Ideology Versus Mentality

Ideology is defined as a set of ideas and ideals which form the basis for ones social, economic, and political views and theory. By contrast, mentality is defined as the attitude of mind that one has towards ideas or people. As a devout follower of Christ, there is no doubt that you feel called to take up certain positions on issues we face in the world today, especially given the rocky beginning to 2026. War, protests, immigration policy, corruption, greed, taxes, abortion. Name an issue - there is very likely to be some scripture that guides us on any given topic.

But we have to remember that ideology is what you say for yourself. Mentality is how you say it to others. Put differently, ideology can effectively be a measure of how we love God, while mentality can be a measure of how we love others. And Jesus said the following in Matthew chapter 22, verses 37 through 40.

"Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The above statement not only breaks down our ideology (how we show love for God), and our mentality (how we show love for others), but it also serves as a perfect breakdown the ten commandments. The first four commandments are about loving God. Having no other God's before him, making no graven images unto him, not taking his name in vain, and keeping the Sabbath holy. The last six commandments are about loving your neighbor. Honoring your father and mother, not killing, not stealing, not committing adultery, not bearing false witness, and not coveting. In such a polarized political climate in America, it is good that we often turn to God in uncertain and stressful times. But do we do the same for our neighbor?

Part of your ideology might be that abortion is morally wrong. As Catholics, this is universally accepted in our church (or at least it should be). But your mentality on abortion is entirely different. How do you approach other people on such a divisive topic? Do you condemn those who have an abortion? Do you speak to abortion supporters with a level of vitriol and disgust? In society, the measure of what can be achieved can be defined along the lines of not what we say, but how we say it. I just used the example of abortion, so I'll continue with that. A devout Christian may be tempted to say to an abortion supporter "how could you possibly support murdering unborn children? You are going to hell for sure!"

But we have to ask ourselves, would such words lead to a conversion of hearts and minds, or would it lead to increased anger and division? I am not a betting man, but my belief here is that it would lead to more anger and division. And in fact it does. The bitterness and division on this issue has only increased over the decades. Winning hearts, minds, and souls for Christ is more difficult than ever. So in the spirit of winning souls and promoting discourse, I went directly to those who supported abortion and asked them - "Friend, what scares you or worries you about making abortion illegal?"

I took to social media when asking this question. I received some harsh criticism, and I even received some death threats. That's the world we live in. But a surprisingly large number of people gave me honest feedback and thanked me for taking the time to hear them out. Below are the most common reasons for supporting abortion that I received.

1) They support abortion because healthcare for a child is too expensive, and that they believe healthcare professionals are bought out by large pharmaceutical and insurance companies.

2) They are concerned that women (and men) won't be able to pursue their goals and dreams in life if they don't even have the resources to raise a child.

3) Medical issues like Ectopic pregnancy scare women who don't have the option to abort.

In short, I found that we had more in common than I would have thought. I don't always trust medical professionals either. Health insurance is insanely expensive, pharmaceutical companies hold much of the power, and taking care of even ourselves is costly. With regard to parental resources, inflation is up, gas prices are high, taxes are high, and the overall cost of living increases year over year. And on the issue of Ectopic pregnancies, the Catholic Church recognizes that removal of a fallopian tube is a life saving medical procedure in such a case. Acknowledging all of this, I realized the issue was not so much abortion itself, but rather all of the issues surrounding it. I went back to some of the people I talked to, and asked them "If your concerns on these top issues were met, would you reconsider having an abortion?" Some said no, but many said yes.

In changing my mentality (but not my ideology), I discovered a large part of the solution. Empathy for our neighbor, instituting policy changes, helping to win hearts and minds. In keeping with our ministry's mission, gathering data by being more Christ-like showed me what it would take to mitigate or remove abortion altogether. By Understanding the fears and concerns of others, I now have an idea of what needs to be done to significantly reduce abortions in America. And I never had to sacrifice my pro life stance. I just needed to love others and listen to them. I didn't have to resort to usual rhetoric or chastise anyone for their stance. All I did was follow the rules that Christ set out for us.

Christ repeatedly tells us to advocate for those in need. Charities around the country raise funds to help women make it through pregnancy and raise their children. Pro-life maternity homes help provide shelter and rehabilitation for pregnant women who struggle. It's not easy raising a child, it never is. But now I know what to fight for in order to help save the lives of the unborn. We have our work cut out for us in taking on corruption and providing support for families, but being compassionate and working hard to make legislative changes will pay out by saving lives. This will be an important staple in our legislative advocacy in late 2026/2027.

Always take the time to hear out the needs of others. Loving others means willing for their good, so hearing them out on their concerns should naturally follow. God bless you, and please pray for the unborn, and for the mothers who face fear and anxiety when contemplating the awesome responsibility of motherhood.