Some Catholics hold their private beliefs as different from their public beliefs. It’s starting to resemble the Muslim notion of taqiyah (in Arabic above in the featured image.)

I thought for a long time that taqiyah was permission from Mohammed to lie about Islam precisely for the promotion of Islam. But the more I studied it, the more I realized that taqiyah is dialing down your own beliefs so as fit into a different culture (at least, until you constitute the majority of a population.) Taqiyah (Arabic: تقیة‎ ) is defined as “a precautionary dissimulation or denial of religious belief and practice in the face of persecution…dissimulation by silence or omission…whereby adherents are permitted to conceal their religion when under threat of persecution or compulsion.”

So, if taqiyah is “dissimulation by silence or omission of ones beliefs so as to fit into a culture” then it means you can lie about your extreme private religious beliefs so as to publicly accommodate yourself to a culture that is lukewarm or hostile to your religion. Applied to Catholicism, I find there are semi-traditional priests who quietly admire the delicate lace-filled vestments of the Traditional Latin Mass, but are simultaneously terrified of rocking the diocesan-boat on sticky issues of doctrine or liturgy.

Granted, I understand that biological fathers frequently must discern in prudence how to keep their jobs amidst an anti-Christian culture. But we’re all masters of our own deceit on being “prudent” and we all have reasons for our sins of omission in denying traditional Catholicism. When does “prudence” on doctrine become tantamount to denying Christ? Every situation is different, but I tend to believe that once a person denies Apostolic Catholicism, he is also denying Jesus Christ. (cf. Lk 10:16, Mt 10:33)

The saints didn’t care what anybody thought about them. As the Texan Sam Houston said, “Do right and risk the consequences.” That is the attitude of the saints always had towards doctrine and liturgy and discipline: “Speak the truth and risk the consequences.” This is so different from all the semi-trad diocesan priests who dishonestly dial down the intensity of their beliefs to stay in good standing with their diocese. What a shame to live no more honestly within the Catholic faith than the lying Muslims who espouse taqiyah.