I do not know what exactly I believe but I can say that it starts with and is inspired by the life of Jesus Christ. My personal theology, as all theologies, has been shaped by contexts, experiences, and relationships which make up my very identity. As these are all constantly in flux, so is my theology. It is not a static, fixed system but more contextual, adaptable, and fluid. It centers on loving God and my neighbor as myself.
My theology is shaped by my interests, interpretations, gifts and limitations. It is based on a particular style, much like a painting, which is my community, the United Church of Christ. I use my theology, like art, to convey meaning to others. There are many styles in which to paint in the Christian tradition and I am a mix of many. I was raised Catholic. I react against Fundamentalist theologies. I want to be a Liberal Christian as I came to be a Protestant and was trained in seminary in this tradition but find myself more and more thinking and speaking in Neo-Orthodox terms. It has elements of all these streams put together in a new way. My theological style is more interested in imagination, beauty, and mystery; focusing more on questions than answers.
In this paper I hope to explain the areas of my theology. I will start by describing my understanding of the historical Christian Church. I will then describe my view of my denomination and how I intersect with it. I will then describe my faith journey and sense of call. It won’t be in a linear fashion but more integrated as each plays into the other. I will try to separate them as best I am able. I will first speak of my interpretation of the Historical Christian Church.
Showing posts with label Recovering Catholic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recovering Catholic. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Thursday, June 11, 2009
What governs my theological thinking?
“You want to know who I really am, yeah so do I.” –“See You” by Saves the Day
I had to write a "prolegomena" for my paper for doctrine. This gives the reader some background for what is to come next. I did my paper on the doctrine of the church, which i'll post parts of here in the near future. Before that, i thought i'd share this little diddy about how and why i think:
Personal experience is the start which is tempered by logic, reason, and testing these private moments against other people’s experience. For me, that is largely what religion does for me most naturally. Scripture is a tried and true measuring stick as well as a challenger to any notions I think I’ve landed on. The irrational fullness of life taught me never to discard anything. Even when it goes against all our theories, odds are, we need to reconsider these theories anyway. I try not to hold on too tightly to any notion.
This is, of course, disquieting and I’m never certain whether the compass is pointing true or not, but security and certitude does not lead to discoveries. My life has been one of constant change and challenge and my theology and thinking reflect this. I come out of a Jesuit, natural theology with a healthy amount of Roman Catholic doctrine and dogma. This is what I’m always measuring against and reacting too. I still feel like I’m learning to be a Protestant and that I’m young enough that I still can’t say what exact ideas govern my thinking.
What it consistently boils down to is context, mystery, revelation, and praxis. Context is everything. I must be humble enough to say “I don’t know” in any given context, yet strive to find the extreme points and find the middle path (predestined or free will? Yes! Horrible sinners or rational, transcendent beings? Yes!). I must rely on God for revelation, which means I must be out experiencing the world as revelation only comes through experience. And I must put all things into practice because theory without practice is pointless and practice without theory is thoughtless. All of these are intermingled, like concentric circles or better yet, four in one. I don’t know how they’re all in there, but they are!
I had to write a "prolegomena" for my paper for doctrine. This gives the reader some background for what is to come next. I did my paper on the doctrine of the church, which i'll post parts of here in the near future. Before that, i thought i'd share this little diddy about how and why i think:
Personal experience is the start which is tempered by logic, reason, and testing these private moments against other people’s experience. For me, that is largely what religion does for me most naturally. Scripture is a tried and true measuring stick as well as a challenger to any notions I think I’ve landed on. The irrational fullness of life taught me never to discard anything. Even when it goes against all our theories, odds are, we need to reconsider these theories anyway. I try not to hold on too tightly to any notion.
This is, of course, disquieting and I’m never certain whether the compass is pointing true or not, but security and certitude does not lead to discoveries. My life has been one of constant change and challenge and my theology and thinking reflect this. I come out of a Jesuit, natural theology with a healthy amount of Roman Catholic doctrine and dogma. This is what I’m always measuring against and reacting too. I still feel like I’m learning to be a Protestant and that I’m young enough that I still can’t say what exact ideas govern my thinking.
What it consistently boils down to is context, mystery, revelation, and praxis. Context is everything. I must be humble enough to say “I don’t know” in any given context, yet strive to find the extreme points and find the middle path (predestined or free will? Yes! Horrible sinners or rational, transcendent beings? Yes!). I must rely on God for revelation, which means I must be out experiencing the world as revelation only comes through experience. And I must put all things into practice because theory without practice is pointless and practice without theory is thoughtless. All of these are intermingled, like concentric circles or better yet, four in one. I don’t know how they’re all in there, but they are!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Coptic Christainty
We visited St Mark's, home of the Coptic Pope, Pope Shenouda III. Who are the Copts and how are the different from Orthodox or Catholic Christianity?
According to ancient tradition, Christianity was introduced to the Egyptians by Saint Mark in Alexandria, shortly after the ascension of Christ and during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius around 42 A.D. Some famous Coptic scholars were Athenagoras, Clement, Didymus, and my favorite, Origen, who is one of the most distinguished of the early fathers of the Christianity.
They also gave Christianity monasticism. the most prominent figures of the monastic movement were Anthony the Great and Paul of Thebes (who we've already talked about), and Macarius the Great (who we WILL talk about!).
The Copts had a HUGE impact on the rest of Christianity but are considered to be different, part of the Oriental Christian Tradition, NOT the Catholic or Greek Orthodox traditions. The Oriental Orthodox communion comprises six groups: Syriac Orthodox,Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Eritrean Orthodox, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (India) and Armenian Apostolic churches. These churches are different due to a disagreement at the Council of Chalcedon.
Chalcedon declared that Jesus has two complete natures, one human and one divine. The Copts argue that Jesus, though divine as well as human, is only one person. They likened Chalcedon's doctrine to the Nestorian heresy, condemned at Ephesus, which stated that Christ was two distinct persons, one divine and one human. In 2001, the leaders of Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy concluded that they had always believed in the same Christology, but differed over how this was to be formulated, thus healing has begun between the Orthodox and Catholic churches.
Here's the visit to St Marks:
During the Q&A session with the Pope, two really funny answers that stuck in my head.
Q: I like a girl, but she doesn't like me! I pine and yearn, but to no avail, what should i do?
A: I wish these boys loved God as much as they love these girls.
Q: I recently moved to Cairo from a small village. I'm finding city life has a lot more temptations than the village life. How can i keep from sinning amid all these temptations?
