Are You a Relativist?

Very few Catholics (or even protestants) would openly say, "that may be true for you, but it is not true for me". Down through my years, I have come across many pagans who think that way; today most pagans do not actually think at all, so it is a bit of a different climate today. The spread of relativism, however, has not faded, and most people are extremely relativistic in their minds and hearts. I have even heard very solid Catholics who would never openly deny any aspect of the faith say something relativistic without realizing it.

To be clear, relativism is the belief that rules are gray, and there are no clear or specific truths. It is a denial of absolutes either in morality, doctrine, or both. Hard relativists usually do not survive long because the internal contradictions can destroy a person from within (or make them destroy everyone around them). Soft relativism, however, can be even more destructive because most people who "lightly" delve into relativistic thinking have no idea what they are doing.

It is completely illogical and self-destructive for a person to justify doctrinal error or practical immorality by saying something foolish like, "there are other ways to see that" in order to justify his rejection of the truth. Yes, in some areas of life there are "other ways" for something. There is not just one way to cook bread. There are various ways to travel across the country. There is more than one way to speak to a child about his disobedience. There is not, however, more than one way to define marriage (as just one example). That is both a doctrinal and a moral issue, and the world's desire to change it is a pathway to the pit of Hell.

The greatest danger of relativism (either the soft or hard type) is that makes the one holding to it have confidence in his errors ("I'm ok because truth is vague, and I can choose what makes me feel good about my behavior"). Someone said to me recently that there was more than one way to view the family. Yes, there are numerous wrong ways, and there is the one Catholic way that the Church has commanded. Look at the Trent Catechism -- the definition (found in the section on the Sacrament of Matrimony) is clear and not flexible.

Look at your own beliefs. Examine them by the teachings of our Lord through His Church. Have you softened? Have you given yourself a false confidence in your errors? Repentance is always possible, but you have to do the work of changing. Do not be presumptuous or roll your eyes at the prospect that you could be wrong. We have all been touched by the errors of modernism, and we all need to find the pathway to truth.