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| A New Idolatry for the Contemporary American – Part Two | |
If "Choice" has developed (especially in elite circles) into nothing less than a cultic religious movement, I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to personalize "Choice", imagining it (or better yet, her) as a kind of national idol, a "goddess" if you will, who demands of her faithful unquestioning loyalty, and a willingness to put devotion to her above every other ethical, ecclesial or religious authority that might rival her preeminence.
Back in January 2006, a group of 55 Catholic politicians of one of the major political parties signed a statement declaring their loyalty to Catholic social teaching, and committing themselves to "making real the basic principles that are at the heart of Catholic social teaching: helping the poor and disadvantaged, protecting the most vulnerable among us, and ensuring that all Americans of every faith are given meaningful opportunities to share in the blessings of this great country." But when it came to the issue of abortion, they did an abrupt about-face and attempted to make the argument that Church teaching in this matter did not apply to them. Of course not. Their vow of fealty had already been made at the altar of the goddess Choice (also revered in some quarters under the name "Reproductive Rights"), and, like her female Olympian counterparts of ancient Greek mythology, she brooks no rivals, not even that Church whose teachings the aforementioned politicians claim to affirm.
An Orwellian World Called "Choice"
How then does Choice enforce discipline among her faithful? For the answer to that question, we need turn no further than one of the great works of twentieth century fiction, 1984, by English novelist George Orwell. In his nightmare vision of the future, Oceania is the mythical country (empire, actually) in which Orwell's story is set. The main character, Winston Smith, is a low-level bureaucrat in Oceania's government, in the Ministry of Truth, located in an enormous pyramid-shaped building. The Ministry of Truth is in turn divided into four departments, each of which "concern[s] itself with news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts."
Substitute "mainline Protestant religious bodies" for "the fine arts" and you have a concise snapshot of the four cultural institutions of contemporary America that give unquestioning obedience to a goddess named "Choice." Atop the pinnacle of the building housing this Ministry of Truth stands a statue of its patron, the goddess Choice, dressed like many of her female Olympian counterparts in full-length robe. In her outstretched hands she holds a pair of surgical forceps and vacuum curette, indicating the nature of the macabre "gifts" she bestows on her most devoted followers.
Inconsistency: The Rule, not the Exception
We've all had the experience of watching the news or reading a news article about some absurd action or statement by a person or group defending abortion, and we've said to ourselves "that doesn't even make any sense." Ladies and gentlemen, as apostles of the "Ministry of Truth," ardent worshippers of Choice have exempted themselves from any rules of logic or consistency. As the operative mental processes of that group are governed by a high degree of cognitive dissonance, one would expect logic and consistency to be the exception and not the rule. And such is the case today as the worshippers of Choice follow the tenets of their faith:
Consistently seek to prevent even non-invasive and non-confrontational efforts by pro-life advocates from providing sidewalk counseling to women outside abortion mills. Does not "choice" imply more than one possible resolution to the problem of an unwanted pregnancy? Not to advocates of Choice!
Consistently resist calls to formally protest or publicly disagree with mainland China's "One Child" policy which mandates forced abortions on women who choose to have more than one child. There is choice, and then there is Choice.
Angrily resist calls for state or local regulation of abortuaries to bring them up to the minimum standards of more conventional outpatient surgical facilities. In many locales, a tattoo or massage parlor, or even a veterinarian's office, is more highly regulated than the abortion mill supposedly providing "health care for women" across the street.
Those who also happen to publicly claim Catholicism as their religion turn a deaf ear to warnings by Church officials of their serious breach of faith on this critical issue, voting at every opportunity to establish Choice as a permanent American institution (or block attempts by pro-life politicians to restrict the practice of abortion in any way), thereby ensuring the destruction of the maximum number of defenseless unborn human lives. Gott mit us. Auswal uber alles!
Idolatry exacts a high price in today's culture, much as it did in civilizations past. God warned ancient Israel that idolatry would be its undoing. Today in America, idolatry in the form of worship of the goddess Choice is decimating society and ulcerating the Body of Christ, the Church. When will the people of the United States see the abortion debate as a struggle not over a "political issue," but recognize it as the life-or-death spiritual and cultural crisis that it is? In Old Testament times, it was God v. Baal. Today, it is the Lord of Life v. the false god of Choice. Nineteenth-century poet and diplomat James Russell Lowell composed a hymn whose opening verse aptly describes the road before us:
Once to every man and nation
Comes a moment to decide,
In the strife of Truth with Falsehood,
For the good or evil side.
My prayer is that, come election day next year, when Catholics go to the polls (blue states listen up!) they will follow the instruction of Christ through his Church and cease supporting those who bow down to the image of Choice.