It’s sad that most of us only halfway live our faith.
In many instances this means we take only half the teachings of the Church. Or we only live our faith out half the time. That’s typical. And I suppose it means we’re halfway there in a sense – but not really.
But there is a deeper sense of halfway living our faith that is all too common – perhaps far more common. It’s that we only half-believe. We half embrace. We only halfway follow our beliefs to their logical conclusion.
Unfortunately, fully embracing one’s faith these days is seen as fanatical. It’s okay to be Christian, as long as you don’t fully believe it and live it out. We say it’s only reasonable to treat your faith as moderately important. But if you fully believe it…well, now you’re acting unreasonable. You’ll quickly be labeled as an extremist.
It’s reasonable to make religion a part of your life. But don’t go making it the most important part! That’s just crazy!
Somehow, it is reasonable to be half-Christian. It is reasonable to live out our Christian faith in moderation. But it is somehow unreasonable to live it out fully? To actually treat its teachings as actually true? To follow them to their logical ends? To attempt to actually do what it asks us to do? Somehow that is unreasonable?
The truth is that there is nothing at all reasonable about a half-believed Christianity. There is nothing reasonable about halfway living it out. If it is true, it is everything. It is the only thing. It is true freedom. That’s not my opinion. That’s based on what the Church herself claims!
If it is false, it is total imprisonment. It’s a lie, a ruse – it’s of no importance whatsoever.
I’m always baffled at people who claim to be Catholic and then say something like, “well, but other religions can be just as true…it’s whatever works for each person.” Actually – the Catholic Church claims to be the Church that God started and to teach the fullness of Truth. If you don’t believe that, then why are you Catholic? It makes no sense. Yet that is the kind of world-view that passes for “reasonable” anymore.
Somehow we’ve gotten comfortable living our faith halfway. We’ve got one foot in the Church and one foot out. We’re ready to hop in or out depending on which best suits our present situation. And many of us do it without even realizing it because we’ve grown up not knowing any other way.
Are we truly living a Christian life if we’ve got one foot in and one foot out? Actually – no. Being a Christian is a “both feet in” kind of endeavour. Any other brand is not the real thing.
Tarek Saab has a great quote in his book “Gut Check” that I really like a lot:
“Living out one’s faith is either no way to live or it’s the only way to live; it’s either imprisonment, or the only path to freedom. It offers happiness, or it frustrates the pursuit. There is no half-love, half-religion, half-worship, half-belief, half-truth.” – Tarek Saab
One foot in and one foot out is no way to live.
Loading ...
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I completely agree. I have been telling every Catholic that I know the same thing; and yet some of them think I am unreasonable for insisting that we should live out our faith completely. It’s considered “stupid”, “unrealistic”, and “naive” by many of those I know. The truth is that a half-lived faith is worthless, and has no meaning, as well as being hypocritical. This is yet another great note by you, Matt.
Solid.
This was an especially good one. I can’t understand how people can say that conflicting views are equally true. Great point.
Great post Matt!
The Lord Jesus says, “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” It’s that known truth that sets people free, but so many people today don’t even know what they believe anymore.
Faith and religion are not necessarily completely overlapping. Our religion has been wrong in the past, now and will be wrong in the future on various points. The internal dialogue of the Church is the vehicle through which the Holy Spirit works to mold and shape the Church. I would probably be labeled by conservative Catholics as a “Cafeteria Catholic” because I don’t 100% agree with everything that comes from the Vatican. My faith however is strong and I believe in everything that I pray in the Credo at Mass each week. Many of our greatest Saints and theologians were at one time considered heretical. Here’s to that tradition!
Ben – Has not God revealed more to us in the past 2000 years than simply the creed? For example… abortion. Abortion is not in the creed nor the 10 commandments, etc.. But it is evil. Also, protestants recite the creed at their Sunday services too but they are not Catholic.
Ben – You make a great point, and speak the mind of many. Most of the “doctors of the church” were radicals of their time that brought about reform and change. That’s even why most of them have their own orders. The church, while divinely inspired, is still led by men that are capable of making mistakes. I’m not suggesting that the whole religion is a mistake, nor pointing to any one issue. I’m simply saying the formula for a mistake is there and within reason. I’m also probably labeled as a cafeteria Catholic, which is fine by me, because many people I look up to in history are precisely the same way. Just as a simple analogy, I am proud to call myself American, but I don’t support every last detail of what our government does. What’s important is that I believe in the underlying principles and TRUST America to be on the right path because of it. Nuff said.
ben and Jack…I challenge you to name one Doctor of the Church (post-conversion of course) that was a “cafeteria catholic”?
There is plenty of room within the Catholic Church for diversity – that is quite obvious. But it is dangerous when Catholics believe they can take their own liberty in going against the consistent teaching of the Church. Anything taught definitively in the ordinary or extraordinary magisterium of the Church is infallible teaching and all Catholics are obligated to it. There is no such thing as a “Cafeteria” catholic. You’re either Catholic or you aren’t.
There is a diversity of ways to express and live that out – no doubt. And many of the great saints were the first to do so in their own unique way and left us great treasures in the process. But they did not oppose in good faith the dogma of the Church.
We MUST make that distinction. Too many these days claim to be Catholic and do not even follow the dogma of the Church (which is far more than just the creed). And they are quite comfortable doing so. But unfortunately, they are missing the best parts! Both feet in guys! it’s the only way to go!
Jesus said, “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16-17) Not a position someone would want to find themselves!
