More on cults of personality

Last updated on: December 30, 2014 at 2:48 am by Mark Shea

More on cults of personality 2014-12-30T02:48:37-07:00 Mark Shea

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.

A reader sez:

Mark, one could very well make the same argument about you and the little cult of personality that has grown up around you– since apparently all one needs to be a “cult of eprsonality” is to have an audience. Such a judgement would be unfair to you.

To be precise, my reader’s words can best be described as “not accurate, but entirely fair.”

That is, merely “having an audience” is not the same as a cult of personality. Rather, it is having an audience that adores you and hangs on your every word and assumes that any criticism that the object of the cult of personality receives can only be due to unreasoning hatred, malice toward the Faith, or some sort of other wicked cause.

And the reality is that, for some of my readers, that is exactly the case. That’s why I’m so sensitive to and worried about cults of personality: I have readers who have made me the object of their uncritical and undiscerning veneration. It is an *extremely* dangerous thing to do, both for the object of veneration and for the soul of the idol worshipper.

And it is a pattern that has played out in Faithful Conservative Catholic[TM] circles again and again and again and again over the past decade, with Faithful Conservative Catholics[TM] either repeating the same dumb mistake of latching on to a new Folk Hero to replace the old one and circling the wagons whenever the Folk Hero is challenged, or else whipsawing to total cynicism and rejection of the Faith because their Folk Hero let them down.

To be sure, the object of cultic veneration has a choice to make: he can encourage the cult and thereby incur his share of guilt in fostering idolatry, or discourage the cult to the degree he is able to do so. So, for instance, my friend Scott Hahn is perfectly aware of the fact that he has worshippers–and does everything he can to discourage that while continuing to do his job as a lay teacher of the Faith. That’s perfectly reasonable. If the worshippers continue to confuse him with The Voice of the Magisterium, that’s not his fault since he tries very hard to do do what a good theologian does: distinguish his theological views and opinions from what the Church defines as dogmatic. And he tries very hard to discourage the Cult of Hahn.

Which brings us to the main point: that the idolator also has his responsibility too. He can go on being the sort of dependent personality who immaturely looks for some Hero to keep him safe and tell him what to think, or he can mature in Christ and learn how to distinguish the personality and private views of his admired Hero from the Magisterium, from the Church, and from Jesus Christ. That is the wise course, because there is no Folk Hero who is not going to let you down sooner or later.

So: stop worshipping Folk Heros–including me. Learn to think with the Church. Put on the mind of Christ. Was Shea crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Hahn? Or Voris? Or Corapi? Or Euteneuer? Or Maciel?

Uncategorized

The Faithful Conservative[TM] Catholic Anti-Charism of Discernment

Previous Post

January 28, 2013

How comboxes work

Next Post

January 28, 2013 "Sound" advice, so to speak

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 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 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 September 2006 June 2006 July 2005 April 2005 May 2002 April 2002 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz