2.05.2004

Apologies and Apologetics

I do apologize if my anti-Catholic-Church screed on Ms. D's site offended anyone. I'm not against Catholics, of course. I've had both my children baptized in the Church in addition to their UU Welcoming Ceremonies, because I firmly believe that the Church has to change or die, and I'm betting that it will have transformed by the time my children are old enough to make choices about their spirituality.

But, in its current incarnation, the Church is not a place I can believe in. Possibly this is due to having two of my favorite childhood priests unmasked as active child molesters. Possibly this is due to watching the attrition of clergy and closure of convents as the Church fails to cope with reality (women should be priests, and able to marry priests). Most likely it is the realization of why I no longer attend Confession: the Church considers many of my actions sinful when I do not.

In my opinon, intelligent people who continue to attend Catholic services have actively chosen to distance themselves from the current patriarchal and sexist framework. This is similar to what I do when I eat meat. I have conditioned myself not to think about the pain the animal went through so that I can enjoy my meal. A progressive woman who attends Catholic services has to have conditioned herself as well: to enjoy the community, the singing, the ritual, and the reminders about how to be a decent person without actively considering her limited role in the agency that makes the services possible.

I miss the ritual, I miss the righteous rightness and wrongness. I really do. But I'm not going back there any time soon.

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