable to that of Mr. Allen’s, those who agree with his seeming “look the other way” approach to the blatant hypocrisy (such as that we recently witnessed at Notre Dame and in Boston) that so characterizes the Church’s leadership’s words versus their actions will doubtlessly give him a wink and a nod and a pat on the back, while those who see through his sophistry will call him on it.
 
On my reply, I noted that I had originally left my post on the *National Catholic Register’s *website. That should have been the National Catholic Reporter. I apologize for the error.
 
Well, when I’m wrong I must own up. My reply to Mr. Allen has indeed been presented under his article along with other responses. Because of the long delay between submission and the actual presentation of responses to their articles, I assume the NCR website is monitored. If so, then I congratulate them on not censoring dissenting opinions. That much I must afford to them in all honesty.
 
Nate415 said:
ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/next-generation-catholic-leaders

I thought this was an excellent piece on young Catholics. As 30 year old Catholic, myself, I find myself in much the position described…I am not liberal or conservative as those labels apply to politicians - I am a faithful Catholic and that means espousing beliefs that cross that spectrum.
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I stay away from the Reporter. Have you thought about the the National Catholic Register? The Reporter is known to support opposition to Rome and has become more secular than Catholic.
 
The qualification of Allen’s scope of (so-called) Taliban Catholicism is not constrained to (so-called) conservative catholics. It was rather to that expression which knows “only how to excoriate and condemn”. (Aside, I find the original phrase somewhat difficult to read, the juxtaposition of the words is quite disturbing)

I wouldn’t buy the argument that Allen really meant that either, but just changed his language to some sort of nudge-nudge, wink-wink construction which could be denied. First he criticizes the moniker “conservative” a couple of lines later (whether a catholic is conservative or not is irrelevant; what matters is whether they are faithful, or not. Let’s use the right words). But more to the point, I would give fat odds to anyone that Mr. Allen would lump (say) Archbishop Tim Dolan into that extreme, and yet note those who put more cred in the phrase “conservative catholic” than it deserves would certainly include Dolan in its ranks (those who give it the cred it deserves don’t use it)

As to the Register, as a whole it is definitely better quality than the Reporter. But do not be deceived into thinking the Register is free from extra-Catholic components of its “faith”. It most certainly is not. Of the lot, Allen is without doubt the best and the most faithful from either (although perhaps – and this might be where some criticism of him comes from – not the most evangelical), and Tom Hoopes is easily the best regular at the Register. Frankly, I tell my wife that if you read an article from each and you come away with the same message, you then know you can probably take it to the bank :).
 
To add a suggestion rather than solely criticism, Our Sunday Visitor is quite faithful, as is This Rock, although the latter is not the same genre. Catholic.org is also quite good. I would recommend any of those over anything “National Catholic”
 
Nate415 said:
ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/next-generation-catholic-leaders

I thought this was an excellent piece on young Catholics. As 30 year old Catholic, myself, I find myself in much the position described…I am not liberal or conservative as those labels apply to politicians - I am a faithful Catholic and that means espousing beliefs that cross that spectrum.
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I’m glad that you consider yourself a faithful Catholic, but if that is true…& you want to stay that way, I’d advise against taking anything in the National Catholic Distorter too seriously.
 
Sounds like the author is in love with his own ego. He laments the divisiveness in the Church and then single handedly coins one of the most ugly terms I’ve heard in a long time “Taliban Catholicism.”

Get the wood beam out of your eye before you remove the splinter from everyone elses.
 
CradleCath said:
I’m glad that you consider yourself a faithful Catholic, but if that is true…& you want to stay that way, I’d advise against taking anything in the National Catholic Distorter too seriously.
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Agreed. I’d like to see the NCR admit to its own bias and distortion of Catholic teaching (over the past 35 years) first before attempting to analyze the rest of the Church.
 
manygift1spirit said:
To add a suggestion rather than solely criticism, Our Sunday Visitor is quite faithful, as is This Rock, although the latter is not the same genre. Catholic.org is also quite good. I would recommend any of those over anything “National Catholic”
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Agreed. I find OSV to be a faithful and informative source – very deserving of support. NC Reporter has always sought to spin the news in favor of Catholic–dissent against the Magisterium.
 
I get a kick out of so-called ‘progressive catholics’ aggressiveness and attitudes towards the younger people who practise their Faith. It would seem the likes of the NCReporter, Father McBrien, Fr Kung, and all the rest of the hippie generation have an unhealthy fascination with a ‘union style’ mentality. They can’t get past the fact there was no Vietnam when we were born and the only Pope we really knew was John Paul II. I’ve been called 'Rigid, reactionary, etc…by people from a generation who nearly contracepted themselves out of existence. They are just too funny!

Marco

www.prime1-marco.blogspot.com
 
I prefer the term faithful Catholic and not liberal or conservative Catholic. I would have a bone to pick with George Weigel. He is big on Catholic life issues, me too, but outright against Catholic just war and many social issues. I have read his convoluted attempts at trying to justify his positions on the latter.

I have read little from Mr. Allen and agree that his use of Taliban is over the top. There are enough forces in this world whose actions fly in the face of Catholic teaching. It would be better if we unite against them then engage internecine bouts.

A couple of days ago Theresa Tomeo had a moral theologian on her show. Theresa loves to use the terms conservative and liberal. The guest said that she preferred not to use thos terme because they are divisive. She preferred “faithful to Church teaching”.
 
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