A: No one can make you sin. Your heart has to be open to it in the first place. Pray and go to church, but realize that you are the one making the decision to sin or not.
Both of these responces brought a deafening roar of approval from the crowd. it was like being at a rock concert or sports game. maybe i should do a weekly Q&A from my church or even on the blog... ummm......
According to ancient tradition, Christianity was introduced to the Egyptians by Saint Mark in Alexandria, shortly after the ascension of Christ and during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius around 42 A.D. Some famous Coptic scholars were Athenagoras, Clement, Didymus, and my favorite, Origen, who is one of the most distinguished of the early fathers of the Christianity.
They also gave Christianity monasticism. the most prominent figures of the monastic movement were Anthony the Great and Paul of Thebes (who we've already talked about), and Macarius the Great (who we WILL talk about!).
The Copts had a HUGE impact on the rest of Christianity but are considered to be different, part of the Oriental Christian Tradition, NOT the Catholic or Greek Orthodox traditions. The Oriental Orthodox communion comprises six groups: Syriac Orthodox,Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Eritrean Orthodox, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (India) and Armenian Apostolic churches. These churches are different due to a disagreement at the Council of Chalcedon.
Chalcedon declared that Jesus has two complete natures, one human and one divine. The Copts argue that Jesus, though divine as well as human, is only one person. They likened Chalcedon's doctrine to the Nestorian heresy, condemned at Ephesus, which stated that Christ was two distinct persons, one divine and one human. In 2001, the leaders of Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy concluded that they had always believed in the same Christology, but differed over how this was to be formulated, thus healing has begun between the Orthodox and Catholic churches.
Here's the visit to St Marks:
During the Q&A session with the Pope, two really funny answers that stuck in my head.
Q: I like a girl, but she doesn't like me! I pine and yearn, but to no avail, what should i do?
A: I wish these boys loved God as much as they love these girls.
Q: I recently moved to Cairo from a small village. I'm finding city life has a lot more temptations than the village life. How can i keep from sinning amid all these temptations?
A: No one can make you sin. Your heart has to be open to it in the first place. Pray and go to church, but realize that you are the one making the decision to sin or not.
Both of these responces brought a deafening roar of approval from the crowd. it was like being at a rock concert or sports game. maybe i should do a weekly Q&A from my church or even on the blog... ummm......
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Victims
Interesting phenom with people finding and owning their own victimhood this year in seminary.
I think it's healthy to find and recognize how a system excludes and oppresses people, no matter what! Issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, etc should be examined to the Nth degree. What I weary of is the Stockholm Syndrome.
The Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in an abducted hostage, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger (or at least risk) in which they have been placed. What I mean in this context here at seminary is when people fall in love with their victimhood and wield their victimhood like a club.
as the saying goes, hurt people hurt people.
It's ironic that these people are now victimizing others with their victimization! they have become what they hate.
Bryce, my seminary library buddy, wrote in his review of James Alison's book Faith Beyond Resentment, "When we self-righteously occupy the position of the victim, demanding retribution and recompense for the abuses we have suffered at the hands of human authorities with their violent enforcement mechanisms, we are not able to move into the area of identifying with the oppressors as our brothers and sisters who are also trapped in the same systems that we occupy."
in other words, for full reconciliation to happen we must give up our victimhood. now this might look like a white male trying to keep his priviledge by dismissing people's experience due to racial, gender, or other issues... i assure you i am not. what I am saying is that if i'm to meet you where you are, i'd hope you'd respect me enough to do the same. no boxes or stereotypes... just two people with their experience looking for common ground.
using a personal example: i have been victimized and you didn't do it! the fact someone is Catholic will not color my opinion of them but i sure do have a slant on the Catholic church! i will share that experience and see if it matches/clashes with theirs. i've met some kindred spirits and i've met people who absolutely LOVE the Catholic church and i'm friends with both and we understand each other. shouldn't this understanding be what we're after in terms of race/gender/LGBT issues/cultural/geo-political/religious/etc. issues in general?!
how far off am i?
Thanks to Bryce for the link and being a sounding board... for a fuller, more thoughtful discussion, check out Bryce's post on Alison's book.
I think it's healthy to find and recognize how a system excludes and oppresses people, no matter what! Issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, etc should be examined to the Nth degree. What I weary of is the Stockholm Syndrome.
The Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in an abducted hostage, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger (or at least risk) in which they have been placed. What I mean in this context here at seminary is when people fall in love with their victimhood and wield their victimhood like a club.
as the saying goes, hurt people hurt people.
It's ironic that these people are now victimizing others with their victimization! they have become what they hate.
Bryce, my seminary library buddy, wrote in his review of James Alison's book Faith Beyond Resentment, "When we self-righteously occupy the position of the victim, demanding retribution and recompense for the abuses we have suffered at the hands of human authorities with their violent enforcement mechanisms, we are not able to move into the area of identifying with the oppressors as our brothers and sisters who are also trapped in the same systems that we occupy."
in other words, for full reconciliation to happen we must give up our victimhood. now this might look like a white male trying to keep his priviledge by dismissing people's experience due to racial, gender, or other issues... i assure you i am not. what I am saying is that if i'm to meet you where you are, i'd hope you'd respect me enough to do the same. no boxes or stereotypes... just two people with their experience looking for common ground.
using a personal example: i have been victimized and you didn't do it! the fact someone is Catholic will not color my opinion of them but i sure do have a slant on the Catholic church! i will share that experience and see if it matches/clashes with theirs. i've met some kindred spirits and i've met people who absolutely LOVE the Catholic church and i'm friends with both and we understand each other. shouldn't this understanding be what we're after in terms of race/gender/LGBT issues/cultural/geo-political/religious/etc. issues in general?!
how far off am i?
Thanks to Bryce for the link and being a sounding board... for a fuller, more thoughtful discussion, check out Bryce's post on Alison's book.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Recovering Catholics: Modern Implications Part IV
A Full Recovery?
My sister left a comment on the myspace version of this blog that she remembers
The thing that surprised me is that I DON'T REMEMBER THIS! At least, not in detail nor without some prompting. I guess it could be that I was already starting to drift from the church, after all, my initial drift can be dated circa 5th grade. So this got me to thinking, have I made a full recovery?
You see, when I first heard the term “Recovering Catholic” seems a clever title for those who believed they had been scarred in some psychological, physical, or worse, some sexual way by nuns and/or priests. Or one could have just been really annoyed by the precepts of a restrictive dogma and/or structured society. The label was an allusion to the Twelve-Step movements whose adherents are committed to live free of destructive addictions one day at a time.
