War and Remembrance
I see that Damon Linker (the “somebody” to whom Alan is referring here) has posted an obituary for his old boss, Father Richard John Neuhaus.
As I’ve told him directly, I was always skeptical that Linker was really worried about religious strife or oppression in America. For all the noise about the political mobilization of religious voters, there’s just very little evidence to substantiate those fears. Rather, it seemed to me, his true concern was about what the cast of mind that he saw among the First Things crowd implied for how they would make decisions about matters unrelated to religion. And this concern, I believe, can be traced to the war in Iraq, and the way in which conservatives like Neuhaus (and George Weigel and others) made their arguments in defense of the war. The concern can be phrased psychologically (the devoutly orthodox – particularly orthodox Catholics – have an authoritarian cast of mind that is dangerously manipulable by political demagogues) or politically (to build a political movement on the mobilization of religious voters requires a kind of sacralization of politics, which inevitably winds up stifling open debate and dissent from the party line), and the two are not mutually exclusive – either way, I think that way of stating the concern comes closer to the matter than talk about “theocracy.”
In any event, whatever you might think of that particular concern, it seems to me that the language of Linker’s remembrance basically supports my view of what the nature of his concern really is.
As for me, I’m just very grateful that First Things published what is still probably my favorite piece of writing, and grateful, therefore, both to Linker and to the late Fr. Neuhaus.
To build any political movement requires a sacralization of politics, no? I mean, Obama voters aren’t, most of them, particularly religious as that term is conventionally used, but they (and he) have certainly sacralized politics. And others have written at some length about the similarities between the Democratic Republican campaigns of the early 19th century and the revivals of the Second Great Awakening, similarities unaffected by the deist views of the Republican founders.
— y81 · Jan 9, 04:06 AM · #
To build any political movement requires a sacralization of politics, no?
Very true, but if you’re a religious believer that courts idolatry. So if you care about (a given) religion it’s something to worry about. But as Noah points out, to use this sacralization to turn religious believers into specific kinds of political activists is dangerous to the civic order as well.
— Alan Jacobs · Jan 9, 04:45 AM · #
That’s my favorite piece of your writing too, Noah, and all the more meaningful now that I’m a newly-married man.
— Brett · Jan 9, 03:49 PM · #
I don’t see why political movements of religious believers are more dangerous to the civic order than movements of other true believers. Certainly irreligious political actors have shown as much propensity as anyone to suppress free speech, engage in illegal violence, etc. I take the point about idolatry, but religious believers in America today are much more inclined to make idols of money or family than of any political movement.
— y81 · Jan 9, 08:17 PM · #
I read First Things regularly, but mainly for its articles involving historical issues or eternal verities. When it turns its focus on contemporary politics the magazine has become predictably partisan, and at times descends into outright hackery. For example, it has published some tedious essays parroting the claims of global warming denialists, making arguments even the Bush administration has rejected— and completely irrelevant to the magazine’s putative topic, Religion in the public square.
I understand why culture warriors like Fr Neuhaus would support George W Bush and the GOP. But I do not understand why this requires them to support and enthusiastically adopt every position that the GOP holds on matters far removed from the social issues they care about. The archbishop of my church manages to denounce both abortion and the Iraq War from the pulpit without any difficulty. would it tax Neuhaus et al to say “We support George Bush on his judicial appointments, but not his foreign (or tax) policy”.
— JonF · Jan 11, 01:57 AM · #