Backing Up Truth With Power

At what point in an argument is it right for me to pick a fight?  That’s the question that underlies the great debate between illiberal paternalists (left and right) and followers of the American classical liberal tradition.  In fact, most of the disputes in politics can be boiled down to this issue.  Which social, moral, and economic goods ought to be defended by police force and backed up by the threat of prison?

The debate over whether the State should use coercion to promote the Catholic faith and discourage other religions is one of a thousand such disputes — albeit one that Vatican II tried to settle in favor of freedom.  Those Catholics who reject Vatican II’s embrace of religious liberty should be aware that the Society of St. Pius X remains out of communion with the Church over this single issue.  The negotiations between that group and Pope Benedict XVI repeatedly broke down when the SSPX refused to budge on religious liberty and insisted that the position of Vatican II was not compatible with previous Church tradition.  If you agree with them, and think that a Church council, the subsequent Catechism, and dozens of statements by several popes represent a heresy, you really ought to follow your ideas’ consequences and align with the SSPX.  In a future article, I will address the question of how the teaching of Vatican II may be squared — or may simply trump — previous papal statements on religious freedom.