But the Catholic way of life is not a destructive addiction, well, not for me at least.
The term now strikes me as sort of smug, self-pitying kind of whine that arises from our society's current canonization of self-proclaimed victims. Too many of us too often blame a range of factors, including substances, parents, and/or institutions (in this case the Catholic Church), for our own bad behavior, irresponsibility, and dissatisfaction with life.
Perhaps it's time to declare a moratorium on the excuse of self-anointed victimhood and get on with life, as there is nothing more dangerous than a self-made victim. Let's leave that for those who deserve it. I am not a victim, I made myself one. My soul wasn't crushed, just restricted in unnatural ways; I was constantly reminded that no matter how hard i tried, i never fit perfectly into the Catholic box or the structured society. I was not welcomed, just tolerated. I'm free of this now and transcended my old annoyances and i'm starting to be able to enjoy the highlights of my old faith.
As we’ve seen here, that Catholics are just ONE way of doing things, and we have our own. And in the process, let's withhold judgment of the genuine faith of others, whether such faith is to our own liking or not.
So let us again be the full body of Christ and live out our “c”atholic faith and our UCC motto “That they all may be one”.
My sister left a comment on the myspace version of this blog that she remembers
the craziest thing that happened in Mass one day that started my rebellious catapult out of religion all together.... remember when Fr. Engle said that people who got divorced were going straight to Hell? That was when you and I walked out of Mass. I was in 4th grade, so you would've been in 7th. I think I still get cold chills when I think about that...
The thing that surprised me is that I DON'T REMEMBER THIS! At least, not in detail nor without some prompting. I guess it could be that I was already starting to drift from the church, after all, my initial drift can be dated circa 5th grade. So this got me to thinking, have I made a full recovery?
You see, when I first heard the term “Recovering Catholic” seems a clever title for those who believed they had been scarred in some psychological, physical, or worse, some sexual way by nuns and/or priests. Or one could have just been really annoyed by the precepts of a restrictive dogma and/or structured society. The label was an allusion to the Twelve-Step movements whose adherents are committed to live free of destructive addictions one day at a time.
But the Catholic way of life is not a destructive addiction, well, not for me at least.
The term now strikes me as sort of smug, self-pitying kind of whine that arises from our society's current canonization of self-proclaimed victims. Too many of us too often blame a range of factors, including substances, parents, and/or institutions (in this case the Catholic Church), for our own bad behavior, irresponsibility, and dissatisfaction with life.
Perhaps it's time to declare a moratorium on the excuse of self-anointed victimhood and get on with life, as there is nothing more dangerous than a self-made victim. Let's leave that for those who deserve it. I am not a victim, I made myself one. My soul wasn't crushed, just restricted in unnatural ways; I was constantly reminded that no matter how hard i tried, i never fit perfectly into the Catholic box or the structured society. I was not welcomed, just tolerated. I'm free of this now and transcended my old annoyances and i'm starting to be able to enjoy the highlights of my old faith.
As we’ve seen here, that Catholics are just ONE way of doing things, and we have our own. And in the process, let's withhold judgment of the genuine faith of others, whether such faith is to our own liking or not.
So let us again be the full body of Christ and live out our “c”atholic faith and our UCC motto “That they all may be one”.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Recovering Catholics: Modern Implications Part III
Trinity’s Liturgy Compared with the Maryknoll Missal
The Call to Worship (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invocation)
This practice is actually a mix of Jewish and Pagan ritual. In Jewish theology, God dwelled only in the Holy of Holies in the temple and must be called out from the Holy of Holies or down from the Cosmos. This is called “Classic Theism” where there is a separation of the Sacred and the Profane. Invocation in Paganism is similar, but has varying aspects, the one we are modeled after is called the Supplication Prayer, when a person calls upon a god or goddess to ask for something (protection, a favor, his/her spiritual presence in a ceremony, etc.) or simply for worship, this can be done in a pre-established form or with the invoker's own words or actions. An example of a pre-established text for an invocation is the Lord's Prayer.
Other Invocations that are Pagan in origin yet Christians use include: Form of Possession (asking a spirit to possess and use you ala pentacostals), Command or conjuration (saying that Lord you MUST do this style of prayer), Self-identification with certain spirits (praying to the Saints).
The Confessional and The Assurance of Pardon (from the Maryknoll Missal)
Sin separates man from God, confession reunites man with God.: “The alter stands for Christ, the priest represents all mankind and begs pardon before the whole court of heaven and the jury of the earth. Everyone is confessing and begging pardon from God. Men and women of the Church Militant, battling against sin, ask the Church Suffering in Purgatory and the Church Triumphant in heaven to intercede from them. Taken alone, each person is helpless to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. ONLY UNITED to Christ and each other in the Mass and the Eucharist can do all things.”
The Gloria (from the Maryknoll Missal)
Thanksgiving for forgiveness. In it we also adore God in His sovereign Lordship and imply our nothingness before him.
Greeting (from the Maryknoll Missal)
Called THE LORD BE WITH YOU, courteous greeting throughout the Mass as an invitation to enter earnestly into action.
Reading and Sermon (from the Maryknoll Missal)
Doctrinal instructions related to the Gospel or the Feast of the Day. The Catholic church follows the Lectionary with no deviation as there must be a mass held at every hour throughout the world. From Wiki: Typically, a lectionary will go through the scriptures in a logical pattern, and also include selections which were chosen by the religious community for their appropriateness to particular occasions.
The use of pre-assigned, scheduled readings from the scriptures can be traced back to the early church. Not all of the Christian Church used the same lectionary, and throughout history, many varying lectionaries have been used in different parts of the Christian world. Trinity is NOT a lecationary church nor are we limited to just talking about Doctrine (which we don't have) Gospel or feast day.
Pastoral Prayer (From Wiki)
The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the General Intercessions or "Prayers of the Faithful." The priest speaks a general introduction, then a deacon or lay person addresses the congregation, presenting some intentions for prayer, to which the congregation responds with a short response such as: "Lord hear our prayer". The priest may conclude with a supplication; which is pagan in origin. A person asks a supernatural deity to provide something, either for the person who is praying or for someone else on whose behalf a prayer of supplication is being made.).
Communion (from the Maryknoll Missal and Wiki)
The Eucharistic Prayer, "the center and summit of the entire celebration" aka the WHOLE reason for this she-bang! Why do you go to church? I go cause I'm a sucker for a good sermon... One of the congregants says she goes for the music while another said he goes for the camaraderie. Why do you go to church or synagoge? Or, why don't you? i'm interested in all!
