Progressivism and Church Teaching

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OnAJourney

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I have thought more and more about how one can be a Catholic and a progressive. I have come to the conclusion that such a position is untenable given how the progressive movement is driven by pro-choice activists and people who support other things that stand against what the Church teaches. For example; same sex marriage.

How does a progressive Catholic reconcile their faith with the worldliness elements of the progressive movement? Does it really make sense to be a progressive as a Catholic when the lion share of the movement is opposed to the Church’s position on big moral issues?
 
The progressive movement in our country isn’t in the business of good science or better health, instead it is in the form of moral decay. In my opinion, for some, that’s done on purpose to destroy the family and destroy the country.
 
Progressivism has its roots in trying to imminentize the eschaton through human action. This is the origin of the term “progressive.”

If it follows this approach, i.e. if it is done in the belief that it can perfect society, it is, in my thinking, incompatible with a Christian worldview.
 
OnAJourney said:
How does a progressive Catholic reconcile their faith with the worldliness elements of the progressive movement?
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Your definition of “progressive Catholic” really seems like the definition of a Catholic with progressive political leanings, and there is a huge difference.

If you applied the same to “conservative Catholics”, meaning a Catholic with conservative political leanings, your question might be aimed at them also…for a conservative political member of the Catholic faith, how can they reconcile their faith with the worldly elements of the conservative political movement?

Politics aside, whether progressive or conservative, reconciliation comes through the privacy of the confessional, not the privacy of the voting booth.

Disclaimer – I am expressing my opinion and not looking for validaiton or argument, so I limit my (name removed by moderator)ut to a single post per thread. Send me a PM, and I will be happy to continue the discussion without monopolizing this fine venue.
 
I agree completely. The formula appears to be: “if it’s not broke, break it.”
 
So where do you think that would leave Catholics or in your case Anglo-Catholics who support the progressive movement?
 
Notice the specificity of my claim: if they believe that through their movement they’ll make the eschaton imminent – that is, perfect the world – they are denying our sinful natures.

This is a different thing from a more general liberalism. One can support economic regulations, high taxes, welfare, and so forth without being what I’d call a “progressive,” because those things do not necessarily presuppose a sort of Rousseauian blank-slate, totalitarian worldview.
 
Right, and I don’t believe that support for regulation is in itself contrary to Christian doctrine and worldview. My issue is with the progressive’s movement attempting to undermine the Church as an institution
 
OnAJourney said:
Right, and I don’t believe that support for regulation is in itself contrary to Christian doctrine and worldview. My issue is with the progressive’s movement attempting to undermine the Church as an institution
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Sure. That’s because progressivism fully rejects the ideas of competing centers of power. This is why progressives want to concentrate power in one branch of government (which branch depends on which one they currently hold). Because society can’t be perfected if there is a branch of government fighting against them.

Likewise, you can’t have centers of power outside the government. Gay marriage is part of the perfect society? Have to shut down any opposition to gay marriage. Abortion is part of the perfect society? Have to force everybody in the society to fund it, even if they think it’s murder.

Anything not forbidden is compulsory. There is only room for one voice in the perfect society, and that is the voice of The State.

So no, progressivism is not compatible with orthodox Christianity.
 
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I’m not speaking to voting for a political party or candidate. My focus is on the ideology
 
And that’s my biggest problem with left wing movements these days. They have people spouting ideas that came from people who wanted to completely replace the role of the Church in society. Clearly the state has its roles, but so does the Church
 
Oh I’m aware of Rousseau and his ideas. I just think that his ideas have become far more prevalent on the left. He essentially takes the position that we can’t leave people to choose to be free, we have to force them
 
My answer to the original post is that progressives don’t dwell on all things related to sex and abortion, like many conservatives do. It is a slice of a very big pie.

You can agree with that, or disagree with it, but it is what I have observed. If you listen closely, you will hear them dealing with all kinds of issues, not just ones that relate to sex or abortion.
 
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Eh, see the French Revolution. The ideas have changed form in some ways, but they’ve been quite powerful for several centuries now. Controlled half the world for most of the 20th century.
 
They’re generally not very open to people of faith being part of their movement though. And that’s an issue.
 
My experience is that they don’t mind people of Faith, at all. They do mind people who opposed the things they stand for.
 
Unfortunately our faith prevents us from being party to the things that they stand for, like euthanasia.
 
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