Engaging with Secular Culture

As part of the Spirit, Nature and Politics feature James argues for a confident communication of Catholic teaching in the public square whilst remaining open to listening to opposing views.

By James Bundy Cllr

James is a recently elected Scottish Conservative Councillor for Falkirk North and is the Director of Operations for Freedom Declared Foundation that promotes religious freedom nationally and internationally.

As someone who has a long-standing interest in public affairs, the question of how people of faith should interact in the public sphere has always been fascinating for me. In recent weeks, however, this fascination has been replaced by exploration as I try and turn my understanding of this question from a theoretical grasp to one where I can use in practise. This is following my election as a councillor for Falkirk North.

I have always believed that politics is the art of listening and enquiring rather than the act of imposition. Even in times of absolute monarchy, kings and queens failed if they tried to impose too much on their subjects. The most successful of politicians have had the ability to listen to the people they serve.

On its own, however, this ability is not enough. If politics were simply about listening and implementing the wishes of the majority, then there would be no room for political philosophy. One would be prohibited from bringing their beliefs into the political area and Governments of all political leanings would be directionless. It is clear to see how this would diminish the standard of policy and debate.

Politics, therefore, is a balancing act of listening whilst being true to your beliefs.

Speaking to people from various faiths, however, it is clear to see that there is deep concern about this definition. There is a growing fear amongst people of faith that they will be harassed or ridiculed in the public sphere if they talk about how their faith shapes their views on abortion, assisted suicide, gender reform and much more. The root of this fear is a belief that there is a deliberate attempt to push out religion from the public sphere by those who wants to expand the implementation of “liberal rationalism”.

Whilst there is a growing, vocal minority who certainly have this motivation, I believe that most people in Scotland appreciate the role that faith has in public life. I do share concerns, however, about the standard of debate on social issues, and increasing the standard of our discussions on these topics should be of paramount importance to everyone involved in politics, especially Catholics.

We currently live in a political atmosphere with a bizarre paradox. People are increasingly getting involved with issue-specific campaigns, often leading to the polarisation of political debate. Combined with the increase of social media as a tool for communication, this has resulted in a decreasing ability to engage with the arguments put forward by those with differing opinions.

Not only does this harm civil communication, but it also weakens the understanding that people have about their own opinions. The articulation of our views increases only when we are consistently questioned and challenged by others. We have a tendency, however, to avoid these scenarios because we have a fear that we will lose any debate that we may end up in.

If we do end up in a debate, most of us tap into our British characteristic and try and avoid offending others in the conversation. This results in our shying away from trying to articulate our beliefs, further stifling debate.

To improve the standard of political debate, we must deepen our understanding of why we believe what we believe, and we must also be willing to try and articulate our beliefs. We can no longer shy away from awkward situations.

In August 1986, St John Paul II released the Apostolic Letter, Augustinum Hippoensensem, to mark the 16th centenary of the conversation of St Augustine. Quoting St Augustine, St John Paul II said:

“‘It seems to me that one must bring men back . . . to the hope of finding the truth’. He teaches therefore that one must seek the truth ‘with piety, chastity and diligence,’ in order to overcome doubts about the possibility of returning into oneself, to the interior realm where truth dwells; and likewise to overcome the materialism which prevents the mind from grasping its indissoluble union with the realities that are understood by the intelligence, and the rationalism that refuses to collaborate with faith and prevents the mind from understanding the ‘mystery’ of the human person.”

Catholics in public life have a duty to understand why the Church teaches what it teaches. We must move beyond relying on common phrases when we are discussing social teaching, but put time aside to read, reflect and pray on it so we can talk about it accurately, confidently, and in depth. If we do not give ourselves the space, time, and quietness to understand the Truth, we will never have the ability to preach it adequately.

As shown earlier, however, politics is more than simply being able to express your beliefs. One must be able to listen and respond to arguments put forward by those we disagree with. Therefore, not only do we need to seek an understanding of what we belief, but we need to seek an understanding of what those who we disagree with believe.

During this process, we must seek to find the motivation behind the arguments put forward by your opponents in the hope of finding common ground. For example, you may be in a debate with an individual who supports assisted suicide because they believe that it enhances the dignity of those with terminal illness. Whilst there is a clear disagreement about supporting assisted suicide, there is a common ground in promoting and enhancing the dignity of human life.

Once common ground has been found, the framework of the debate has been established. Rather than focus on what divides us, focus on what we have in common. Using the example of protecting human dignity, that means our searching policies with political opponents that we both agree protect human dignity, such as further investment in social care.

This approach, however, only works if both parties are not only willing to listening to each other, but if both parties can adequately explain their position so the other can understand their perspective. This again emphasises the importance of Catholics giving themselves the time, space, and quietness to explore the Truth in both study and prayer.

Conversing with friends, I have been told many times that this approach to politics is not bold enough in its promotion of the Truth. These friends tell me that we cannot compromise on the Truth, and that listening to falsehoods in the hope of cooperation is damaging.

Whilst I understand the motivation behind my friends’ comments, I disagree with them. Imposition is counter-productive, growing the resistance felt by those who feel they are being oppressed. I do not believe that Catholics involved in politics should embark on a policy path which increases resistance to the Truth and Common Good.

I have also been told that politics has moved beyond reasoned debate because all that matters is the political party or campaign which has the best marketing technique. People who put forward this argument show the numerous populist, short-sighted decisions that appear to contradict themselves, giving the impression that Governments of all colours are directionless.

Whilst it is true that the role of marketing in politics has increased, that does not mean that the role of debating has been removed. Working within both parliaments within our United Kingdom, I have seen that one of the most effective parts of our Governance is the informal, cross-party conversations that take place. Rather than being defeatist and further reducing the role that these conversations play, lets defend and enhance this effectiveness by being proactive in seeking conversations and constructive debate.

Politics in our country gets a bad name because it often comes across as parties’ being in the pursuit of power rather than parties’ pursuing the Common Good.

Focusing on power forces our political debate to focus on ideology, a concept that Roger Scruton argues “proposes a kind of politics of war: the message is, you are either with us or against us, and we shall win in any case.”

Catholics who want to get involved in public life must reject this Machiavellian pursuit of power, and the ideological warfare that goes beyond it.

Our motivation must be the promotion of Truth and the Common Good.

Rather than get involved in petty politics, focus on giving yourself the time, space, and quietness to find the Truth in prayer and study. Give yourself the time to listen and find common ground with political opponents through constructive conversation.

The outcomes achieved with this approach may not match our Catholic utopia, but if they are applied successfully, they will lead us to a society with a deeper understanding of the importance of promoting the Common Good.