The Call to Worship (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invocation)
This practice is actually a mix of Jewish and Pagan ritual. In Jewish theology, God dwelled only in the Holy of Holies in the temple and must be called out from the Holy of Holies or down from the Cosmos. This is called “Classic Theism” where there is a separation of the Sacred and the Profane. Invocation in Paganism is similar, but has varying aspects, the one we are modeled after is called the Supplication Prayer, when a person calls upon a god or goddess to ask for something (protection, a favor, his/her spiritual presence in a ceremony, etc.) or simply for worship, this can be done in a pre-established form or with the invoker's own words or actions. An example of a pre-established text for an invocation is the Lord's Prayer.
Other Invocations that are Pagan in origin yet Christians use include: Form of Possession (asking a spirit to possess and use you ala pentacostals), Command or conjuration (saying that Lord you MUST do this style of prayer), Self-identification with certain spirits (praying to the Saints).
The Confessional and The Assurance of Pardon (from the Maryknoll Missal)
Sin separates man from God, confession reunites man with God.: “The alter stands for Christ, the priest represents all mankind and begs pardon before the whole court of heaven and the jury of the earth. Everyone is confessing and begging pardon from God. Men and women of the Church Militant, battling against sin, ask the Church Suffering in Purgatory and the Church Triumphant in heaven to intercede from them. Taken alone, each person is helpless to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. ONLY UNITED to Christ and each other in the Mass and the Eucharist can do all things.”
The Gloria (from the Maryknoll Missal)
Thanksgiving for forgiveness. In it we also adore God in His sovereign Lordship and imply our nothingness before him.
Greeting (from the Maryknoll Missal)
Called THE LORD BE WITH YOU, courteous greeting throughout the Mass as an invitation to enter earnestly into action.
Reading and Sermon (from the Maryknoll Missal)
Doctrinal instructions related to the Gospel or the Feast of the Day. The Catholic church follows the Lectionary with no deviation as there must be a mass held at every hour throughout the world. From Wiki: Typically, a lectionary will go through the scriptures in a logical pattern, and also include selections which were chosen by the religious community for their appropriateness to particular occasions.
The use of pre-assigned, scheduled readings from the scriptures can be traced back to the early church. Not all of the Christian Church used the same lectionary, and throughout history, many varying lectionaries have been used in different parts of the Christian world. Trinity is NOT a lecationary church nor are we limited to just talking about Doctrine (which we don't have) Gospel or feast day.
Pastoral Prayer (From Wiki)
The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the General Intercessions or "Prayers of the Faithful." The priest speaks a general introduction, then a deacon or lay person addresses the congregation, presenting some intentions for prayer, to which the congregation responds with a short response such as: "Lord hear our prayer". The priest may conclude with a supplication; which is pagan in origin. A person asks a supernatural deity to provide something, either for the person who is praying or for someone else on whose behalf a prayer of supplication is being made.).
Communion (from the Maryknoll Missal and Wiki)
The Eucharistic Prayer, "the center and summit of the entire celebration" aka the WHOLE reason for this she-bang! Why do you go to church? I go cause I'm a sucker for a good sermon... One of the congregants says she goes for the music while another said he goes for the camaraderie. Why do you go to church or synagoge? Or, why don't you? i'm interested in all!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Recovering Catholics: Modern Implications Part II
The liturgy of the many denominations ultimately derives from that of the western Catholic church, however most "post-Protestant" denominations (e.g. evangelicals, nondenominational, etc.) claim to have no need for liturgy, or else insist that their manner of worship is a full return to the days of the apostles. These claims have not been (or cannot be) substantiated by biblical or historical evidence.
What we do know about the worship of the early church were that the celebration of the eucharist, the rites of the sacraments, prayer in common, and the liturgical sermon (preaching on a biblical story). These are based on the example of Jesus, as Jesus did not originate these liturgical acts (save for the Last Supper), but took them over from the practice of late Judaism. If you go to a synagogue today, you would be quite comfortable and understand what’s going on. The original church considered themselves Jewish, so the liturgical customs were fashioned as such. Borrowings were later made from the practices of the Greco-Roman world.
I do miss the sacraments.. when I was little and I looked at the 7 sacraments, i saw my whole life. From birth (baptism) to death (last rites), my whole life was laid out and i was going to collect all 7. then i realized that you couldn't... a priest cannot be married AND ordained and I thought this was stupid (and still do). So protestants really need to see the sacraments for what they are, step-stones for life. I would like to see a return to the 7 sacrament system, what do you think? Which would you keep and which would you throw out?
What we do know about the worship of the early church were that the celebration of the eucharist, the rites of the sacraments, prayer in common, and the liturgical sermon (preaching on a biblical story). These are based on the example of Jesus, as Jesus did not originate these liturgical acts (save for the Last Supper), but took them over from the practice of late Judaism. If you go to a synagogue today, you would be quite comfortable and understand what’s going on. The original church considered themselves Jewish, so the liturgical customs were fashioned as such. Borrowings were later made from the practices of the Greco-Roman world.
I do miss the sacraments.. when I was little and I looked at the 7 sacraments, i saw my whole life. From birth (baptism) to death (last rites), my whole life was laid out and i was going to collect all 7. then i realized that you couldn't... a priest cannot be married AND ordained and I thought this was stupid (and still do). So protestants really need to see the sacraments for what they are, step-stones for life. I would like to see a return to the 7 sacrament system, what do you think? Which would you keep and which would you throw out?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Recovering Catholics: Modern Implications Part I
The last class was very heavy.. so i've split it up into four days... so please check back Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
A book called "Jacob the Baker" by Noah benShea really put ritual into perspective... here's a paraphrase of a chapter:
"Prayer is the path where there is none." said Jacob.
"Do you always pray the same way, Jacob?"
Jacob spoke slowly, "Ritual gives form to pasion. Passion without form consumes itself."
"But you said prayer is a path where there is none...?"
Jacob's eyes drew back their last curtain, "Yes, prayer is a path where there is none, and ritual is prayer's vehicle."
So what does the Church do? We do the LITURGY. The word comes from the Classical Greek word λειτουργία (leitourgia) meaning "public work".
Liturgy can be defined as the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to their particular traditions. liturgy is a communal response to the sacred through activity reflecting praise, thanksgiving, supplication, or repentance. Ritualization may be associated with life events such as birth, coming of age, marriage, and death. It thus forms the basis for establishing a relationship with a divine agency, as well as with other participants in the liturgy.
