Is It The Right Approach?

 

To My Readers: This week's post by TradWarrior is a powerful one. I won't say more than that because I can't do it justice; it needs to be read in its entirety. Please feel free to comment as always. If you have a specific question or comment for me, I will respond as usual, but it may take me longer to do so this week.

God bless you all, my dear readers---Introibo

Is It The Right Approach?

By TradWarrior

In my last article, “Is It The Same Religion?”  I demonstrated how the Traditional Catholic Church and the Conciliar Church were clearly not the same religion. I mentioned the various principles of religious liberty, ecumenism, and collegiality, with a plethora of quotes from the popes to prove this point. That article was theological in nature. This follow-up article will be pastoral in nature. 

There have been many commenters on this blog through the years that have mentioned good and bad experiences alike at Sedevacantist churches. This article will be simple and straightforward and will show how there are indeed problematic situations that arise in many different Sedevacantist churches that make it hard on the lay faithful. The most important thing to remember is that the True Faith is what should be first and foremost sought after. It must be the center of one’s life, not the various people that we encounter within the True Faith. 

Still, we are social beings and we have to interact with each other. When someone experiences a situation that leaves one hurt and scarred, the likelihood of them continuing down the traditional path can be greatly hindered. In the article herein, I mention different scenarios. Some situations we encounter are favorable, while others are unfavorable. Many of our readers (myself included) have experienced situations such as these. Hopefully, if nothing else, charity is the virtue that the reader takes away from this article after having read it. It is this virtue that can lead others very quickly into the Traditional Faith, or if lacking, it will lead others out of the Traditional Faith, or prevent a potential convert from ever joining. God bless you all. –TradWarrior

Scenario #1

John and Barbara are new in town. They join a Sedevacantist church that is a bit of a drive. They want to raise their children Traditional Catholic. Upon entering the church, they are greeted by several people. They are made to feel very welcome. After Mass, the priest greets the new couple and their children and gets to know them. He introduces them to several parishioners who are also very friendly towards them. They ask the priest if he follows the 1955 Holy Week that Pope Pius XII instituted. 

He tells the couple that he does, as his group takes it as a sign of great obedience to follow the teachings of the man they believe to be the last true pope and everything that he taught. He explains that the Catholic Church’s infallibility extends to Her general discipline and anything that a true pope promulgates not only in matters of faith and morals, but in matters of discipline, including the sacred liturgy, is safe from error or evil for The Holy Ghost protects the church. This makes sense to the couple.

He encourages the couple to feel free to talk to people after Mass and suggests some good reading materials to better acquaint them with traditional sources. They write down the sources that he recommends. He also encourages the children to get to know other children at the parish, so that they can keep company with other traditional Catholics and make some new friends. The priest is intelligent, charitable, and goes out of his way to make John and Barbara feel very welcome at the church. They walk away very satisfied that they joined this church.

Scenario #2

James and Rebecca are a young couple. They were previously attending an FSSP church. They started having doubts about the FSSP as they were beginning to have issues with Vatican II and were quickly starting to wonder if Vatican II was even Catholic. They learned of a Sedevacantist church that was a bit of a drive but they decided to give it a shot to see if it was a good fit for them. They were hoping to soon get married. Upon going to the Sedevacantist church, no one greets them. The parishioners at this particular church seemed very standoffish. They are cold and unfeeling. The priest does not go out of his way to make them feel welcome. They come to church dressed modestly and try to make new friends at the church. The ladies heckle Rebecca by telling her that her dress is inappropriate because it is not all the way down to her ankles. They also poke fun at her style of fashion as a whole. James does not fare much better. 

The men at the parish badger James as he wears a dress shirt but no suit coat or tie. They say that he is inappropriately dressed just like his “modern” looking wife and neither one of them should approach the Communion rail for their “immodesty.” Both of them state that they are dressed very nicely and are not sloppy at all. They look presentable and state that it is about the person’s soul and what is on the inside that God cares about the most, not external appearances (even though they look presentable). 

The parish priest joins in with his fellow parishioners and tells them if they do not change their outward appearance, he will not only fail to admit them to Holy Communion, but he will not marry them either. Both of them are completely dismayed by what they are hearing. They left the FSSP because they had serious problems with the Conciliar Church, Vatican II, and they had serious doubts about the new rite of ordination. They wanted to attend this particular Sedevacantist church because it is the only one even remotely close to where they live, though they have to still drive a long distance to get there. 

The priest and parishioners continue to harass James and Rebecca over their appearance, as do the very few young people who attend this particular church. These other young people seem overly strict and prudish over many different issues that go far beyond appearance. The priest and parishioners continue to berate the young couple for their appearance. Finally, they decide to leave the parish, as they can no longer take it anymore. They become Home Aloners and stop attending church altogether.  

Scenario #3

Matthew and Karen often travel around the country due to Matthew’s job. They try and attend different traditional churches whenever they can. One weekend, they are in a particular city and they attend a traditional church. The priest asks them before Mass some of the places where they attend. They list a few different places. He asks why they attend churches where there are priests who have been consecrated in the Thuc line. They respond by saying because it is a valid lineage of priests. The priest begs to differ with them and says to them that they are wrong. 

He says that because they often attend Masses by priests whose orders derive from Thuc and they firmly believe that there is nothing wrong with the Thuc lineage, they will be denied Holy Communion in his church. Matthew and Karen protest their case by asking what sins have they committed that prohibits them from receiving Holy Communion? The priest reiterates to them that they are not welcome to receive Holy Communion because they follow the Thuc line and he says if they want to attend his Masses in the future they are welcome to, but they must not present themselves at the Communion rail.

 They are shocked and dismayed by this priest’s actions and cannot believe what they are hearing. They leave disgusted and make it a point that anytime that Matthew has to travel to this particular city for work, this is a church that they will avoid at all costs in the future.

Scenario #4

Peter and Veronica attend a Sedevacantist church. They wanted to travel to this particular church out of curiosity to see if it would be a good fit for them and their five children. The people at the church do not seem the most friendly. They get a lot of cold stares from the people and after Mass when they attempt to engage in conversations with these people, the friendliness that they display is not reciprocated by the people there. They wonder why this place seems so cultish. They talk to the priest, who is not much different than his parishioners. 

He interrogates them by asking them several questions. He wants to know why he never saw them at his church before. They mention to him that they usually attend an SSPX church but just out of curiosity, they wanted to attend his particular church to see what it is like because they do not have many Mass options. The priest asks the couple if they see anything wrong with the Una Cum position. Both Peter and Veronica explain that they do not believe that the current occupant wearing white in Rome is the pope, but on the other hand, they and their children need the sacraments on a regular basis. 

They tell the priest that there are other crypto Sedevacantists who attend the SSPX who agree with them that the current occupant in Rome is not the pope, but nevertheless, they also want to get their families to Heaven and they need the sacraments as they know the Novus Ordo sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist are invalid. The priest tells them that it is a mortal sin to go to an Una Cum Mass, even with a valid priest such as theirs, because they are putting themselves in union with a heretic. They reply and state that their priest, while mistaken, is still a valid priest and both them and their children need the sacraments on a regular basis as they are constantly barraged by the world, the flesh, and the devil. 

