Fake it 'til ya make it

Continuing my stroll around blogdom, I note that Arturo Vasquez, recovering Communist and [also recovering] SSPX seminarian and monk, has a piece which focuses on the practice of [Roman] Catholicism vs. the beliefs of Protestantism. While he may overstate his contention that Protestants battle each other more over beliefs than practices, he is spot on when he notes that the Catholic faith, in whatever form, had more to do with behavior than with belief per se, at least beyond a certain point. This brings to my mind, first, a contention that I encountered some time back, to the effect that the Reformation refocused what was called the “ascetic impulse” away from the practice of Christianity and onto “practical” concerns having to do with making a living, upward mobility, etc. After all, if Christ has already done everything needed for my salvation, what do I need to do? Compare also Max Weber in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Conversely, as part of his famous wager, Pascal calls upon those who are faith-challenged to LIVE as good Catholics [whether Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, or Orthodox Catholic] for a year, regardless of belief, and then examine the state of their faith. In AA and other 12-Step programs, it’s simply called “fakin’ it ‘til ya make it”.