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Entry: Race, Nationalism, and Patriotism, Part I: Race Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/race_nationalism_and_patriotism_part_i_race#15496 Post contents: @Sid Cundiff: <i>"Mr. Richert quite correctly points out that racialism is a Catholic heresy."</i> Actually, I don't point out any such thing, because I wouldn't know what it could possibly mean. Heresy is belief that is contrary to orthodox doctrine; but the Church does not hold doctrine about race the way that She holds doctrine about the Trinity or the Incarnation. <i>"The Church does NOT acknowledge race"</i> And yet here's Pius XI, in <i>Mit Brennender Sorge</i>: <blockquote><i>"Whoever exalts race, or the people, or the State, or a particular form of State, or the depositories of power, or any other fundamental value of the human community - however necessary and honorable be their function in worldly things - whoever raises these notions above their standard value and divinizes them to an idolatrous level, distorts and perverts an order of the world planned and created by God; he is far from the true faith in God and from the concept of life which that faith upholds."</i></blockquote> The Holy Father offers a list of things--race, the people, the State, <i>etc.</i> and then goes on to say "or any other fundamental value of the human community." In other words, he is indeed acknowledging the reality of race, just as he acknowledges the reality of the people and the state. The problem, as he goes on to explain, is not that there is no such thing as race even though people insist that there is; the problem arises whenever we "[raise] these notions above their standard value and [divinize] them to an idolatrous level." Whoever does so "distorts and perverts an order of the world planned and created by God." In other words, Pius XI even acknowledges that race, the people, the State, <i>etc.</i> have a "standard value." Insisting that this is actually an argument against the very idea of race is not fruitful. That's why I suggested reading this and other documents more closely. Sent at: 2008 09 06