Kaveny v. First Things | National Catholic Reporter

Kaveny v. First Things | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: First, let me repeat what I wrote in response to Kaveny: The politicization of the Church predates Francis by a long way, including the suppression of liberation theology and the one man orthodoxy team named Rigali back in that era. Of course, one can always look back from there - all the way to the Book of Revelation - which was a reaction to the Council at Jerusalem and the whole Judasization controversy in the early Church.



Of course First Things would rebel against Kaveny.  They would like what I say worse.  We have our fights - indeed in ancient times they sometimes became blood feuds over basic beliefs.  We have mostly gotten past that. For some, moral politics is part of the political order without morals, as Reno demonstrates.  Of course, Reno may be compartmentalizing - with all of First Things - for political but not moral ends - but that gives the wrong impression to those of the faith who take their words seriously on moral matters.  On abortion and the GOP's Catholic project this means undertaking the appearance of a moral crusade but never wishing to carry it out - which is using the pro-life movement as an instrument of politics and deceipt.  That's really slimy.  Like the Cruz campaign.



 I will agree that all moral issues lead back to Calvary - but the main issue is whether or not God is an Ogre.  If we are afraid that doing the wrong thing for the right reason (such as allowing a late term abortion when the child could never be born anyway) - or worse that allowing such a thing will be damnable then God is an Ogre who demanded a blood sacrifice to save humanity.  I suspect First Things falls into that camp.  If, however, you believe that Calvary was God abandoning himself on the cross in moral agony because that is what it took for the deity to feel like one of his creatures - in other words that it was a vision quest - and that morality is meant to serve human happiness in this world - including letting the fetus die, or even inducing labor very early - so the mother may live - then perhaps what you say is morally useful for both ethics and worship.