The Jews of Jesus’ time were divided into sects, pseudo-political religious groups that take their beliefs from their group, rather than from Divine Revelation or sound theology. There were 3 main sects:

1. Pharisees — they were the conservatives of their day. They emphasized following all the rules. They added many new rules to the Jewish faith based on their own conservative philosophical point of view. Exterior acts and compliance to all the rules were paramount. They also distorted doctrine to accord with their sect’s point of view.

2. Sadducees – they were the liberals of their day. As we learn in Acts 23:8 — “the Sadducees claim that there is no resurrection, and neither angels, nor spirits.” They, too, distorted the teachings of the Jewish faith.

3. Essenes – these Jews lived in the desert and had little communication or interaction with other Jews. They separated themselves from Judaism and they did not worship at the Temple. They had no animal sacrifices, and they used an altered liturgical calendar. Their rituals were altered from those expressed in Sacred Scripture and in use among other Jews. The community at Qumran, from whom we have the Dead Sea Scrolls, were Essenes.

During the time of Jesus’ ministry, the Pharisees held the high priesthood of the Jews and most of the seats in the Sanhedrin. Later, in the time described in Acts 5 and following, the Sadducees had risen to power: “Then the high priest and all those who were with him, that is, the heretical sect of the Sadducees, rose up and were filled with jealousy.” (Acts 5:17).

Notice that Scripture calls the Sadducees heretical. But Jesus criticized the Pharisees so harshly, on questions of both doctrine and discipline, that we must conclude the Pharisees were also heretics.

As for the Essenes, they had a reputation for holiness, but also for an extreme point of view. They used their own rituals, own calendar, and had their own leadership. They shunned all other Jews. They were ultra-conservative.

Were the Essenes heretics as well? Perhaps. They did not follow the disciplines required of all Jews by the Old Testament. Even though discipline is dispensable and absolute, they replaced the discipline of Divine Revelation with their own ideas. They also rejected discourse with most other Jews, did not worship at the Temple of Jerusalem.

And this is what happens when a group within a religion separates themselves from the body of the faithful in the whole of the religion and develops their own doctrine and discipline. The result is eventually error, schism, and heresy.

Why is this important to Catholics today? Many Catholics are behaving in the very same manner. They identify as members of a sub-group within Catholicism, a sect. They take their beliefs and practices from that sect, not from Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium, not from the Pope and the body of Bishops. They oppose all ideas that are contrary to their own sect’s philosophy and positions on various issues. In short, they behave like a political party, like a religious sect within Catholicism, rather than like believers in God and disciples of Christ and members of the one true Church. And this happens among conservatives as well as among liberals.

There are those Catholics who consider themselves to be liberals, and who take their beliefs from liberalism. They will reject any teaching of any Pope or Council, if it is contrary to the ideas of their sect, of their pseudo-political party. Every teaching of the Bible and of Jesus himself is radically re-interpreted, so that it agrees with their sect’s ideas. The ideas of that sect are treated as dogma, and all things to the contrary in Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium are rejected or radically re-interpreted.

Theological arguments are not accepted by any sect, because the beliefs of a pseudo-political party in any religion are not based on a sincere search for truth, by faith and reason, within Divine Revelation and natural law. Instead, the sect becomes a culture and a religion unto itself. Whatever that sect decides is true, is treated as dogma.

But the same is true among many conservative groups within Catholicism. There are conservative sects within Catholicism that behave exactly like the liberals whom they despise. They only believe what their conservative sect believes. Theological arguments to the contrary are ridiculed, and anyone who espouses a different view is treated with open contempt.

They reject or radically re-interpret any magisterial teaching that conflicts with their conservative ideas. They reject any liturgical form and any practice or discipline of the Church, contrary to their own preferences, even if approved by successive Popes and by the body of Bishops. They treat Vatican II with contempt, denigration, ridicule, and disregard. Any person or idea that seems liberal is rejected by them out of hand. Theological arguments that are contrary to their own assumptions and their pseudo-political views are ignored. They use a series of disingenuous arguments to support their own point of view. But they have no real interest in theological inquiry and reflection. If any theological argument undermines or contradicts their own views, they assume it to be false.

And now they are beside themselves trying to figure out how to respond to Pope Francis. Some are going to great lengths to radically re-interpret his every comment. They are desperately trying to portray him as a conservative, rather than a liberal. But the truth about Pope Francis is that he is an orthodox liberal. The ultra-conservative Catholics think that there is no such thing. To them liberalism equals heresy.

But Jesus himself has many teachings in the Gospel that are liberal, others that are moderate, and still others that are conservative. The correct answer to any theological question is not always liberal, not always conservative, not always a middle-of-the-road compromise.

