American Catholicism

This page is a draft of some reflections in response to a question from Alex in e-mail: "For all of secularism in the United States, America is among the most vibrant nations for Catholicism in the world. As the faith declining in Europe and elsewhere, why do you think American Catholics are preserving their faith better than others and what effect can (or should) we Americans have on the larger global Church?"

Some strengths and weaknesses of American culture

strengths	weaknesses
Tradition of human rights	Establishment of counterfeit "rights"
Tradition of revolution against injustice	"Rebels without a cause"
Freedom of opportunity	Inequality of wealth
Pragmatic approach	Absolutizing pragmatism
Free markets	Unfair competition and unjust business practices
Science and technology	Materialism and scientism exalted as opponents of religion
Stable government	Creation of a bureaucratic class that serves itself first
Literate citizens	Consumption of dreck
Rule of law	Legalism and proliferation of absurd lawsuits
Freedom from corruption	Self-serving politicians, judges, and police officers.
Freedom of the press and mass media	Pornography and other attacks on the foundations of virtue
Freedom of religion	Hostility toward and isolation of religion from the public sphere
Openness to immigration	Failure to assimilate immigrants to the American Way.
Connections to Europe	Slavish imitation of the European socialist model
Distance from Europe	"The Ugly American"
Power to dominate war zones (WWI, WWII, Korea, etc.) "With great power comes great responsibility."	Unjust or imprudent wars

Strengths and weaknesses of American Catholicism

strengths	weaknesses
Piety	American Catholic forms of Puritanism and Minimalism
Generosity	We give too much money and not enough of ourselves.
Community	We can become dependent on our local Church experience.
Spirit of inquiry	Rebellion against the teaching authority of the Church
Spirit of gratitude	Complacency
Openness to experiment	Dissolution of ties with the global Church

Law of karma

"Karma" is a word from Hinduism. Its root meaning is "action," but it also refers to the inescapable consequences of our actions. It is essentially a spiritual law that justice is done infallibly.

Those who do good reap good.

Those who do evil reap evil.

The spiritual consequences of our actions are immediate and have long-term effects on our lives. No one can do good without becoming good; no one can do evil without becoming evil.

The sins of our nation are many; the consequences will follow. We have sown the wind of lust; we will reap the whirlwind. Our willingness not just to tolerate abortion but to promote it as public policy has certainly had and will certainly have destructive consequences for the nation. The tens of millions of victims of abortion are small and silent, but their blood cries out from the earth as did the blood of Abel. This is not something we can pretend is of no consequence. It is bad karma.

We are equally human and equally vulnerable to sin

In 1993, I read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer. The book made me realize how the majority of Germans accepted the dismantlement of one of the world's most civilized and cultured nations, step by step. I see no reason in principle why the same sort of tragedy could not happen in the United States. We are just as human and could be just as easily misled by charismatic figures. What happened in Europe could happen--could be happening--here.

This led me to become involved in the prayers for life in front of the abortion clinic on Main Street, just a couple of miles from where I live and work. We can't take our blessings for granted; we must pray and work to see that the things that have made our nation great are not abandoned.