Non-Catholics Rant
Warning, this post is probably going to offend someone along the way, please try your best if you are easily butt hurt to avoid reading any further.Recently I've just gotten fed up with non-Catholics. I've been a devoute Catholic all my life. I get up and go to church every week without exception because that is what we are supposed to do and I feel a need to do it. I was born and baptized as a Catholic and I will not convert to any other faith, becuase in esesence, all faiths that support the general Judeo-Christian belief are derivatives of Catholicism.
To explain further, the only group of Christains that are any different than Catholics are Jews. The Jewish people denounce Christ as anything more than a prophet, but they do not deny his role in the early Catholic church. Baptists/followers of Martin Luther are simply people who disliked the tradition of Catholics to follow in apostolic descent (read: the pope and his role as the direct descendent of St. Peter) and decided to make a new faith that very closely mirrors the beliefs of Catholicism, but leaves out the parts they did not care to follow. So you are a baptist, and you don't like the idea of confession to a priest...well that is all that has ever been expected of you, so why would you start visiting priests to recieve absolution now? Most baptist folks will all but tell me I am crazy for going visit a man to confess my sins. The mistake they make is in the assumption that the priest is hearing my sins and not God himself. To which they would pose the question, well if you are talking to God, why the priest...he's non-essential in this equation. To quote from a Catholic apologetics website:
The power to forgive sins was one Christ gave to his apostles (Luke 10:16; 2 Cor. 5:18-20). After he rose from the dead Christ said to the apostles, "'As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained'" (John 20:22-23).
We can be truly sorry for our sins--that is essential for forgiveness--but we can't forgive our own sins. We can't absolve ourselves. That is a power reserved to God alone. Through Christ that power was conferred on his apostles and their successors, the bishops, and their helpers, the priests. Confession is not an option. It is the ordinary (normative) means through which sins are forgiven.
The point is, as much as you would like to hope you can suffice to speak with God to make good for the sins you have committed, you are not capable of forgiveness in the sense that God wishes us to feel. If you have never experienced the healing power of receieving the sacrament of reconciliation, you perhaps will not understand. The feeling and emotions of a person admitting their humanity and the humility that it brings to you are beyond any personal bond you can have with God (un-assisted self confession with God).
One of the entire points of going to Church is to understand that we are a body of Christ and that we are as one in the community with each other as the hands are to the legs of a person. Self forgiveness and your own personal relationship to God are great, but the real mission and the real word of God calls us to be a people of service to God and others. We are not here to simply do our thing (go to church, give the money, ask for forgiveness, etc) and expect the reward to be there when we die. We are here to be humbled in the presence of our loving creator and to continually seek out how we can attempt to be more like him. Self-forgiveness does not encourage this thought process. It is introverted and it does not serve the community. It only serves to make you feel better about what you have done.
Next up for me to rant on about are non-denominationals and those who feel that Church is more of a "come and go as you please" type of establishment. Okay, these people are off the farm, applecart, whatever you can think of. They do often have similar beliefs that Catholics share. Here is the problem though, they are a Church of marketers that are just looking for people's money. The main premisis of most of these churches is that God and how you pray are all subject to your own way you wish to do it. So, if you don't feel like coming to church this week, fine. Don't wanna have to think about your responsiblity for prayer, fasting, or almsgiving during lent, that's fine too. See the crucial thing to get more money out of people is simply to do anything but make them feel uncomfortable. I've been to a non-denominational church and let me tell you, I feel more like I'm at a rock concert than a church. Lights, cameras, action! Loud music, lots of "energetic" speakers, talking about anything but how bad you are or how you should feel about things. There is not a drop of guilt that is laid on anyone for anything they have ever done. They feed you and give you drinks while you enjoin in the crowd. Heck this weekend on Easter Sunday the local non-denominational church is giving away ipods and bikes to kids! What in God's green Earth does this have to do with Christ's resurrection from the dead? His death and passing into life is far more important, but guess what ....kids love IPODS! Those are popular and very material...that'll get people in here. Do you see any Catholic church handing out ipods or bikes to their members for joining up? Do you see Catholics getting really anything ever at church? Perhaps we have a food drive for some cause where you pay a fee (donation) or you may get some free donuts after church but that's about all. We don't need food or freebies to get people in the door at the Catholic church. We only use the word of God and the beliefs we feel are the truth.
Enough of that, I'm sure that already aggrivated my friends. Point is nobody feels bad getting there or leaving. In fact most of what is retained is nothing more than the bookmarked areas in the bible that the preacher was pounding into those skulls full of mush. Do those really do you any good? Do the flashy lights and loud music do any good? For me the answer is a resounding no.
Going to church and participating in the mass is an experience that should be a weekly time for reflection, giving, and action. You should be reflecting on the liturgy of the word service when the scriptures are read and the homily when the priest shows you practical application of this in life. You should be giving what you feel you can to the church to support the church fiscally when we present God the gifts. We should also be acting, when we take part in rememberance of what Christ calls us to do. Christ said this IS my body (not a representation) do THIS in memory of me (not just on special days) and he says that I am the bread of life, he who believes in me shall not die...no one goes to the father, unless he comes through me. These all of course are references to taking and eating the transubstantiated body and blood of Christ on a regular basis.
These all are rules of the Catholic church. Rules are things people do not like becuase they feel boxed in like an animal and that they are forced to follow the straight and narrow. Rules are laxed in other faiths, but in the Catholic church, you are held accountable for your adherance to the rules. Rules do not work in churches where you are trying to maximize profit because grief, stress, and personal reflection do not make you want to take out your wallet. If anything people do not want the magnifying glass pointed at them and to have their lives scrutinized.
In closing, I think God calls us all to live a life where scrutiny isn't feared. If someone really wanted to know what I do behind closed doors, I'd gladly tell them becuase it isn't bad. I don't think the simple act of asking someone for forgiveness is that bad. Just the same I feel that rules are not a bad thing. Rules give me guidance on how I should best live my life, instead of religion becoming a subjectivist view of philosophy more than a faith.
posted by Agent_Smith @ 8:28 AM
3 comments
