Pray for Steve Skojec, a writer I have admired. He has caught a bad case of disbelief. Faith is a gift from God for some of us, and I hope Steve receives that gift again.
Because Most People Grow Out of Adolescent Atheism
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
She believes. She’s just being dishonest and lazy. And her father caught her out on it. He sounds like a good father.
Our friend Mr. Skojec has always struck me as a serious man of great emotional intensity. Some of his posts over the years on daily life out in Arizona took some effort to read. He’s a man who has passions, and that’s difficult for some of us to imagine because it is not something of which we are capable. Keeping him in mind and his wife and children. (There’s one other fellow in the same state of mind. This pontificate is just odious).
I think this is a real danger when we spend more time criticizing the pope’s many flaws and bad decisions than we do praying for him. Dwelling on the bad that we have no way of changing eats at the soul.
I urge prayers for the Pope as I do all in authority. After prayers however, clear eyed assessment is necessary because of their positions of authority.
[HABIT AND CONVERSION]
[821] For we must make no mistake about ourselves: we are as much automaton as mind. As a result, demonstration is not the only instrument for convincing us. How few things can be demonstrated! Proofs only convince the mind; habit provides the strongest proofs and those that are most believed. It inclines the automaton, which leads the mind unconsciously along with it. Who ever proved that it will dawn tomorrow, and that we shall die? And what is more widely believed? It is, then, habit that convinces us and makes so many Christians. It is habit that makes Turks, heathen, trades, soldiers, etc. (The faith received at baptism is the advantage Christians have over heathen.) In short, we must resort to habit once the mind has seen where the truth lies, in order to steep and stain ourselves in that belief which constantly eludes us, for it is too much trouble to have the proofs always present before us. We must acquire an easier belief, which is that of habit. With no violence, art or argument it makes us believe things, and so inclines all our faculties to this belief that our soul falls naturally into it. When we believe only by the strength of our conviction and the automaton is inclined to believe the opposite, that is not enough. We must therefore make both parts of us believe: the mind by reasons, which need to be seen only once in a lifetime, and the automaton by habit, and not allowing it any inclination to the contrary: Incline my heart. (Ps. CXIX. 36.)
Reason works slowly, looking so often at so many principles, which must always be present, that it is constantly nodding or straying because all its principles are not present. Feeling does not work like that, but works instantly, and is always ready. We must then put our faith in feeling, or it will always be vacillating.
— Blaise Pascal, “Pensees”
I could not resist posting a link to this post on Steve Skojec’s Twitter feed.
I once felt sorry for him, how badly he and his family were treated, and how he is so very upset at the hypocrisy and corruption of the clergy and all the institutional church. We’re all upset about that. Then I read Job, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, etc., who faced greater hardship, more corruption and more hypocrisy than most of us have faced. I don’t feel sorry for him any longer. And yes, I for one am sick and tired of his rationalization and sophistry. He’s great at using logic and cutting a pro-Christian argument to pieces, but that’s a double edged sword that cuts both ways. He went from being a wonderful Catholic apologist to being an apostate atheist. As as far as his passions go, to parapharse an oft quoted verse of Sacred Scripture, we live by faith, NOT feelings. Suck it up, brother.
It is true that dwelling on things we cannot control is bad for you–Marcus Aurelius and the Stoics are clear on that point. All you can do is consider your reaction to such situations and keep those in check.
On the other hand, this manifestly-unfit leader continues to spread his miasma of evil throughout the Church. In the summer, he will appoint someone in the destructive mould of a Cupich or McElroy to the See of Detroit, and much that I love will be swept away.
While, unlike my dear brother and friend Steve I can still recite the Creeds without qualm, I confess to sharing his incredulity that the hand of God is at work in the destruction of the Faith that has occurred over the past decade and promises to stretch into generations. The fact that the Roman system only allows Canon 212 as an outlet naturally leads to dwelling and griping–it’s all we’ve got in the papal system with no balances or checks.
