Taylor Marshall on what a Catholic USA would look like

Taylor Marshall is a convert from episcopalianism, and a professor at a local Catholic university.  He happens to go to the same parish that we do.  He’s written a post about what he feels the United States would look like if it were truly, faithfully Catholic.  It’s an interesting post, but a bit long.  Here are some of his visions for such a glorious America, all based on the Doctrine of the Faith and the natural law:

• January 21, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, would be a perennial day of national penance.
• Holy Matrimony would be honored and recognized as the most fundamental unit of American culture.
• Large families would be encouraged and assisted through the US tax code.
• The White House would no longer have a basketball court or bowling alley, but a glorious and beautiful chapel where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would be celebrated daily by a presidential Catholic chaplain. [Eh…..it could have both]
  
• Abortion, contraception, sodomy, euthanasia, and divorce would be illegal as these sins are contrary to the natural law. Of course, abused wives would be protected and assisted under law. [Should it be a law? It wouldn’t bother me…]
  
• Public blasphemy and the abuse of the most holy name of Jesus would be forbidden in film, television, and music. Think about it: why is not okay to say the F-word on TV but actors are allowed to mock and blaspheme Jesus? Which is worse, abusing God’s name in vain or the F-word?  [Much of what passes for ‘freedom’ in this increasingly leftist dystopia is actually license of the worst kind.]

  The United States would have the greatest foster care system in the world. 

• The Catholic Church, not the State, would organize and perform the Seven Corporal Acts of Mercy (feeding the poor, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, etc.)  [Woot!  I’m down with that!  Think of all the additional Grace that would flow into souls and the Church!]
  
• All Holy Days of Obligation would become federal holidays and Days of Obligation would not be transferred to Sundays since they would become holidays for all citizens. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday would also become nationally recognized holidays.
• The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception would be a day in which the American bishops and all the faithful annually consecrated the nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. [yay!]
• Mary under her title “Immaculate Conception” is currently the patroness of the United States. She would become featured on our national seal and on our currency.
• Under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, the United States would become known for its Marian devotion in a way that would rival medieval France and England.  [absolutely!]
• The principle of subsidiarity would apply to our economic and political arrangement – which would include things like the encouragement of local natural food, local water, local governance, etc. [local government, certainly.  Local food and water would depend entirely on the implementation.  Distributism is a suitable economic system for the 18th century.  How do individuals or small groups build and maintain a national power grid, or a $5 billion wafer fab or a $2 billion power plant,  just to name a few examples?]
• The sin of usury in form of credit cards, school loans, and other disadvantaging lending policies would be criminalized as contrary to natural law. [This is interesting.  I might consider it a stretch to refer to these forms of payment as usury.  They are very inadvisable, but, they are also not required.  Maybe a stronger case for student loans than credit cards]
• Our immigration policy would be firm, merciful and just by including a clear and regularized process for citizenship.
• Pornography and even unwholesome advertisements and billboards would be outlawed. [I’m down with that]

Interesting list. A bit weighted towards what government would do, rather than what the people might do.  My list would include items like:

• there would be such great devotion to our Blessed Mother, the Sacred Heart, the Saints, etc., that there would be public processions on many major holy days.  These processions would be like the (Macy’s parade+Rose Parade)x10
• There would be Mass and Confession at every parish every day, and these Sacraments would be thronged
• Catholic education would be truly Catholic, especially the higher or collegiate education system – there would be no question about the degree of the Faith practiced at colleges and universities
• There would be a strong Catholic ethos throughout society.  People would know, comprehend, and live the Faith.  Thoughts of our eternal life would be foremost on our mind as much of the day as possible.
• Religious life would be vibrant, huge, and strong, and form a very large part of both education and social services
• Taxes would be much lower, but individual donations to Church and charity much, much higher
• There would be books, TV, internet products, and film glorifying the Church and Her Saints, and these would be the top selling products.  There would be next to no interest in subjects or individuals hostile to the Faith
• There would be all manner of sodalities dedicated to various Saints and our Blessed Mother

Taylor’s very good and interesting list (there are a number of additional items at his blog) is more oriented towards a top-down governmental approach.  Some of his items are somewhat arguable, as to whether the best course would be apply them with the force of the state.  But man is so interminably fallen, it might be the best recourse.

So, Commonweal, that leftist rag that in the past claimed the Cold War was caused by American militarism and not by Soviet expansionism and repression (they only want peace, they said), got wind of Taylor’s post and freaked out.  The comments are worse.  There is disbelief that anyone could even endorse what Taylor listed.  I find that very interesting.  Those opposed are rejecting a strong, public Catholic Church.  They harken back to those terrible days of the Middle Ages when the Church was the very core of the culture, the faithful knew and practiced the Faith to the greatest extent they could, and public virtue was a must. I can’t imagine what personal habits of sin would make one opposed to having the Church glorious and millions of additional souls on the best possible path of salvation.