Church a bulwark against state tyranny

GREGG GABBETT (Letters, Sept 8) wants us all to break free of the grip of what he perceives as the repressive clutches of the Church.

What he champions, in protecting peoples’ freedom against this magisterial tyrant, is the State.

This is not a good idea. There are many places on Earth where states have been given free reign to control their populace — North Korea is a perfect example. This state, as the arbiter and dictator of society’s moral direction, produces paradise for the few on top and hell for everyone else.

We have just emerged from the bloodiest period in the history of mankind, where approximately 150 million people have been murdered or left to die at the hands of their own governments.

In so far as states have gotten things right, I would say their teachings have been taken from the Church or are in line with its teaching.

It must be asked — is there a part of Church teaching that is upsetting to Mr Gabbett, or would he just prefer an individualistic, independent take on those values?

A place where the battle between Church and State is seen by many as having been won by the latter is America. But there while the tacit acknowledgement of a creator in the Constitution and the “one nation under God” phrase still holds, it was not enough to save the country from the impending destruction of marriage through divorce and redefinition, capitalism without a conscience and the murder of 50 million unborn children since 1973.

Mr Gabbett’s state championing is not patriotic in any real sense. He should recall that his forefathers suffered terribly under the sectarian persecution of Cromwell and Queen Elizabeth I.

He mentions his “beloved republic” without realising he doesn’t share the faith or probably the idealistic heroism of its founding fathers.

Catholic piety may seem like “pay, pray and obey” servility or lukewarm or lamentable hypocrisy, the result of a poor catechises, but at least if people consistently followed the basic tenets of Christian faith how much more preferable than a descent into the abysmal hell of a state-run dystopia.

Dr Mark Hickey

Cambridge

Massachusetts

USA