Religion & Law

Amy asks"can we all agree that the categories are simultaneously real and reductive?"   I'll give a qualified "yes" to that.   They are certainly reductive and are real at least to the extent "that much of our political, social and legal landscape is working with these categories (liberal-conservative, right-left)."  But, we can reject this common mentality, and I think our dialogue would be much enriched by this effort along with, as Michael P. suggests, asking for the grace to overcome our own self-righteousness.

Michael P. asks"Don't you agree that what Fr. Reese says ("that [B16] is to the leftof almost every politician in America") is accurate?"  As I said above, I think our dialogue would be much enriched if we rejected the common impulse to categorize in this way.  What purpose does this label serve in this context?  As far as I can tell, its reductive potential greatly outweighs any probative benefits.  Shouldn't we be exploring the merits of Benedict's proposals and not whether they are conservative or liberal, right or left?  So to answer Michael's other question ("Um, we can't will the categories away, can we?"), I would say "yes," if we make a conscious effort.  And, I am glad that the two Michaels are willing to do that "[e]xcept when posting a tongue-in-cheek comment to rock-climbing Rick."

Finally, Rick's post is brilliant!