SOS: Save Our Souls

Political toleration has its limits.

Political atheism is dead, a fact recognized by even our liberal oligarchs. By promoting hedonism as the ultimate value and dismantling responsibilities, duties, and communities, our elites exploit their influence and lead individuals toward moral downfall. This is clear in actions such as severing parental rights over their children’s education. The time has come for conservatives to fight back — the decisions of each state affect the salvation of its citizens because the state holds, in part, responsibility for the salvation of souls.

Conservative and libertarian critics frequently highlight the peril of such power delegation to a government entity. They caution, “imagine the Left’s actions when we’re out of office.” However, the Left already wields power, imposing their beliefs akin to a genuine religion. Liberal theology asserts that prioritizing actions according to appetitive desires represents the ultimate good. The liberal vision of virtue frees individuals from duties, obligations, and attachments. When discussing environmental policy, they employ morally charged language verging on pantheism, emphasizing the omnipresence of a divine presence. The elites function as their bishops, pontificating on “woke” morals.

Their public liturgy manifests during pride parades, and their children partake in catechesis sessions during events like drag queen story hours. They venerate abortion as a sacred rite. Their Eucharist is the birth control pill and their version of baptism involves individuals undergoing genital alterations and sterilization to be “born again” into their chosen gender. Astonishingly, they even propose that a transubstantiation of gender takes place when someone proclaims their preferred pronouns.

Whether or not one embraces it, a genuinely secular state devoid of religious influence is a fallacy. Neutrality might suffice temporarily in a nation with a profoundly religious populace, but adopting a neutral stance erodes private virtue and societal order. Just as theology roots Catholic Social Teaching, liberal political stances possess their own theological foundations, echoing ancient gnostic and dualistic ideologies.

A state’s decisions invariably affect its citizens’ ultimate well-being: salvation. The hedonistic policies our current leaders promote will probably consign more souls to damnation. By adhering to liberalism, conservatives compel themselves to contort their moral convictions to align with liberal ideals, willingly tying their hands behind their backs. A mere return to a morally neutral public sphere is inadequate. Conservatives must wield their influence to guide souls toward salvation in Christ.

The strongest intellectual opponent to this Christian view and proponent of “toleration,” is John Locke, a pivotal figure during the Enlightenment and frequently referred to as the “Father of Liberalism.” In his Letter Concerning Toleration, Locke contends that state decisions hold no sway over salvation. Locke defines the commonwealth as an entity established solely for pursuing, preserving, and advancing civil interests — life, liberty, health, bodily comfort, and material possessions.¹ He emphasizes the temporal and individual aspects. Locke limits the jurisdiction of the magistrate to these civil concerns.² This leads to his assertion that the magistrate lacks authority over salvation, as true religion pertains to the inward convictions of the mind.³

Challenging Locke’s perspective, external influences play a positive role in shaping internal convictions. Laws exist because humans often possess destructive tendencies that lead their rational minds astray from natural law. Robust coercive laws are necessary to correct such behaviors. When base desires dominate the soul, they eclipse any “inward convictions,” rendering individuals enslaved. Saint Augustine posits that the inner peace of the irrational soul arises from harmonious desires, while the peace of the rational soul emerges from the harmony between knowledge and action.⁴

Government policy influences salvation and leaders must recognize this as their primary concern. What good is it for a person to gain the entire world yet forfeit their soul?⁵ Two powers coexist in the realm of authority over the corpus Christi: the Church governing spiritual matters and the State overseeing temporal affairs. Both derive their power from Christ the King.

Jesus serves as the High Priest in spiritual affairs, with the Pope as His prime minister. This is clear in Christ’s words to St. Peter, where He establishes the Church’s foundation and confers the keys to Heaven’s kingdom.⁶ Political leaders ultimately derive their authority from Christ the King. St. Paul admonishes disobedience to higher powers, which originate from God.⁷ Resisting authority equates to resisting God’s ordinance⁸ (with consequences) because rulers serve as agents of God’s justice.⁹

The endorsement here is not for a theocracy, “clerico-fascism,” blending Church and State, or a president receiving his authority from the Pope. The Church and State possess distinct powers derived from Christ. Temporal authority derives from God but holds legitimacy only when subservient to spiritual authority, which focuses on ultimate ends.¹⁰ Detached from spiritual guidance, temporal power caters to worldly concerns.¹¹ However, when aligned with spiritual power, it contributes positively to divine goals.¹²

Critics often exclaim, “separation of Church and State is fundamental to politics!” On the contrary, God’s dominion encompasses Heaven and Earth, extending to the state. John Calvin said that not one drop of rain falls without God’s sure command.¹³ Creation, including the state, exists to worship God. While the state’s role is to guide man towards temporal goals, these must bow to his spiritual ends.¹⁴ Thus, spiritual power and the will of God ought to reign supreme over temporal authority. This demands the state’s autonomy while subjecting it to spiritual guidance, mirroring the relationship between positive and natural law.

Some will undoubtably assert that this proposition is tyrannical, curbing freedom. To borrow a few words from the Heritage Foundation, however, this approach cultivates “an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish.”¹⁵ Augustine’s view on peace echoes here: freedom is not license for perverse desires, as liberals claim. True freedom liberates from sin’s bondage, aligning desires appropriately and fostering the common good’s connection with God. By rectifying the state, society can flourish harmoniously, contrasting liberal chaos.

History contains examples of applying these principles with varied outcomes. Political prudence and realism guide implementation. How might this manifest in 21st Century America? Advocating socially conservative policies is insufficient; we must go further. Beyond pro-family policies, imagine prohibiting the construction of “progressive Christian” churches, criminalizing LGBT pride events, and banning public display of the pride flag. Implementing German-style “Church taxes” to fund the Church and appointing “Common Good Constitutionalists” to the courts are similar, constructive options.¹⁶

In writing about the Church in America, Pope Leo XIII said, “It would be very erroneous to draw the conclusion that in America is to be sought the type of the most desirable status of the Church, or that it would be universally lawful or expedient for State and Church to be, as in America, dissevered and divorced ... [The Church] would bring forth more abundant fruits if, in addition to liberty, she enjoyed the favor of the laws and the patronage of the public authority.”¹⁷

These are just a few possibilities within this framework. Opportunities are abound for postliberals, making for a promising future. The time has come to embark on a transformative journey to save souls.

1. John Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003), par. 5-6

2. Ibid. par. 8.

3. Ibid. par. 10.

4. Augustine. “Of the Order and Law Which Obtain in Heaven and Earth, Whereby It Comes to Pass that Human Society Is Served by Those Who Rule It” in De Civitate Dei. Translated by Marcus Dods. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 2. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.)

5. Matthew 16:26.

6. Matthew 16:18-19.

7. Romans 13:1-4.

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

10. Waldstein, Edmund. “Integralism and Gelasian Dyarchy.” In: Edmund Waldstein and Peter Kwasniewski, eds. Integralism and the Common Good, vol. 2. Brooklyn: Angelico, 2022.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid.

13. Calvin, John “Of the Knowledge of God the Creator; The World, Created By God, Still Cherished and Protected By Him. Each and All of its Parts Governed By His Providence.” In Institutes of the Christian Religion translated by Henry Beveridge, 1845.

14. Ibid.

15. “About Heritage.” The Heritage Foundation, https://www.heritage.org/about-heritage/mission.

16. Vermeule, Adrian. Common Good Constitutionalism. (Medford: Polity Press, 2022)

17. Leo XII, Longinqua, encyclical letter, Vatican website, January 6, 1895, sec. 6 https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_06011895_longinqua.html.