The priest says to them again that it is a mortal sin to attend an Una Cum Mass and not only should they not be receiving the sacraments from their SSPX priest (though valid), but they are not going to be given the sacraments at his church either because of their mortal sin. Peter and Veronica are shocked by this man’s words and cannot believe the complete lack of charity that he is exhibiting towards them. The couple states very clearly that this is not a matter that is definitively settled since there is no reigning pope in these times and who is he to make such a harsh “pontifical” judgement against them? They say this is analogous to the Cassiciacum Thesis, which they also do not agree with. The priest says that his bishop is a firm supporter of the Thesis and all of the priests in his order are taught the Thesis very clearly in his seminary and that they all hold to it quite firmly. He states that it would be wrong to disagree with the bishop on this matter, as well as the priests in his seminary who are so well-trained. 

Peter and Veronica push this issue farther by once again stating that with no ruling pope, this priest, nor his bishop, can make a claim by stating that attending an Una Cum Mass is mortally sinful, any more than they can claim that the Thesis is true and must be adhered to when there is no pope sitting on the papal throne. The priest hears none of this and tells them to leave his church. He tells them once again that they are committing a mortal sin by attending an Una Cum Mass and they should not disagree with the bishop on the Thesis because if it were not true, the bishop would not so firmly propose it to all of his seminarians in their course of study. He dismisses the couple and tells them that they are not welcome to come back to his church. They walk away flabbergasted.

 

Conclusion

In looking at these various scenarios, one must ask the question, “Is it the right approach or the wrong approach in how the priest treated the respective couple that came to him for guidance? Was charity displayed as the overlying virtue in each respective scenario or was it completely lacking? Would Christ have acted this way?”

For the past several years, many people on this blog have mentioned both good and bad experiences alike at different Sedevacantist churches that they have attended. While there are some groups on the whole better than other groups, anyone can have a good or bad experience at any particular church that one attends and among any of the Sede factions that exist. A good experience can be fruitful and help others to join a particular church. A bad experience can be so entirely detrimental to the individual(s) that it often times causes people to leave a particular church or prevents curious onlookers from joining a church once they see for themselves just how bad a place it truly is.

What was your experience like the first time YOU walked into a Sedevacantist church? Was it like Scenario #1, where you felt welcomed and you felt the particular group you attended was pretty well balanced in its approach when it came to the differences between them and the different factions or did you have a horrible experience and feel that the group you attended did not hold to theological opinions well when they found themselves differing with the different factions? These things matter and they can be a real deal breaker for someone that wants to join a Sedevacantist church for the first time. Many times, people do not know where to turn to once they see that the façade that parades itself as the “Catholic Church” is really a counterfeit church that continues to deceive roughly 1 billion followers. 

When a person comes to this realization for the first time, it is usually completely earth shattering and the person is going to need guidance and will naturally look for someone to turn to for help. If he or she turns to a Sedevacantist church and they are extremely put off by what they see when they go there, it will make their situation even more depressing. They already have followed Christ’s words about leaving mother or father for Him and following Him at all costs. They are carrying a VERY heavy cross already just by embracing the Sedevacantist position. They lose their family and all of their friends (or people they thought were their friends) in the process. They expect to be greeted with open arms by the priest and people once they step through the doors of a Sedevacantist church for the first time, and many times, they see that the situation they are walking into is even WORSE than the Novus Ordo church that they left when they see the overly cliquish and cultish behavior of the people on the inside of the church which they were not expecting.

It is bad enough that they left the Novus Ordo with many scars and crossed over to the traditional side, but in many cases, they only have one traditional church (if they are lucky enough) within a pretty far driving distance and if that church is not what they were expecting, they are completely out of luck and their situation gets exponentially worse, as further despair and depression can set in very quickly.

Charity is what one must lead with. We can have all the in depth theology discussions and debates with each other that we want to, but if we are lacking true Christian charity, we can forget about it. Our battle is already lost and completely futile! We lose and so does everyone else that we come into contact with. Charity covers a multitude of sins. It would be good for some Sedevacantist clergy and lay people alike to remember this.   

 

Addendum

Recently, Bishop Roy has made a bit of a splash in his public remarks about the various traditional clergy getting together to hold an Imperfect Council to see if it would bear fruit to elect a pope. Is it worth a try? I have publicly stated “Yes.” I have also been realistic and stated that I do not see the traditional bishops and clergy getting together to attempt this and this being successful. Still, it is an interesting proposition to ponder that Bishop Roy has brought up. And so, I appeal to the various Sedevacantist bishops here:

Bishop Pivarunas:

You have done a magnificent job growing the CMRI as a whole. Your group has spread farther and farther to help souls. You have wanted your priests to be like St. John Vianney, men who are a true reflection of Jesus Christ Himself. You have displayed a willingness to meet with your fellow traditional bishops to sit down and have discussions with each other over the various areas where you disagree. For this, I greatly commend you and I encourage you to keep pursing this [hopeful] attempt at gathering with your fellow bishops for a future meeting where you can all sit down and have meaningful discussions with each other.

Bishop Santay:

Your SSPV group has helped to provide the sacraments to many souls. It has offered many traditional Catholics places to go as a refuge from the conciliar madness that encompasses everything everywhere. Still, there have been many souls hurt unnecessarily over the Thuc issue with people from the various other factions that have not been allowed to receive Holy Communion at your SSPV churches and chapels. There has also never been a refutation to what Mario Derksen wrote years ago as it pertained to the validity of the Thuc orders. I encourage you to meet with your brother bishops to try and hammer out solutions to some of these very plaguing problems that continue to exist among the various factions.

Bishop Sanborn:

Your passion and zeal for the traditional Faith has been very apparent throughout the many years that you have been on the scene. While this is very admirable, there have been many people who have attended your churches that have been hurt over several issues e.g. the stringent dress code which has left many people from returning to your churches as they were not welcome, the Thesis as being proposed as much more than just its namesake [a Thesis], and the Una Cum issue as being seen as mortally sinful which has left many people both scratching and shaking their heads when they have seen this. You speak with great conviction in all that you do and you display a zeal for the Faith that is obviously apparent. I encourage you to try to work, at least to some degree, with your fellow traditional bishop brothers. I do believe that it would yield good fruit, at least on some level.

Bishop McGuire:

Like your brother bishops, you have been tasked with leading souls under your care to Christ. I, too, greatly encourage you to work with your brother bishops to try and find some common ground where you all can come to an agreement on some issues to help have crossover between the factions, as this will make it easier and more helpful to the laity across the board.

 

Gentlemen:

All of you have been heavily tasked by God to continue to preserve that True Faith that comes to us from the apostles. It is you who have kept the baton going so to speak. You and the men you all ordain are the representatives of Christ’s Catholic Church to lead it forward through this disastrous Great Apostasy which has claimed so many victims over the last few decades. No one is saying that you will all agree on every single issue. That is not a reasonable expectation. Nevertheless, you can (and should) attempt to work together for the common good of all the souls that are under your spiritual care. It is they that benefit from you and it is they that can be greatly hindered by you, if you are not careful in your guidance as shepherds. The days are dark in which we live. We may not even have that long to go until human history wraps up when we look around and see all the evil that continues to be unleashed on all of us on a daily basis. I, like many, strongly encourage you to come together to have a “meeting of great minds” (as you all have) to see how you can navigate through this horrendous storm which for reasons known to God alone, He is allowing to continue and inflicts as a punishment upon this sinful world in which we live. I beseech you to act now, while there is still time to act. Do not delay! Your faithful laity needs you and we need you now more than ever to work together for the betterment of mankind and for the success of the Catholic Church to grow stronger, small in number though it is.

