Joel Webbon launched NXR Studios with an interview series with Nick Fuentes. Episode 6 delves into a Protestant vs Catholic discussion
Rebellious American Protestantism
Nick Fuentes criticized the American Revolution as not turning out well 200 years later, and largely views Protestantism to blame. By adopting republicanism, the Protestant Founding Fathers set course on a slippery slope where all heirarchy and social bonds would be eroded.
Fuentes is not a student of history and it shows. Previously, his comments on America being a failure under Protestantism neglected to mention the log that is the French Revolution where CAtholic France rapidly secularized and adopted many Republican ideals. The War of Independence broke out over the 13 Colonies rejecting Parliament’s authority, not the King’s. The King sided with Parliament, and the rest is history, but it’s worth mentioning that “no taxation without representation” is a protest slogan against the most democratic aspect of British governance.
Moreover, republicanism and its reemergence is not a unique phenomenon. Though the Protestant Dutch dealt with republicanism and monarchy, Protestant Prussia was a monarchical seat of power until 1919. Along with Anglican Britain, Protestantism has no qualms with either monarchy or republics, historically.
Roman Catholicism, likewise, has both experiences as well. Fuentes lauds the Catholic kings of Europe but overlooks the republican city-states of Italy, as well as the German cities that had a great deal of autonomy within the Holy Roman Empire. And of course, there’s France and its revolution, a case where Catholicism failed to overcome Enlightenment-era thought.
As for the New World, what would a Catholic America look like? The answer is Mexico. Nick Fuentes criticizes Protestantism as uniquely anti-authority, but there are plenty of counterexamples in both camps to his discredit.
A Future Catholic America
Nick Fuentes believes that America must and eventually will become a Catholic nation. How can this be? Aside from a statistically dubious revival of young people to Catholicism, this will have to be driven almost entirely by third-world migration.
In his interview with Webbon, Fuentes praises the enthusiasm and standing room only turnout of a Spanish mass in Chicago and LA. (Fuentes is secretive about how he attends and irregular on where.)
They’re coming from Mexico or they’re coming from wherever with a very strong faith, very strong tradition. And I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I think that the Catholic Church has been able to preserve all those things in a way that in a rebellious liberated country, Protestants have not been able to preserve that. So I think inherently for America to be repaired spiritually we have to be repaired and go back home. And for me that’s Rome.
Nick Fuentes sounds pious, and perhaps is being sincere, but this is the third-worldification that he purports to fight against.
Hopeful Universalism
The most theologically intense portion took place around the 51-minute mark, where they discuss universalism and how far outside Rome one can be and still be saved.
Within the Catholic Church, especially in light of Vatican II, Rome opened the doors to universalism, not simply for unsubmissive sects of Christianity but also to pagans. Thus, the Overton Window on, “Is the person in the jungle who’s never heard of Jesus going to hell?” is much wider than in Webbon’s Reformed Protestantism.
Nick Fuentes is hopeful but not assertive that these people are saved.
Fuentes recognizes that his views are controversial even for Catholics, stating:
We have every reason to hope that all people find salvation, that hell is either empty or nearly so. Personally, I lean toward a more generous interpretation—that more are saved than not.
As bad as this portion sounds, Nick Fuentes is considerably more thoughtful here than when discussing history. But nevertheless, it is bleeding-heart liberalism, especially when Fuentes quipped that Joel Webbon may be going to hell for openly rejecting the Papacy. It’s not logical, unless the authority of the Pope is the basis for Catholicism (it is).
Concluding Thoughts
Nick Fuentes merely presents himself as a devout Catholic, one who accepts dogma as passed down with little question. Perhaps Fuentes is more creative and edgy in his critiques of Protestantism, but with his lack of historical depth, presenting nigh universal problems as uniquely Protestant phenomena, the evidence is worse in his own camp. And certainly, as long as the Pope is an enemy to all mankind, as he is amenable to admitting, the Reformation was not only justified but vindicated.
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One Response
There is an overseas stereotype of Americans being not really well versed in human history and Fuentes completely fits that stereotype. His own example is great apologetics against Catholicism.