Still an Americanist Rag

I have to confess that I have never cared for Joseph Bottum. His writing when he was at First Things regularly struck me as overly ambivalent. In fact, I stopped frequenting First Things' websites because it became difficult to discern what the publication was actually doing.

Now Bottum is out at First Things (something I hadn't even known, see supra). And he's appeared instead in the editorial pages at the flagship of Americanist rags, Commonweal. What has Bottum come to tell us? "That [t]here is no coherent jurisprudential argument against [same-sex 'marriage']."

Well, that's a surprise to a lot of people who have gone to lengths to articulate a long list of such arguments, I'm sure. Perhaps Bottum means "there is no winning jurisprudential argument against same-sex 'marriage.'" But that's a very different statement. Lots of losing arguments are coherent, and a fair number of losing arguments are right.

Bottum goes on to insist that American Catholics "should accept state recognition of same-sex marriage simply because they are Americans." Yes, Mr. Bottum is here to tell us that being an American dictates what you should believe, fiddlesticks to popes, bishops, and the CDF. Down with popery indeed. Leo XIII is dead, after all.

If Bottum's essay isn't craven Americanist nonsense, nothing is. 

I would say one should go read it, but I provide the link mainly in hopes of creating unfavorable google results. Unless one is interested in the sentimental details of Mr. Bottum's friendships, his thoughts on the USCCB's bad public-relations skills, his poor opinion of John Finnis, or his belief that what really matters is that lots of people like the Catholic Church, the essay is not worth the time.

Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword.

should accept state recognition of same-sex marriage simply because they are Americans - See more at: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/things-we-share#sthash.nnC3Zenm.dpuf

should accept state recognition of same-sex marriage simply because they are Americans - See more at: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/things-we-share#sthash.nnC3Zenm.dpuf

There is no coherent jurisprudential argument against it—no principled legal view that can resist it - See more at: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/things-we-share#sthash.nnC3Zenm.dpuf

There is no coherent jurisprudential argument against it—no principled legal view that can resist it - See more at: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/things-we-share#sthash.nnC3Zenm.dpuf

There is no coherent jurisprudential argument against it—no principled legal view that can resist it - See more at: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/things-we-share#sthash.nnC3Zenm.dpuf

There is no coherent jurisprudential argument against it—no principled legal view that can resist it - See more at: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/things-we-share#sthash.nnC3Zenm.dpuf