The Federalist
"Christians like St. Ignatius were not persecuted simply because they were people of faith. Ancient Romans could freely believe in different sorts of deities and participate in all manner of rituals. Christians were different because their faith led them to put our heavenly King above earthly Caesar. Following Jesus, who was God incarnate, suffered for our sins, died, and rose again on the third day, meant accepting a way of life — or as Cuomo might say, moral “positions' ”
"While interviewing Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, last week, CNN’s Chris Cuomo expressed concern that Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s faith appears “more central to her value system and her behavior and thoughts than it would be for just an ordinary Catholic.”
"Cuomo went on to suggest in an interview with former 2020 Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg that people’s faith “doesn’t matter,” but their policy positions affected by it do. What on earth does this mean?
“It doesn’t matter if you have faith; it matters about your positions. Fine, you’re a Christian. I’m a Christian,” Cuomo said to Buttigieg, going on to smear the “devout organization” People of Praise. “This is more than just every Sunday. This is more than just a moral backstop in [Barrett’s] life. This is a fundamentalist approach to her faith.”
"Although we shouldn’t take too seriously the theological musings of a person who saw nothing wrong with Don Lemon’s outrageous statement that Jesus Christ “was not perfect,” the CNN anchor’s observations here on the role of faith do warrant some reflection.
A True Christian Isn’t an Ordinary One
"What does it mean to be an “ordinary” Catholic — or any “ordinary” Christian, for that matter? How is “faith” different from moral “positions”? Do we agree with Cuomo’s insinuation that Christian faith should be no more than a weekly Sunday commitment, if that, and then back to the “secular world” on Monday?
"If so — and no one is immune from sliding into this trap — yes, we might fit with Cuomo’s ideas of “ordinary” Catholics. We’re also being lukewarm Christians, however, a category of believers for whom holy Scripture has some stern warnings.
"Of course, what Cuomo really means by “ordinary” is palatable, acceptable, and tolerable. For Democrats and their left-wing stooges like him, Christians should be free to worship whatever sky-fairies they want, providing it’s a part-time commitment behind closed doors. This is the extent of religious freedom for the left.
"Christians can identify as “people of faith” and no lips will be pursed, no eyebrows raised. They might even get a hypocritical pat on the head, along with Joe Biden, for their “deeply devout” faith. The left doesn’t care if the Biden campaign runs an ad featuring Pope Francis and a random assortment of smiling nuns preaching about Biden’s “moral conviction,” because “ordinary” Catholic Joe is on board with pro-abortion extremism and revoking the Trump administration’s exemption for religious groups such as the Little Sisters of the Poor.
"If Christians cross the line and elevate their faith to a status greater than community service for some sort of nongovernmental organization, however, they’d better watch out. If they become Christian warriors, not merely social justice warriors, there will be tough questions.
"If Christians dare to allow their moral “positions” to be informed by scripture, the lives of the saints, and church teaching, they will be labeled “fundamentalists.” These sorts of faithful, presumably extra-ordinary Christians will be hounded and persecuted because, like Barrett, their faith is central to their life. In Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s words, “The dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s a concern.”
"Of course, the real danger extraordinary Christians pose is their desire to serve in public life. Hence the shameful and undemocratic persecution of public officeholders such as Brian Buescher and Barrett on the grounds of their Catholic faith. Sens. Hirono and Kamala Harris targeted Buescher’s faith, with the Hawaiian Democrat going so far as to ask Buescher if he would “end his membership” with the Catholic fraternal organization the Knights of Columbus, which Hirono said takes “extreme positions.” . .
.Full article here; Entire Tunnel Wall here
Carina Benton is a native Australian living in Washington state. She is a practicing Catholic and has taught for many years in Catholic and Christian schools. She is a mother of two young children.
