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:
Feb '12
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Let the WaPo be appalled!
1. There seems to be some confusion as to what a catechist is commissioned to do: teach the Catholic faith. That faith is what the Magisterium has defined it to be. If we do not agree with the Magisterium, then we shouldn't be teaching catechism.
2. A "loyalty oath", to the extent that it would be required, would merely be an expression of agreement with the teachings of the Magisterium on faith and morals. Further education may or may not assist a catechist who does not agree with the Magisterium to come to such a position. The oath should still be required.
3. "Private reservations" of a theologian to belief in a doctrine he or she has an authoritative understanding of, and yet does not consent to, has always been accepted. It is public dissent that is not permitted (and yet has been practiced over and over again by Catholics in the modern era.)
4. It always has been up to the parish Director of Religious Education whether a catechist's "private reservations" about a certain doctrine should be overlooked. Such "private reservations" should not lead a catechist to public scandal!
Mar '11
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Actually, I'm all for "making your own church" if you can't find one that suits your belief. I'm doing that myself right now. But that means that you read and pray on your own because you disagree with the doctrines of the available churches in your area. NOT that you join those churches, and then attempt to force them to accommodate you. Doesn't work that way. If you don't agree with a churches teachings, then leave. If that's a difficult concept for you, then you're either dense or have a sense of entitlement or both.
Mar '11
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. · 10 hours ago
Ummm... then what explains all the breakaway churches? Even back when I was a Mormon (as a youth), there was the Reorganized Church of LDS (IIRC, the descendants-of-Joseph-Smith bunch... they call themselves something else now). Today there are several more heretical breakaway LDS churches. As long as you have differences of opinion, denominations will continue to split and spawn new ones, no matter the branch.
Jun '12
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Paul A. Rahe: As it happens, I know rather well one of the Sunday school teachers who took umbrage and resigned. Rosemarie Zagarri is a capable historian of the American Revolution and of the early republic, and I know that, in the past, she has struggled with her faith (as have I). If she remains at sea in this particular, it strikes me that she is not especially well qualified to teach Catholic doctrine to young people.
One of the main reasons that the Catholic Church in the United States is in such a pickle is its failure to properly catechize its members (young and old). How can non-believers effectively teach a doctrine in which they do not believe? · 9 hours ago
Hear, hear!
Jun '12
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Western Chauvinist
I wish this was always the case. But I know many "serious" cradle Catholics (can recite their Baltimore Catechism to this day and regularly receive the sacraments) who fall for the social justice drivel. My own mother is one of them.
Ole Screwtape is a clever fellow and knows the weaknesses of men better than we know them ourselves. For many older cradle Catholics, it isn't a problem of poor catechesis, it's a problem of succumbing to the temptation to place "my good intentions" over the will of God. · 6 hours ago
Agree wholeheartedly sir! A "serious" Catholic to me is a Newman-Chesterton-JPII-B16-Weigel kind of Catholic.
Jun '12
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Jenn B.: I know many people who struggle to understand some of the Church’s more controversial teachings but would never publically present their differing opinion as somehow more representative of a Catholic, or even Christian, perspective. I don’t understand why “Catholics” who so openly reject the Church’s teaching remain in the Catholic Church.
The idea that the Church is “bleeding members and clergy” because of its hierarchical nature and teaching on sexuality, amongst other counter-cultural beliefs, is untrue. It is more due to poor catechesis on controversial matters as well as a lack of authentic witness and fidelity to the Magisterium amongst the clergy, religious, and those involved in Catholic education over the past 30+ years. This is changing, particularly among youth / young adults who have found that living in opposition to Church teaching has not lead to greater happiness for our parent’s generation and many of our peers. · 8 hours ago
Bravo!
Dec '11
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Donald Todd: Blue
I read: Oh wait, that story is made up, but the Post is insane.
I do not know if you are writing about the Washington Post or the feed here at Ricochet. Please instruct my ignorance. · 18 hours ago
Edited 18 hours ago
The story I told in the first paragraph was made up. It was simply an apt analogy of of what the former Sunday School teacher was complaining of and the Post is insane for giving voice to her grievance, as they certainly would mock anyone who, thought they had a legitimate grievance in the story I made up.
