J. D. Flynn on There Being No Such Thing as an Ex-Catholic

"In the post-modern West, well before believers can proclaim revealed truth, they're forced to combat the epistemological consequences of the dictatorship of relativism - to explain the possibility that truth claims can have real, objective, and unalterable meaning. It is an absurd, but nonetheless real, challenge to defend the idea that 'true' and 'false' exist, that 'right' and 'wrong' have meaning, that the contours of the natural world have significance, and order, and law.

"For the past few years, we've been ridiculed and persecuted for proposing that gender has something to do with physical sex. The libertine guardians of the sexual revolution brook no dissent from the idea, so famously articulated in Casey vs. Planned Parenthood, that 'at the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.' . . .

"To combat the dictatorship of relativism, we have to approach the truth with humility. The philosophical project of our time, Matthew Crawford says, is to 'reclaim the real,' responding to reality, rather than trying to define reality according to our preferences, or bend it according to our agenda. . . . (leading to)

"The communion of the Catholic Church is a communion of faith, sacraments, and governance. . . .

"[T]here really is no such thing as an 'ex-Catholic." Catholicism is not a congregationalist religion. Membership is not a self-defining proposition. Grace - the grace of baptism - makes one a Catholic. The Church teaches that 'by baptism, one is incorporated into the Church of Christ and is constituted a person in it.'"

In a recent commentary, writer J. D. Flynn reflected on the truth that, unlike political parties and other organizations, the Church teaches that in baptism, the Church "confers a reality that is not dependent on our assent" - once we become a member of the Church, we continue to be a member of the Church. As Pope Benedict affirmed in 2009, "Catholicism comes without an escape clause: [o]nce a person is baptized or received into the Church, there is no getting out."

The author concludes, "We teach that some facts cannot be altered by judgment or force of will. Men are men. Women are women. Catholics - no matter how odious or recalcitrant - are Catholics. Our task is to call them to be saints."

To access J. D. Flynn's complete essay, please visit:

First Things: J. D. Flynn: There's No Such Thing as an Ex-Catholic (4 AUG 16)

Thank you, Deacon Greg Kandra, for the tip.