Methods of dress, preparation of food, application of cosmetics or other hygienic practices are all considered liturgical activities. Repetitive formal rites, in some ways similar to liturgies, are natural and common in all human activities such as organized sports venues.
Baseball has a liturgy.. think about it.. the national anthem, throwing out the game ball, the ump yell'n play ball, the homefield advantage, the 7th inning stretch and singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" etc. etc.
A book called "Jacob the Baker" by Noah benShea really put ritual into perspective... here's a paraphrase of a chapter:
"Prayer is the path where there is none." said Jacob.
"Do you always pray the same way, Jacob?"
Jacob spoke slowly, "Ritual gives form to pasion. Passion without form consumes itself."
"But you said prayer is a path where there is none...?"
Jacob's eyes drew back their last curtain, "Yes, prayer is a path where there is none, and ritual is prayer's vehicle."
So what does the Church do? We do the LITURGY. The word comes from the Classical Greek word λειτουργία (leitourgia) meaning "public work".
Liturgy can be defined as the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to their particular traditions. liturgy is a communal response to the sacred through activity reflecting praise, thanksgiving, supplication, or repentance. Ritualization may be associated with life events such as birth, coming of age, marriage, and death. It thus forms the basis for establishing a relationship with a divine agency, as well as with other participants in the liturgy.
Methods of dress, preparation of food, application of cosmetics or other hygienic practices are all considered liturgical activities. Repetitive formal rites, in some ways similar to liturgies, are natural and common in all human activities such as organized sports venues.
Baseball has a liturgy.. think about it.. the national anthem, throwing out the game ball, the ump yell'n play ball, the homefield advantage, the 7th inning stretch and singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" etc. etc.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Spot the Irony
This was too good to stick at the end of a long post... figured it needed it's own post!
Here's a sign we saw on the way to Rehoboth Beach. Can you spot the irony?
Here's a sign we saw on the way to Rehoboth Beach. Can you spot the irony?
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Recovering Catholics: PROTEST!
Part 3 in the series RECOVERING CATHOLICS at Trinity Reformed UCC.
Systems
What we will be talking about today are systems. So when we critique a system, we’re not saying “Their God is wrong.” We’re comparing their frame of viewing God to our own. I LOVE systems, however, systems can be just as easily dehumanizing as they can be helpful and efficient. Systems that require prerequisites in terms of gender, sexual orientation, or race are flawed. Those type of systems show that ultimately we fit in NO boxes completely as there are always exceptions. Some respond to this by cutting off those limbs that stick outside the box, or lying, or making concessions, or realizing that there is no box. The box is constructed by us for us to keep us safe from the CHAOS of the natural world. Those of us to see order in the natural world are less in need of boxes.
History
On October 31, 1517, in Saxony (in what is now Germany), Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, which served as a notice board for university-related announcements. These were points for debate that criticized the Church and the Pope. Luther's spiritual predecessors were men such as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus. Other radicals, such as Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, soon followed Luther's lead. Church beliefs and practices under attack by Protestant reformers included Purgatory, particular judgment, devotion to Mary (Mariology), the intercession of and devotion to the saints, most of the sacraments, the mandatory celibacy requirement of its clergy (including monasticism), and the authority of the Pope.
(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformation)
The Theses sparked a theological debate that would result in the Reformation and the birth of the Lutheran, Reformed, and Anabaptist traditions within Christianity. Today we shall compare and contrast the theological views between Catholic and Trinity's ancestor, the Reformed Tradition. This is a historical overview and in no way represents the current belief system at Trinity Reformed now.
Roman Catholic (RC) View of God: God is not limited by time or space... holds the following ideals: the infinity, unity or unicity, and simplicity of God, as well as the personality of God. More can be found in this Catholic Encyclopedia Article
Reformed (R'ed) View of God: God is sovereign, perfect, and holds all righteousness and power. Created all things and sustains them. Not limited by creation.
RC Revelation: Bible, including the Apocrypha, is authoritative source of revelation as well as tradition and church teaching. The pope when speaking ex cathedra (From the chair) and is immune from error. Church is the mother, guardian, and interpreter of the canon.
R'ed Revelation: Sola Sciptura (scripture alone). Bible is God's word and remains without error in every aspect and guides all of church life and teaching.
RC Salvation: Saving grace is found through the sacraments, the highest being Communion. Church administers sacraments, ergo there is NO salvation outside the church. This is an internal catholic struggle as recent teaching has recognized that grace can be received outside the church.
R'ed Salvation: Christ saves the chosen. The elect can never resist the work of the Spirit or fall after receiving salvation. Salvation is found in the 5 points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.
RC Church: The apex of the church is the Pope and the qualities of a true church are unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity.
R'ed Church: Church is composed of God's elect who have recieved salvation. Hold only sacraments as Baptism (that symbolizes entry to the body of church and can be renounced) and Communion (which the Holy Spirit works with them to make them spiritual participants in the original supper). Elders are elected to teach and oversee the local church body. Unity of church must be grounded in doctrinal agreement.
What are your thoughts? What are your views concerning God, Revelation (how God is or isn't revealed in today's world), Salvation (what saves someone from sin, or is there even a need for it?), and the Church? If you had to pick one or the other, which would you pick?
Systems
What we will be talking about today are systems. So when we critique a system, we’re not saying “Their God is wrong.” We’re comparing their frame of viewing God to our own. I LOVE systems, however, systems can be just as easily dehumanizing as they can be helpful and efficient. Systems that require prerequisites in terms of gender, sexual orientation, or race are flawed. Those type of systems show that ultimately we fit in NO boxes completely as there are always exceptions. Some respond to this by cutting off those limbs that stick outside the box, or lying, or making concessions, or realizing that there is no box. The box is constructed by us for us to keep us safe from the CHAOS of the natural world. Those of us to see order in the natural world are less in need of boxes.
History
On October 31, 1517, in Saxony (in what is now Germany), Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, which served as a notice board for university-related announcements. These were points for debate that criticized the Church and the Pope. Luther's spiritual predecessors were men such as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus. Other radicals, such as Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, soon followed Luther's lead. Church beliefs and practices under attack by Protestant reformers included Purgatory, particular judgment, devotion to Mary (Mariology), the intercession of and devotion to the saints, most of the sacraments, the mandatory celibacy requirement of its clergy (including monasticism), and the authority of the Pope.
(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformation)
The Theses sparked a theological debate that would result in the Reformation and the birth of the Lutheran, Reformed, and Anabaptist traditions within Christianity. Today we shall compare and contrast the theological views between Catholic and Trinity's ancestor, the Reformed Tradition. This is a historical overview and in no way represents the current belief system at Trinity Reformed now.
