Heretics
by Dale Alquist
Heretics is one of Chesterton’s most important books. It is also one of his
most neglected books.Perhaps the reason has to do with the title.
The word heretic conjures up frightful images of controversial characters being
barbecued for their beliefs. It smacks of “intolerance.” The very
word “dogmatic” is perceived as being intolerant. But Chesterton says
that man is the animal who makes dogmas. “Trees have no dogmas. Turnips are
singularly broad-minded.” There is something ironic about
“tolerance” being an ideal, and that it is connected to religious
freedom. In reality, “tolerance” has done more to suppress religion
than has any persecution. It has left us not only afraid to debate about our
beliefs, it has made us afraid even to discuss them. As Chesterton says,
“We now talk about the weather, and call it the complete liberty of all
creeds.” This strange silence about religion leaves the impression that
religion is not important.
There is one thing that is infinitely more absurd and unpractical than burning a
man for his philosophy. This is the habit of saying his philosophy does not
matter, and this is done universally in the twentieth
century. . . A man’s opinion. . . on Botticelli matters;
his opinion on all things does not matter.
Chesterton says that we can’t get away from the fact that we have a general
view of existence, whether we like it or not. It affects and involves everything
we say or do, whether we like it or not. And our general view of things is based
on our ultimate view of things. Religion is never irrelevant.
This book is not an attack but a defense, a defense of the ancient truths that
are under attack by modern heretics. Chesterton claims to have gained a deeper
appreciation of the Christian Faith through the simple exercise of defending it.
He says he never realized the great philosophic common sense of Christianity
until the anti-Christian writers pointed it to him.
Heresy, it turns out, is usually a distinct lack of common sense. A heresy is at
best a half-truth, but usually even less than that. A heresy is a fragment of the
truth that is exaggerated at the expense of the rest of the truth. The modern
world praises science and hygiene and progress. These are all very well and good,
but they have been elevated at the expense of larger truths, such as faith and
tradition and permanent ideals.
In this book, Chesterton takes on George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, and other
“heretics” whose names may not be familiar, even if their
“heresies” are still exceedingly familiar. The original objection to
Heretics, which in fact compelled Chesterton to write Orthodoxy, is that his own
criticisms of others were not to be taken seriously unless Chesterton himself
declared what he stood for. This is perhaps why Heretics is considered the
negative for which Orthodoxy is the positive. But any reasonable reader can see
that Chesterton’s criticisms are a defense of a well-defined position. By
criticizing moral and artistic relativism, he is defending identifiable and
absolute standards. By criticizing egoism and the cult of success, he is
defending humility. By criticizing skepticism, morbidity and muddle-headedness,
he is defending faith, hope, and clarity.
Clarity. The truth which Chesterton is defending should be obvious. But because
Chesterton has to defend it, it obviously isn’t obvious. The heretics have
obscured the truth, they have distracted us, they have won us over with lies. The
first lie is that truth doesn’t matter.
