Political Correctness And Roman Catholicism

Many would argue that political correctness is a beneficial social construct as it seeks to prevent marginalisation of certain social groups - therefore healing divisions throughout society. Others would argue that political correctness has not achieved this. They would argue that political correctness has actually increased marginalisation and social divisions. Not only that, some argue that political correctness does not actually exist, because by its own definition, it fails. Not only is it key to understand what political correctness actually is, it is equally important to look at institutions and/or social cases where political correctness has played a part. Roman Catholicism provides the perfect case to understand the effects that political correctness has had. Roman Catholicism can actually provide an answer to this debate as it is a faith that has been at the core of British culture for more than a millennium and therefore has been surrounded by continuous social change. Understanding if and how political correctness has impacted Roman Catholicism enables us to understand if political correctness has been beneficial or detrimental to society as a whole.

Political correctness is the attempt to establish norms of speech that are thought to (a) protect vulnerable, marginalised or historically victimized groups, and which (b) function by shaping public discourse, often by inhibiting speech or other forms of social signalling, and that (c) are supposed to avoid insult and outrage [1]. The term first appeared in Marxist-Leninist vocabulary following the Russian Revolution of 1917 [2]. At that time it was used to describe commitment to the policies and principles of the Communist Soviet Union[3]. However the term was developed and used in the eighties by liberal politicians who aimed to harmonise society and prevent people being offended and marginalised by mainstream society[4]. Many would argue that political correctness is a social product of left-wing politics. This is certainly the view of Glenn Loury who highlighted the extent of self-censorship political correctness can achieve. This led him to conclude that there is something distinctively left-wing about political correctness [5]. The political left and certainly the far-left aim to achieve equality through unity. Therefore, political correctness is used as a tool to help achieve unity. This is because by inhibiting and preventing certain forms of speech that could potentially cause offense, those very belief systems will eventually die out. Once this happens, full unity can be achieved.

Yet those on the right of the political spectrum would point out that like many left-wing ideologies, it simply does not work in reality. The concept may have been introduced with the right intentions, but everything in society is now centred around political correctness and it is detrimental to society. For many, political correctness has gone too far. A core topic at the heart of political correctness is gender and sexual identity and there are many cases of political correctness that to some are simply ludicrous. For example, Brighton and Hove Council have recently encouraged teachers within the area to teach pupils that boys can menstruate too [6]. Whilst this is biologically impossible, the council argue that by encouraging this, they are being gender inclusive , therefore recognising and embracing trans-people. The council even said in a statement menstruation must be inclusive of all genders [7].

Political correctness plays into the hands of the far-right, because the political correctness term has been hijacked by the far-right to describe those who may take offence to certain views as snowflakes . Often young people and even feminists are commonly targeted as snowflakes . In fact the term snowflake was the defining insult used in 2016, following the Brexit referendum and Trump s winning election campaign[8]. This is a direct consequence of how politically correct society has become and it is having a really detrimental impact on society. This was what Timur Kuran pointed out. He claims that political correctness threatens to subvert our understanding of the world , which he defined as preference falsification [9]. This is where what people say becomes increasingly detached from what people actually think[10]. This surely cannot be good for society.

Yet nevertheless, political correctness is a complex topic, as it is a unique sociolinguistic phenomenon. This is the view of Geoffrey Hughes who stated Unlike previous forms of orthodoxy, both religious and political, it is not imposed by some recognised authority like the Papacy, the Politburo, or the Crown, but is a form of semantic engineering and censorship not derivable from one recognised or definable source, but a variety [11]. It most certainly is a complex topic, but politicians and academics really ought to assess political correctness and the impact it is having on society. For many, political correctness hinders and prevents debates happening regarding really important socio-political topics. For example, the Burka debate illustrates this perfectly. Boris Johnson s burka comments in his article in the Telegraph caused outrage because it was not politically correct . Even though in the article he was defending the right for women to wear the burka, his comments that those who wear burka s look like letterboxes caused outrage and was deemed grossly offensive[12]. In a liberal society, we must be able to freely debate and discuss key socio-political issues - even if the topic is a sensitive one, such as the burka. If we cannot do so, then society cannot progress and this would be a direct consequence of political correctness.

No-one can doubt the progress that society has made over the years. Society used to be filled with misogyny, homophobia and racism. Now we are a liberal society, but for many it has gone too far the other way. Alan Noble illustrates this when he stated In a number of intimate and sensitive areas of life, cultural and moral norms have changed dramatically. It is not the case that those who do not agree with political correctness do not care about justice it is that they believe that policing language creates more injustice by slipping into authoritarian abuse [13]. Those who are not liberal or have certain views that are not deemed liberal feel like they do not have a voice. They feel that they cannot openly speak out about what they truly believe. In a liberal society we should be able to do that, because if we cannot, then by definition we are not in a liberal society. Political correctness targets institutions and belief systems that are deemed socially conservative and Roman Catholicism is no exception.