My prayers are with you all. It is my sincere hope that you take these words to heart that I have spoken here and that you pray heavily on this appeal that I make to all of you. Your people need you. The Catholic Church needs you. Christ needs you.

Respectfully Yours,

-TradWarrior

The Role Of Women

 

The muddle-headed R&R Bishop Richard Williamson (1940-2025) was one of the four priests Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated as a bishop on June 30, 1988. I met Williamson when he was a priest in 1985. I found him to be a pompous boor whose high opinion of himself was eclipsed only by his strange and sophomoric views. Each Saturday for years after his expulsion from the SSPX, the baffled bishop would send out his "Eleison Comments" to his followers via e-mail, ostensibly to convince everyone that only his organization has the post-Vatican II situation properly figured out, and to warn people to stay away from sedevacantism. He began almost every issue of his "Comments" with some kindergarten-like rhyme. Here is a small sample:

• The sacrificial Mass once thrown away, How could poor Catholics not go astray?

• Truth which is true excludes all contradiction. "Truth" which admits of error, is truth-fiction.

• While Menzingen is by Rome’s sirens charmed, To keep the Faith, let forewarned be forearmed

He was something of an Ecclesiastical Eminem minus the large record sales. The evil rapper with an eighth grade education could be excused for illogical rants, but not Williamson, who was educated and a cleric. To give one example, Bp. Williamson gave rise to what the late Fr. Cekada called "mentevacantism"--"the mind is vacant."

Williamson came up with a novel idea to escape the iron clad logic of the sedevacantist position: the Conciliar "popes" are not guilty of heresy because of "mind rot" which prevents them from realizing they're heretics. As illogical and goofy as his ideas were, his worst opinions were about women.

According to Fr. John Rizzo, a student of Williamson back in 1983, when the SSPX seminary was in Ridgefield, Connecticut, then-Fr. Williamson made the following remark:

 "He was always insisting that women should not wear pants, because that would be an occasion of sin, that women when married should be subjected to their husbands to such a degree — I'll never forget this — that if the wife misbehaves the husband should be willing to beat her," he said. 

(See npr.org/2009/02/25/101139679/former-student-bishop-often-attacked-judaism#:~:text=%22He%20was%20always%20insisting%20that,tendencies%2C'%20%22%20he%20said; Emphasis mine). 

I absolutely believe Fr. Rizzo to be telling the truth. Williamson made denigrating remarks about women all the time. A few examples:

• He strongly opposed women pursuing higher education, such as attending college or university

• He thought women were benighted and once stated that a female can "do a good imitation of handling ideas, but then she will not be thinking properly as a woman"

• He stated that women can't be professionals because they're vain and that's what they are ostensibly good at doing---"Did this lawyeress check her hairdo before coming into court? If she did, she is a distracted lawyer. If she did not, she is one distorted woman."

(See theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/25/catholic-bishop-richard-williamson#:~:text=Last%20year%20he%20described%20as,she%20is%20one%20distorted%20woman.%22)

Why am I bringing up the ideas of a R&R bishop who went to Judgment last year? In the last few years, and getting more vocal all the time, there are some Traditionalist men (and women) who think Williamson's warped view on women is the teaching of the Church. It is not. The purpose of this post is to demonstrate the role of women in society. No Traditionalist can deny that women are excluded by Divine Positive Law from the clergy. There can never be a valid female deacon, priest, bishop, cardinal, or pope. This post will focus exclusively on a woman's role in the home and in society today.

The solitary dispositive question to be answered has two parts: (a) Can a woman work outside the home? If yes, (b) Are any jobs off limits to a woman, especially those jobs where she exercises authority over men? Below, I attempt to answer the question. In a time without a pope, I submit my opinion to the Judgement of Holy Mother Church, should a true pope reign once more, and will abide by the Magisterial decision as a true Catholic. 

Women and the Natural Law

Here is a simple and straightforward definition from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia:

According to St. Thomas, the natural law is "nothing else than the rational creature's participation in the eternal law" (I-II.91.2). The eternal law is God's wisdom, inasmuch as it is the directive norm of all movement and action. When God willed to give existence to creatures, He willed to ordain and direct them to an end. In the case of inanimate things, this Divine direction is provided for in the nature which God has given to each; in them determinism reigns. Like all the rest of creation, man [herein "man" means "human beings of either sex"] is destined by God to an end, and receives from Him a direction towards this end. This ordination is of a character in harmony with his free intelligent nature. In virtue of his intelligence and free will, man is master of his conduct. Unlike the things of the mere material world he can vary his action, act, or abstain from action, as he pleases. Yet he is not a lawless being in an ordered universe. In the very constitution of his nature, he too has a law laid down for him, reflecting that ordination and direction of all things, which is the eternal law. The rule, then, which God has prescribed for our conduct, is found in our nature itself. Those actions which conform with its tendencies, lead to our destined end, and are thereby constituted right and morally good; those at variance with our nature are wrong and immoral.

There are Traditionalists who argue women working outside the home and/or in positions of authority are contrary to the Natural Law. They claim that women can only work outside the home when absolutely necessary to survive, and they must never have an occupation wherein they would have male subordinates. Some not only say it's wrong for women to be in elected office, but that they should not be allowed to vote. As the "clincher" they cite papal utterances where the pontiff expressed disapproval of women voting. 

The best means of determining if women working outside the home (outside of the need for survival) and being in positions of power is against the Natural Law would be to see what was taught by the last true pope, His Holiness Pope Pius XII (r. 1939-1958). 

 The Use of Allocutions by Pope Pius XII

Pope Pius XII, the last true pope of the Catholic Church before the Great Apostasy, used allocutions the most, as different mediums of communication were coming out. During his reign, he made (excluding canonizations) two ex cathedra pronouncements, one of which was Munificentissimus Deus, defining the dogma of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into Heaven. Most theologians consider Sacramentum Ordinis of 1947 to have been infallible, as it settled what constituted the exact matter and form for all three grades of Holy Orders, and had the definitive language of binding Catholics forever on the subject. 

What is the doctrinal value of non-infallible decrees, when the Ordinary Magisterium makes a pronouncement? Here is an important citation from the encyclical Humani Generis (1950):

Nor must it be thought that what is expounded in Encyclical Letters does not of itself demand consent, since in writing such Letters the Popes do not exercise the supreme power of their Teaching Authority. For these matters are taught with the ordinary teaching authority, of which it is true to say: "He who heareth you, heareth me;" and generally what is expounded and inculcated in Encyclical Letters already for other reasons appertains to Catholic doctrine. But if the Supreme Pontiffs in their official documents purposely pass judgment on a matter up to that time under dispute, it is obvious that that matter, according to the mind and will of the Pontiffs, cannot be any longer considered a question open to discussion among theologians. (para. #20; Emphasis mine). 