Roman Catholic (RC) View of God: God is not limited by time or space... holds the following ideals: the infinity, unity or unicity, and simplicity of God, as well as the personality of God. More can be found in this Catholic Encyclopedia Article
Reformed (R'ed) View of God: God is sovereign, perfect, and holds all righteousness and power. Created all things and sustains them. Not limited by creation.
RC Revelation: Bible, including the Apocrypha, is authoritative source of revelation as well as tradition and church teaching. The pope when speaking ex cathedra (From the chair) and is immune from error. Church is the mother, guardian, and interpreter of the canon.
R'ed Revelation: Sola Sciptura (scripture alone). Bible is God's word and remains without error in every aspect and guides all of church life and teaching.
RC Salvation: Saving grace is found through the sacraments, the highest being Communion. Church administers sacraments, ergo there is NO salvation outside the church. This is an internal catholic struggle as recent teaching has recognized that grace can be received outside the church.
R'ed Salvation: Christ saves the chosen. The elect can never resist the work of the Spirit or fall after receiving salvation. Salvation is found in the 5 points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.
RC Church: The apex of the church is the Pope and the qualities of a true church are unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity.
R'ed Church: Church is composed of God's elect who have recieved salvation. Hold only sacraments as Baptism (that symbolizes entry to the body of church and can be renounced) and Communion (which the Holy Spirit works with them to make them spiritual participants in the original supper). Elders are elected to teach and oversee the local church body. Unity of church must be grounded in doctrinal agreement.
What are your thoughts? What are your views concerning God, Revelation (how God is or isn't revealed in today's world), Salvation (what saves someone from sin, or is there even a need for it?), and the Church? If you had to pick one or the other, which would you pick?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Recovering Catholics: Papal Problems
Second in the series, Recovering Catholics.
The Church Set Up:
Biblical Support?
The dogmas and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church teach that the institution of the papacy was first mandated by Biblical passages:
Matt.16:18-19: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Isaiah 22:20-22: "On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open." (shows a parallel to Matthew 16:18-20)
John 21:15-17: "..Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." (Jesus) said to him, "Feed my sheep."
Luke 12:41: "Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper time?" (Feeding theme appears again here)
Luke 22:31-32: "Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers."
However, none of these explicitly point to Rome. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas (a non-Biblical source) points to Jerusalem: The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being."
Lots of arguments over this, and continuing since The Great Schism.
Great Schism
The Roman capital became recognized as a Christian center of exceptional importance; but there are only a few references of that time to recognition of the authoritative primacy of the Pope outside of Rome. The “Bishop of Rome” was considered first among equals in the early church capitals. There were five important centers in the early church: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Rome, and Constantinople. The bishops in these cities were known as Patriarchs, and their specific ecclesiastical territory, as a patriarchate.
The title of Pope was from the early third century an honorific designation used for any bishop in the West. In the East it was used only for the Bishop of Alexandria. From the 6th century, the imperial chancery of Constantinople normally reserved it for the Bishop of Rome.
Eventually, the attempt of one patriarch (the Bishop of Rome) to assume the position of Head (or Pope) of the Universal Church, gave rise to the great division or schism of the Church. The Western Church recognized the sole leadership of the Pope in Rome; the Eastern Churches continued to recognize the historic leadership of their particular patriarchs in the East. This became known as the Great Schism. Relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes. Pope Leo IX and Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, heightened the conflict by suppressing Greek and Latin in their respective domains.
This lead to a disagreement on which was the original church. Here's a good way of thinking about it:
Which one is right?
The Church Set Up:
Biblical Support?
The dogmas and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church teach that the institution of the papacy was first mandated by Biblical passages:
Matt.16:18-19: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Isaiah 22:20-22: "On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open." (shows a parallel to Matthew 16:18-20)
John 21:15-17: "..Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." (Jesus) said to him, "Feed my sheep."
Luke 12:41: "Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper time?" (Feeding theme appears again here)
Luke 22:31-32: "Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers."
However, none of these explicitly point to Rome. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas (a non-Biblical source) points to Jerusalem: The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being."
Lots of arguments over this, and continuing since The Great Schism.
Great Schism
The Roman capital became recognized as a Christian center of exceptional importance; but there are only a few references of that time to recognition of the authoritative primacy of the Pope outside of Rome. The “Bishop of Rome” was considered first among equals in the early church capitals. There were five important centers in the early church: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Rome, and Constantinople. The bishops in these cities were known as Patriarchs, and their specific ecclesiastical territory, as a patriarchate.
The title of Pope was from the early third century an honorific designation used for any bishop in the West. In the East it was used only for the Bishop of Alexandria. From the 6th century, the imperial chancery of Constantinople normally reserved it for the Bishop of Rome.
Eventually, the attempt of one patriarch (the Bishop of Rome) to assume the position of Head (or Pope) of the Universal Church, gave rise to the great division or schism of the Church. The Western Church recognized the sole leadership of the Pope in Rome; the Eastern Churches continued to recognize the historic leadership of their particular patriarchs in the East. This became known as the Great Schism. Relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes. Pope Leo IX and Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, heightened the conflict by suppressing Greek and Latin in their respective domains.
This lead to a disagreement on which was the original church. Here's a good way of thinking about it:
Which one is right?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thoughts Behind Recovering Catholics
I'm really bothered by the first comment I received on the last post...I guess I didn't set up the Recovering Catholic post that well... Let's try this... "In Roman Catholicism, a lapsed Catholic is a Catholic who has ceased practicing the Catholic religion. Such a person is said to have lapsed from the faith."
SO even if you were once Catholic (like me) or never were but are protestant, or if you a completely nonreligious person, we are all recovering Catholics (granted i'm speaking to the Christians in our midst, although one can make the case for Jews and Muslims as well, but for simplicity's sake, we'll stick in the Christian framework).
Why? Well if you're protestant, you then are PROTESTING the Roman Catholic church (note the ROMAN, this is CATHOLIC with a big "C" not the body of Christ "catholic=universal" with the small "c". Your ancestors were living in response to the Roman Catholics and the denomination your in has some baggage left over from the 'ye ol' reformation' times.
If you're a nonreligious person, odds are you're reacting to litergy or the "tradition." By tradition I mean lives of saints, the idea that all "heroes" in the bible are inherently good people, or something in the church structure. Depending on what that particular item of trouble is for you, odds are it comes from the Roman Catholic tradition. you don't think so? well, let's talk about it! if you have a complaint against Christianity, i'd love to hear it and see if it can be tied back to Catholicism... i'd like to know if you're a recovering catholic as well!
