I try to avoid partisan politics in the Along the Way articles, as my goal is present gospel values and Catholic teaching, rather than political ideology of any shade. However, the gospels have specific content that makes demands upon the believer and Catholic teaching is also specific. There are times when the policy of the government or the words of the politicians are contrary to the Gospel or church teaching. When this happens then it is appropriate to reflect on the Gospels and Catholic teaching as it applies to what is going on at present. This reflection is offered in that light.
Deacon Bill Ditewig is a friend of mine for many years. He authors a blog that is meant primarily for deacons. He recently noted in his blog that President Trump will make outrageous statements or tweets that cause major waves in the media for several days. Not only are the statements outrageous to many but often his statements lack any clear link to facts. A common response among many of his supporters is to argue that we shouldn’t pay too much attention to what he says as many of his statements are hyperbole (exaggerations for literary effect). Rather, we should pay attention to what he does. His actions should be the true measure of the man.
This argument has a certain appeal, as he often rolls back the more extreme of his statements or tweets to a more moderate level. Either that, or his staff, or vice-president Pence makes a more moderate statement that takes the edge off the president’s words. Many people want to give the benefit of the doubt to the president, since he is our president now. However, Deacon Bill suggests that as Christians we cannot ignore the words that are said or tweeted by the president.
Words are important. They have meaning and they have consequences. Words make things happen by creating obligations. When people sign a contract, they affix their names to a piece of paper with a lot of words written on it. Those words signify a specific agreement that exists between the people who sign the contract. The signers can be taken to court and be liable for damages if they fail to do what the words indicate in the contract. Society can function because people know what to expect of each other based on their words to one another, both spoken and written. If we can’t rely on the accuracy of the words we use to communicate with one another, society unravels, eventually descending into chaos.
Amnesty International recently reported an upsurge in racially and religiously motivated hate attacks on people in recent months. The report attributes the increase to the rhetoric of Donald Trump and others whose words seem to signal that it is acceptable to vent one’s frustrations on others and blame them for one’s misfortunes. Such rhetoric gives permission to express hate, whether it is through toppling grave stones, defacing walls, or killing people.
Words are important. They convey the attitudes of the speaker and when those attitudes and words promote division and encourage hate, they have very real consequences. Words are the window to a person’s mind and soul. To be able to trust a person, you must be able to trust his words; otherwise, you have nothing.
As Catholic we believe in something known as “objective truth”. That is, we believe that some things are real. They exist. Our words attempt to describe this reality with a greater or lesser degree of accuracy, depending on our knowledge and intellectual skill. To help us in this task we have certain criteria we use to sort out what is more likely to be true from what is more likely to be false. Our courts demand corroboration from witnesses or solid physical evidence to establish the truth of one’s guilt or innocence. Scientists us the experimental method, mathematics, probability, as well as massive amounts of data to establish the truth or falsehood of various theories for how the world works. The result may not always be perfectly accurate but it is as close an approximation to the truth as we can get with the methods available. This effort to establish truth is essential to justice in our courts and is the foundation for all the technological development of recent centuries. We don’t ignore the truth or make up scenarios that we present as the truth but we diligently seek objective truth. In this search for the truth, our words are important. They are how we give expression to the truth.
Catholics believe that not only is there objective truth, objective reality that exists apart from the words we use to describe it, but that objective reality has consequences for our actions. Think of a car. It is something that has objective reality. If it hits you at a high rate of speed, you are dead. If you put gasoline in its tank it will operate. If you put sugar in its tank, it will just sit there and not do anything. It doesn’t matter what you say about the car, it you act in a way that is consistent with its basic nature it works. If you act in a way that is contrary to its objective reality it doesn’t work. In a similar manner, human beings are constructed with a specific form and related functions. When we act in ways that are contrary to our objective nature, we tend to run into problems. We are like the car with sugar in its tank. When we act in ways that are consistent with our objective nature things tend to operate more smoothly. There may be disagreement with the details of what exactly is an element of our objective nature and its implications for our behavior, but the Church is clear on the existence of objective reality, objective truth.
Thus, the Church believes that the inherent dignity of the human person is an objective truth. Such dignity is not some political right that is given by a government or king but it is part of the nature of a human being. If it is given, it is God given and no government has the right to act in ways contrary to human dignity. Should a government do so, it acts beyond its moral limits, violates the rights of the people and undermines its own legitimacy. The inherent dignity of the human person is a moral truth and has consequences for how we act toward one another. It is an objective reality, just as much as gravity and atomic particles are objective realities. The inherent dignity of the human person relates to many issues including: immigration, accepting refugees, capital punishment, abortion, health care, and issues of discrimination.
As a Church and as a people, we must hold our leaders to the demands of truth; anything less is immoral, as well as a serious threat to society and to our nation. We may not always agree with our leaders regarding specific policy decisions. However, if those decisions are rooted in truth and in reason we can usually come to understand the decisions and abide by them. Words are the tools we use to discern the truth and the reasonableness of what our leaders want to do. Words are important. We cannot ignore them.