In his treatise "Authentic Teaching of the Magisterium," theologian Cotter teaches:

The Pope [Pius XII] has no doubt that those Catholic theologians whom he has in mind throughout the encyclical [Humani Generis] are willing to abide by the definitive decisions of the Magisterium, those handed down, solemni iudicio. They are neither heretics nor schismatics. But he complains that they ignore papal pronouncements that come to them with less authority, such as encyclicals. If reputable theologians have disagreed in the past, that assumes that nothing less than a solemn definition can settle the matter; and as long as none such is forthcoming, everyone is presumed free to construe papal documents according to his own interpretation of Tradition.

In reply, the Pope reminds them that encyclicals, besides often containing matters of dogma, may intend to settle points hitherto disputed, and that such decisions demand of themselves a positive assent on the part of the faithful, theologians included. In issuing them the popes exercise what is technically known as the Ordinary or Authentic Magisterium, of which it is true to say: "He that heareth you, heareth Me."

(As cited in Contemporary Moral Theology, [1962], 1:24-26). 

Theologian Cotter notes, though the papal statement refers primarily to encyclicals, it is not restricted to these. Rather, it covers the whole range of what is called the "Ordinary Magisterium" of the Holy Father. Everything that has been said, therefore, could apply to the papal radio messages and allocutions; yet, since these have played such a prominent part in papal teaching (especially under Pope Pius XII), they merit special attention. Pope Pius XII himself, made it strikingly clear that his discourses, even when given to small groups, can contain authoritative teaching for the whole Church. 

In his radio message on the education of the Christian conscience, Pope Pius XII said:

Mindful, however, of the right and duty of the Apostolic See to intervene authoritatively, when the need arises, in moral questions, in the address of 29th October last we set out to enlighten men's consciences on the problems of married life. With the self-same authority we declare today to educators and to young people also that the divine commandment of purity of soul and body still holds without any lesser obligation for the youth of today. 

According to theologian Hurth (consultor to the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office and a staunch anti-Modernist) papal radio addresses and allocutions have the same doctrinal value as encyclicals: they are an integral part of the ordinary teaching of the pope; and, as such, though not infallible, they require both internal and external acceptance. (Ibid, pg. 26). 

The Teaching of Pope Pius XII

Two allocutions show forth the teaching of the Church on the role of women in society: An Address of His Holiness Pope Pius XII to the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations, April 24, 1952, and An Address To Members of Various Catholic Women's Associations, October 21, 1945.

Here are the pertinent points of Pope Pius XII's teachings:

In his 1945 Address, the pontiff made it clear that his intent was to teach about the duties of women in social and political life. (All emphasis in the text of the Addresses is mine---Introibo)

Your presence in such great numbers before Us, beloved daughters, derives a particular significance from the conditions existing today. For besides the joy which it always gives Us to welcome you, to bless you, and to give you Our fatherly counsel, there is also today the need which We feel, in answer to your own urgent requests, to address you on a subject which is of the very first relevance and importance to our times: We mean the duties of women in social and political life. We had Ourself been looking forward to such an opportunity as this, because the feverish unrest of a troubled present and still more the anxieties about an uncertain future have given woman's position a central interest for the friends, no less than for the enemies, of Christ and His Church.

Men and women are of equal dignity and have different yet complimentary qualities.

As children of God, man and woman have a dignity in which they are absolutely equal; and they are equal, too, in regard to the supreme end of human life, which is everlasting union with God in the happiness of Heaven...But man and woman cannot maintain or perfect this equal dignity of theirs unless they respect and make use of the distinctive qualities which nature has bestowed on each sex: physical and spiritual qualities which are indestructible, and so co-ordinated that their mutual relation cannot be upset without nature itself intervening to re-establish it.

The pope praises woman in the religious life and also women who remain in the single state:

And yet, for nearly twenty centuries, we have seen thousands upon thousands of men and women, and among the best of them, freely renouncing a family of their own and foregoing the holy duties and sacred rights of married life in order to follow the counsel of Christ. And is the common welfare of nations and the good of the Church jeopardized in consequence? On the contrary-----These generous souls recognize the association of the sexes in wedlock as a great good. If they step aside from the ordinary path, if they leave the beaten track, it is not to desert the service of humanity but rather to devote themselves to it with complete detachment and self-denial, and an activity which is incomparably more extended, indeed, all-embracing and universal...

But there is also the Catholic girl who remains unmarried in spite of herself; and she too, if she believes firmly in the Providence of her Heavenly Father, recognizes the voice of the Master in the life that has fallen to her lot. 'The Master is here and calleth for thee.' [John 11: 28] And she answers the call; she abandons the fair dream of her adolescence and young womanhood, surrenders her hope of having a faithful companion to share her life, of making a home and family of her own. In the impossibility of marriage she discerns her own vocation and, sad at heart though resigned, she too devotes herself entirely to the highest and most varied forms of beneficence.

A woman's natural function is to be a mother either physically or spiritually/morally.

Be she married or single, woman's function is seen clearly defined in the lineaments of her sex, in its propensities and special powers. She works side by side with man, but she works in her own way and according to her natural bent. Now a woman's function, a woman's way, a woman's natural bent, is motherhood. Every woman is called to be a mother, mother in the physical sense, or mother m a sense more spiritual and more exalted, yet real none the less.

The pope deplores conditions unfavorable to the family and the dignity of woman. Both Communism and capitalism have had detrimental effects on the woman such that she cannot raise her children properly,

That public life has now for some time been developing in a manner unfavorable to the true welfare of the family and the true welfare of woman, is beyond dispute...Restore woman as soon as possible to her place of honor in the home as housewife and mother! This is the universal cry today. It is as though the world had suddenly awakened in alarm and horror to see the results of a material and technical progress of which it had hitherto been so proud.

The pope condemns the results of a life of a woman who has left her duties as wife and mother for employment. The woman's daughter will be ill suited for the life of a wife and mother.

And this is not all. Her [the daughter of the working woman] mother with the passing of the years has become old before her time; she is worn out and broken by sorrows, anxieties, and work that has overtaxed her strength. When she sees her daughter return home very late at night, far from finding in her a prop and a support, she must herself arise and discharge all the duties of a domestic servant for one who is unaccustomed and unequal to the work of a woman and housewife. The father will be no better off when advancing years, illness, infirmity, unemployment have forced him to depend for his meager support on the good or ill will of his children. How is the august and sacred authority of father and mother dethroned from the seat of its majesty!

Yet, given the current circumstances [1945], women must work to survive in many cases. This is the modern situation. Should women eschew working to improve society? No! They have a positive duty to engage with modern society and make it better with the distinctive characteristics of the female sex.

Are we therefore to conclude, Catholic women and Catholic girls, that you must resist the current which, whether you like it or not, is drawing you into the stream of social and political life? Certainly not...The fact is that woman is kept away from the home, not only by her declared emancipation, but often also by vital necessity, by the need to earn her daily bread. It is therefore useless to preach her return to the home so long as conditions continue which in many cases force her to remain absent from it. And here is the first aspect of the mission in social and political life which now presents itself to you. Into this public life you have entered all of a sudden, forced into it by the social changes we have witnessed. No matter-----you are called upon to take part in it. Would you leave to other women, to those who are actively engineering the ruin of the home or at least conniving at it, the monopoly of organizing the social structure, in which the family forms the principal element of its economic, juridical, spiritual, and moral unity? The fortunes of the family, the fortunes of human society, are at stake; and they are in your hands: 'Tua res agitur!'