As far as the young lady in question, I myself have watched my adult eldest walk away, and while some of her reasoning is unwise and loaded with double standards, I find myself agreeing with one of her reasons: the top-down system is ideal for the abuse of power. And she watched a priest abuse it.
So while a self-declared teenage Buddhist who can’t even name a temple to attend is a bit silly on the surface, if I were in her Dad’s shoes, I would ask her what is really prompting her declaration of interest in a religion that she clearly doesn’t understand. Something else is churning there, and it’s worth discussing.
To quote Gibbon: “Generations may be swept away by the madness of kings in the space of a single hour.”
And here we are on the verge of decade two.
Some demons can only be expelled through prayer and fasting.
Keeping you all in mind, Dale.
For some reason, it seems Skojec moved to NH after his break with the Church. For the most part, New Hampshire is a spiritual wasteland so he will fit in fairly easily. He really went off the rails rather quickly. Very angry, indeed.
For some reason, it seems Skojec moved to NH after his break with the Church. For the most part, New Hampshire is a spiritual wasteland so he will fit in fairly easily. He really went off the rails rather quickly. Very angry, indeed.
Is sort of atypical relocating in your middle 40s, but I know people who have done it, and not just for work-related reasons. His wife’s in the real estate business. He’s worked in that trade and in public relations as well. If there aren’t any hitches in getting a real estate license in a new state, the two of them can work just about anywhere. I think they were married in 2002 and lived in NoVa for a while, then out in Arizona where her mother and father lived (I believe multiple stints in Az), and some place else (California?). He grew up in New York’s Southern Tier then went to school at Steubenville (a school of which he’s long been quite critical); not sure where he met his wife. He’s also attended a specialty business school. In Binghamton or in Steubenville, he crossed paths with Regnum Christi, an experience which left him with an intense aversion to that outfit (and its parent).
I doubt New Hampshire is more of a wasteland than places with which he’s already familiar. See James Neuchterlein’s article, published 20 years ago or more, on the contrast between New York City (where he was living) and Valparaiso, Indiana (where he was intending to retire). There are regional differences, but they can be overstated.
“It seems to me that when you set yourself up to fight the institutional Church, you run the risk of walking out the door. Make no mistake, Rod’s fight was just. Joe’s fight was just. I am not sure exactly what Steve’s fight was because it seemed so immense and multi-faceted, but without a doubt, he believes it was just. Even so, when you set yourself up to fight the institutional Church and you never give up, you run the risk of allowing your frustration and anger to lead you right out of the Church.”
— From “Fighting the Church may lead you right out of the Church” by Austin Ruse
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2022/08/03/fighting-the-church-may-lead-you-right-out-of-the-church/
Thank you, Art.
Ruse is right: the house always wins.
The question he never quite gets around to asking is why the Catholic Church has alienated so many of his sons and daughters. Put aside for the moment my good friend Steve (who lives in Arizona, btw, helping to take care of his wife’s father and his property), Rod, Joseph, Garry, et al.
Look at the countless unknown people who just pulled up stakes and left over the past two generations, for reasons known only to themselves and friends/family, never stated via a digital open letter. We know it runs to the millions in North America alone–CARA has good enough stats on it.
Now consider how little the institutional Church cares about anyone who leaves, from the pope on down. Sure, there are priests who know and grieve such losses, but they’re about it.
The astonishing thing isn’t that Skojec, Sciambra and Dreher left.
The truly astonishing thing is that they cared and fought as long as they did.
I wouldn’t compare Steve Skojec and Rod Dreher. They both have, AFAICT, vigorous emotional lives, but SS has never IIRC given evidence in pixels of being an other-directed emotions-based exponent (although his posts on his daily life can be quite raw). Never met either man in meatspace, of course. He has a wife and I forget how many children (six), so, hoping everyone’s well-being and equilibrium is passable.
The truly astonishing thing is that they cared and fought as long as they did.
