The Catholic Church is all about the amassing of power and influence. Always were, always will be. As you say, they do not act in the best interest of the public, and shamefully take advantage of the uneducated in the Third World countries that don't know enough to question them.
My family dropped out of Catholicism over the secondary role of women. But they lost me before that when I had to listen to a sermon denouncing Monty Python's Life of Brian, because it told people to 'think for themselves.' That was the day I became a Recovering Catholic.
I have a whole post about religion in general and Catholicism in particular, here: http://darwinfish2.blogspot.com/2010/02/holy-shit.html
Thanks for sharing that story! I enjoy reading the stories of people dropping out of the church, not because I like to see people becoming agnostic or atheist, but because it often shows the darker side of religion. A lot of these stories qualify as horror stories.
Anywho, I just don't see how they can be considered a force for good. What aid they provide is overshadowed by the harm they cause. And I certainly can't stand anyone or any organization who says 'just be obedient'.
As an ex-Catholic, much of what you said here resonated with me. The guilt, emotional repression, contradictions, and emphasis on blind obedience sapped so much vitality from my life when I was a believer. I look back on the day I lost my faith as the day I started the journey to real adulthood.
You're absolutely right about the Catholic church's ban on contraception -- it robs people of reproductive autonomy and endangers lives, especially in countries with high rates of HIV infection.
To boot, the church's handling of the clergy sexual abuse crisis has been anemic at best, and hideously cruel at worst. I admire the work of groups such as Bishop Accountability and Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in confronting this ugly crisis.
It's sad how callous the church has been on these topics. They really have a very unique potential to do real good in this world. They are a large group with plenty of money, yet they squander it on b.s..
I'm glad you enjoyed the podcast, and I'm glad to hear you were able to break away from something that was so draining of your happiness.
Right on, brother.
ReplyDeleteThe Catholic Church is all about the amassing of power and influence. Always were, always will be. As you say, they do not act in the best interest of the public, and shamefully take advantage of the uneducated in the Third World countries that don't know enough to question them.
My family dropped out of Catholicism over the secondary role of women. But they lost me before that when I had to listen to a sermon denouncing Monty Python's Life of Brian, because it told people to 'think for themselves.' That was the day I became a Recovering Catholic.
I have a whole post about religion in general and Catholicism in particular, here: http://darwinfish2.blogspot.com/2010/02/holy-shit.html
Thanks for sharing that story! I enjoy reading the stories of people dropping out of the church, not because I like to see people becoming agnostic or atheist, but because it often shows the darker side of religion. A lot of these stories qualify as horror stories.
ReplyDeleteAnywho, I just don't see how they can be considered a force for good. What aid they provide is overshadowed by the harm they cause. And I certainly can't stand anyone or any organization who says 'just be obedient'.
As an ex-Catholic, much of what you said here resonated with me. The guilt, emotional repression, contradictions, and emphasis on blind obedience sapped so much vitality from my life when I was a believer. I look back on the day I lost my faith as the day I started the journey to real adulthood.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right about the Catholic church's ban on contraception -- it robs people of reproductive autonomy and endangers lives, especially in countries with high rates of HIV infection.
To boot, the church's handling of the clergy sexual abuse crisis has been anemic at best, and hideously cruel at worst. I admire the work of groups such as Bishop Accountability and Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in confronting this ugly crisis.
It's sad how callous the church has been on these topics. They really have a very unique potential to do real good in this world. They are a large group with plenty of money, yet they squander it on b.s..
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the podcast, and I'm glad to hear you were able to break away from something that was so draining of your happiness.
Glad to see ya Ahab! Your blog rocks! Hope you visit often my friend!
ReplyDelete