   Therefore every woman without exception is under an obligation-----a strict obligation of conscience, mind you!-----not to remain aloof; every woman must go into action, each in her own way, and join in stemming the tides which threaten to engulf the home, in fighting the doctrines which undermine its foundations, in preparing, organizing, and completing its restoration.

Women are called upon to work alongside men for the betterment of society.

This is one motive, calling the Catholic woman to enter on the new path now opening to her activity. But there is another: her dignity as a woman. It is for her to work with man for the welfare of the civitas in which she enjoys a dignity equal with his, and here each sex has its part to play according to its nature, its distinctive qualities, its physical. intellectual. and moral capabilities. Both sexes have the right and the duty to work together for the good of society, for the good of the nation. But it is clear that while man is by temperament more suited to deal with external affairs and public business, generally speaking the woman has a deeper insight for understanding the delicate problems of domestic and family life, and a surer touch in solving them-----which, of course, is not to deny that some women can show great ability in every sphere of public life.

   It is not so much that each sex is called to a different task; the difference is rather in their manner of judging and arriving at concrete and practical applications. Take the case of civil rights, for example; at the present time they are equal for both sexes. But just think how much more intelligently and effectively these rights will be used if men and women pool their resources in using them. The sensibility and delicacy which are characteristic of the woman may perhaps bias her judgment in the direction of her impressions, and so tend to the prejudice of wide and clear vision, cool decision, or far-sighted prudence; but on the other hand they are most valuable aids in discerning the needs, aspirations, and dangers proper to the sphere of domestic life, public assistance, and religion.

A wide field of action is open to women in the public. Here the pope alludes to single women. It can also apply to women who must work, or who have grown children.

 It has been seen that a woman's work is concerned primarily with those tasks and occupations of domestic life which contribute so powerfully, and more powerfully than is generally appreciated, to the true interests of the social community. But the furtherance of those interests calls for a great number of women who will have more leisure at their disposal, and so be able to devote themselves to the task more directly and more completely.

  And where should we find these women if not especially [We do not, of course, say exclusively] among those to whom We have been alluding: those upon whom the force of circumstances has imposed a mysterious vocation; those whom events have destined to a life of solitude which was not in their thoughts or aspirations, and which threatened to be nothing more than a selfishly useless and purposeless existence? And now, behold, their mission at the present day is revealed: a mission many-sided, militant, and calling for all their energies; a mission such as they can more readily undertake than many of their sisters, occupied as they are with family cares and the education of their children, or else subject to the yoke of a religious rule.

  Of these women some have hitherto devoted themselves with a zeal often quite admirable, to parochial activities; others, gifted with wider vision still, have been engaged in more extended work of moral and social improvement. The war, with its calamitous results, has led to a great increase in the number of such women. Many brave men have lost their lives in this terrible conflict, others have come back disabled or sick; many a young woman will therefore await in vain the return of a husband. will vainly hope for the coming of new young lives to cheer a solitary home. And just at this moment new needs, created by the entry of women into civil and political life, have arisen to claim their assistance. Is this nothing more than a strange coincidence? Or are we to see in it a disposition of Divine Providence?

Thus a wide field is opened to woman's activity, an activity primarily intellectual or primarily practical. according to the capabilities and qualities of each individual. To study and explain the place and function of woman in society, her rights and obligations; to be the guide and teacher of her sisters; to correct ideas, dispel prejudices, clear up confusions; to expound and spread the teaching of the Church, as the surest means of defeating error, illusion, and falsehood, and as the most effective method of countering the tactics employed by the enemies of Catholic faith and morals-----here is an immense and urgently important task, without which the active apostolate, however zealous, will give only precarious results.

 But direct action is also necessary, otherwise sound doctrine and solid convictions will remain barren, or at best yield little fruit. This direct action, this effective co-operation in social and political life, in no way alters the distinctive character of woman's activity. Associated with the work of man in the sphere of civil institutions, she will apply herself especially to matters calling for tact, delicacy, the maternal instinct, rather than administrative rigidity. In such questions as those of woman's dignity, a girl's honor and integrity, the protection and education of the child, who better than a woman can understand what is needed? ...  In your actual participation in social and political life much depends upon State legislation and municipal administration. Consequently the vote is for the Catholic woman an important means of fulfilling her strict obligations of conscience, especially at the present time.

The other Address of 1952, Pope Pius XII reiterates that women are in society, not just the home, and can bring peace to the world.

 There is also an external activity because if in other ages the influence of women was restricted to their home and the surrounding s of the home, in our days it extends (whether we like it or not) to even wider fields: to public and social life, to parliaments, to tribunals, to journalism, to the professions and to the trades. May women carry their work of peace into each of these spheres. If indeed all women were to pass from that innate feeling which makes them abhor war, to concrete action to impede war, it would be impossible that the total of such imposing efforts, which bring into play those forces best calculated to move the will, that is piety and love, it would be impossible, We say, that it should fail to attain its end.

Basic Principles Taught by Pope Pius XII:

• Men and women are of equal dignity and worth
• Men and women have complimentary talents
• These talents must be used for the betterment of society
• Women have a maternal calling, physical or spiritual
• Given current circumstances women must work
• Women have a positive duty to work alongside men in making the world Catholic
• Women have a wide field of opportunities for work
• The ideal of wife and mother must be upheld and never denigrated
• Women can and should vote

To those who object that the Addresses are not infallible, and need not be believed OR WORSE, that Pope Pius XII taught something that is immoral, evil, and contrary to Natural Law, you have insurmountable problems.

Christ said to the Apostles: “He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me.” (St. Luke 10:16). This means that every Catholic can, and must, listen to the Church teaching as the teaching of Christ Himself. What if a pope is not teaching infallibly? Such teachings are nevertheless protected by the Holy Ghost from teaching any pernicious doctrine. This means the Church cannot teach anything which is contrary to Catholic doctrine or morals, and which would be a sin to embrace. The Church also cannot impose evil disciplines, and thereby prescribe something evil to the faithful, making it sinful to observe; nor can the Church give anything which would constitute an incentive to impiety. 

This completely rules out any possibility of the pope teaching heresy, for the protection of the Holy Ghost precludes it. Theologian Fenton teaches:

To the Holy Father’s responsibility of caring for the sheep of Christ’s fold, there corresponds, on the part of the Church’s membership, the basic obligation of following his directions, in doctrinal as well as disciplinary matters. In this field, God has given the Holy Father a kind of infallibility distinct from the charism of doctrinal infallibility in the strict sense. He has so constructed and ordered the Church that those who follow the directives given to the entire kingdom of God on earth will never be brought into the position of ruining themselves spiritually through this obedience. Our Lord dwells within His Church in such a way that those who obey disciplinary and doctrinal directives of this society can never find themselves displeasing God through their adherence to the teachings and the commands given to the universal Church militant. Hence there can be no valid reason to discountenance even the non-infallible teaching authority of Christ’s vicar on earth.

