Catholic and Conservative Without Contradiction

I have heard a lot over the years about how Catholics tend to be divided in their political beliefs between liberalism and conservatism.  Indeed, the Catholic electorate tends to swing back and forth between the Democrats and Republicans depending on the year.  It is widely assumed that being Catholic means that you are socially conservative yet fiscally liberal, or liberal in matters of social justice.  The American Bishops have helped to convey that belief in many of their writings.

I am both a devout Catholic and a committed Conservative, and I believe that there is no contradiction between the two.  Aside from the obvious synergies between American Conservatism and Catholicism in matters of morality, such as the common beliefs on abortion, same sex marriage, and euthanasia, which I share, Catholicism and Conservatism are completely compatible.

When I was a student in college, I took a course entitled “Catholic Social Thought,” primarily because I knew and enjoyed the professor who was teaching the class, and secondarily because I was interested in its content.  At the time, I fully expected the course to create a bit of an internal conflict between my political beliefs and my religious faith.  What surprised me was that throughout the course, I found that Conservative thought lines up perfectly with what is genuine Catholic Social Thought as taught through the official teachings of the Church (encyclicals) as opposed to just “implementation” statements put forth by various bishops, both in the United States and Rome.

Catholicism (and indeed Christianity in general) teaches social justice.  It teaches that we as human beings are called to love our fellow man, and to care for those in need.  Catholic Social Thought teaches the dignity of the human person at all stages in life, the importance of justice, and the caring for of the weak and vulnerable (those unable to care for themselves).  What Catholic Social Thought does not say is what structures should be in place to accomplish those goals.

One important Catholic Social Principle that is often not known by most people, and is rarely if ever spoken by the American Bishops, is the principle of Subsidiarity.  This principle states that nothing should be done by a larger and more complex organization that can be done by a smaller and and simpler organization.  The principle was first outlined by Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical Rerum Novarum, considered to be the first major encyclical on Catholic Social Thought in the modern world, and was reiterated by Pope John Paul II in Centesimus Annus, in which he criticized the “social assistance state”.

This principle of Subsidiarity marries perfectly with Conservatism (as opposed to Libertarianism, which espouses an everyman-for-himself attitude).  Conservatism is not opposed to helping people.  In fact, it’s very premise of limited government exists because government gets in the way and does things inefficiently.  Look at any social program you want, and see how much of the actual tax money poured in is actually received by the recipients.  People who are poor and disadvantaged should be helped, but the state is a poor helper.  When one compares social programs created by the government with private charities and organizations (such as Catholic Charities), it is astounding to see how much more efficient charities are in actually providing assistance to those who need it.  This is because private charities are smaller, local, and less bureaucratic.

Charities receive much less money than they probably would otherwise due to the burdensome personal income taxes in this country.  Those who can afford it and would be willing are both taxed higher and given an excuse (well, my tax dollars pay for it, etc.)  This takes the sense of personal responsibility out of the concept of Christian charity.

The state creates a cycle of dependency which is an affront to the dignity of the human person.  People are kept down by virtue of the social programs that exist, creating an incentive to stay poor rather than to lift oneself out.  As a Conservative, I believe in everyone’s individual ability to succeed, and believe in lifting people out of their poverty rather than providing a check every month.

Government is a necessary evil because it performs a necessary functions required for social living.  Whatever government does impedes necessarily on individual freedom.  Sometimes, this is a good thing, but most of the time, it is an impediment.  The massive amount of regulations, rules, and “nanny’ policies that have been created are all degradations of individual personal freedom.  The oppressive tax code takes money from those who have earned it and inefficiently gives it to those who may need it but have not earned it, with no clear path to lift them out of their need on a permanent basis.  Government meddling in such things as health care and land purchasing has led to astronomical health care costs and an economy that is in trouble.  Individuals working together for the common good while at the same time working for their own self-interest (to feed their families, have a comfortable life, etc) generally leads to prosperity for most.  While some may fall through the cracks, it is up to the people in local communities, churches, charities, families, and as a last resort, even government, are responsible for lifting those people up and giving them the skills to make it on their own.

Government does have a role in this.  Government is responsible for removing barriers, for ensuring that all are treated equally, and are given the same equality of opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, socio-economic class, and gender.  Yet it is government today that keeps people down.  The government’s stubborn reliance on the municipality-based public school system keeps those who are poor in low-performing schools with no hope of escape.  It is government that tells minority students that they can’t make it on their own without assistance from the government, affirmative action, thus leading them to believe that the world is stacked against them.  Government today needs a conservative focus to promote the human individual, get government out of the way, and promote local, private  organizations to lift up those who are truly in need.

There is no contradiction between Catholicism and Conservatism.  The principles of Catholic Social Thought, when properly applied, while not preclude a role for government, does not envision the state as the primary source of Christian Charity.  Government programs are not charity at all, but rather social engineering experiments that have failed and continue to fail.  Rather, we as the Church, the People of God, are responsible for those in need, and are called to treat them with justice, lift them out of their poverty, and above all to treat them with the dignity inherent in the human person.

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Tagged as: Catholic Church, Catholicism, conservatism, liberalism, Limited Government, Roman Catholic Church, Socialism