Is it the duty of the Christian to run with the 'majority' even when it runs in the wrong direction? or is it his duty to stand on moral principle, even though he stands alone? The following excerpts are taken from the April issue of The Canadian Intelligence Service. *
Claude Jodoin, head of the Trades and Labour Congress, last fall presented a brief to the federal government, requesting that grounds for divorce be enlarged. As a Roman Catholic, Mr. Jodoin would presumably be personally opposed to divorce; but he defended his action on the ground that it is the duty of the executive to follow instructions of the national convention.
Rev. Louis de Lery of Montreal, well known for his writings on the question of divorce, observed that:
No individual has the right to make himself a spokesman for a policy which is contrary to his convictions merely by appealing to a majority decision.
The Ensign (Dec. 11/54) observes:
"Since when can a majority overrule natural law or since when must a man violate his conscience because of a show of hands."
The question is: Can a Christian, in good conscience, support policies contrary to his faith and conscience, so long as the policy has the support of a 'majority'? If the answer is yes then Christians are justified in supporting any attack upon Christianity so long as that attack is supported by masses or 'majorities.'
Or, in other words, the Christian is justified in supporting error rather than thruth so long as 51 percent of the public do likewise!
While on the matter of 'majority' decisions, we might consider these words from Love on Pilgrimage by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen:
"Herein is revealed the grave danger to democracy: the danger of the people degenerating into masses... The majority is not always right. Majority is right in the field of the relative, but not in the absolute. Majority is a legitimate test so long as voting is based on conscience and not on propaganda. Truth does not win when numbers qua numbers become decisive. Numbers alone can decide a beauty queen but not Justice. Beauty is a matter of taste, but Justice is tasteless. Right is right if nobody is right, and wrong is wrong if everybody is right. The first Poll in the history of Christianity was wrong!”
* Flesherton, Ont.; $2.00 a year.
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