Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
The Washington Post is appalled that a local Roman Catholic diocese is asking some members to affirm Catholicism before teaching Sunday School. Really.
The story begins with a woman who opposes her church's teachings on the office of ministry, the sanctity of life and the authority of the Magisterium. But she was more than happy to teach Sunday School at her liberal parish in Arlington, Virginia.
But then her bishop asked her to profess her Roman Catholic faith. And that was a bridge too far. She resigned her post and began spilling the beans to the Washington Post. And, of course, they lapped it up. She was a poor victim of patriarchal oppressors or whatever. The story even ends with a comparison of the diocesan oath to Nazism.
In Lutheran confirmation rites, we make a similar confession of faith but instead of saying that we'll "adhere with religious submission of will and intellect to the teachings which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops enunciate when they exercise their authentic Magisterium," (because we'd never agree to such an oath, obviously) we answer the following questions in the affirmative:
Do you hold all the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures to be the inspired Word of God?
Do you confess the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, drawn from the Scriptures, as you have learned to know it from the Small Catechism, to be faithful and true?
Do you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully?
Do you intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to death?
Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?
You'll note that we are repeatedly asked about suffering unto death for our confession of faith.
I can't imagine what the Washington Post would make of such an oath, if just being your basic Catholic is too much for a diocese to ask of its religion teachers.
Today the Washington Post continues with its incredulity that in this day and age, in America, people might be expected to affirm their beliefs in anything other than their deeply held emotions at that particular moment. I'm kind of appalled that they're appalled.
But the Washington Post is probably onto something. Don't most Americans think that they should have every right to build their own personal church? Don't most Americans, be they Catholic or otherwise, sort of pick and choose what aspects of their professed religion they'll follow?
Is it really so surprising that after decades (or more) of this mindset, that some people would bristle at being asked to affirm religious fidelity?
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Comments:
Sep '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi?
Note: typo corrected. There is no ombibus in Latin.
Edited on July 14, 2012 at 5:46pmJun '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Trust, which should lead to obedience.
Jun '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Mollie: As you know from your Mormon in-laws, implicit in the entire Mormon experience is the acceptance of hierarchy and orthodoxy (we call it being obedient).
As with any other religious organization, some members remain in the fold while drifting along with the world: but they're the exception.
Of course, the church engages in no coercion, or anything like it, but Mormons who accept the faith feel no compulsion to build their own church. The one we have is just fine.
Dec '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Mollie, you might enjoy the backstory from George Weigel: Catholics and Modernity.
Libs love this stuff. Just skimming the comments on that first article, I noticed the right-wingers are busy "purging" again. These stories practically write themselves!
Dec '11
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
What I have noticed is "redefining" of things. People somehow believe that it is okay to not believe in the simple meaning of words. I am sure this woman believes that she is a good Catholic even though she was not following Catholic teaching. Basically this is heresy. When did heresy become good and orthodoxy become bad? Well, I guess this is another case of redefinition.
I laughed earlier today when I looked on the Mayor of Chicago Wiki page and saw that Rahm Emanuel was Nonpartisan for political affiliation. Can anyone top that for "redefining" things?
Edited on July 13, 2012 at 4:24pmJun '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
tabula rasa: Mollie: As you know from your Mormon in-laws, implicit in the entire Mormon experience is the acceptance of hierarchy and orthodoxy (we call it being obedient).
As with any other religious organization, some members remain in the fold while drifting along with the world: but they're the exception.
Of course, the church engages in no coercion, or anything like it, but Mormons who accept the faith feel no compulsion to build their own church. The one we have is just fine.
Yes. Usually, the reason that one converts to the LDS Church, or to Catholicism, it that you're looking for well-informed guidance in your spiritual life. You're looking for a wise Prophet (LDS) or a wise Pope that can be the head umpire, telling you what God wants. The rules of a religion work much better with one umpire (who has help)--not a million umpires.
Edited on July 13, 2012 at 4:30pmMar '11
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Please don't be so judgmental. I'm sure the woman in question is a proud Catholic.
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
tabula rasa: Mollie: As you know from your Mormon in-laws, implicit in the entire Mormon experience is the acceptance of hierarchy and orthodoxy (we call it being obedient).
As with any other religious organization, some members remain in the fold while drifting along with the world: but they're the exception.
Of course, the church engages in no coercion, or anything like it, but Mormons who accept the faith feel no compulsion to build their own church. The one we have is just fine. · 17 minutes ago
Yes, although it took me years to figure out why I was getting different answers to the same questions from my LDS friends and family. Finally one sat me down and explained that without a systematic theology and with a belief in ongoing personal revelation, the different answers were considered a feature and not a bug.
To some extent, this type of story I'm critiquing above can really only be done against creedal churches. But, as you point out, even just the hierarchical nature of the LDS makes it suspect in the eyes of the media.
