Sunday, September 14, 2008
Feminist Camille Paglia Right, Then Wrong
Every practicing Catholic has a favorite lost sheep that they pray for. For political types it might be Ted Kennedy or even Rudy Giuliani, for those more into pop culture, Madonna is always a popular choice (I recall hearing that Fr. John Corapi has prayed for Madonna), but as for myself - attracted to ideas and intellects - I find myself praying for Catholic-raised, writer and feminist icon Camille Paglia.
God gives each member of the mystical body of Christ a gift to be used for the benefit of the Church and God appears to have given Ms. Paglia a great gift of intellect, courage and a strong sensitivity to the nuances of the culture she lives in. The power of reason, as well, is strong in Ms. Paglia's writings and analysis, making her a person that both atheist and Christian intellectuals interested in the "culture wars" should read and consider well. In the end, however, what seems missing is perhaps an ethical or moral adhesive to close the gaps in Ms. Paglia's word-view; in the end, it appears what's missing is the grace of Christ's church and the ethical wisdom that 2,000 years of dealing with humanity brings to an institution.
A recent article on the website Salon.com entitled "Fresh Blood for the Vampire" is a powerful example of her acute understanding of presidential politics and the underlying cultural factors that are at play. Yet it is with the issue of abortion, where some hope for Ms. Paglia's return to the Church exists.
Ms. Paglia states: "Hence I have always frankly admitted that abortion is murder, the extermination of the powerless by the powerful. Liberals for the most part have shrunk from facing the ethical consequences of their embrace of abortion, which results in the annihilation of concrete individuals and not just clumps of insensate tissue."
She goes on to state: "But the pro-life position, whether or not it is based on religious orthodoxy, is more ethically highly evolved than my own tenet of unconstrained access to abortion on demand."
It's worth noting that for a feminist moving in the academic and political circles she does, these are a courageous set of assertions. There is almost an evangelical strength to such statements - opinions that even orthodox Christians are sometimes afraid to admit in mixed company for fear of "offending people." Perhaps it is the remnants of Ms. Paglia's Catholic childhood in up-state New York, or the lingering grace of her baptism into Christ, but Ms. Paglia is clear on the reality of abortion.
What's far more puzzling is that, despite her admission that abortion is murder, she believes that women have the right to choice murder for the infants in their womb. Perhaps this odd "tolerance" of murder is related to her atheism. One thinks of Dostoevsky's famous statement, "If God is not, then all things are permitted." Perhaps if there is no divine justice, then it simply doesn't matter. People choice, things happen, but there are no eternal consequences.
Ms. Paglia is right to understand that Gov. Palin's pro-life stance is one of the main reasons that liberals and many feminists have attacked her. Ms. Paglia is also right to point on that feminists have no consistency in their outlook. "Bill Clinton's support for abortion rights," she writes, "gave him a free pass among leading feminists for his serial exploitation of women -- an abusive pattern that would scream misogyny to any neutral observer."
Ms. Paglia nailed much of what's happening among the left in American with her observation: "Democrats are quick to attack the religiosity of Republicans, but Democratic ideology itself seems to have become a secular substitute religion."
I urge Catholics to pray that Ms. Paglia receives the grace to return to the Catholic Church where she can use her intelligence, writing ability and public profile to speak about Jesus Christ and the culture of life to those who may not have heard a sophisticated, intellectual presentation of such beliefs before.
Click here to read Ms. Paglia's article in salon.com.
God gives each member of the mystical body of Christ a gift to be used for the benefit of the Church and God appears to have given Ms. Paglia a great gift of intellect, courage and a strong sensitivity to the nuances of the culture she lives in. The power of reason, as well, is strong in Ms. Paglia's writings and analysis, making her a person that both atheist and Christian intellectuals interested in the "culture wars" should read and consider well. In the end, however, what seems missing is perhaps an ethical or moral adhesive to close the gaps in Ms. Paglia's word-view; in the end, it appears what's missing is the grace of Christ's church and the ethical wisdom that 2,000 years of dealing with humanity brings to an institution.
A recent article on the website Salon.com entitled "Fresh Blood for the Vampire" is a powerful example of her acute understanding of presidential politics and the underlying cultural factors that are at play. Yet it is with the issue of abortion, where some hope for Ms. Paglia's return to the Church exists.
Ms. Paglia states: "Hence I have always frankly admitted that abortion is murder, the extermination of the powerless by the powerful. Liberals for the most part have shrunk from facing the ethical consequences of their embrace of abortion, which results in the annihilation of concrete individuals and not just clumps of insensate tissue."
She goes on to state: "But the pro-life position, whether or not it is based on religious orthodoxy, is more ethically highly evolved than my own tenet of unconstrained access to abortion on demand."
It's worth noting that for a feminist moving in the academic and political circles she does, these are a courageous set of assertions. There is almost an evangelical strength to such statements - opinions that even orthodox Christians are sometimes afraid to admit in mixed company for fear of "offending people." Perhaps it is the remnants of Ms. Paglia's Catholic childhood in up-state New York, or the lingering grace of her baptism into Christ, but Ms. Paglia is clear on the reality of abortion.
What's far more puzzling is that, despite her admission that abortion is murder, she believes that women have the right to choice murder for the infants in their womb. Perhaps this odd "tolerance" of murder is related to her atheism. One thinks of Dostoevsky's famous statement, "If God is not, then all things are permitted." Perhaps if there is no divine justice, then it simply doesn't matter. People choice, things happen, but there are no eternal consequences.
