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GKC
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And that cliff image is traceable to the last chapter of Chesterton’s ORTHODOXY, and is reflected in the title of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.Freedom for its own sake is useless. What’s crucial isn’t just freedom from, but more opportunities. If you choose to learn, you give up freedom to be ignorant. When I chose to marry one particular woman, I gave up certain other activities. But by exercising my freedom to make one sacramental commitment, I or we are tied in, united in with the other 6 sacraments as well. We are free to bond with the Magisterium of the Church, a reliable guide we both follow. We have a bond with many likeminded Christian families. Other kinds of “families” define marriage in 100 different, contradictory, often conflicting ways. Their freedom offers fewer opportunities than Catholicism, because there’s no unity. In the name of “freedom” they are losing the opportunity to make a lifetime commitment. Practicing Catholics still have that opportunity because of unity of belief, unity of social and supernatural supports Catholicism offers.
Life is like a playground surrounded by a dangerous cliff. Without a fence people are nervous about running too fast or playing anywhere near the edge. With the fence, you can run as fast as you want, play anywhere you want. The Church maintains the fence, and the Church provides many opportunities inside - but only those who respect the fence benefit from them, and this has always benefited many non-Catholics. Some want to rip the fence to provide more “freedom”, this is what the Media and Government want to do. They not only want to rip the fence for themselves, they want to stop the ability of the Catholic Church to maintain the fence for anyone, or take any action at all. That’s why today 95% of all attacks on Christianity are attacks on the authority of the Catholic Church, as such.
GKC