Welcome to contrendium

It could be said that conservativism, rightly considered, and Catholicism are one and the same. Especially on foundational moral values, such as the restriction of marriage to man and wife, sexual morals, the ordination of women, and abortion (all related to the theology of the body, I now realize), there are really no legitimate moral options. There is one position – the Church’s position. She has spoken definitively on these matters, and there is no room for debate or dissent. In these matters, the conservative position is the Catholic position.

Beyond these essential moral precepts, upon which Catholics and conservatives almost universally agree, there are also prevailing trends of thought and sentiment which ebb and flow as dictated by current events and circumstance. These matters are sometimes merely preferential, sometimes perceived as proximate to essential moral principles, and are often related to the virtues of prudence and justice; those habits which are a kind of wisdom pertaining to the sphere of action.

Contrendium is my “compendium of contradiction” regarding opinions on matters of this sort: contradiction between my actions and beliefs, contradictions between different facets of my beliefs, contradictions between myself and my fellow conservative Catholics, contradictions that I perceive in their various positions, and contradictions between all of these and a life and polity that is authentically Catholic. It represents an ongoing interior reflection about the practical application of my beliefs in daily affairs as a Catholic, a husband, a father, an American, and a businessman.

I welcome your comments. Please keep in mind that I don’t mean to be deliberately offensive in my remarks. I’m often playing the role of Devil’s Advocate, sometimes exaggerating for effect, and usually looking at the questions from various angles while I try to work it out for myself. Any harsh treatment for ideas you might hold is not indicative of contempt, but an attempt to put the idea through its paces. We all have different ways of clarifying our own thoughts. Mine is a meandering and rough path – that’s what Contrendium is all about.