Tale of Two Sermons
Feb. 19th, 2012 10:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat A Tale of Two Sermons
I know I shouldn't write about this topic. Before I do? A few caveats that you should know. I was raised in the Catholic Church and for 39 years, I could not quite leave it. Oh I explored every religion on the planet, but I never quite left the Catholic Church. I even went back to the church, did the whole 9 yards so to speak, the confession, the stations of the cross...etc. And as child, I believed in the tranmutation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.
My parents still practice. My father went to the seminary as a young man. One of my uncles is a priest. And my mother converted to Catholicism because she wanted to join something and Vatican II made it possible.
Vatican II is no more. The next two Pope's undid it. The church regressed to the state it was in before Vatican II.
I have not stepped foot in the Catholic Church since 2004. I joined the Unitarian Universalist religion in 2011. And today my decision was reconfirmed.
My mother and I both went to church this morning. My mother in South Carolina to a Catholic Church, she was in a good mood, she'd gone to a wonderful spiritual concert the night before that told the story of "drinking coffee being a sin" and how one woman rebelled and challenged it. Full of beautiful metaphors about freedom. I, in NYC, went to a Unitarian Universalist Church - I was in a bad mood. Tense. And not feeling well. My shoulders and body ached. But I went. And I was running late. Quite late in fact. Barely made it in time.
We both heard a sermon on the US Congress debate on Religious Freedom as it relates to contraception and homosexual issues. My mother left her church nauseated, filled with rage, hating everyone in the congregation, she wanted walk out, furious, angry, wishing she never had gone. I left my church comforted, happy, loving humanity, feeling for the first time all week filled with love and compassion for my fellow humans.
The two sermons?
1) Sermon #1: The Rev. of my church, a young minister, who happens to be homosexual with a life-partner, gave a sermon on how we all have value. That we all have a light to bring and let it glow. He spoke about how no one in the clergy should have provide medical advice. That the congressional hearings on female contraception had male clergy and men testifying, no women, not one. It was a clear abuse of paternal or patriarchial power. Men who knew nothing about women's health issues or their bodies declaring what should be done about them and linking it to their religious freedom. He asked the congregation what words came to mind when we thought about freedom? And we declared: "Choice, Liberty, Faith, Belief". No where did health come into play. He talked about a story that we were told earlier...an old tale about a village who built a church of granite and glass, but there was no light - said the child. Worry not, said her father, each family has been given a light. Where is our's asked his daughter. Your mother is bringing it. Long after her mother was dead, the daughter brought the light, and her daughters, and theirs. And the Rev said in a faith that denies a woman a choice, is akin to having the man hold the lamp for her all her life not allowing her to say a word for she is nothing, no one.
The Rev asked if any of us had ever had anyone criticize or order us to do something in a mean voice? How did we feel about them? Did we feel compassion? Could we? And how many of us felt we were right, absolutely about something? And wished we ran the world to our liking. If only we were in control and could do everything our way? He said...there's a T-shirt online about Unitarian Universalism - which states "The Bedrock of Unitarian Universalism is Your Guess is As Good As Mine." - Which he hopes is a joke. Because in truth it is compassion. And it is so hard to feel compassion for people who hurt us and we disagree with.
2) Sermon #2: The Priest at my mother's church gave the opposite sermon. He preached that birth control was wrong and against God. And religious freedom. And promoted sinful acts such as homosexuality. That people needed to be guided by the true faith. The congregation clapped and cheered. And those next to her in choir stated how there was a prayer group to "pray for their enemies" such as "Obama".
She was so sick, she wanted to leave. She felt she didn't belong. And She felt filled with hate for everyone in her church.
I cry for my mother. Who sings with all her heart in the choir. And at the age of 69...feels she made a mistake. She loves the rituals of the Catholic Church, she loves the music. She loves the Mass. But today she couldn't even read the Apostles Creed. She felt like someone had punched her hard in the gut.
It's so ironic. This month, NY State has told churches in NYC that they can no longer congregate in schools since this is against the Constitution and Separation of Church and State. This to me is a clear violation of religious freedom, but the Catholic Church has not fought it. They could care less. This week, Catholics celebrated the elevation of the NY archbishop to Cardinal. A Cardinal who has preached hate and intolerance for weeks. And is rich with all his pretty robes and adornments, in a city filled with homeless. And contraception for those who do not know is not just about not having children, but also about controlling hormonal imbalances, helping with perimenupause. I took the pill for years - not as "birth control" but to lessen painful periods and keep my hormones in balance. A Pope who has never been wed and knows no women cannot understand this. Who doesn't know anatomy or women's health. To make such a declaration would be akin to me stating that drugs to correct impotence in men are wrong. A man should not be allowed to dictate anything in regards to female health without a degree in female medical health issues.
To do otherwise is an abuse of power.
There is great beauty in the Catholic religion, the rituals are goregous, as are the songs. But the buildings are empty and dark and there is no light inside them. No love. No compassion. And if it continues in this vein, the cancer at it's center will spread and rot will crumble it's walls. It is a dying religion. A dead one. And Percy Blyshe Shelly's poem comes to mind...I repost it here...
A cautionary tale of power and the desire for immortality above all else.
I wish I could tell my mother what to do. To leave her church. To stop paying. I want to tell all Catholics across the US to stop giving the church money, to cut off funds. And across Europe - no money. Women everywhere just stop going to Catholic Church, stop giving it money, stop supporting it. But...it's NOT that simple. The people give my mother joy and the community does. It's hard to know what to do. It's like what the reverand at my church said.. today, to find a way to feel compassion for those who make us angry, to not see them as enemies, and to be kind is a very hard thing. I struggle with it daily. It's hard to turn the other check. It's hard not to want to punch someone who punches you. Where do you put the anger? Why can't you throw it back on them? Because..because it makes it worse. It always does.
I think politics and religion should be kept separate, yet it is not that simple. I keep trying to comparmentalize. But can't. And it's hard to know what to fight for. At any rate, when I gave money at church today it was split between the Tillary Women's Shelter and my Church. It's a small thing, but something.
I know I shouldn't write about this topic. Before I do? A few caveats that you should know. I was raised in the Catholic Church and for 39 years, I could not quite leave it. Oh I explored every religion on the planet, but I never quite left the Catholic Church. I even went back to the church, did the whole 9 yards so to speak, the confession, the stations of the cross...etc. And as child, I believed in the tranmutation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.
My parents still practice. My father went to the seminary as a young man. One of my uncles is a priest. And my mother converted to Catholicism because she wanted to join something and Vatican II made it possible.
Vatican II is no more. The next two Pope's undid it. The church regressed to the state it was in before Vatican II.
I have not stepped foot in the Catholic Church since 2004. I joined the Unitarian Universalist religion in 2011. And today my decision was reconfirmed.
My mother and I both went to church this morning. My mother in South Carolina to a Catholic Church, she was in a good mood, she'd gone to a wonderful spiritual concert the night before that told the story of "drinking coffee being a sin" and how one woman rebelled and challenged it. Full of beautiful metaphors about freedom. I, in NYC, went to a Unitarian Universalist Church - I was in a bad mood. Tense. And not feeling well. My shoulders and body ached. But I went. And I was running late. Quite late in fact. Barely made it in time.
We both heard a sermon on the US Congress debate on Religious Freedom as it relates to contraception and homosexual issues. My mother left her church nauseated, filled with rage, hating everyone in the congregation, she wanted walk out, furious, angry, wishing she never had gone. I left my church comforted, happy, loving humanity, feeling for the first time all week filled with love and compassion for my fellow humans.
The two sermons?
1) Sermon #1: The Rev. of my church, a young minister, who happens to be homosexual with a life-partner, gave a sermon on how we all have value. That we all have a light to bring and let it glow. He spoke about how no one in the clergy should have provide medical advice. That the congressional hearings on female contraception had male clergy and men testifying, no women, not one. It was a clear abuse of paternal or patriarchial power. Men who knew nothing about women's health issues or their bodies declaring what should be done about them and linking it to their religious freedom. He asked the congregation what words came to mind when we thought about freedom? And we declared: "Choice, Liberty, Faith, Belief". No where did health come into play. He talked about a story that we were told earlier...an old tale about a village who built a church of granite and glass, but there was no light - said the child. Worry not, said her father, each family has been given a light. Where is our's asked his daughter. Your mother is bringing it. Long after her mother was dead, the daughter brought the light, and her daughters, and theirs. And the Rev said in a faith that denies a woman a choice, is akin to having the man hold the lamp for her all her life not allowing her to say a word for she is nothing, no one.
