How to Avoid Cafeteria Catholicism and Champagne Socialism

Last updated on: September 11, 2019 at 10:36 am by Chase Padusniak

How to Avoid Cafeteria Catholicism and Champagne Socialism 2019-09-11T10:36:22-04:00 Chase Padusniak

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

And this makes sense. Take Marxian socialism: Marx is not God, nor a god. But, like other systematic thinkers—Aquinas and Hegel come to mind—once you get on board, once you begin to accept his first principles, it becomes difficult to wriggle your way out. If you find yourself agreeing with the first 15 pages of Capital, Volume One, you’re likely to find (most) of the rest of the work convincing, if not enriching.

Again, personal experience might be helpful. I don’t identify as a Marxist, but I do find Marx’ magnum opus fascinating. Catholicism helped me answer, or at least make problematic, many of the assumptions of the culture around me; it gave me a language and practices with which to think through the world. Capital enacts something similar (though necessarily different). My quasi-traditionalist, Catholic dissatisfaction with individualism, consumerism, techno-fetishism, and milquetoast liberalism all found worthy responses in Marx’ Meisterwerk. Instead of treating these problems as cultural phenomena with a common ground in an idea gone awry or a figure given too much power, he locates his criticisms in their common material legacy: technological development, market economies, atomization, the breakdown of traditional communities—all of these are coeval, and as materially-traceable as they are anything else. That was fascinating, and it meant—at least in a limited sense—living a different sort of life, or at least having different sorts of opinions. With the mask pulled away, something had to change.

With regard to both God and philosophy, once truth (or at least what one believes to be the truth) has been glimpsed, it’s hard not to feel fired up—converted. The journey enjoined is an impossible one, at least on one’s own. Thus failure ensues in one way or another.

This is merely an analogy, but, I think, an incredibly important one. It unveils the need for limitless humility, especially as regards Christianity, though it may be related to any aspect of life that must be lived with conviction.

When we look at the saints, we see those who acknowledge their own inadequacies first and foremost. Those who do the most are often those who reckon with their own failings. Mother Teresa’s doubts come to mind:

Often I wonder what does really God get from me in this state — no faith, no love — not even in feelings. The other day I can’t tell you how bad I felt. — There was a moment when I nearly refused to accept. — Deliberately I took the Rosary and very slowly and without even meditating or thinking – I said it slowly and calmly. The moment passed — but the darkness is so dark, and the pain is so painful. – But I accept whatever He gives and I give whatever He takes. People say they are drawn closer to God — seeing my strong faith. – is this not deceiving people? Every time I have wanted to tell the truth – “that I have no faith” – the words just do not come – my mouth remains closed. – And yet I still keep on smiling at God and all.

Dorothy Day, of course, had difficulties with the communitarian nature of her project, the immorality it sometimes bred. A woman whose dedication to Christ was so absolute as entirely to transform her life could not but write in her journals about the impossibility of it all, about the never-ending task, about how much more there was to do, how inadequate she was to the job.

In other words, the best—and blessed are they—are the humble, those who recognize in deep self-consciousness that there is always more to do, that the struggle is interminable and always dependent upon the help of others. This is how you avoid becoming a bourgeois Champagne Socialist who throws money at things or celebrates Macron’s victory in France, but, more importantly, this is how you avoid Cafeteria Catholicism, how you delve into the depths of yourself so as to have no time to pick and choose.

Previous Post

May 9, 2017

The Thing about First Things

Next Post

May 11, 2017 Ecclesiastes Is All We Need

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Academia Culture Politics Reviews Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 December 2020 November 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 April 2019 March 2019 December 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Paul John James Peter