On Charity and Dignity

“But every one must follow the dictates of his own conscience, in simplicity and godly sincerity. He must be fully persuaded in his own mind; and then act according to the best light he has. Nor has any creature power to constrain another to walk by his own rule. God has given no right to any of the children of men thus to lord it over the conscience of his brethren; but every man must judge for himself, as every man must give an account of himself to God.” “Hold you fast which you believe is most acceptable to God, and I will do the same.” (The Catholic Spirit, Vol. V496,499.) "Condemn no man for not thinking as you think: let every one enjoy the full and free liberty of thinking for himself. Let every man use his own judgement since every man must give an account of himself to God.' (Advice to the People Called Methodist) "Never dream of forcing men into the ways of God. Think yourself, and let think. Use no constraint in matters of religion. Even those who are farthest out of the way never compel to come in by any other means than reason, truth, and love." (The Nature of Enthusiasm)

Each man must follow his conscience, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. It is hoped that the conscience has been properly formed throughout the years and is properly disposed to the revelation of God. We must also do the best we can with the understanding which God has given to us, that we are faithful to those glimpses of light which he shines upon us, while giving us the supernatural sight to perceive it in all its fullness. Everyone is a capable and rational creature which the Holy Spirit leads from within the depths of the heart to its proper end. This role is properly the work of the Spirit of God, and it is for this reason that each one is to judge for themselves and give an account of themselves to God as one capable of ascending to the truths which are revealed to them. It is important that we allow God his proper place in the spiritual formation of his children, and that no one take it upon themselves to constrain another, to convict them, or to lord it over the consciences of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Such a position is rooted in charity which not only applies to Christians but to all people everywhere.

One of the greatest enemies of charity is the insistence that others adhere to the very convictions which we hold within our own hearts. It is the demand of one man that all other minds must maintain the very same conclusions and follow the same philosophical commitments. One becomes so determined that all men think alike, and that all men act alike, that such conformity stands as a requirement for friendship. As opposed to building bridges and developing mutual understanding one rather emphasizes differences and set out to destroy any common ground they may otherwise would have had. It is an obstinate and intolerant devotion to one's own opinions and prejudices in such an absolute sense that there remains no possibility that they could be in error.

Everyone is perfectly capable of sifting through thought to determine what is useful to them. No individual person is to serve as the infallible interpreter of all things, or the final arbiter of truth, nor to represent themselves as comprehending the exact meaning of all things with an absolute certainty. We all believe ourselves to comprehend the truth of things, yet we also maintain a holy skepticism concerning ourselves, lest we at any time make an idol of our own understanding. We ought to continually re-evaluate ourselves in as much as we maintain our views in a tentative manner knowing full well that others are as convinced of their own commitments as we are of our own.

We embrace the virtue of charity when we, 1) acknowledge that reasonable certainty is much more tenable than a claim to absolute certainty, 2) reasonable certainly leads us to maintain our views in a more tentative manner, 3) tentative views allow for the possibility that we can be in error on any particular and creates an openness, 4) that others are subject to this same state of reasoning and that we are all in this together.

To the contrary, there are those who insist upon their own perspectives, demand their own definitions, adhere to their own views and ethics in such a manner as to lead them to act against their own principles and to behave in the very manner they would not wish upon any of their friends. They maintain their views in such an absolute sense there remains no possibility for interpretation, no room for opinion, no chance for rebuttal. Their interpretation of a thing is so absolute, so non-negotiable, so perfect and exact that it is confused with the thing itself. Such a narrow-mindedness not only causes great harm to charity among men, but is often the occasion for justified hatred, acts of aggression, ostracization, harassment, and discrimination towards anyone who even hints at the possibility of alternative interpretations. To this I must issue a caution against bigotry in any form, directed towards anyone in any respect. While we are free to disagree on all particulars it is quite another to act discriminatory towards anyone or to treat them worse than their inherent dignity deserves.

A human person experiences freedom when they are not under any compulsion, not subject to any coercion, threat, force, intimidation, or ridicule. Free from all external pressures a person is more able to explore the world of thought in a safe academic environment where they attend to cool, calm reasoning which shall serve as the sole guide towards understanding. We ought to work together towards such an environment as it will be mutually beneficial and edifying to all.

It must be understood that not all men will be able to agree on all particulars, yet we are called to live at peace with all men as far as it is possible on our own part. We must extend the same courtesy to those who think differently than us as we would extend to ourselves. To the contrary, people too often position themselves in such a manner that to think any differently than themselves is somehow to promote contention against them personally, all the while they militantly proselytize their own views taking all the possible risk to offend anyone who gets in their way.

