Forum: Religious Beliefs
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In the United States religious beliefs take precedence over civic beliefs. It is not that the question has ever been raised, it has not, it is simply a fact. The average American is first of all a Christian believe, that is a believer in the God of Jesus Christ and of all the key approaches to this life and the next life as understood and taught by him. After that and with that the average American citizen considers the questions arising in civic life. His answers as well as the questions which prompt them are considered by him to be secondary matters.
Catholics have, in recent years, joined their Protestant fellow citizens in this matter. They now place their allegiance to Jesus Christ above all other concerns and regard their Church much in the same way as other citizens regard their Church, as important but not essential. This is a huge shift in the body politic as Catholics form such a huge bloc, almost 30% of the total. It is also a huge shift within the Church, as it relegates the VAtican and the American bishops to a much less important role. It is noteworthy, in this author's eyes, that no American bishop is currently sought for the Catholic view on current affairs while Protestant leaders are. Protestants do not care what Catholic bishops think about current affairs, and increasingly, neither do Catholics. The former Catholic unity, under their bishops, is broken forever, or at least, for the near future.
This emphasis on religious belief and the limited role of the churches strike many outsiders as unusual, but seems to be perfectly in order in the minds of most Americans. It is to them perfectly orderly and as things should be. On the one hand you have the content of faith, on the other hand you have the receptacles of faith. Both are important, but only one is necessary.
To this person, the Church is most important, but the faith, while still not applied to all situations in which Americans currently find themselves, is even more important. The current change in the thinking of Catholics is welcome and healthy.
Catholics thus now join other Americans in their thinking about the relationship between beliefs and the receptacles of beliefs. Catholics, along with other American citizens, regard their religious beliefs as more important than their civic beliefs. In other words, they regard their belief in the dignity of man, the basics of life and the fact of life after death as more important than their beliefs in the value of the economic order or other civic realities. They also place their different views of the accountability they owe to their creator in this august category.
Catholics turn to their religious beliefs for answers to the questions concerning the meaning of life and to their government in the secondary matters of security in this world. One sense in which Catholics differ from Protestants is in the value they place upon the receptacles of faith, the churches. Catholics generally have a greater sense of the importance of these receptacles, the churches, than their Protestant fellow citizens.
The great change in Catholic thinking occurred officially in the Second Vatican Council. Protestants and other non-Catholics ceased to be "the others" and became fellow searchers. They were in full solidarity with one another. Freedom, especially of conscience, solidarity with all other, and full forms of participation became the stated goals of Catholics. These were clearly the goals of Pope John XXIII and Pope John-Paul II, the most dramatic leaders of Catholics during the past 100 years.
The first of the items to consider is the struggle in the average American's mind for supremacy between the religious and secular ideals. Religious ideals are the clear winner in this struggle. The average American considers the values of Jesus Christ first and foremost. So total is the victory there is almost no contest.
The second item to consider is the key problems presented by life itself. They include many of the most pressing problems facing humans today. Jesus of Nazareth did not address many of these problems and the answers currently derived rather than unite the Christian community has divided it. The issues will be more fully addressed in the next newsletter.
The third item to consider is the place of death in the average American's thinking. He or she accepts the inevitability of death. It might not be thought of often and even on the rare occasions when it is thought of it may be denied in its reality, but is is never far from one's consciousness. Religion alone dares to face the issue directly and it alone offers an answer tot he problems it presents. Therefore, the average American turns to his or her religious beliefs to deal with this critical matter.
The final matter in this list deals with the accountability one knows one will have to make someday, somehow for the conduct of one's life, especially in reference to the most important issues. Here again, the average American turns to his or her religious beliefs to deal with these issues. Secular thoughts or values have no place here, for they have no answers worth listening to.
All in all, then the quickly recognized religiosity of Americans is something real. It makes perfect sense given the general context of life today.
What do you think?