(See "The American Ecclesiastical Review;" [August 1949], “The Doctrinal Authority of Papal Encyclicals, Part I”, pgs. 144-145). 

Hence, the protection of the Holy Ghost precludes the pope from teaching heresy to the Church. Only in his capacity as a private theologian could he teach heresy. If the false claim is made that these Addresses are not truly the pope teaching but just him speaking as a private person, and he taught something contrary to Natural Law or the Faith, be prepared to become a vacancy-pusher. 

Eugene Pacelli would not be the pope.  As St. Alphonsus Liguori teaches: "If ever a pope, as a private person, should fall into heresy, he would at once fall from the pontificate.”(See Oeuvres Completes. 9:232; Emphasis mine). 

Conclusion: While women should ideally be mothers at home or nuns, nothing precludes them from working outside the home when necessary, or when it would not constitute a detriment to her family. Moreover, single women have a wide range of fields open to them when working. All Catholic women are called to be engaged in society with men to make the world better and more Catholic. Women can and should vote. 

Can women hold positions of authority over men? That will be discussed in the next section of this post.

Women in Authority

Note that in his Addresses Pope Pius XII did not state that women could not hold positions of authority over men. However, the absence of a condemnation is not the same as giving approval. From the history of the Church, we see women have held authoritative positions over men as is witnessed by Catholic queens, and the example of St. Joan of Arc, among others. 

Catholic Queens

1. Queen Blanche of France RULED the Kingdom as Queen Regent in the name of her saintly son (King St. Louis IX) from 1226-1235, and is considered one of the most cunning and intelligent rulers by historians. Her shrewd diplomacy gave her son a stronger kingdom than ever when he took the throne at age 21. While she was doing “the job of a man” she raised her son to be a canonized saint (King St. Louis IX specifically credits his mother as the reason he was so devout in his practice of the Faith) and her daughter became Blessed Isabella of France. She had a total of 12 children.

2. Queen Margaret of France RULED the Kingdom when King St. Louis was fighting in the Crusades. She is also seen as an excellent ruler in addition to being the mother of 11 children. Her saintly husband’s motto was “All for God, all for France, all for Margaret”—putting his wife above all but God and country.

3. St. Helena was Roman Empress who utilized her influence to spread Christianity and build churches. She was also the mother of Constantine the Great

I could multiply these examples, but it suffices to show that women having authority is permitted by the Church and cannot therefore be against the Natural Law or sinful. 

Catholic Women Who Led Men in Battle

1. Saint Joan of Arc (1412–1431): Known as the "Maid of Orleans," she claimed divine guidance from Heaven and heard voices telling her to lead the French troops against the English. She was a military commander. She did more than merely advise. Here are three historians who have written on St. Joan's role as an actual military commander, and who led men into battle:

(a) Dr. Kelly Robert DeVries (b. 1956) received his doctorate from the University of Toronto and is an expert in warfare of the Middle Ages. See his 1999 book entitled Joan of Arc: A Military Leader.

(b) Dr. Regine Pernoud (1909-1998) received her doctorate from the Sorbonne in 1935. Read her book Joan of Arc: Her Story published in 1986.

(c) Jonathan Sumption (b. 1948) Was a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1971 to 1975, teaching and writing, before becoming a barrister. Historian Credentials: Despite lacking a PhD in history (doctorate in law) he is a renowned, award-winning historian (Wolfson History Prize winner) known for his five-volume history of the Hundred Years' War. He covers her extensively in The Hundred Years War, Volume 5: Triumph and Illusion published in (2023).

God chose a woman to lead the army. He could have chosen a man, but didn't. Women leading men is therefore not contrary to Natural Law or sinful. If it were, God would not have allowed it, indeed, could not have allowed it even once. 

2. Matilda of Tuscany, Imperial Vicar and Vice-Queen of Italy, (1046-1115). A powerful medieval noblewoman and key supporter of the papacy, Matilda frequently commanded her armies in person to defend Church interests, earning a reputation as a warrior countess.

3. Joanna of Flanders (1295–1374): Countess of Montfort, she led forces during the War of the Breton Succession. She is famously depicted wearing armor and riding at the head of 300 men to attack an enemy camp, acting as a direct combat leader.

4. Queen Isabella of Castile was Queen of Castile and Leon from 1474 until her death in 1504. Known as "Isabella the Catholic," she was heavily involved in commanding military operations during the Reconquista in Spain, often directing troop strategy and visiting the battlefront to inspire her men.

Conclusion

Therefore, women can be in positions of authority over men. If a woman can be a Head of State or lead an army, she can certainly lead in less important roles. 

Why it is Good for Women to be Educated and Career-Ready

Holy Mother Church, ever solicitous for the well-being of Her children, will allow them to adopt to the world in a non-sinful manner when the circumstances dictate such. As Pope Pius XII taught in his 1952 Address:

There is also an external activity because if in other ages the influence of women was restricted to their home and the surrounding s of the home, in our days it extends (whether we like it or not) to even wider fields: to public and social life, to parliaments, to tribunals, to journalism, to the professions and to the trades.

Since the fall of Catholic countries after Vatican II, it has become exceedingly difficult for a man to raise a family on a single income. Moreover, the divorce rate is through the roof. Divorce and separation are not unknown, even among Traditionalists.

Here are the possibilities:

The Religious Life. There are not many Traditionalist orders. However, it is possible to join one and have a vocation as a nun. What a wonderful life! Fr. DePauw's eldest sister was a medical missionary nun in what was then called The Belgian Congo. She dedicated 50 years of her life making converts in Africa. She was put through school and was a medical doctor. She was able to help people soul and body! Imagine a Traditionalist college where educated nuns could form the development of young women.

Married Life. It is very difficult to find a suitable spouse. Traditionalists are a small group. Most Traditionalist who marry will have to have a spouse of the Vatican II sect, Protestant sect, etc. who is willing to sign the promises under Canon Law and have a mixed marriage. This is tolerated by the Church, and more necessary now than ever imagined pre-Vatican II when Catholics were plentiful.

Also making marriage more difficult is the number of divorced people, as well as Vatican II sect members with phony "annulments." According to several sources the divorce rate in the U.S. for first time marriages is 40-42%. That statistic is something Pope Pius XII could not even have imagined the year he died (1958). (See, e.g., pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/10/16/8-facts-about-divorce-in-the-united-states). 

College educated people are less likely to get divorced--especially where both spouses are educated. There are still good colleges with good people, like St. Mary's College in Kansas run by the SSPX. Both my wife and I are highly educated and we were not corrupted by the institutions we attended. Having a strong faith is the key. Women can also meet a good man in her career, and then stay home after marriage and children. When the children are grown, she can return to her career and help the world as stated by Pope Pius XII. 

Moreover, what if the woman is abandoned by her spouse? She marries right out of college at 22, has four children by 29, and he leaves her. He could also be a deadbeat dad. Now what? How can this women support her family? Not everyone has wealthy parents. If she has a degree she can get a decent job so as not to wind up in section 8 housing and living on public assistance (a true nightmare, esp. for the children). 

The Single Life. There are some women who do not have a religious vocation and never find a decent man to marry. These women especially can use their unique talents to make the world better and more Catholic, having the most time to give.