Now i may come off cross or too tongue-in-cheek and may offend some catholic readers out there (like i did in the Part 1:Our Stories post) but that is to be expected from a jilted lover... when one is dissed from the very thing one loves, one will be a tad jaded. so all appologies if i offend, please tell me about it, and i'd love to hear your story on why you're still with the Roman Catholic Church
SO even if you were once Catholic (like me) or never were but are protestant, or if you a completely nonreligious person, we are all recovering Catholics (granted i'm speaking to the Christians in our midst, although one can make the case for Jews and Muslims as well, but for simplicity's sake, we'll stick in the Christian framework).
Why? Well if you're protestant, you then are PROTESTING the Roman Catholic church (note the ROMAN, this is CATHOLIC with a big "C" not the body of Christ "catholic=universal" with the small "c". Your ancestors were living in response to the Roman Catholics and the denomination your in has some baggage left over from the 'ye ol' reformation' times.
If you're a nonreligious person, odds are you're reacting to litergy or the "tradition." By tradition I mean lives of saints, the idea that all "heroes" in the bible are inherently good people, or something in the church structure. Depending on what that particular item of trouble is for you, odds are it comes from the Roman Catholic tradition. you don't think so? well, let's talk about it! if you have a complaint against Christianity, i'd love to hear it and see if it can be tied back to Catholicism... i'd like to know if you're a recovering catholic as well!
Now i may come off cross or too tongue-in-cheek and may offend some catholic readers out there (like i did in the Part 1:Our Stories post) but that is to be expected from a jilted lover... when one is dissed from the very thing one loves, one will be a tad jaded. so all appologies if i offend, please tell me about it, and i'd love to hear your story on why you're still with the Roman Catholic Church
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
From the Series: Recovering Catholics: Our Stories
notes from my class i'm teaching at Trinity, part one of four. feel free to answer the questions yourselves! i'd love to know!
What do you know?
What do you think you know?
What would you like to know more about?
Why “Recovering”?
In Roman Catholicism, a lapsed Catholic is a Catholic who has ceased practicing the Catholic religion. Such a person is said to have lapsed from the faith.
According to Catholic belief, if you are baptised as a Catholic you remain a Catholic forever. A comparison with Judaism can be made, where even though a Jew may not practice their faith, they are still Jewish by birth. Baptism is said to seal the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark... of his belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation."
If a Catholic leaves their faith but returns later, they are not required to "reconvert" but often go through RCIA for a refresher education in the faith.
The term "lapsed Catholic" is favored over "ex-Catholic," especially in cases where the person has merely stopped practicing the faith (such as going to mass or confession) but has not actively adopted a new religion. Such people often still nominally identify their religion as Catholic. Even repudiating the entirety of Catholic faith does not make a Catholic un-baptised, but rather an apostate. Likewise, a Catholic who rejects an essential part of the Catholic religion is a heretic, and a Catholic who refuses to submit to the Roman Pontiff is a schismatic.
(from Wikipedia “Lapsed Catholic”)
My Story
I LOVED the church. It was easy to understand and I knew who was in charge and where to go to when I had problems. However, the problem of being in a structured society is that you must first fit the structured society from the get go. Being from a “broken home” is an automatic deduction of social points in an all-Catholic crowd. To be poor and not wear the latest trend is even worse. The biggest sacrifice my mom made was to put my sister and I through 12 years of Catholic school. It was expensive but the local school system didn’t cut the mustard in my mom’s eyes. But I never fit in. Then, at 16, my grandparents divorced. I found out over my summer break that my grandfather was having an affair. This was devastating to me as my grandfather was my father figure. My grandmother and I dove deeper into religion, going to church even more.
This need blinded me to a lot of things the church was saying. I never really questioned church doctrine; I did as I was told. I even got mad at my classmates who would question the dogma--it was unthinkable to question the Bible. But something started to give around my junior year. The new priest at my parish seemed to care more about the bottom line than our souls. He didn’t answer or clarify anything for me as the old priest had. His first priority was getting the parish out of the red, so we felt as if we were shunned in favor of the richer families. To get back at him, I started asking more questions in his religion class. This questioning started as just something to annoy him, but it jump-started the critical thinking process. I soon began seeing things I took at face value in a different light. The straw that literally broke the camel’s back was a sermon about a camel.
We were covering Matthew 19:24, where Jesus says, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” I thought this was the perfect thing to challenge the priest on as it showed to me the exact error of the priest’s ways in shunning the poor families of the parish. I ran home, and my mom and I both looked it up and what I found completely blew me away.
The “eye of the needle” in Jesus’ time was a small alleyway between the long streets in the city. For a camel to pass, he must be unpacked and, in some instances, crawl through the narrow opening. Jesus was saying that a rich man must be unburdened by his belongings, not that it was impossible. I was floored. I went looking for fodder to throw at the priest and instead God gave me a whole new way of looking at the world. At that moment my thinking changed, and I realized I was no longer Catholic. I felt that God spoke directly to me—I didn’t need the priest to intercede on my behalf. The whole experience really showed me that God is all around and in everything, not the Bible exclusively. I relied less on dogma and more on logic. I became more outgoing and friendlier.
Until the Second Vatican Council, Catholicism taught that there is no salvation apart from the Catholic Church, its sacramental system, the priesthood, and the Pope and this was the party line given to me by this priest. (Since Vatican II, there have been a variety of teachings about salvation. These range from saying that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, to saying that salvation can be found in non-Christian religions.) That blew my mind. I then started questioning everything including the set up of the liturgy itself. Here’s a doodle that pretty much sums up my feelings at that time:
(found at http://indexed.blogspot.com/)
Now I view systems and structured societies with extreme caution and skepticism. I reject the Roman Catholic hierarchy as I believe in the priesthood of all believers. As for systems, I feel, at least now that ultimately we fit in NO boxes completely as there are always exceptions. Some respond to this by cutting off those limbs that stick outside the box, or lying, or making concessions, or realizing that there is no box. The box is constructed by us for us to keep us safe from the CHAOS of the natural world. Those of us to see order in the natural world are less in need of boxes.
What do you know?
What do you think you know?
What would you like to know more about?
Why “Recovering”?
In Roman Catholicism, a lapsed Catholic is a Catholic who has ceased practicing the Catholic religion. Such a person is said to have lapsed from the faith.