I’m not familiar with Mr. Sciambra, though I think I’ve seen the name. I see SS as having done what an articulate layman with consuming family responsibilities might be expected to do. I’m more familiar with RD’s writing and I wouldn’t call his efforts ‘fighting’. (I haven’t done squat, so I’ll offer that as an observation and not a complaint).
Skojec has tweeted a response to this.
https://twitter.com/steveskojec/status/1623377837679063040?s=61&t=mVI-2ZhcVQZ1JASDB5Dgmg
As he is prone to do, he engages in an apples to oranges comparison where is compares his overbearing mother lamenting his teenaged sister’s unwillingness to actively participate in daily mass, devotions like Stations of the Cross etc (which I would agree would be a bit too much) with making a teenaged daughter go to mass on Sundays.
Besides, I don’t think the seminary professor the priest was talking about was requiring his daughter to attend mass, but “temple”. How many Catholics use that word to denote mass attendance? I think by “temple”, he meant BUDDHIST temple. This would seem the man was trying impart the bigger lesson to his daughter that religious observance requires a certain amount of commitment. Sounds like he was brilliant in calling the girl’s bluff to me.
Like LQC mentioned above, I too find some of Skojec’s rationalizations and sophistry annoying. I have had a few terse exchanges with him on Facebook about it. But I still have a degree of sympathy for him. I don’t necessarily think it fair to expect him to Job or any of the other OT figures of the like.
Dale, I think it would be more likely McElroy would go to Detroit than Cupich. Although Detroit has normally been a cardinalate see, Chicago is the more prestigious of the two it seems and Cupich is the senior of the two.
compares his overbearing mother lamenting his teenaged sister’s unwillingness to actively participate in daily mass
I hope that’s not his actual mother back in Binghamton.
“I hope that’s not his actual mother back in Binghamton.”
Unless he has more than one mother I would guess so.
“So while a self-declared teenage Buddhist who can’t even name a temple to attend is a bit silly on the surface, if I were in her Dad’s shoes, I would ask her what is really prompting her declaration of interest in a religion that she clearly doesn’t understand. Something else is churning there, and it’s worth discussing.“
This is what so often gets missed. There can be a quest for truth underlying some teenaged rebellion. To not engage that is tragic. In Steve’s defense, he does allude to this being a problem with him.
https://twitter.com/steveskojec/status/1623377843433660416?s=61&t=fkPijQbd7HVuppaTDG_icQ
Greg:
I was unclear. I expect Motown to get someone like the aforementioned lickspittles, not either directly. I have a sneaking feeling it will be a fresh name, e.g. Stowe from Louisville.
If not, it will probably be one of Cupich’s auxiliaries.
And I wouldn’t accuse Steve of sophistry. Some of his arguments are of lower quality than others, but he’s utterly honest and sincere.
Is Vigneron turning 75 this year? I’m not holding out hope that Detroit will get anyone good. I mean everyone from at least Dearden onward was bad. Vigneron may be a little better but not much. And if Paul VI, JPII, and B16 appointed bad bishops, Francis’ appointments are gonna be even worse.
Look on the bright side, at least Gumbleton is too old. I was confirmed by Gumbleton in 1980.
July, yes.
Vigneron has his flaws, but he is at least a local guy. Second, he invited in the ICRSS, who are thriving and are restoring one of the Gothic gems of the city.
Not to mention bringing me back to the sacraments.
His successor will kill them dead.
Dale:
I actually would say Steve engages in sophistry. In a Facebook thread, he tried to literalize a quote from St. Catherine of Siena that was clearly hyperbole.
However, I do think he is being sincere when says some of things he links to above.
Who really knows what turned off Mr. Skojec? Running his blog was, in his own words, draining. I remember the long drawn out verbal fights that took place in the comboxes there. Internet Trads can be a downright nasty bunch, looking to fight over jus about anything, always searching for an outlet to let out venom. They can be extremely cliquish. I see it in my own parish.
I get mad at the Church too, but then it is the same old realization. Cardinal Wyzynski put it..”Poland will be Catholic or cease to exist.” Being Catholic and having Polish ancestry are inseparable for me. This pontificate will end and we will pick up the pieces and go on.