This is not "feminism," this is reality. If a man makes a large salary and can afford a stay-at-home wife/mother with several children, God bless them abundantly. This is not the case for most. 

Finally, let me say that there are women who are a disgrace to their gender. The money chasing career women who scorn God, hate children, like abortion, and are convinced misandrists, unfortunately exist. I know many of them; I work and live surrounded by them. Yet, there are those like my wife, Ivy League educated, professional, Christian above all else, and making a difference in the world. 

Objections Considered and Answered

Objection: Do you want women in battle? Who will be the future mothers? 

Answer: No, I'm not advocating for female soldiers. Women should not fight unless necessary, but it is not beyond them to be such. The point is women can lead in battle, not that it is prudent that they should or must do so. God did not have to call St. Joan of Arc to do battle, but He did. He could have selected a man. So even leadership positions of the most difficult kind can be handled by women.

Objection: Biology dictates that women cannot do the same things that men can do.

Answer: I agree. Jobs like construction work, being an oil rig worker, etc. require bodily strength that women will never have like men. These jobs should be handled by men unless an absolute necessity requires a woman to do so. In sports, women have no place competing with men in football, boxing, etc. They would be seriously injured or killed. (However, a woman could compete, in my opinion, in sports like bowling, billiards, and other non-contact sports).

Objection: According to theologians McHugh and Callan “Women should not be compelled to take up an occupation unsuited to their sex.”

Answer: Yes, women should not be compelled to do anything. Occupations requiring physical strength should be left to men.

Objection: Queens ruling over men is an historical exception.

Answer: An exception that proves the rule that women can lead. If it were contrary to Natural Law or Divine Positive Law, popes would have condemned such. Instead, Catholic Queens were esteemed by the Church.

Objection: Pope St. Pius X said in 1906, to an Austrian feminist, “Women electors, women deputies? Oh, no!…Women in Parliaments! That is all we need! The men have already caused enough confusion there! Imagine what would happen if there were women there!” (Hause & Kenny, The Development of the Catholic Women’s Suffrage Movement, pgs. 11-30). Also, In 1909, Pope St. Pius X told French Politicians, “Women can never be man’s equal,” said the Pope [St. Pius X], “and cannot therefore enjoy equal rights. Few women would ever desire to legislate, and those who did would only be classed as eccentrics.” (NYT April 22, 1909). 

How can Pope St. Pius X and Pope Pius XII both be right? 

Answer: Context is the key. In 1909, Pope St. Pius X was trying to preserve traditional gender roles and many Catholic countries existed. In 1945, Pope Pius XII was facing the reality of a world that had become more secularized, and in which women were drawn into the workforce after World War I and especially after World War II.  Both popes believed in gender differentiation, but Pius XII extended that difference to mean women were necessary in public life to protect the social fabric--and they were, both then, and even more so now. Pope Pius XII could be called prescient in retrospect. Just 17 years after his 1947 Address, the Vatican II sect would be born and undo all things Catholic. 

Objection: The man is the head of the family, and St. Paul tells us women cannot even speak in Church. How can a woman rule over men? What if she were the boss of her husband at a company where they both worked? It is disordered.

Answer: I distinguish, that the man is the head of the family, conceded; that he cannot be subject to his wife outside the home in a directive applicable to the job only, denied. I don't think husband and wife working together is ideal--one can work away from the other. Men and women have complementary roles. A woman gives birth and nurtures humans in the physical order. Men give spiritual life and comfort souls as priests in the Church. Men have dominion in Church and, if married, in the home. It doesn't extend in an absolute manner outside the home and in the secular state. 

Conclusion

Men and women have complementary differences. They must use their talents and work side by side to make the world more Catholic. While the woman is subject to the husband, it does not mean he can bully his wife and give her a "Williamson-approved beating." What Williamson said is both illegal in the United States and grossly immoral everywhere. Women can never be clergy, but they are not precluded from many other occupations. 

Let us pray as Saint Therese of Lisieux, “Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what You want me to be – and becoming that person.”

Contending For The Faith---Part 51

 

In St. Jude 1:3, we read, "Dearly beloved, taking all care to write unto you concerning your common salvation, I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." [Emphasis mine]. Contending For The Faith is a series of posts dedicated to apologetics (i.e.,  the intellectual defense of the truth of the Traditional Catholic Faith) to be published the first Monday of each month.  This is the next installment.

Sadly, in this time of Great Apostasy, the faith is under attack like never before, and many Traditionalists don't know their faith well enough to defend it. Remember the words of our first pope, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." (1Peter 3:16). There are five (5) categories of attacks that will be dealt with in these posts. Attacks against:

• The existence and attributes of God
• The truth of the One True Church established by Christ for the salvation of all 
• The truth of a particular dogma or doctrine of the Church
• The truth of Catholic moral teaching
• The truth of the sedevacantist position as the only Catholic solution to what has happened since Vatican II 

In addition, controversial topics touching on the Faith will sometimes be featured, so that the problem and possible solutions may be better understood. If anyone had suggestions for topics that would fall into any of these categories, you may post them in the comments. I cannot guarantee a post on each one, but each will be carefully considered.

Miracles and "Extraordinary Evidence"

To My Readers: One of the arguments against the truth of the Catholic Faith is to disparage miracles--which would, of course, include the Bodily Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This post is a compilation of various sources, both in print and online, which refute a common atheist claim that miracles do not have sufficient evidence to support them. I take no credit for any of the material herein, except insofar as I have condensed it into a terse post. 

God bless you all, my dear readers---Introibo

There is a claim often made by skeptics that "Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence." A person might say by way of illustration, “Listen, if you told me you found a squirrel in your garage, then I’d probably believe you. But if you told me you found a fire-breathing dragon in your garage, I’d be highly skeptical. Why? Because extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” This slogan exhibits threefold power in conversation. First, it sounds commonsensical and intelligent. Second, it instills anxiety in the believer, who might think: Shoot, unless I come up with extraordinary evidence, there’s no way I can persuade this person. Third, it implicitly sets up a rule that rational people, as opposed to gullible or superstitious ones, must follow.

How do we answer?

The atheist using this slogan has not set out to show that God does not exist. Rather, it allows him to harbor a sweeping skepticism regarding religious claims, specifically about miracles. Since the slogan targets miraculous claims only and not God’s existence generally, we might ask, “That’s an interesting point you make. I’m curious: Could it be true that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and that God still exists?” This small point has large ramifications. Rather than proposing a reason for atheism, it targets miraculous claims. Yet it should be clear that believing in the possibility of miracles depends on whether a person believes in God.

Is the slogan true? Do extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence? It seems preposterous to suggest it might be false. Do we dare say extraordinary claims don’t require extraordinary evidence? The atheist may say that’s as crazy as believing a friend who says he has a dragon in his garage.

Clarify terms

To judge whether the slogan is true, we must examine the terminology in detail. “Extraordinary claims” and “Extraordinary evidence” sound like impressive phrases, but we have to carefully define terms. So, ask the skeptic what he means. You might say, “What do you mean by extraordinary claims?” The skeptic will likely answer one of two ways. Here’s the first one:

 1. Extraordinary claims involve extremely rare or improbable events.  Rarity, in and of itself, gives no reason to doubt a claim. It would be a rare event for your best friend to win the lottery, but if you had good reasons to think he did, you would not need to doubt it. For example, if you saw the winning ticket or the large check sent to him from the state, that would make it completely rational to believe your friend won the lottery. Next, let’s consider a second possible answer.

