I stated in my last blog that one could not be a loyal member of the Republican or Democratic political parties, or a free market capitalist (as that term is presently understood) and be also a faithful Christian, and I stand by that observation, though I can see its limitations. I mean to say, I am not sure one can be loyal anything and also be Christian. One is bound to form healthy habits and tendencies in work, play, and family, but practice and devotion should be held distinct.
Or is this merely a chicken/egg scenario, a matter of prioritization? I do have in mind politics, and the actions of self-professed Christians which run directly counter to the teachings of Christ. Of course I am working with a limited data set - America, in 2017 - but I think we can extrapolate a bit, at least, through general observations.
We know (and agree, I trust) that Americans are concerned with their personal identity. Our declaration of independence and constitution make that plain. This concern and self-interest precedes, if you will, religious conversion, and so your typical American's religious experience is lived through the lens of American individualism. There's nothing wrong with this, as far as it goes, because one is free to choose, after all. Meaning that one can choose to flip the lens, as it were, and approach one's individualism through one's religion.
Now, I think many people try this, or at least say they do, but the results have not been encouraging. I am not fully convinced, in fact, that we are quite capable of putting aside our hard-won Americanism for the radically different temperament of the Christian (and this is true worldwide, perhaps). We are too deeply confirmed in the habit of announcing ourselves, advertising ourselves through our work, hobbies, pleasure, and little jokes. By telegraphing my personality, day in and day out, in everything I do, even a careful observer would have a hard time distinguishing me as a Christian.
Or is church-going enough? No, we know that is not true. I'm somewhat convinced that the distinctions lie not in what one does, but in what the Christian does not do, or in the way in which they both do-and-not-do the things a non-Christian does. Let me try and unpack that sentence.
There is a point of real difference - a razor's edge, a Rubicon of sorts - between choosing Christianity in your life and living as a Christian, period. In the first case one is constantly faced with having to make choices. Life is a balancing act of the temporal v. the eternal, social practices v. church teaching, etc. One is buoyed in this balancing act inasmuch as, being American, one feels it is one's duty to carve out a particular truth that "really works." You might even share this truth, or series of truths, in a popular book sold from the spiritual, self-help, or business section of the local bookstore. Let's call this the "balanced Christian" viewpoint. I think it's fair to say that every Christian partakes of this sort of give-and-take to a greater or lesser degree, but there is a difference, as I was saying, between adopting it as a more-or-less permanent position, and the alternative, which is to completely inhabit Christianity.
To do this, one must choose to forgo choice. And that, my friends, is easier said than done. You will not like it, because you will lose habits and tendencies of mind that you have grown fond of over time. You will lose friends - not through argument or conflict (though this can happen, I'm sure) - but you will drift apart having chosen different ground. I am quite sure of all this. The devoted Catholic is no more certain of heaven than anyone else - in fact, he or she may be more skeptical than the balanced Christian (who has everything worked out in a sexy, dynamic mix) - but you won't hear it from him. In fact, you may not hear much of all from him except what needs to be said to go about one's business. The devoted Catholic has nothing to brag about being confident of falling short of his model in every conceivable way and manner. Therefore, sadness is never too far off, but resentment has no foothold. Pleasure is easily won, the more casual the better.
I could go on, but I don't want to sound like an advertisement for the "devout Catholic." I know plenty of people who I am sure characterize themselves in this way but whose politics indicate multiple and problematic alliances. Let me say this though: there has never been a thing I have truly loved and embraced that I would whole-heartedly recommend for all persons in all times. I wrote poetry because I had no choice. Marriage is best suited to persons willing to sacrifice themselves to form a united couple. And Christianity....well, I have seen that as one commits and goes further, there is no going back. I have never known an arena of existence where the doing and the being are so closely would that you cannot distinguish the two. I have never known such perfect sadness in my failures. I have never known such calm, such joy, simply in being.
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