Eventually, when Pope Francis teaches definitively some point of doctrine that is considered liberal, the ultra-conservatives will reject him and depart from the Church. Many of them have already departed in their hearts and minds. For they do not take their beliefs and practices from the Church, but from their pseudo-political sect. They reject the vernacular form of the Mass (Novus Ordo). They reject Communion in the hand. They treat every point of liturgical form as if it were absolute dogma — and as if the Church herself had no authority to regulate or change liturgy or discipline. And if any Pope or Council dares to teach an idea with which they disagree, they assume that the Pope, or the Council, or the body of Bishops, or all these put together must have gone astray.

And this is one of the main problems with these types of sects, liberal or conservative. They make themselves out to be infallible. If a Pope or Council exercises infallibility to teach any idea that conflicts with their own ideas, they reject it. And they present their own point of view on every question of theology as if it were dogma. Anyone who disagrees must be a heretic. It is as if they are infallible in all their thoughts on doctrine and discipline, and the Church herself must agree with them or be accused of heresy. But they are the ones who have gone astray.

Beloved children of God, do not join any of these sects within Catholicism. Do not choose as your teachers anyone who is teaching from a sub-culture or a pseud-political party within the Church. Do not listen to any sub-group in the Church that claims to be the only ones with the true faith.

Sacred Scripture warns us all against this type of error in the words of Saint Paul:

[1 Corinthians]
{1:10} And so, I beg you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that every one of you speak in the same way, and that there be no schisms among you. So may you become perfect, with the same mind and with the same judgment.
{1:11} For it has been indicated to me, about you, my brothers, by those who are with Chloes, that there are contentions among you.
{1:12} Now I say this because each of you is saying: “Certainly, I am of Paul;” “But I am of Apollo;” “Truly, I am of Cephas;” as well as: “I am of Christ.”
{1:13} Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

The early Church had this same problem, found among the Jews of that time and found among Catholics today: division into pseudo-political parties. They began to divide themselves from the rest of the Church, and adhere only to the ideas of their own group. Those who said “I am of Paul” would not listen to the teaching of Peter (Cephas). Those who said “I am of Apollo” would only listen to that Apostle, not to any others.

But those who said “I am of Christ” were also rebuked by Paul. For they were not truly of Christ. They were using Christ’s name to reject the teachings of the leaders in Christ’s Church. So they would only accept their own interpretation of the words of Christ in the Gospels, and they would not accept any teaching from Cephas (Peter, the first Pope) or Paul or other Church leaders.

So it is also today among many Catholics. Has Christ been divided today? For the Church is His body. These divisions are not the work of the Holy Spirit.

You cannot be a disciple of Christ and a faithful Catholic if you put the ideas of liberalism OR conservatism OR traditionalism OR any other sect or group or political party or culture above the teachings of Jesus and His Church in Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium.

So when Pope Francis teaches you, the Lord Jesus requires you to accept him as Teacher and his words as the teaching of the Church. You cannot reject the teachings of Pope Francis, whenever those teachings seem or are liberal. You cannot be a faithful Catholic and yet treat any Council or Pope with contempt and disregard whenever they seem or are liberal.

Some of Jesus’ teachings are in fact liberal. Some of Jesus’ teachings are moderate; other teachings are conservative. If you only accept the teachings of Jesus and His Church that fit your own pseudo-political philosophy, you are not a faithful Catholic. If you refuse to attend the vernacular Novus Ordo Mass, accepting only the Latin Mass, you are not a faithful Catholic. If you refuse to accept Communion in the hand, as if that practice were a grave sin, you are not a faithful Catholic. For you have rejected the authority given by Christ to the Church to govern liturgical form and matters of discipline.

You do not become more faithful by becoming more conservative. When you put conservatism above Catholicism, when you redefine what is Catholic based on what is conservative, you become unfaithful to Christ. Jesus did not teach conservatism. He did not establish the Latin Mass, nor did He establish any particular form of the Mass in immutable specifics. Yet He did give authority to the Church to govern and decide matters of discipline. When you reject that authority and substitute your own preferences for discipline, you reject the authority of Christ.

Beloved lambs of Jesus, the great apostasy is near. Cling to Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the teachings of the Magisterium. Stand with the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, against every sect, culture, and political philosophy. Do not consider yourself to be a liberal or a conservative or a traditionalist. Instead, consider yourself to be a seeker of truth on every important question in faith, morals, and salvation. Accept the truths taught by Christ and His Church, whether those truths seem liberal, or moderate, or conservative. For that is your duty in Christ Jesus.

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and
translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.