Argument from Bad Catholics I: Cultural Identity
Another Unorganized Argument
There are bad Catholics, this none will dispute. Consider a saying I heard a handful of times from one of my philosophy professors: “A Protestant atheist? He just doesn’t believe in God. A Jewish atheist? He’s mad at God. A Catholic atheist? He’s mad at the Church.” There is truth to this, and it highlights a feature of Catholic Christianity that Protestants often take to be a bug: its mores tend to persist even when commitment to God has apparently vanished. Thus my friend’s apostate sister who keeps the Lenten fasts.
What worth is empty tradition without true faith? More than you might guess. Think of it this way: the Traditions of the Church form us into vessels well-shaped to receive the outpouring of Christ’s living water. If you have no water, it is true that having a perfectly shaped cup will be of little avail. But when the heavens open and God sends His rains on the just and wicked alike, you will be glad to have had your cup ready. It may make the difference between being receptive and being closed off to the Holy Spirit at the critical moment. Indeed, it is remarkable and surely preferable that some contact with Christianity should remain with those who have long since turned their backs on God.
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