is FUN.
I'm by no means an expert on Catholicism, and I've only recently jumped back into it. What I write here is what I believe to be true based on everything I've read and researched, but if you're a better Catholic than I and you see that I've gotten something wrong (or right!) feel free to let me know!
In all honesty, I think being Catholic is really compatible with being progressive. Many of my positions on social and political issues are heavily influenced by my faith and my belief in the authority of the Church. There are two issues that make it difficult, but more on that in a minute. First I want to talk real quick about why it makes sense.
The Role of Money/Economics
Every true progressive I know adheres to a sort of Keynesian economics, at least. They believe the government ought to invest in people. Many progressives - including myself - would go so far as to support a sort of socialism. This sounds ridiculous in this context because historically, religion has been attacked by socialists. Of course I don't support that. Everyone should be free to worship, and I think religion plays an invaluable role in society. I do believe, however, that people should be paid fairly for the work they do. That workers should have more control over what they produce. Do I think people should have private property? Yep! Should people with specific training and education be paid higher wages? Yep. But...
Can someone make billions of dollars a year and remain morally intact?
Probably not. In order to make that much money, someone else is suffering. A worker isn't being paid fairly, a child is in a sweatshop, a woman is working for thirty cents less than a man per hour.
Progressives - true progressives - resist this economic model.
Look:
"Money has to serve, not rule."
"We don't want this globalized economic system which does us so much harm. Men and women have to be at the center (of an economic system) as God wants, not money."
-Papa Francisco
Jesus called Saint Peter the rock upon which the Church would be built. Pope Francis is a successor to Saint Peter. As Catholics, we believe the Pope is the Vicar of Jesus Christ.
The Vicar of Christ is telling us that people, not money, should be the center of our economic system.
Best believe I'm gonna fight for that.
(The argument that people matter more than money makes sense outside of faith, too, but that's another post.)
So we have a couple of options (I'm generalizing):
1. Fiscal conservatism, which says poor people should be taxed the same as rich people (or more, for that matter) and that the government has no place spending money on social services; or
2. Progressivism, which says the government should tax on a scale and that money should be invested into social services.
(I want to add real quick - you cannot be a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. Many people claim these titles together, but they are contradictory.)
For a hot minute let's keep in mind Pope Francis' words, but also look at the Corporal Works of Mercy:
To feed the hungry.
To give drink to the thirsty.
To clothe the naked.
To shelter the homeless.
To visit the sick.
To visit the imprisoned.
To bury the dead.
In government and politics, it might look like this:
Supporting food stamps.
Supporting food stamps.
Supporting EBT cash/public assistance.
Supporting section 8/public housing.
Supporting medicaid/medicare.
Supporting prison reform.
Supporting veteran affairs.
And so on. Or, better yet, it might look like *a fight for a living wage, so that no one needs social services.*
Either way, as a Catholic (and as a person with a moral compass that doesn't point straight to hell), I won't campaign or vote for politicians that threaten to cut social programs or who don't support better wages. Historically, austerity has never worked, and I believe the path to a society where people are fed and clothed involves a fair tax system, a high minimum wage, and support for social services.
All progressive stances.
Work - Unions, Hours, Leave, etc
Every single person is unique and has dignity and worth.
Employers should treat them as such.
When conservatives argue for keeping the minimum wage low, or for minimizing the power of unions, for stripping collective bargaining rights, or for less vacation time, for longer hours, etc, they are arguing against a culture of life and of goodness. People can't thrive when their entire lives are spent at work. They can't share their gifts with the world. They can't offer themselves to others. They can't spend time with their families. I think God meant for us to do those things, and I keep that in mind when I vote, I keep it in mind when I sign petitions calling for higher wages, I keep it in mind when I decide which rallies to attend.
In all honesty, when it comes to the economy and to workers, democratic politicians, for the most part, are only a little better than republican politicians. Bernie Sanders is an exception, but President Obama is a capitalist. Hillary Clinton is a capitalist. Joe Biden is a capitalist. I think their policies are fairer and more aligned with my faith than the policies of republicans, but they're not great. That said, I think most ordinary people (the non-politicians) who consider themselves progressives have ideals that match Catholic values.
But money isn't the only thing.
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For God so loved America, that He gave His only begotten Son..
Oh wait, that's not how it goes.
Here it is: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son"
Immigration.
Countries are a thing, and I love America and apple pie and rooting for our
soccer team but God made the world and I'm pretty sure He loves all of its humans equally, so let's go ahead and treat immigrants, illegal or not, like they're our own (because, uh, they are).
The Catholic Church is pro-life in every sense of the word, and that means that every single person on earth is important and has value and dignity, and the conservative view on immigration is quite the opposite of that.
Now,
progressives aren't all terrific on the issue, either. But as a whole, they're better than conservatives on immigration. I feel confident that many Catholic priests would advise against calling children of immigrants "anchor babies." Also I doubt they'd be supportive of detaining entire families. Catholics have been some of the leaders in the fight to create more just, humane immigration policies.
As far as I can tell, if you're Catholic, you
can't think that Americans are the best/most important people in the world.
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The Environment
There's been talk about this a lot lately thanks to Pope Francis' Laudato Si.
Again, the Pope (
THE POPE) is telling us that we cannot remain apathetic to environmental degradation, that we cannot continue the habits of consumerism that we currently do, and that the changes brought by humans will adversely affect the poor.
Conservatives on a national scale aren't even in agreement that climate change and global warming are real. To me, living my faith (and taking care to follow Pope Francis' lead) means acknowledging this serious problem, and working to fix it. And voting for politicians who will take action.