The Rev asked if any of us had ever had anyone criticize or order us to do something in a mean voice? How did we feel about them? Did we feel compassion? Could we? And how many of us felt we were right, absolutely about something? And wished we ran the world to our liking. If only we were in control and could do everything our way? He said...there's a T-shirt online about Unitarian Universalism - which states "The Bedrock of Unitarian Universalism is Your Guess is As Good As Mine." - Which he hopes is a joke. Because in truth it is compassion. And it is so hard to feel compassion for people who hurt us and we disagree with.
2) Sermon #2: The Priest at my mother's church gave the opposite sermon. He preached that birth control was wrong and against God. And religious freedom. And promoted sinful acts such as homosexuality. That people needed to be guided by the true faith. The congregation clapped and cheered. And those next to her in choir stated how there was a prayer group to "pray for their enemies" such as "Obama".
She was so sick, she wanted to leave. She felt she didn't belong. And She felt filled with hate for everyone in her church.
I cry for my mother. Who sings with all her heart in the choir. And at the age of 69...feels she made a mistake. She loves the rituals of the Catholic Church, she loves the music. She loves the Mass. But today she couldn't even read the Apostles Creed. She felt like someone had punched her hard in the gut.
It's so ironic. This month, NY State has told churches in NYC that they can no longer congregate in schools since this is against the Constitution and Separation of Church and State. This to me is a clear violation of religious freedom, but the Catholic Church has not fought it. They could care less. This week, Catholics celebrated the elevation of the NY archbishop to Cardinal. A Cardinal who has preached hate and intolerance for weeks. And is rich with all his pretty robes and adornments, in a city filled with homeless. And contraception for those who do not know is not just about not having children, but also about controlling hormonal imbalances, helping with perimenupause. I took the pill for years - not as "birth control" but to lessen painful periods and keep my hormones in balance. A Pope who has never been wed and knows no women cannot understand this. Who doesn't know anatomy or women's health. To make such a declaration would be akin to me stating that drugs to correct impotence in men are wrong. A man should not be allowed to dictate anything in regards to female health without a degree in female medical health issues.
To do otherwise is an abuse of power.
There is great beauty in the Catholic religion, the rituals are goregous, as are the songs. But the buildings are empty and dark and there is no light inside them. No love. No compassion. And if it continues in this vein, the cancer at it's center will spread and rot will crumble it's walls. It is a dying religion. A dead one. And Percy Blyshe Shelly's poem comes to mind...I repost it here...
Ozymandias.
I MET a Traveler from an antique land,
Who said, "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read,
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is OZYMANDIAS, King of Kings."
Look on my works ye Mighty, and despair!
No thing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that Colossal Wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
A cautionary tale of power and the desire for immortality above all else.
I wish I could tell my mother what to do. To leave her church. To stop paying. I want to tell all Catholics across the US to stop giving the church money, to cut off funds. And across Europe - no money. Women everywhere just stop going to Catholic Church, stop giving it money, stop supporting it. But...it's NOT that simple. The people give my mother joy and the community does. It's hard to know what to do. It's like what the reverand at my church said.. today, to find a way to feel compassion for those who make us angry, to not see them as enemies, and to be kind is a very hard thing. I struggle with it daily. It's hard to turn the other check. It's hard not to want to punch someone who punches you. Where do you put the anger? Why can't you throw it back on them? Because..because it makes it worse. It always does.
I think politics and religion should be kept separate, yet it is not that simple. I keep trying to comparmentalize. But can't. And it's hard to know what to fight for. At any rate, when I gave money at church today it was split between the Tillary Women's Shelter and my Church. It's a small thing, but something.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-02-20 02:48 pm (UTC)Her church is a mixed bag, I think. As long as it stays away from political issues - she's fine. She loves her small ministry group that meets twice a month and is incredibly supportive of each other - being there when either of my parents got ill.
