This week's readings contained a surprising admonishment from Montaigne:
Now, that which seems to me so much to disorder our consciences in the commotions we are now in concerning religion, is the Catholics dispensing so much with their belief. They fancy they appear moderate, and wise, when they grant to their opponents some of the articles in question; but, besides that they do not discern what advantage it is to those with whom we contend, to begin to give ground and to retire, and how much this animates our enemy to follow his blow: these articles which they select as things indifferent, are sometimes of very great importance. We are either wholly and absolutely to submit ourselves to the authority of our ecclesiastical polity, or totally throw off all obedience to it: 'tis not for us to determine what and how much obedience we owe to it. And this I can say, as having myself made trial of it, that having formerly taken the liberty of my own swing and fancy, and omitted or neglected certain rules of the discipline of our Church, which seemed to me vain and strange coming afterwards to discourse of it with learned men, I have found those same things to be built upon very good and solid ground and strong foundation; and that nothing but stupidity and ignorance makes us receive them with less reverence than the rest. Why do we not consider what contradictions we find in our own judgments; how many things were yesterday articles of our faith, that to-day appear no other than fables? Glory and curiosity are the scourges of the soul; the last prompts us to thrust our noses into everything, the other forbids us to leave anything doubtful and undecided.
When I read it a few days ago, I wrote "CAFETERIA CATHOLICS!!" on the margin. So the Church has had to deal with this scourge in the past too. Haha. The passage led to an interesting little discussion in class.
Montaigne here is talking about Catholics in the aftermath of the Reformation who sought to compromise with the Protestants on certain doctrines in the hope of establishing harmony and order. Montaigne warns that instead they were emboldening the opponents of the Faith in their attacks against the Catholic religion. Moreover, the apparently trifling articles of faith these Catholics sought to jettison might in fact have been of great importance.
"We are either wholly and absolutely to submit ourselves to the authority of our ecclesiastical polity, or totally throw off all obedience to it: 'tis not for us to determine what and how much obedience we owe to it."
Montaigne goes on to describe how, during his younger years, he too picked and chose facets of the Catholic Faith to omit or neglect. After conversing with wise and learned men though, he realised that this was mere vanity and stupidity, and that Catholic doctrines were "built upon very good and solid ground and strong foundation."
Reading this was such a pleasant surprise because the initial impression I had of Montaigne was that he was completely a man of the world, sceptical about everything, and therefore, probably most cynical about the Church.
I'm so glad it was discussed in class. One student was very disappointed with this passage because she found it was at great odds with Montaigne's statements in previous pages on independent thought.
I do not think that independence of thought and a questioning mind are at odds with obedience to the Church. After all, Montaigne's faith, and his advice to obey the Church, are not the results of blind, unthinking belief (even "blind" faith is not bad in itself I think). He gives the Church his obedience after much thought. Apparently even this is not enough for some people - today's "progressives".
For them, the only indicator of a questioning mind is the unquestioning rejection of every authority, and of all that is holy.
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