Stephen Herreid believes that political correctness is anti-Christian and anti-Catholic bigotry[14]. For many, this may at first appear an over-exaggeration but Christianity and particularly Roman Catholicism has suffered at the hands of political correctness and liberalism. It is no coincidence that as society becomes increasingly liberal, church attendance figures in the Catholic Church continuously decrease. Roman Catholic mass attendances in England and Wales have decreased by a third since 1993. Moreover, these attendances are continuing to decrease[15]. There are also a growing shortage of priests across the country[16]. This issue is by no means isolated to England and Wales. Throughout Europe, weekly attendance to Roman Catholic mass has dropped by nearly a half since 1980[17]. There are lots of different reasons as to why the Catholic Church appears to be in decline, but it is still a huge global religion. Roman Catholicism is the faith of nearly nine hundred million people, making it by far the largest branch of Christianity and putting it on a scale similar to that of Islam and Hinduism among the world s major religions[18]. Nevertheless, one cannot neglect the alarming rate at which attendances to weekly mass are dropping.

Stephen Herreid is not alone when he blames political correctness for the demise of the Roman Catholic Church. Nezlin Sterling (General Secretary of the New Testament Assembly) believes that not just Catholicism but Christianity as a whole is becoming increasingly marginalised because of political correctness[19]. This is by no means illogical either, because there are a lot of examples of Roman Catholics and Christians being discriminated against because of their faith. Nadia Eweida a British Airways worker from London lost discrimination claims over wearing a cross at work[20]. Moreover, Olive Jones was dismissed as a supply teacher, after she offered to pray for a pupil who just found out that they were terminally sick[21]. This has happened to many Christians in Britain and this led to George Carey (Former Archbishop of Canterbury) to conclude that Christianity as a whole is being airbrushed from society [22].

Many believe that Roman Catholicism is specifically targeted by political correctness because of its apparent socially conservative belief system. Their traditional views on core topics found at the heart of British society such as homosexuality, abortion, gender roles, male-only priests and marriage has led many people to conclude that Roman Catholicism is simply not compatible with liberalism. The prominent Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg s interview with Good Morning Britain illustrates this perfectly. In this interview, it was claimed that he could never be Prime Minister because of his Catholic views[23]. This illustrates the negative light of which Roman Catholicism is viewed upon within Britain.

Yet it is worth noting that Roman Catholicism is not entirely socially conservative. Whilst one could make that conclusion based on their morality, there are a lot of examples which illustrate Roman Catholicism forcing and enabling social change. Modern Catholic social tradition effectively began in 1891, due to Pope Leo s XIII s encyclical letter Rerum Novarum[24]. This was the first official statement of modern Catholic social doctrine. This letter began the modern Catholic mission of liberating all people from every form of oppression and discrimination, based on race, religion or class[25]. This doctrine was central in forming and shaping Liberation Theology. This form of theology involves interpreting Christian scri pture in order to liberate all forms of social and economic injustice[26]. Latin America s Vatican Council produced a document named Justice. This document called for changing the structures producing injustices in Latin American countries and enabled society in Latin America to become more equal [27]. In addition, throughout history, Catholicism has emphasised the importance of helping the poor and caring for the sick. During the industrial age in Britain, Catholic religious orders and deity established hospitals, schools and orphanages to support those who felt the full effect of the industrial age era[28]. Therefore, it is inaccurate to view the Catholic Church as entirely detrimental to society.

However, the demise of the Roman Catholic Church in Britain cannot solely be attributed to the increasing effectiveness of political correctness. Many would argue that the Roman Catholic Church has been the architect of its own downfall. The heart of Roman Catholicism is the Vatican, which operates as a theocracy[29]. Given the intrinsic nature of a theocracy, many do not see this as something which is compatible with liberalism as theocracies are authoritarian. Moreover, as an institution, the Roman Catholic Church has been at fault for many wrongdoings. Historically and globally, the Catholic Church has been responsible for numerous sex abuse scandals. This led to Neil MacDonald claiming that by secular standards, the Catholic Church is a corrupt organization [30]. Whilst he made that comment based on events in America, nevertheless, direct comparisons can be made between events in America and Britain. MacDonald made this conclusion, when it was revealed that the Catholic Church covered up more than 1,000 claims of child sexual abuse in Pennsylvania[31]. This certainly affects the way that the Catholic Church is perceived and the stereotypes that are formed and surround the Catholic Church.

In addition, many do not like the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church. There is a lot of wealth and power throughout the Church. The episcopate contains the smallest quantity of people, yet it also contains by far the highest quantity of money[32]. This has contributed too many cases of financial corruption. In addition, within Britain, the Catholic Church has been associated with being involved in the troubles in Ireland. Whilst the conflict took place between the Irish Republicans and the British Unionists, the Catholic Church was associated with the Irish Republicans due to the predominately Catholic background of Ireland. This has contributed to a negative image of Catholicism in Britain. This is illustrated by the fact that English football fans have been caught chanting Fuck the Pope and the IRA . This is something which the English Football Association has been fined for numerously[33].