Ms. Paglia is right to understand that Gov. Palin's pro-life stance is one of the main reasons that liberals and many feminists have attacked her. Ms. Paglia is also right to point on that feminists have no consistency in their outlook. "Bill Clinton's support for abortion rights," she writes, "gave him a free pass among leading feminists for his serial exploitation of women -- an abusive pattern that would scream misogyny to any neutral observer."
Ms. Paglia nailed much of what's happening among the left in American with her observation: "Democrats are quick to attack the religiosity of Republicans, but Democratic ideology itself seems to have become a secular substitute religion."
I urge Catholics to pray that Ms. Paglia receives the grace to return to the Catholic Church where she can use her intelligence, writing ability and public profile to speak about Jesus Christ and the culture of life to those who may not have heard a sophisticated, intellectual presentation of such beliefs before.
Click here to read Ms. Paglia's article in salon.com.
Labels: Abortion
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Pelosi and Palin: A Tale of Two Women
The intersection of faith and politics is heating up once more as we approach the general election, and this week both House Speaker Pelosi and and Alaska Gov. Palin had starring roles with the issue of abortion shedding a reflective light on these women and the issues of the day.
Speaker Pelosi made headlines last weekend when she described herself "as an ardent, practicing Catholic" on TV, and then went on to misrepresent the Catholic Church's two-centuries old condemnation of abortion. Citing the theological writings of St. Augustine, she said that the Church has always been in doubt about when life begins, and that it is still a "controversy" in the Church. A quick read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that there is no confusion - the Church definitely declares abortion to be a grave, mortal sin that involves the killing of innocent life.
It's worth noting that for all the treasures the Church has gleaned from the writings of the Church Fathers, including St. Augustine specifically, Catholics should know that the trump voice in the Catholic Church has been, and always will be, the infallible voice of the Pope in communion with the Bishops of the universal church. And there is no question that the Magisterium of the Catholic Church is clear that abortion is a no-no for Catholics: and that Catholics who publicly say otherwise risk causing scandal. Edward Cardinal Egan, the Archbishop of New York, made it very clear how wrong Pelosi was in her remarks; read his affirmation of the Church's teaching and his correction of Pelosi.
And then, a week later, into the national spotlight walks Gov. Sarah Palin - the Republican vice presidential nominee. She is someone, though a newcomer to public service, who has been consistent in her opposition to abortion. And for Gov. Palin, this national debate is not an abstraction - it is a personal reality. When she learned she was carrying a baby with Down Syndrome, she chose to have the baby instead of getting an abortion. This is walking the talk. This is the culture of life actualized. This is the true strength and power of femininity revealed, proving that politics is simply the expression of one's deepest values into the civil discourse. If you hold to the truth that life begins at conception, then it must carry through and inform your political and governmental actions. This is not an example of religion muddying the waters of civil society, it's an example of people of faith using their values to influence the debate in a pluralistic, democratic society.
Yet for many liberal politicians and feminists, the pro-abortion dogma is something that defines their entire worldview and understanding of freedom. Already the writers on the Huffington Post have begun to label Gov. Palin as an extremist and an enemy of women. I wonder how a mother who chooses to defend her child's right, and the right of all children to be protected in the womb, is an enemy to women? The insanity of abortion, contraception, pornography, homosexuality and no-fault divorce has become a kind of mental and spiritual addiction for many on the left in this country. With this peculiar lust for licentiousness, many politicians have begun to ignore the teachings of their faith and the dictates of logic.
Speaker Pelosi made headlines last weekend when she described herself "as an ardent, practicing Catholic" on TV, and then went on to misrepresent the Catholic Church's two-centuries old condemnation of abortion. Citing the theological writings of St. Augustine, she said that the Church has always been in doubt about when life begins, and that it is still a "controversy" in the Church. A quick read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that there is no confusion - the Church definitely declares abortion to be a grave, mortal sin that involves the killing of innocent life.
It's worth noting that for all the treasures the Church has gleaned from the writings of the Church Fathers, including St. Augustine specifically, Catholics should know that the trump voice in the Catholic Church has been, and always will be, the infallible voice of the Pope in communion with the Bishops of the universal church. And there is no question that the Magisterium of the Catholic Church is clear that abortion is a no-no for Catholics: and that Catholics who publicly say otherwise risk causing scandal. Edward Cardinal Egan, the Archbishop of New York, made it very clear how wrong Pelosi was in her remarks; read his affirmation of the Church's teaching and his correction of Pelosi.
And then, a week later, into the national spotlight walks Gov. Sarah Palin - the Republican vice presidential nominee. She is someone, though a newcomer to public service, who has been consistent in her opposition to abortion. And for Gov. Palin, this national debate is not an abstraction - it is a personal reality. When she learned she was carrying a baby with Down Syndrome, she chose to have the baby instead of getting an abortion. This is walking the talk. This is the culture of life actualized. This is the true strength and power of femininity revealed, proving that politics is simply the expression of one's deepest values into the civil discourse. If you hold to the truth that life begins at conception, then it must carry through and inform your political and governmental actions. This is not an example of religion muddying the waters of civil society, it's an example of people of faith using their values to influence the debate in a pluralistic, democratic society.
Yet for many liberal politicians and feminists, the pro-abortion dogma is something that defines their entire worldview and understanding of freedom. Already the writers on the Huffington Post have begun to label Gov. Palin as an extremist and an enemy of women. I wonder how a mother who chooses to defend her child's right, and the right of all children to be protected in the womb, is an enemy to women? The insanity of abortion, contraception, pornography, homosexuality and no-fault divorce has become a kind of mental and spiritual addiction for many on the left in this country. With this peculiar lust for licentiousness, many politicians have begun to ignore the teachings of their faith and the dictates of logic.
Labels: Abortion
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