Fun and fear in the British election. My favorite quote: “They are intelligent and furious young conservatives, driven by hatred of Western liberalism in all its forms, and absolutely convinced they are being viciously persecuted by the ‘infidel’ state. It is very hard to engage them in a political dialogue that makes sense.” Just to clarify: The guy is talking about some fanatical British Muslims, not the fine fellows at the Family Research Council.
MACIEL’S DEFENDERS: In fairness, I should point to Richard John Neuhaus’ defense of Father Maciel, the prelate credibly charged with condoning and practising the sexual abuse of boys and teens in his care:
Forty and fifty years after the alleged misdeeds, there is no question of criminal action. Even were there any merit to the charges, which I am convinced there is not, the statute of limitations has long since run out. And what can you do to an eighty-two-year-old priest who has been so successful in building a movement of renewal and is strongly supported and repeatedly praised by, among many others, Pope John Paul II? What you can try to do is to filch from him his good name. And by destroying the reputation of the order’s founder you can try to discredit what Catholics call the founding ‘charism’ of the movement, thus undermining support for the Legionaries of Christ… A cardinal in whom I have unbounded confidence and who has been involved in the case tells me that the charges are ‘pure invention, without the slightest foundation.'”
Hmmm. And what cardinal may that have been? Neuhaus dismisses the National Catholic Reporter as a “left-wing tabloid,” and says he has thoroughly investigated the charges himself:
I can only say why, after a scrupulous examination of the claims and counterclaims, I have arrived at moral certainty that the charges are false and malicious. I cannot know with cognitive certainty what did or did not happen forty, fifty, or sixty years ago. No means are available to reach legal certainty (beyond a reasonable doubt). Moral certainty, on the other hand, is achieved by considering the evidence in light of the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” On that basis, I believe the charges against Fr. Maciel and the Legion are false and malicious and should be given no credence whatsoever.
If that sounds tortured, you should read the entire defense. It is somewhat undermined, I’d say, by the fact that Pope Benedict XVI recently re-opened the investigation. The Legion of Christ has its own defense of Maciel as well. It can be read here. This may be a defining early issue of Benedict’s papacy. Except by reopening the investigation, he imposes complete silence on everyone involved. Expect the same kind of process that the White House and military have deployed on prisoner abuse and torture. Other bloggers comment here. It seems to me that this is a story that the blogosphere should keep on stressing.
EMAIL OF THE DAY: “I think Goldwater would be doing quite well with the Republicans right now, as are many who would agree with the statement of his that you posted. I’m a religious person, probably more than you could really imagine (that doesn’t mean I’m perfect, but I am trying), but I agree very much with Barry’s comments, and I know many others who feel the same way. In fact, I think most of the so-called Religious Right would agree with him, despite the portrayal in the media.
I don’t want a religion running the government, here or anywhere else. We’ve seen that happen too many times, and with too many dire results – some of them quite recent – to want to do that again. On the other hand, I do think it is fair for people to allow their religions to guide their lives. I might prefer that my governmental officials vote or act in certain ways, and sometimes those ways are because of my religious beliefs, but that’s something that everyone does. Separating our religious beliefs from our moral beliefs from our ethical beliefs from whatever other sort of beliefs we have is just not generally possible. Examples of this are too numerous to completely enumerate, but I’ll mention two:
The desire, often attributed to liberals, to care for the poor and the disadvantaged is based upon the belief that it is the right thing to do. Is that a religious belief? A moral one? An ethical one? Well, whatever it is, it is someone’s value and that person is entitled to it. If the majority of the people share those values – for whatever reason – then it is fair that those values be reflected in the law.
Some people feel strongly that the death penalty is wrong, while others believe it is right. To hold either position is to have some sort of belief about it, and many people on both sides attribute it to their religious beliefs. I don’t believe it is improper for them to hold their views or to attempt, through legislation, to have their views enacted into law, even if the reason for their beliefs is because of religion.
This, by the way, is why I have a problem with too much judicial activism. It is the imposition of the morals of the judge (or judges) on the rest of society. Such matters should be decided by a majority of the people or their representatives, else we are again looking at something of a theocracy. It is rarely called such because the judges don’t usually phrase their arguments in religious terms. (Former California Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird is a good example of this: she opposed the application of the death penalty in every case. She tried to hide it behind legalisms but eventually she was too outspoken and it became known that she was personally opposed to the death penalty. The public came to believe that she was not following the law but imposing her own moral values, so she was removed. She might have denied that her values were religious, but whatever she might have called them the effect was the same.)
And that, finally, is why Goldwater wouldn’t have much trouble in the Party today. He would not want people to use their religions to impose controls upon him, but he would also recognize that people on the other side were just doing the same thing (and not calling it religion). He was an independent man and would maintain his independence against both sides, but he was also a conservative man and that wouldn’t change, either. He would be right, I believe, to fight a religious takeover of the Rebublican Party, but this is a constant battle in both parties and he knows that.”
The Dish 