It's partly where she lives...South Carolina is an incredibly conservative state.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-20 01:59 pm (UTC)I think that one can leave Catholicism, but Catholicism never leaves you. The things you write about, how the ritual, song and beautiful buildings are partly what made it wonderful. I can't imagine being (heh, rather than participating) in any other religion than Catholic. My Catholicism was really beautiful. I took to heart the good stuff. I can't abide what they've done to that.
The church I grew up in, though I didn't know it at the time, was quite flexible, liberal about many matters. I was an altar girl for years. I was welcomed. It was never a matter of gender. I thought all Catholic churches were like that. Now I live in what is considered one of the most conservative of all American dioceses. I've never stepped in one here. They wouldn't even sign the document the bishops put out a few years ago about protecting children. It's ghastly how they won't do that. Not sure if it partly a Canadian American divide in how the churches are run.
I'm glad you've found a church that gives you joy. Pretty much the point I think.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-20 02:42 pm (UTC)This is what my mother conveyed to me last night. My brother and I were never truly Catholic...he's agnostic and doesn't go to any Church, and I'm Unitarian Universalist (which appears to get a lot of former dissatisfied Catholics - our Life-Span Minister was raised Catholic.)
But for my mother...whose parents never attended church and desperately wanted to find one to belong to. Who adores the ritual and song. And loved the Church during Vatican II...
She and my father...have been taking the same attitude that your mother is. Or have become as my mother calls it cafeteria Catholics.
They ignore the priests and Popes. They love their small ministery group that meets twice a month. And my mother loves being in the choir.
And my father is on the Church Council. But I'm not sure how much longer they'll be able to compartmentalize. My father didn't hear most of the sermon - he sits at the back of the church and can't hear that well. So was able to ignore it.
It's hard for them...there's things they love about their religion, the things they hate have nothing to do with it and everything to do with those old men who have come to power. The ultra-conservative right-wing Christians make my heart hurt. I just want to shake them.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-20 02:43 pm (UTC)I think the result of this trend over decades has been that the Catholic church which had been getting dramatically more liberal during my youth has been turning more conservative, precisely because the remaining loyal members are more conservative. Their numbers continue to shrink both in North America and Europe, and there are signs the same thing is starting to happen in South America.
The Catholic Church for important reasons has always been a monolith, but that works as a "universal" only when the vast majority agrees with the leadership. When there is no shame or effective compulsion to force people to comply, then the monolith must eventually begin to crumble. My Catholic cousins who are nuns must feel a bit jealous of my sister who has been a Protestant minister. When women, like Ann1962 above, say they are Catholic, but feel they have no part in the local church, then the Catholic Church will surely lose most of their children and grandchildren. Either the Catholic Church reinvents itself or in a few generations it will be a shadow of its already reduced state of today.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-20 03:34 pm (UTC)However, In 2001-2002, I met and was close friends with a young woman whose parents were Catholic missionaries. She was an artist, half Puerto Rican/half Italian, and spear-heading a young Catholics movement.
There is - as my mother pointed out to me last night - quite a few Catholics in the Latino community in the US and they are growing. Also the Evangelical Fundamentalist Movement is growing in South America.
So...
I think in about 20-30 more years? The Catholic Church will be a shadow of its current self, and within 50 years...it may be little more than a small denomination with not much of a voice. The Evangelical Movement appears to be taking over.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-20 08:08 pm (UTC)Allowing employees the opportunity to choose their own healthcare isn't imposing on priest's right to preach their beliefs. It's simply allowing employees the right to make their own choice.
*sigh* we live in a time of backlash.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-20 09:57 pm (UTC)So true. And is it just me or are these religions all incredibly paternalistic? It's like its not just a backlash regarding religious choice but also one in regards to women's rights and how women are viewed. I want to ask these guys, what's your problem? Afraid women will take away your power or something? Seriously.
The modern romance novelists are certainly picking up on it. Currently reading Sweet Revenge - and that's a huge theme.