People grow out of athiesm and same-sex attraction
Who really knows what turned off Mr. Skojec?
Anyone who reads him. He’s as transparent as anyone writing.
I should note Mr. Skojec is 45 years old, has been married for 20 years, and has more children than 98% of the men of his vintage. It’s ill-advised to refer to whatever his viewpoint is at this time as ‘adolescent’. His remarks are not that way structurally or stylistically either.
We’re just going to have to agree to disagree. I know Steve well enough and “worked” for him on a couple of pieces at 1P5. His wonderfully and savvy wife helped us out with a real estate issue, too.
He may make bad arguments–I myself have told him that corrosive historical skepticism is a road to no knowledge at all. But sophistry is sleight of hand/intent to deceive argumentation. The sole weapon in the contemporary Jesuit toolkit.
Steve is not trying to deceive anyone. The cri de coeur may grate on some people, but he’s a man without guile. He may misread or deploy a bad argument, but it’s not some trolling exercise.
So ditto what Art said: His writing is that of a mature man dealing with a crisis of meaning. He lays it right out in front of you.
For those with more certitude, I suppose it can be obnoxious. As someone dealing with one of a lesser scope, I can relate.
For those with more certitude,
Mother Teresa spent most of her life unable to feel the presence of God. From my earliest memories I have felt God as a distinct presence and, at my son’s funeral almost ten years ago, I experienced a foretaste of Heaven. What that tells me is that such spiritual experiences are purely from the grace of God and have absolutely nothing to do with merit, as Mother Teresa was a giant in the service of God and I am not even a flea!
I myself believe in God and have had similar senses of beatitude. Let us pray our brother receive the gift he is asking for.
And that others don’t bigfoot green shoot he may overlook.
Dale, there is a difference between making bad arguments in good faith and saying things you have to know are not true. Steve engages in the latter. Like I said, I’m not saying Steve’s struggles aren’t real. But like Joe Sciambra, he uses that to gaslight anyone calls him out when he uses such dishonest sleight of hand.
I’m not going to prolong this any further, but I simply don’t see that with Steve. At all. As Michael Brendan Dougherty has pointed out directly, Steve has a tendency to give “the most metal interpretation possible” to stories of and quotes by saints and theologians. His arguments have flaws, especially when the emotion pours into them. But I do not see gaslighting or sophistry. Stubborn rejection, yes. Manipulative dishonesty? That’s several steps too far.
Look, it is abundantly clear that this is a case where you need to have a relationship with someone to be able to read them. Steve’s my friend, and I have confided in him and vice versa. I trust him implicitly. I obviously don’t agree, but one of the things about a treasured relationship is that you don’t engage on every disagreement, and you sure as God made swarms of beetles learn to read charitably. Who the hell wants to be around “hey, gaslighter–stopped being dishonest yet?”
I don’t know Joseph except through social media, so I can’t vouch for him like I can for a friend. But I’m surprised he even talks to Catholics at this point. Seeing the rancid corruption and cowardice like he did would have turned me into Jack Chick on steroids. Be that as it may, his problem is an understandable bitterness. I am hoping that the joy he is starting to show from being Orthodox permeates through him and heals him.
If nothing else, what has happened to Steve and Joseph have taught me that if I leave Catholicism, it’ll be very quietly. And I’ll drop social media like a live grenade.
And I’ll drop social media like a live grenade.
I’ll miss you, and hope you all are living your best life.
No, you DON’T have a relationship with someone to know if they are making an intellectually dishonest argument. In fact, such relationships often make it harder to form an objective view of their actions. I’m not saying Steve is a bad person or that some of his struggles aren’t genuine. But some of his arguments are flat out dishonest.
No, you DON’T have a relationship with someone to know if they are making an intellectually dishonest argument
You tend to be a terrier in these discussions.
Play nice folks. I am writing a closing argument this afternoon and I have little time for monitoring the blog. Oh, the heck with it. I am locking comments on this thread.