In the aftermath of the attack on Israel by Hamas, I've been listening to Ben Shapiro saying some things that I would like to know if are in-line with Catholic morality. It doesn't much matter what my opinion on the Israeli response to the attack is, but is the moral tone that Ben Shapiro is setting where he has repeatedly said that people who appear indoctrinated to value what they consider martyrdom over any other good are fundamentally on a different plane and not possible to reason with or treat in any other way than as if they were inhuman in accord with Catholic morality. Or does the Natural Law say that objective morality (i.e. not murdering - which is always wrong according to the Catechism) is accessible to even people who are brought up in a disordered value system?
1 Answer
I am sorry this answer is a bit ignorant. I am not a theologian but let me explore the idea.
Some words about martyrium in catholicism
In Catholicism, it is not "to value what they consider martyrdom over any other good" because the ultimate good is God.
We could argue that some apostles at some point avoided it, by being for example released from prison, (but ultimately died by it), but according to tradition, the Apostle John was spared from being boiled alive. So, no. It is not the ultimate goal.
But it is sometimes not only not avoided but embraced, because is part of The Beatitudes. Mathew 5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The testimony is especially credible in the moment of death, so it is traditionally explicit in death by persecution. But death is not a requirement for this. For example, Mary suffered with his son at the cross, but she did not die a violent death.
In the catechism, the number 2473 It says "Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death."
But the context is persecution, it is not suicidal, and not harming others.
In catholicism, Can you reason with someone who embraces being a martyr? I suppose depends on the meaning of reasoning. Christianity for the world has no sense. The creator of the universe, died on the cross? We can see the "unreasoning" according to the world.
Logic is determined by the stated premises. Under Christian logic, death is only a transit, because the premise is the resurrection of Jesus and his promises. But in an atheist worldview that premise does not exist. So we need a frame of reference, a frame of thought.
There is a Mexican martyr during the Guerra Cristera persecution. He was a 14-year-old kid who said to her mom "nunca fue tan fácil ganarse el cielo" "Never was so easy to earn heaven" because in the persecution was very likely to get killed by saying "Live Christ the King".
But the context is persecution, it is not suicidal, and not harming others.
We would need to explore how it differs from martyrium in Islam.
Some specific parts of your question
as if they were inhuman in accord with Catholic morality
According to Catholic doctrine (The same as Christian doctrine in general), there is no way someone (human) would be considered not human. Even the most evil people have the potential to be saved by the grace of Jesus if they accept it.
Is (Moral law) accessible to even people who are brought up in a disordered value system?
What the Catechism says about Moral law No. 1954 (natural law) "The natural law is written and engraved in the soul of each and every man" So, in principle yes, it is accessible to every person.
The point would be not only how disordered is the surrounding value system, but how we adopt it knowing even if it is bad.
This has its roots in sin. For example, pride would have the consequence of not accepting self errors, or accepting the possibility of correcting them, therefore being incapable of reasoning with. But it is a fruit of self-decision, not only on the environment.
Catholicism also accepts the fact that "the devil" can objectively affect the behavior of man. But again it is not against the will of the person. A heavy influence of evil implies previous willing acceptance of it. An entry door can be the acceptance of an evil ideology, whatever this one is.
