Western liberal Vaishnavas

[Guest guest]

(the following is from a letter to me)

 

If a Western liberal Vaishnava is confronted with being labeled a "liberal",

he or she will immediately deny it. They usually counter by saying something

like, "I'm against divorce, abortion and homosexual marriage." The

implication in the response is that they do not identify with contemporary

social/political liberal causes, therefore the liberal label is unfairly

imposed. But the presence or absence of such support for mundane

contemporary social/political causes does not mean that one is not a

liberal. A unique defining attribute of liberalism is the use of intellect

as the final arbiter and primary source of knowledge. Here is a nice

description given by Fr. Don Felix Sarda Y Salvany:

 

"Liberalism is the dogmatic affirmation of the absolute independence of the

individual and of the social reason. Catholicity is the dogma of the

absolute subjection of the individual and of the social order to the

revealed law of God. One doctrine is the exact antithesis of the other. They

are opposites in direct conflict." (Ch. 6).

 

http://www.cfpeople.org/Books/Liberal/LIBERALISM_IS_A_SINp2.htm#T1

 

And here's another description:

 

Strange as may seem that anomaly called Liberal Catholicism, its reason is

not far to seek. It takes its root in a false conception of the nature of

the act of faith. The Liberal Catholic assumes as the formal motive of the

act of faith, not the infallible authority of God revealing supernatural

truth, but his own reason deigning to accept as true what appears rational

to him according to the appreciation and measure of his own individual

judgment. He subjects God's authority to the scrutiny of his reason, and not

his reason to God's authority. He accepts Revelation, not on account of the

infallible Revealer, but because of the "infallible" receiver. With him the

individual judgment is the rule of faith. He believes in the independence of

reason.

 

http://www.cfpeople.org/Books/Liberal/LIBERALISM_IS_A_SINp9.htm#T1

 

(If you substitute "Hare Krishna" for "Catholic", the above would still make

sense. For the whole article, please refer to

 

http://www.cfpeople.org/Books/Liberal/cfptoc.htm)