Laudato Si is not just about science and global warming. It's about rampant consumerism and the destruction of God's creation. When I look to see which side of the spectrum will take more care to conserve and preserve earth's wonders, it's the left. Are they doing it because they feel called to by God? Maybe some of them, but no, not all of them. But whether for secular or nonsecular reasons, the motives are right and the goals are admirable. It happens to align with my faith.
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Education Policy
I wrote a post with my thoughts on education
here, if you want to check it out. But basically (and probably due to the fact that schooling has been so badly corrupted by the drive for profits), I think most politicians have got poor education policies. One of the main reasons I prefer *most* progressives on education is that they tend to offer less support to charter schools. I just can't get behind charters, man. I think that the teachers who work at them are good people, the students are great, the parents are terrific... but the concept? No. I'm not all about using public funding on privately-run schools that have little oversight.
But, staying on topic with how
Catholicism influences my stance on education...
I think God gave us intellect and curiosity for a reason. I think we are meant to explore everything around us, that we are meant to learn about art and music and great literature. I firmly believe God purposely gives everyone different talents and interests.
Which means I think we should spend much more money on education, that public schools should be in beautiful buildings that inspire teachers and students alike, and that love for learning should be the goal rather than good test scores. I believe that teaching for standardized tests means educators can't spend enough time on books, on helping students pursue their passions, on instilling curiosity instead of great memorization skills.
There aren't many politicians on the national scale calling for these things, but this kind of education system would require more money and a separation from corporations like Pearson - two things that most progressives support.
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Black Lives Matter/Policing in America
In general, it seems pretty clear that most conservatives are hesitant to support the
Black Lives Matter movement. Many of them, in fact, feel the urge to silence black people by shouting, "all lives matter!"
Not okay, man. Similar to the capitalism/education problems, national liberal politicians are not much better. They may not show outright opposition, but many of them fall into the category of conveniently
colorblind. (Which might be why Black Lives Matter hasn't yet endorsed anyone for president? Makes sense.)
I do, think, however, that most progressives have better policies when it comes to the police.
Why does this matter to me as a Catholic?
I'm pro-life. Police keep killing black people. Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Dontay Ivy, Michael Brown, and too many more. These men, women, and children are just the first to pop into my head. It's easy for most people to just spit out numbers, be horrified for a minute, and move on. (I sometimes do this.) But really - each of those people were made in the image of God. Each was a brand new person who has never existed on Earth before and will never exist here again. There literally is no one like them. They were priceless and their lives were priceless and they were murdered by police.
So I try and vote for the politician who wants to do something about it.
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And if those were the straight-forward, Catholic-very-compatible-with-progressive positions, here are the NOT so easy issues to deal with:
Gay marriage
I think this might make me a not-great Catholic, but I find it really, really difficult to accept the Church's position on this. ("But, you said you accept the Church's authority?!" Yes. So imagine how crappy this dilemma feels.)
I've heard all of the reasoning behind it, and it still feels wrong. And it's like.. sometimes you rely on the Holy Spirit to help you out and give you the grace to understand... and, well, it's like I feel the opposite. No part of me begins to feel right about banning gay marriage. I know the Church's position and I want to always follow Church teaching, but........ ah, it just doesn't seem right.
(Also, I 100% support the idea of government not making laws based just on religion, so I'm not comfortable voting for politicians who are against gay marriage.)
And while I find it hard to accept the Catholic Church's position on gay marriage...
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But I'm also kind of flummoxed that so many people support abortion. (Though I understand why many women feel like they need them.)
I think there's a real inconsistency on the left (many of my friends were furious about the killing of Cecil the Lion - but are fine with "ending a pregnancy" which is literally ending a human life). Progressives are "pro-life" in so many other ways: acknowledging the moral worth of immigrants and POC, supporting labor policies that make it possible for people and families to thrive,
wanting to save the earth. Of course, many people don't believe a fetus is a human yet. But I'm not going to throw science in the face of conservatives when we're talking about global warming and then completely ignore it when we talk about abortion. A fetus is a human. It is one of the earliest stages of development in a human, yes, but it's still a human. Sure, it's how I feel as a Catholic, but it's also just science. The dna is already there, the sex is already determined -
it is already a unique human. (Do I feel like a little bit of an asshole for writing this? Yes - I don't want to make any of my friends who have gotten abortions feel bad. But I think they know I love them and don't think poorly of them - I just think that we're getting this topic wrong and it's an important discussion to have.)
I think this topic deserves its own post in light of recent events, so maybe that's something I'll hash out later this week or next. But for now I'll say it's the one progressive stance that gives me pause.
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When it comes to deciding how to vote, it seems pretty clear to me. I vote for the people I believe will fight for the right values - the dignity of every person and every worker, the preservation of the earth, the right of immigrants to build a life here, the right of black people to live. I take gay marriage and abortion into consideration, of course. Usually the candidate who shares my position on the economy and the environment also shares my position on gay marriage. Almost always, we disagree on abortion. But when I vote, my hope is that there will be less women seeking abortion (because of better wages, better maternity leave policies, better hours, etc.). I don't like the democratic position on abortion, but I do like voting for the people who don't want to take food stamps away from the poor families (including their babies, planned or unplanned). I do like voting for the people who want to keep everyone fed and clothed. And in the meantime I guess the best thing to do about abortion is to keep having the conversation.
Overall, I feel pretty comfortable being a Catholic and a progressive.
***I just realized I forgot to include war. I think war should be a last resort, not something we idolize. Which means I won't be supporting anyone like Mike Huckabee, who in the GOP debate said the point of the military is "to kill people and break things."
Yeah, nope.
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Charlotte
