This is Life!: Revolutions Around the Cruciform Axis

Why "Atraditionalists" Have It Easy

This post got me to thinking yet some more about this week's kerfuffle on my blog.

My Kreeft post earlier this week clearly hurt feelings and created offense among my in-person and blogosphere friends. And while I in no way apologize for my convictions and beliefs (nor would my friends want me to), I do sincerely regret that this was the occasion for such tears and anger. I will keep the post because I believe it to be an excellent resource for the Tradition's stance on women's ordination. But I also realize that keeping the post means it will remain on the main page for a few days, and my friends may continue to be reminded of their hurt and anger by its presence.

Still, my reflection on all this today is one of frustrated bewilderment. As Aaron notes in his post linked above, statements, beliefs and other such communications which criticize and undermine the Tradition of the Church are nearly always given carte blanche, and we traditionalists, it is assumed, will sit there and take it.

We traditionalists expect this from the culture at large. This Christmas holiday season just past is an example of the sort of blatant paganism and mocking of traditional Christian sensibilities about the dogma and reality of the Incarnation we face daily. The endless paeans to the economic god and how well his devotees were adhering to his laws by getting out there and making it a "good Christmas [so-called] shopping season" is something we know we will have to face.

But it is ever more disturbing when we get this same sort of treatment from our fellow Christians.

Don't misunderstand. I recognize that modern-day Christendom is fractured and pluralistic. And while conformity of belief and life along the lines of Tradition is a traditionalist's devout wish, I recognize that such will not be happening soon. But there are areas of agreement, and beyond that our common humanity as imago dei, and thus we can show hospitality and love to one another, pray for one another, and bless one another in Christ's name.

Still, what I have found so deeply ironic this week, is that when I commend the Tradition's teaching about women and Eucharistic ministry, I then find myself in the position of needing to rebuild fractured bridges and offer sincere embraces. I did these things, and didn't hesitate to do so, and was hopeful that in so doing the offenses taken and the feelings hurt might be assuaged with prayer and love and relationships restored. But what I don't think my "atraditionalist" friends quite realize is that the experience they had this week is something we traditionalists go through nearly every day.

We read the blogs of our co-religionist friends and come across snickering rejections of Mary's perpetual virginity. After all, how could Mary and Joseph not have had sex, right? But we are subjected to this notion of Mary and Joseph "getting it on" and meant to do so in silence. We are subjected to judgments against us as "bigots, misogynists, and homphobes" because we hold to the Church's Tradition regarding the human person, human sexuality, and proper order in the Church. And yet, do we dare defend ourselves, we are subjected further to the assertions that such defenses are an even surer proof of our "bigotry, misogyny, and homophobia" as our inner guilt moves us to deny what we cannot accept in ourselves. And once again we are meant to suffer these unjust attacks in silence. We are harried by the enemies of the Faith outside the Church, and often do not even find refuge among those who, with us, claim the name of Christ.

We traditionalists operate at a disadvantage. Atraditionlists arguments are almost always given a fair hearing, their premises (assumed or explicit) accepted on their face, and their exegesis, however contrived, nearly always noted for its "creativity, boldness, and insight." Where traditionalists offer the Church's dogma, no matter how creatively we construct our arguments, or how well-done rhetorically, we are subjected to evaluations of using those "tired old arguments," accused of being "reactionary and hidebound," and otherwise informed that our rational capacities are anchored somewhere in the vicinity of a squash and a block of wood.

My atraditionalist friends, when coming to my blog, may guess that they will find the Tradition's stance on women's ordination, same sex behavior, and abortion. And to the degree that they may suffer offense and hurt feelings at these things, these are probably the extent of any troublesome ideas they will encounter.

But we traditionalists know that when we visit their blogs we will see most of the beliefs we hold dear brought up for criticism, sometimes condemnation, and not infrequently even mockery. And we dare not say a word. We are meant to just suffer in silence.

This is not a rant. I bear no ill will to my friends. I very much want to remain part of their lives and for them to remain part of mine. And I very much look forward to seeing some of them this evening at a birthday celebration. But on this most recent occasion of hurt feelings and offense, I wanted to point out that we traditionalists do understand what they're going through.

We live it most every day.

Posted by Clifton at January 29, 2005 01:19 PM | TrackBack