28. Liberalism is a Sin - The Catholic Frequency

Notes

Core Thesis of the Book: Father Félix Sardá y Salvany’s Liberalism is a Sin asserts that liberalism is a universal denial of divine truth and Christian dogma, labeling it the "primal type of all heresy" and a rebellion against God with the maxim "I will not serve," akin to Lucifer’s defiance.
Historical Context: Written in the late 19th century, the book sparked controversy, with liberal bishops seeking to ban it, only for the Vatican’s Sacred Congregation of the Index to affirm its orthodoxy, highlighting its enduring relevance.
Liberalism’s Origins: The book ties liberalism to Protestantism, specifically the principle of private biblical interpretation, which eroded reliance on divine revelation and fueled a gradual moral decline, culminating in modern societal chaos.
Human Nature and Liberalism: Liberalism appeals to man’s fallen desire for independence and indulgence, legitimizing pride and passion, while Catholicism opposes this depravity, curbing it through submission to God’s law for true freedom.
Catholicism as the Antidote: The episode contrasts liberalism’s illusion of autonomy—leading to degradation—with Catholicism’s call to virtue and discipline, echoing St. Augustine’s teaching that mastery of desire, not indulgence, is liberty.

Episode Transcript

It destroys adherence to natural law. It denies divine revelation. It brings chaos to individuals and anarchy to society. It is the root of all heresy.

Liberalism.

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In the late nineteenth century, a book was written by a Catholic priest called Liberalism is a Sin. The book contained bold declarations on the evils of liberalism.

It caused quite an uproar. Liberal bishops hated the book for its condemnation of their philosophy. The book was even sent to Rome, specifically to the Sacred Congregation of the Index with a request to ban it. However, surprise, upon review by the Vatican, it was determined to contain sound doctrine. If we look at this book, by the priest Father Salvini, there's one quote among all that sort of stands out that captures the spirit of this book.

It says liberalism is the radical and universal denial of all divine truth and Christian dogma, the primal type of all heresy, and the supreme rebellion against the authority of God and his church. As with Lucifer, its maxim is I will not serve. Powerful. Now one of the points that the book touches on is that the Catholic Church built Western Civilization and brought an era of human flourishing over the centuries. However, the Protestant revolution delivered a staggering blow to the moral order, although this was not initially evident.

Liberalism's inherent errors entered the West through the Protestant Revolt, slowly chipping away at the truth over the centuries, accelerating greatly in the twentieth century and leading to its final fruits in the twenty first century, a civilization in collapse. Liberalism stems directly from Protestantism, particularly from the principle of interpreting the Bible privately. Now this implies that individuals can decide for themselves what to believe from scriptures, suggesting they also had the freedom to reject or accept any teaching. The idea that one possesses the faculty and authority to interpret the Bible privately is inherently false. Instead, we must rely on divinely revealed truth.

There is no moral choice but to accept it. Liberalism is overwhelmingly dominant and nearly universally accepted in the thought processes of today's populace, and the authority of the Catholic Church is the only antidote. Liberalism asserts the absolute autonomy of the individual and the collective societal intellect. Whereas Catholicism holds the doctrine of the complete submission of both the individual and societal structure to God's revealed law. These two beliefs are simply at odds with each other.

In chapter 25 of the book, the author posits that men become liberal on the account of a natural desire for independence and for an easy life. Liberalism is necessarily sympathetic with the depraved nature of man. Liberalism is necessarily sympathetic with the depraved nature of man, just as catholicity is essentially opposed to it. Liberalism is emancipation from restraint. Catholicity, the curb of the passions.

Now fallen man, by a very natural tendency, loves a system which legitimizes and sanctifies his pride of intellect and the license of his passion. Hence, Tertullian says, the soul, in its noble aspirations, is naturally Christian. Likewise, may it be said that man, by the taint of his origin, is born naturally liberal. Logically then, does he declare himself a liberal in due form when he discovers that liberalism offers a protection for his vices and an excuse for his indulgences. Thus, liberalism becomes a refuge for the weak willed, a banner under which man justifies his surrender to base instincts.

It flatters his ego, assuring him that freedom is found in the absence of boundaries, while catholicity demands the harder path of discipline and submission to a higher order. The liberal soul revels in this illusion of autonomy, making license for liberty and chaos for progress. Yet in this embrace of unrestraint, man unwittingly chains himself to his own degradation. For what he calls independence is slavery. As Saint Augustine warns, true freedom lies not in the indulgence of desire, but in its mastery.

In the end, liberalism seduces with promises of ease, but delivers only the hollow shell of our potential. The Catholic faith offers the souls true redemption through virtue. Man must choose the fleeting comfort of his fallen nature or the eternal weight of his divine calling. Thank you for listening to the Catholic Frequency Podcast. If you wanna support our mission, subscribe to us on the X social media platform or on our Substack, catholicfrequency.substack.com.