2. Extraordinary claims involve the supernatural.  This reveals the true nature of the debate. Our worldview (e.g., Christian theism, pantheism, atheism) dictates how we judge evidence. The atheist believes that supernatural events require extraordinary evidence because he believes that God does not exist, whereas the classical theist considers extraordinary events to be rare but live options because of God’s power to work miracles. You might ask, “If God exists, is an event like raising Jesus from the dead really so extraordinary? It may be rare, but surely it’s something the divine creator could bring about, right?” The obvious answer is yes. If they say no and assert that not even God can do that, then we are not talking about the same God. If God exists, God can do a miracle. So, the question knocks the discussion back a step.

In other words, if we have good reasons to think God exists, then supernatural events can be examined in a way similar to the lottery case. Yes, they may be rare, but if we have good evidence to believe they occurred, we can rationally affirm them. We should not rule them out for lack of “extraordinary evidence.”

 Let’s consider the next part of the slogan and ask, “What do you mean by extraordinary evidence?” Consider a couple of potential replies: 

(a) Extraordinary evidence is evidence that overcomes the exceedingly low intrinsic probability of an event. What does it mean for an event to be “intrinsically” improbable? Scholars debate the best interpretations of probability, but let’s stick with the commonsense notion that it seems highly unlikely the event would occur. However, proceeding along those lines, we find that good, ordinary evidence can be sufficient to overcome intrinsically low probabilities. Again, take the example of your friend winning the lottery. This event has low intrinsic probability in the sense that it seems highly unlikely that your friend will win. This low probability persists even if your friend buys tickets weekly. Nonetheless, if your friend does indeed win, simple, good evidence suffices to show this occurred. This good evidence can take many forms:  

• Your friend calls you telling you he won and wants to celebrate  

• He posts his winning ticket on social media

• Another trustworthy friend calls you to relay the information

Although none of these establishes the event with strict certainty, they all serve as evidence that your friend won the lottery. Yet, who adduced any evidence out of the ordinary here? It seems that mundane, good evidence suffices to show it’s reasonable to believe that an event with intrinsically low probability occurred. 

(b) Extraordinary evidence is evidence that meets an extremely high bar of probability.  On this view, extraordinary evidence establishes an event with, say, 99-plus-percent certainty, or close to it, such that no rational person could ever doubt it. So the skeptic claims. However, we can challenge this assertion. First, observe that theses in other areas often seem to lack this extraordinary evidence. Consider three examples: 

•  Caesar crossed the Rubicon.

•  The minimum wage is a good idea. 

•  It is ethical to murder two innocent people to save a hundred innocent people. 

These stock examples from history, public policy, and ethics underscore the point that an atheist will be hard-pressed to find “extraordinary evidence” of the type he defined in any domain. Sure, he may encounter some good arguments and strong evidence, but there will always be experts who disagree. He will hardly find the 99-plus-percent certainty he pursues.  We can ask the atheist, “Is it irrational to believe that Caesar crossed the Rubicon, that the minimum wage is a good idea, or that it’s unethical to murder two innocent people to save a hundred? If not, why not? Especially since these claims fail to meet your standards of extraordinary evidence.” The atheist has a couple of options here:

• Lower the bar of what counts as extraordinary evidence to a more reasonable level

• Reply that none of those examples from history or ethics constitute extraordinary claims, so they don’t need extraordinary evidence

If he chooses the first option, then the conversation can resume along the lines that good evidence suffices to establish the rationality of a belief (even if such evidence is rather ordinary). More likely, though, the atheist will argue the second option, maybe adding a point: “The difference is that whether Caesar crossed the Rubicon has no impact on my life. I’m never going to be in those ethical dilemmas. Those answers make no difference. 

If Caesar were saying I had to renounce myself and follow him, that would be a much different story. So yes, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and you should just admit that you don’t have any.” At this point, we should note the change in terms the skeptic brought into the conversation. Now, it seems that “extraordinary events” are not rare or supernatural events, but rather “rare or supernatural events that dramatically impact our life choices.” We can now proceed with this new addition to the terminology. Of course, if the atheist doesn’t ever make this point, we do not need to answer it; I raise it because it’s a fairly common response.

 Very high bars of evidence for extraordinary claims will prove too much. Note where we are in the discussion. The skeptic says that extraordinary claims that may dramatically impact life must meet a very high bar of evidence. I suggest asking the following question: “Why do extraordinary claims need to meet this special high bar, yet ordinary claims do not?” Why is an especially high bar needed for believing in the resurrection of Jesus that is not required for the answers to public policy questions, ethical dilemmas, or trials by jury? 

Why exactly are extraordinary claims treated in such a special way? Why is this not special pleading? Listen carefully to the answer. First, if he simply points to the rarity or unexpected nature of extraordinary claims, we have already answered that. Second, he might reiterate his point about the supernatural. “Supernatural events are unfathomable and wildly unbelievable in themselves,” says the skeptic. He does not believe in supernatural events, so any such fanciful claims must meet a tremendously high bar of evidence. Here, atheism is presupposed. After that sort of answer, let the discussion turn to God’s existence. If God exists, then he could work a miracle, and thus it could be reasonable to believe in a supernatural event. 

Third, your conversation partner may argue that the importance of a claim renders it in need of extraordinary evidence. In other words, if something makes a big difference in a person’s life, extraordinary evidence is required. However, this cannot be right, since public policy questions and ethical decisions (for example) can make a big difference in someone’s life, yet the skeptic likely does not require extraordinary evidence to take positions on them. 

In response, you might ask, “I’m curious, are you pro-choice or pro-life? Or do you take neither position?” If he has a position on abortion, you might ask, “What extraordinary evidence do you have in favor of that view? After all, it could make a big difference in the lives of many women and unborn humans, depending on how people answer.” It seems inconsistent and special pleading to apply the “extraordinary evidence” requirement to supernatural events and not to all important matters.

We should look for good reasons and good evidence for the things that we believe. Good reasons and evidence suffice to show the rationality of belief in a claim, and if God exists, that can be the case even if a claim is wildly out of the ordinary.

Conclusion: Putting it All Together

Let’s return to the skeptic’s claim about a fire-breathing dragon and explain why it differs from the idea of a Catholic miracle. If an “extraordinary claim” is a rare or supernatural event, then your friend having a fire-breathing dragon in his garage fits that definition. At first, you might think he’s joking, and if you had no additional information, you would be justified in your skepticism. However, suppose instead you asked him more about the dragon. You started looking for clues. You asked if anyone else had seen it. You examined how serious your friend defended his claim. 

In all probability, this investigation would reveal that there never really was a dragon in the garage. However, the miracles that Christians believe in are not like the dragon case, for two reasons. First, because we believe that God performs them for a reason; they are connected with His revelation, not sporadic magic tricks. Second, they are backed up by credible witnesses and early testimony. Anthony Flew, at one time a very famous atheist who later adopted theism, said, “The evidence for the resurrection is better than for claimed miracles in any other religion. It’s outstandingly different in quality and quantity.” (See There Is A God, [2009],).