It would be by no means accurate to conclude that political correctness is solely responsible for the ever-increasing negative image of the Roman Catholic Church. However, it has contributed towards the gross misunderstanding of Catholic theology and doctrine. Whilst many rightly do not associate themselves with the Catholic view on gay marriage, abortion and female priests etc, Catholics do not hold these views for discriminatory reasons. Take the belief that priests can only be male for example. It is not a misogynist belief, it is the simple belief that priests carry out transubstantiation and replicate the Last Supper. As Jesus was a male, therefore a priest has to be as well. What political correctness has done is create a negative image about any institution which is deemed not-liberal and marginalised those belief systems. This was highlighted by Archbishop Thomas Wenski[34]. Therefore, by definition, political correctness fails as it actually increases not decreases marginalisation. Political correctness has further divided society and it has therefore had a detrimental impact on society.

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[1] Dan Moller, `Dilemma of Political Correctness`, Journal of Practical Ethics, 4.1, (2016), 14 (p. 1).

[2] Cynthia Ropia, Political Correctness (2018) < https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-correctness> [accessed 28 December 2018].

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Dan Moller, `Dilemma of Political Correctness`, Journal of Practical Ethics, 4.1, (2016), 14 (p. 3-4).

[6] Helena Horton, Boys can have periods too, children to be taught in latest victory for transgender campaigners (2018) < https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/16/boys-can-have-periods-schoolchildren-taught-latest-victory-transgender> [accessed 30 December 2018].

[7] Ibid.

[8] Rebecca Nicholson, Poor little snowflake the defining insult of 2016 (2016) < https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/28/snowflake-insult-disdain-young-people> [accessed 1 January 2019].

[9] Dan Moller, `Dilemma of Political Correctness`, Journal of Practical Ethics, 4.1, (2016), 14 (p. 7-10).

[10] Ibid.

[11] Geoffrey Hughes, Political Correctness: A History of Semantics and Culture (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), p. 15.

[12] Pippa Crerar and Severin Carrell, Boris Johnson: pressure mounts in Tory party over burqa remarks < https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/aug/07/boris-johnsons-burqa-remarks-offensive-foreign-office-minister-alistair-burt> [accessed 18 December 2018].

[13] Alan Noble, Is There a Better Way to Fight `Political Correctness`? (2016) < https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/july-web-only/wrong-way-to-fight-political-correctness.html> [accessed 16 November 2018].

[14] Stephen Herreid, Lesson 2016: Political Correctness is Anti-Christian Bigotry (2016) < https://www.catholicvote.org/lesson-2016-political-correctness-is-anti-christian-bigotry/> [accessed 23 November 2018].

[15] Faith Survey, Catholics in England and Wales (2019) < https://faithsurvey.co.uk/catholics-england-and-wales.html> [accessed 3 January 2019].

[16] Ibid.

[17] The Week, Is the Catholic Church in crisis? (2017) < https://www.theweek.co.uk/89322/is-the-catholic-church-in-crisis> [accessed 3 January 2019].

[18] The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion, ed. by Robert Wuthnow (London: Routledge, 1998), p. 102.

[19] Martin Beckford, Christianity in decline because of political correctness (2009) < https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/4593918/Christianity-in-decline-because-of-political-correctness.html> [accessed 23 November 2018].

[20] BBC News, Christians launch defence of faith `under attack` (2010) < https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11877608> [accessed 23 November 2018].

[21] Ibid.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Good Morning Britain, Jacob Rees-Mogg Says That He Opposes Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage Good Morning Britain (2017) < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE6WC_BVZ4Q> [accessed 25 October 2018].

[24] The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion, ed. by Robert Wuthnow (London: Routledge, 1998), p. 837.

[25] Ibid.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Ibid.

[28] The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion, ed. by Robert Wuthnow (London: Routledge, 1998), p. 108.

[29] Stephen L. Taylor, 30-Second Politics, 2nd edn (London: Ivy Press, 2018), p. 50.

[30] Neil MacDonald, By secular standards, the Catholic Church is a corrupt organization: Neil Macdonald (2018) < https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/grand-jury-report-1.4798291> [accessed 23 December 2018].

[31] Ibid.

[32] Hierarchy Structure, Hierarchy of the Catholic Church (2018) > [accessed 1 January 2019].

[33] Philip Cornwall, Mindless chanting is a sadly familiar story for England fans (2014) < https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/nov/19/mindless-chanting-sadly-familiar-england-fans> [accessed 3 January 2019].

[34] Matthew Archbold, Abp. Wenski: "Regime of Political Correctness" Must End (2016) This resource was uploaded by: George

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