Michael Matt, traditionalist Catholic, analyzes election, Woke-ism, etc.
"This is a very theological war that we're seeing play out..." (Michael Matt)
(Feel free to skip down to the Michael Matt video below to view and hear his analyses.)
Is the perspective of Traditionalist Catholics important, or worth studying? Personally, I’d say absolutely. I would even go so far as to say that some Traditionalist Catholic perspectives can and should be embraced even by non-Catholics.
Regular subscribers will be aware that I am a Muslim who has embraced the reforms of the religion of Islam that were introduced by and explained by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908). One of those reforms is a reform that I’ve mentioned many times in various Substack articles, and included in various contexts. And that is the following:
Somewhere along the way, in Islamic history, interpretations of the spiritual status of the person called “Isa” (otherwise known as Jesus, Yeshuwah, Yuz Asaf, depending on the particular religious and/or historical tradition) generated the following beliefs:
The “Substitution Theory.” The Substitution Theory says that, rather than Isa being nailed to the crucifix to die, Allah (God) snatched Isa up to heaven, and substituted someone else to die on the cross.
Isa, accompanied by someone called Imam Mahdi, will physically return to earth in “The Latter Days” to establish Islam as the final world religion.
Hazrat Ahmad totally rejected both of those beliefs as “bida” (innovations) that crept into the religion of Islam. He said that the “return” of Isa and Imam Mahdi will be a spiritual return that will be manifested in one person whom Allah will choose to revive Islam. And in a book entitled, Masih Hindustan Mein (Messiah in India, or Jesus in India), he explained, in detail, that Isa
was crucified.
survived the crucifixion.
was healed of his wounds.
traveled, along with his mother, Maryam (Miriam, or Mary) to Kashmir, India.
married.
had children (by a woman named Marjan).
lived a normal life.
died a normal death at the age of 120.
was buried in the Kan Yar section of the capital city of Srinagar, Kashmir, India.
In later years, a shrine called the Rozabal was built over Isa’s grave, in honor of him.
will not be returning to this earth. Isa’s soul is in heaven, with Allah, and his body lies under the Rozabal Shrine.
The Rozabal Shrine, Courtesy duckduckgo.com
For those of you who, for whatever reason, have not been familiar with the beliefs of Traditionalist Catholics, this introduction applies to you in particular. I’ve become fond of two sayings:
1. “The older I get, the more I realize, the less I know.”
2. “Write your autobiography. And then, burn it up.”
Are there absolutes? There was a time when I’d say, “Of course!!” And I’d just leave it at that. But, there is something called perspective. There is another thing called nuance.
And in the world of hardcore, card-carrying absolutists, one generally finds that notions involving perspective and nuance are often anathema to the absolutist mindset. The “true believer,” for instance, who passionately carries a certain religious, ideological, political or social doctrine, will not be able to accommodate beliefs, or perspectives, that stand (or that appear to stand) contrary to doctrines embraced by the “true believers.” This applies, yes, to Muslims also, as I’ve discovered, when we find—right before our eyes—a truth that appears contrary to doctrines that developed in Islam.
Oh, I can give examples, and I may do so in a separate Substack article. But I’d be writing all day. Anyway, I’ll allow the reader to parse out, for himself or herself [Yes, HIMself or HERself] aspects of Michael Matt’s Traditionalist Catholic political, religious, and social analyses that might chime with or resonate with the reader’s beliefs or perspectives. Despite my belief about Jesus in Kashmir, I wholly agree with some of Matt’s perspectives, such as his pro-life stance and his anti-Woke stance.