According to Catholic belief, if you are baptised as a Catholic you remain a Catholic forever. A comparison with Judaism can be made, where even though a Jew may not practice their faith, they are still Jewish by birth. Baptism is said to seal the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark... of his belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation."
If a Catholic leaves their faith but returns later, they are not required to "reconvert" but often go through RCIA for a refresher education in the faith.
The term "lapsed Catholic" is favored over "ex-Catholic," especially in cases where the person has merely stopped practicing the faith (such as going to mass or confession) but has not actively adopted a new religion. Such people often still nominally identify their religion as Catholic. Even repudiating the entirety of Catholic faith does not make a Catholic un-baptised, but rather an apostate. Likewise, a Catholic who rejects an essential part of the Catholic religion is a heretic, and a Catholic who refuses to submit to the Roman Pontiff is a schismatic.
(from Wikipedia “Lapsed Catholic”)
My Story
I LOVED the church. It was easy to understand and I knew who was in charge and where to go to when I had problems. However, the problem of being in a structured society is that you must first fit the structured society from the get go. Being from a “broken home” is an automatic deduction of social points in an all-Catholic crowd. To be poor and not wear the latest trend is even worse. The biggest sacrifice my mom made was to put my sister and I through 12 years of Catholic school. It was expensive but the local school system didn’t cut the mustard in my mom’s eyes. But I never fit in. Then, at 16, my grandparents divorced. I found out over my summer break that my grandfather was having an affair. This was devastating to me as my grandfather was my father figure. My grandmother and I dove deeper into religion, going to church even more.
This need blinded me to a lot of things the church was saying. I never really questioned church doctrine; I did as I was told. I even got mad at my classmates who would question the dogma--it was unthinkable to question the Bible. But something started to give around my junior year. The new priest at my parish seemed to care more about the bottom line than our souls. He didn’t answer or clarify anything for me as the old priest had. His first priority was getting the parish out of the red, so we felt as if we were shunned in favor of the richer families. To get back at him, I started asking more questions in his religion class. This questioning started as just something to annoy him, but it jump-started the critical thinking process. I soon began seeing things I took at face value in a different light. The straw that literally broke the camel’s back was a sermon about a camel.
We were covering Matthew 19:24, where Jesus says, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” I thought this was the perfect thing to challenge the priest on as it showed to me the exact error of the priest’s ways in shunning the poor families of the parish. I ran home, and my mom and I both looked it up and what I found completely blew me away.
The “eye of the needle” in Jesus’ time was a small alleyway between the long streets in the city. For a camel to pass, he must be unpacked and, in some instances, crawl through the narrow opening. Jesus was saying that a rich man must be unburdened by his belongings, not that it was impossible. I was floored. I went looking for fodder to throw at the priest and instead God gave me a whole new way of looking at the world. At that moment my thinking changed, and I realized I was no longer Catholic. I felt that God spoke directly to me—I didn’t need the priest to intercede on my behalf. The whole experience really showed me that God is all around and in everything, not the Bible exclusively. I relied less on dogma and more on logic. I became more outgoing and friendlier.
Until the Second Vatican Council, Catholicism taught that there is no salvation apart from the Catholic Church, its sacramental system, the priesthood, and the Pope and this was the party line given to me by this priest. (Since Vatican II, there have been a variety of teachings about salvation. These range from saying that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, to saying that salvation can be found in non-Christian religions.) That blew my mind. I then started questioning everything including the set up of the liturgy itself. Here’s a doodle that pretty much sums up my feelings at that time:
(found at http://indexed.blogspot.com/)
Now I view systems and structured societies with extreme caution and skepticism. I reject the Roman Catholic hierarchy as I believe in the priesthood of all believers. As for systems, I feel, at least now that ultimately we fit in NO boxes completely as there are always exceptions. Some respond to this by cutting off those limbs that stick outside the box, or lying, or making concessions, or realizing that there is no box. The box is constructed by us for us to keep us safe from the CHAOS of the natural world. Those of us to see order in the natural world are less in need of boxes.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Heresy
Panzer Pope is on a rampage! First Ratzinger brings back the latin mass.. cause that's exactly what the catholic church needs, a dude babble'n in a dead language about things that normal people don't understand in THEIR OWN LANGUAGE! Also declares in this article that "that other Christian denominations were not true churches". Well count me out then!
If the catholic church is the only true church, then i want no part in it. I thought the founder of the whole religion was out to tell us that we don't really need laws and churches and institutions to get to God, all we needed was love and anything that helped remind us of that love. That is what church is to me, a way to remind myself of God's love and help focus my energy on finding the answers to the present questions bothering me.
Ratzinger also stated "Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of salvation." I would argue that NO CHURCH has the "means of salvation". To me the entire ministry of Jesus and the teachings of Islam and Judaism state that only God can bring salvation and that the individual has to choose if he or she wants to follow that path. Buddha came right out and said that salvation lies within the INDIVIDUAL and I believe that's what religion is calling us to do, wake up and smell the salvation!
This pope is on crack. This is why ppl do not like religion because it's constantly argue'n with itself and looking completely useless and detacted from the REAL church of the human global society.
Switching gears, I saw this all day on Robin and Company:
Michael Moore Serves Wolf
I don't agree with Michael Moore 100% but I really think he brings up great points to consider. And he was completely right about Iraq. I gotta go see sicko and see what's up with this! Another way to illustrate that we are in charge of our own destinies and we must realize this fact before churchs and governments run us into the ground.
If the catholic church is the only true church, then i want no part in it. I thought the founder of the whole religion was out to tell us that we don't really need laws and churches and institutions to get to God, all we needed was love and anything that helped remind us of that love. That is what church is to me, a way to remind myself of God's love and help focus my energy on finding the answers to the present questions bothering me.
Ratzinger also stated "Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of salvation." I would argue that NO CHURCH has the "means of salvation". To me the entire ministry of Jesus and the teachings of Islam and Judaism state that only God can bring salvation and that the individual has to choose if he or she wants to follow that path. Buddha came right out and said that salvation lies within the INDIVIDUAL and I believe that's what religion is calling us to do, wake up and smell the salvation!
This pope is on crack. This is why ppl do not like religion because it's constantly argue'n with itself and looking completely useless and detacted from the REAL church of the human global society.
Switching gears, I saw this all day on Robin and Company:
Michael Moore Serves Wolf
I don't agree with Michael Moore 100% but I really think he brings up great points to consider. And he was completely right about Iraq. I gotta go see sicko and see what's up with this! Another way to illustrate that we are in charge of our own destinies and we must realize this fact before churchs and governments run us into the ground.
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