Sep '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Though they have not read the authors in question, the typical nominal Catholic who when confronted with confessing the faith and assenting to the Magisterium, remains shocked, shocked at the coercive nature of the Papal Rack, has simply imbibed the presuppositions of many liberal Protestant theologians who misunderstand the following text of Aquinas in his Summa Theologiae:
Edited on July 13, 2012 at 4:33pmMay '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
For 2000 years the mission of the Church has been to bring people closer to God. We have reached a point in our arrogance where the mission is to bring God to our position. Once you accept the latter proposal you have killed the church.
Apr '11
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
I wanna new bumper sticker:
"Question Authority?"
Sep '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
a wise Pope that can be the head umpire, telling you what God wants.
You are looking for a Magisterium to ensure the faithful transmission of the Deposit of Faith without fallacious additions or subtractions. Doctrine can develop or deepen in understanding as Newman wrote in his Development of Doctrine or the late Swiss Theologian Charles Cardinal Journet wrote in his short work What is Dogma? The conformity of your will to God's will is up to you, as you learn to cooperate with God's grace -- freely given -- and the Church has a body of saints and blesseds (and a select corpus of 33 Doctors of the Church) to guide you in that search as you proceed down the narrow road that we must all traverse and allow grace to perfect nature in your acquired and infused cardinal and theological virtues assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit which manifest in their fruits as you avail yourself frequently of the sacraments our Lord instituted.
Sep '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Yes, as Augustine said: Pride, the root vice that poisons all fruit going back to the Garden of Eden.
Aug '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Easy solution. Just lie.
I had to sign a "statement of faith" when I was a camp counselor at a Bible camp. Even though I'm a pretty devout Christian, there were a couple of items on the statement of faith which I wasn't in 100% total agreement with (I'm skeptical about the Trinity, yadda yadda yadda).
Just sign the freakin' sheet of paper, man.
Aug '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Pseudodionysius
Yes, as Augustine said: Pride, the root vice that poisons all fruit going back to the Garden of Eden. · 7 minutes ago
Me, I think envy is the root vice. Eve ate the apple because she was envious of God.
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Misthiocracy: Easy solution. Just lie.
I had to sign a "statement of faith" when I was a camp counselor at a Bible camp. Even though I'm a pretty devout Christian, there were a couple of items on the statement of faith which I wasn't in 100% total agreement with (I'm skeptical about the Trinity, yadda yadda yadda).
Just sign the freakin' sheet of paper, man. · 1 minute ago
What horrible advice! If you don't believe something, you should never lie and claim you do. In that regard, I actually love that these Sunday School teachers had the integrity that others lack.
I once was asked to sign a statement of faith for volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center that I couldn't sign on to. They were of the evangelical persuasion and it just wouldn't have been honest. I still help that pregnancy center out, but not as an official volunteer.
Oct '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
First of all, Mollie, boo to you for making me read the WashPo.
Dr Zagarri's letter makes four objections to imposing the CDF Profession of Faith on catechists (or whatever the appropriate noun is):
Objections 1 and 2 are questions of management. To the extent there is a (perceived) problem, perhaps the oath is the way to go.
Objection 3 is made in respect of both (a) the teachings on faith and morals and (b) the teaching of the Authentic Magisterium. (Logically 4 can only apply to (b)).
In my understanding, point 3 only applies to (a) - the very wording of the Authentic Magisterium paragraph is so that faith is not compelled (AD TUENDAM FIDEM).
Which really leaves us with the professor wanting catechists to be able to have private reservations with respect to definitive Church teachings on faith and morals. Very un-JPII.
Oct '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Yes, although it took me years to figure out why I was getting different answers to the same questions from my LDS friends and family. Finally one sat me down and explained that without a systematic theology and with a belief in ongoing personal revelation, the different answers were considered a feature and not a bug.
To some extent, this type of story I'm critiquing above can really only be done against creedal churches. But, as you point out, even just the hierarchical nature of the LDS makes it suspect in the eyes of the media. · 14 minutes ago
That's true, we believe in ongoing revelation. We Mormons also tend to be proud of our hierarchical nature; it's served us rather well. It helps insulate morality from ideological and political trends (though it doesn't always make us popular).
Feb '12
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Now that we've had 50 years of leaving the Bible out of the government schools, can we have 50 years of requiring students to read it? Not require them to pray, not to accept any doctrine, but only to learn what's between the covers.
I'm confident it would lower our level of folly a notch.
Sep '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Misthiocracy
Pseudodionysius
Yes, as Augustine said: Pride, the root vice that poisons all fruit going back to the Garden of Eden. · 7 minutes ago
Me, I think envy is the root vice. Eve ate the apple because she was envious of God. · 6 minutes ago