Tradition and Democracy
GKC wrote in Orthodoxy that "tradition is the democracy of the dead." What an interesting idea. When I think of democracy, I think of exclusively the living--that is, those that can vote and/or are represented in government. But am I leaving out a whole mass of people who have quite a few good things to say? Who am I to leave out thousands of years of history? Were those people much different than you or me?
I fear that we often look forward into the future without thinking about the past. What mistakes have those that came before us made? Many of them. But what do we not need to change that our ancestors did? What might we need to go back to? Where have we gone wrong?
In terms of Christianity, as a Protestant it seems like our churches are essentially devoid of history, before at best the Reformation but usually before the founding of our individual denominations or our individual church bodies. Who are we to toss aside the 1,500 years of history before the Reformation? How do we justify skipping from 90 AD and the writing of the Gospel of John, to 1517 and the nailing of the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg?
Lots of questions, not many answers. But Chesterton has forced me to think of democracy not just in terms of those who are voting alongside me in November, but in terms of the whole history of mankind. When you take that into account, your whole perspective changes.
I fear that we often look forward into the future without thinking about the past. What mistakes have those that came before us made? Many of them. But what do we not need to change that our ancestors did? What might we need to go back to? Where have we gone wrong?
In terms of Christianity, as a Protestant it seems like our churches are essentially devoid of history, before at best the Reformation but usually before the founding of our individual denominations or our individual church bodies. Who are we to toss aside the 1,500 years of history before the Reformation? How do we justify skipping from 90 AD and the writing of the Gospel of John, to 1517 and the nailing of the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg?
Lots of questions, not many answers. But Chesterton has forced me to think of democracy not just in terms of those who are voting alongside me in November, but in terms of the whole history of mankind. When you take that into account, your whole perspective changes.
posted by Chad @ 9:39 PM
2 Comments:
At 7:44 PM,
Ed's Place33 said…
Hi Theresa & Joe,
So nice to hear from you.
What a link are you asking about on the comment you sent to me regarding a link on my blog?
Send me your e-mail address at esdssou@aol.com
Ed
At 2:10 PM,
Bekah said…
Interesting thoughts on the lack of historicity in protestant communities. My husband and I were just talking about this over the weekend, in fact. He was asking me why protestants do not recognize the fact that their communities come from the Catholic Church. In part, the lack of historicity is an effort to hide this fact. I think this also serves them in their ability to change their face as the winds of time blow. For instance, it is widely known that all Christian communities denied birth control to members up until the 30s, and then swiftly all fell except the Catholic Church. This change became so complete that in the 1971, the SBC was able to voice support for abortion, even for as little cause as negative emotional impact on the mother. Now, the SBC strongly opposes abortion, and most members believe this was always so. Without the sense of historical continuity, a community can change it's doctrines at will, and can revive ancient heresies without repercussion. It is a sad state of affairs.
One of the things that I most appreciate after my own conversion to the Catholic Church, is the connection of the past and the present. When I read the passage in the Gospels that Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches, I feel connected deeply to all those who have gone before me, all the way back to the apostles. I am not on my own little island of faith, isolated from the Christianity of all except those I happen to come in contact with. I can feed on the experiences of witnesses through the ages, and I don't have to reinvent the doctrinal wheel. I can learn from the mistakes of others without experiencing the pains of error. I understand what it means to be the Body of Christ, and I now understand that Christianity is a corporate religion, not just me and Jesus.
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