As a Roman Catholic I have a deep love for all human beings and maintain that we were all created in the image and likeness of God. I maintain the dignity of the human person and our freedom to explore the deepest questions that relate to our humanity free from coercion, threat, force, intimidation, or ridicule. I firmly believe that we must strive to live at peace with everyone and to do all that we can to build bridges and establish relationships based upon common ground and to de-emphasis what divide us. I believe that we can act charitably towards all people regardless of country, creed, or color.

As such nor can I condone anything that is contrary or incompatible with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. To go against conscience is neither right nor safe. As a result, I will not be able to come to agreement with everyone on all matters, nor will I be able to promote and support everyone in the manner in which they wish. While I will not compromise myself, nor go against my own principles, you can rest assured that even in the midst of disagreement I will remain sympathetic and charitable. Since it is not a prerequisite to agree with another in all matters in order to enjoy life long friendship, I commit to remain open to healthy relationships with anyone and everyone regardless of their philosophical commitments.

I implore all people to act towards others in the most charitable manner possible, to interpret each other’s words in the most charitable manner possible, and to respond to all people whom you disagree with in the most charitable manner possible. Act towards others in the exact same manner in which you would have them act towards you without exception, without compromise, without excuse, and without condition. Without charity, without an attempt on our part to treat all people with dignity and respect, then we do ourselves and others a great disservice, for we are all best served by being gracious and charitable towards one another. Love and acceptance of others does not require strict adherence to every conclusion they may have, nor does it involve having to compromise oneself, nor does it mean that one must view and interpret all things in the exact same way. In fact, it takes greater virtue to love those who hate you, and to pray for those who persecute you, and to exercise patience in the face of adversity.

I understand that there are many teachings of the Catholic Church that are in direct conflict with the views of non-Catholics. Upon learning that I am a Catholic, and upon learning the Church’s stance on subjects like abortion, contraception, sexual ethics, and a plethora of many other subjects, you may be tempted to treat me poorly if you think otherwise on these subjects. As a Catholic I can not support everyone in the manner in which everyone may want to be supported, but that does not mean that I will not love you, nor does it mean that I will treat you poorly, nor will it be a condition as to whether I will be your friend. I also understand that there are those who struggle with anti-Catholic attitudes and struggle not to engage in anti-Catholic bigotry. I understand that there are those who hate and abhor the teachings of the Church and justify hatred towards anyone who maintains Church teaching claiming that the Church is oppressive, and it must be resisted to the point of militantly working against it and attacking people in association with it.

To the contrary, I would encourage everyone to follow the dictates of their own heart in a manner that is the most charitable possible. If anyone thinks differently on any matter it is of necessity that we follow the way of charity, for if we begin to violate the dignity of the human person in the name of championing a particular ideology, or in the name of fighting against particular philosophical commitments then we fail to live out that dignity in which we were created. While our world would certainly be much more peaceful if everyone thought the same on all matters, in reality there is a great deal of diversity in thought in our world. If we are only tolerant with others in as much as their views are compatible with our own, then we are essentially not willing to tolerate those with views different than our own, even those that may be diametrically conflicting with our own. When we see a person, who views themselves in a way different than we would view them this doesn’t mean that we do not acknowledge that such views can exist in the mind, nor does it mean that we inherently discriminate against the individual, nor does it mean that we will go out of our way to persecute people.

The philosophical commitments of a person are their own business, and we are all free to exercise our right to entertain those thoughts and to live out our lives in a manner that is consistent with our philosophy. It is only when philosophizing begins to justify hatred towards others for any reason that we should stand firm upon best principles and embrace charity as the most excellent way. It is when we begin to cleave to vice ourselves in order to address what we perceive to be an injustice that we become the very person we vowed to never become, we have adopted the very same attitudes which we claimed to be fighting against. Every person has the right to sift through human thought, to decide for themselves how to best live their life, and most of all, every person has the choice to treat people based upon their inherent dignity and not on the basis of whether we think alike.

It behooves us to be the change we want to see in the word, to demonstrate charity that knows no bounds, to exemplify the most excellent way of understanding, mercy, and grace. Such a way does not require that we all think alike, nor does it require that we all believe alike, nor does it require that we all act alike, but it does require that we have a willingness to live at peace with everyone in as much as it depends upon us. No matter your philosophical commitments, no matter what worldview you find most convincing, no matter how you interpret any matter whatsoever, if we can not do this much, if we can not be charitable with one another, then we truly fail to live up to our potential.