Excellent. I couldn’t agree more. I am a convert from lifelong atheism, and this is one of the things that most puzzled me when I was on the outside looking in. I would wonder: Do you believe that this Church’s teachings are inspired by the Holy Spirit, a prescription for being in harmony with your Creator, or not? And if you do, why does that not inform every move you make? Lukewarm Christianity is not something I’ve ever understood.
Anyway, I’m glad to have discovered your blog. I’ll be back!
This not Christian woman couldn’t agree more! While I do not share your religious beliefs, I find your thoughts fascinating and refreshing. Nothing drives me more crazy than a person who labels or associates themselves with a group, religion or other only half heartedly. I find it mind boggling that when dealing with something as important as your religion, morals,or ethics that one thinks they can pick and choose what is convenient for them in order to associate themselves with “the group.” thank you!
When my faith started to awaken, I was very zealous about being a Catholic. But when I gave my life at 17 to Christ, I started following a more Evangelical Protestant path while remaining Catholic. I didn’t accept a lot of Catholicism even though I was enthusiastic about being one. One day when I was a junior in college a friend admonished me as a brother, saying that in order to be Catholic, you have to accept what the Church teaches. Frankly I did not know that. I had to fish or cut bait. Omitting the long story, that sparked (on one level; again long story) my embrace of orthodox Catholicism.
People are not evangelized, are not catechized. A lot of people are like I was, they genuinely do not know that they must embrace the whole faith. I am thankful for the man who told me. Maybe your blog post will do it for others.
wow. good piece. didn’t know you existed until today. I saw my brother put you on our twitter. Good stuff. I’ll be back as well.
thanks.
I agree with you! I am joining the Church next week, and one of the things I struggled with in the beginning of my conversion process was, “is it OK to be a ‘cafeteria catholic’”? I eventually decided that the answer was no (and was advised as such by my RCIA team)- you have put forth a well-stated summary here of why. Thanks.
That all those who protect the young from destruction, abuse, and neglect may truly see the facts placed before us and use our God-given minds to act in accordance with Truth. May we not be distracted neither by personally gratifiying answers to complicated problems nor by the Pharisees of today. May we act from love more than misguided righteousness. Lord hear our prayer.
Matthew 22:
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36″Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew, when you create your own teachings and present them as official Catholic teachings, I, as a Catholic am offended. You said, “Anything in the ordinary or extraordinary magisterium of the Church is infallible teaching and all Catholics are obligated to it.” However, this is simply not true. It is something made up outside of the church, much like folk stories of Jesus’ children in France. Here’s a more credible source:
“Most papal and conciliar teachings pertain to the Church’s ordinary teaching authority (magisterium) and are understood as authentic teachings—but not infallible in the sense of Vatican I’s teaching about infallibility.”
http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/aug2004/Wiseman.asp
Please note that the only teachings that have been proclaimed ex cathedra (i.e. they fall under the 19th century doctrine of infallibility) are the teachings of the immaculate conception and ascension of Mary.
Uhg, Kimi – I didn’t create any teachings. Just because you can find one priest that disagrees and somehow justifies your own views does not mean I created my own teaching. Please stop with the accusations.
You need to understand the infallible teachings of the CHurch better. They do not ONLY include the extraordinary ex cathedra statements made by the pope since the doctrine of infallibility was defined. That shows a total misunderstanding of not only how CHurch doctrine works, but what the magisterium of the Church actually is.
The ordinary magisterium of the Church includes much much more than that. For example – it quite obviously definitively teaches that abortion is always and everywhere intrinsically evil.
I love how when I proclaim a teaching of the Church that has been authentically taught for thousands of years you accuse me of “creating my own teachings.” But when you quote some random priest out of context from some website and use it to twist it into what you want it to mean…we are supposed to then regard this as authentically true and honest and humble?
I don’t have time to go into details of how wrong you are on the infallible teachings of the Church, but Catholics are obligated to follow “authentic” teachings of the Church anyway. So I’m not sure what you’re whole point was anyway.
Here’s something I found really quick that might help that is from a TRULY credible source:
All – please don’t let anyone ever make you think that Church teaching should be reduced to an isolated conscience or to a few lines of scripture. It is so much more than that and so beautiful when fully embraced. It’s sad that so many Catholics never see it.
I have not read all the comments, but I like the original post. However, I am not Catholic…..I suppose you would call me a born again believer…..for Jesus Himself said, one cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless he is born again.
I don’t really know all the specifics of Catholicism, but I know that anything outside of the Bible is a mere tradition of man that will not stand in the end….for Jesus Himself said that all things will pass away, but His Word will remain forever.
You must seek the face of the Father, pick up your cross and follow Jesus, who is the only way…..the way the truth and the life.
Thanks, Lilly! And God bless you!
So what do you think about the Traditions that Jesus and the Apostles started that were not explicitly written down in the Bible? Are those unimportant?
We have to be careful not to limit God to what is written in a book – His “Word” is much more than that. Your very belief that “everything outside of the Bible is a mere tradition of man” is actually itself a tradition of man. For nowhere does Jesus teach such a thing and nowhere does the Bible say that. You also can’t find that belief anywhere in history up until about 1500 years AFTER Jesus founded his Church. So to suggest that such an idea is Christian seems a bit far-fetched.
But I certainly understand why somebody may think that when so many Christians have gotten so far away from the roots of Christianity and come up with their own separate denominations according to their own traditions.
If you want to learn more about the Catholic perspective and our absolute belief in everything in the Bible, i wrote more on that here.