As an atheist I have real distaste for the media's disdain of religion. I want to know why I can not believe and have tremendous respect and admiration for those who do, while liberal non-believers having nothing but disdain for people of faith and religious institutions?
Mar '12
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Blue, thank you. I appreciate your tone. If you come to Georgia, lets meet at Starbucks, drink caffeine, and have a conversation.
As a Catholic, some of our own periodicals have disdain for Catholics, so I don't need the Post to find this issue. It is apparent with the half-Catholics, the former Catholics, and those who want the Catholic Church to baptize their beliefs, no matter what those beliefs entail.
As to why you cannot believe, I don't have an answer. I was once an atheist but could not support atheistic positions regarding the evolution of life. One accident is followed by another accident, leading to a third accident, etc. The accidents achieve not only life, but reason and the ability to perform scientific experiments leading to a greater understanding of life and the world around us. There comes with the experimentation an understanding of laws, such as physics and biology, all of which are accidents. Accidental laws are the basis for reasoning, living accidents called human beings.
There is more, but this is probably not the place to tackle such an immense consideration.
Thanks.
dt
Apr '12
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Just what I was thinking. If you don't want to be a Roman Catholic, find a denomination you can abide. Here's a list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations
There might be more than a thousand branches of Christianity on that list. If you don't like any of those, start your own! Or maybe you need to check out the Taoists, Buddhists, Confucianists, Shinto, Judaism, or Islam. Most of them have just as many sub-groups as that list of Christian denominations. How about Rastafarianism, dudes?
But if you're going to claim to be a Roman Catholic and teach others how to be Roman Catholics, then for God's sake (literally, as JB might say), be a Roman Catholic.
And I should mention that I am not and have never been (in this life) a Roman Catholic, but let's just use a bit of logic. Freedom of religion does not mean the freedom to dictate what your church believes.
Apr '12
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Given the list I just posted, I'm willing to bet there is a group who agrees with you out there somewhere. The fun part is finding them. Of course, one can't always trust the Wikipedia entries. I think someone who never actually heard of our church wrote the entry for it.
(I stand corrected, or more appropriately, Wikipedia now stands corrected.)
Edited on July 14, 2012 at 10:17pmApr '12
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
It is not Catholics alone who have this issue. I was in church one day when one of the fundamental books of our movement was mentioned. This person who is not only on the board of our local church but also teaches Sunday School asked twice after it was brought up, "Now, what was that book called?"
That got a "Cor, Blimey!" and a facepalm from me.
Dec '10
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
When you ask: Don't most Americans make their own church, my answer is: depends on the Americans in question. I was raised Catholic, but from a father (dad, not priest) not from America, but from pre-Second Vatican Council Africa. He was and is more knowledgeable about the Catholic catechism than 90% of American priests, and would give no quarter to the loosey-goosey American Catholism. The majority of the "main-line" Protestant churches' members follow suit: claim to active membership but do not live out their denomination's strictures (if that particular denomination still has a traditional stance on whichever position).I wansn't driven away from Catholicism due to my fellow parishioners living outside the Church's guidance; I was driven away by the Church's refusal to hold accountable those parishoners living outside the Church's guidance.
Apr '11
Re: Do You Make Your Own Personal Church?
Douglas
tabula rasa:
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. · 10 hours ago
Ummm... then what explains all the breakaway churches? Even back when I was a Mormon (as a youth), there was the Reorganized Church of LDS (IIRC, the descendants-of-Joseph-Smith bunch... they call themselves something else now). Today there are several more heretical breakaway LDS churches. As long as you have differences of opinion, denominations will continue to split and spawn new ones, no matter the branch. ·
The RLDS is a very old split; the early LDS was a pretty different organization to today's. We have an RLDS Ricochet member, so I'll leave any further discussion of it to them.
The modern split offs tend to be polygamists, right? It's my sense that the motivations for joining a polygamist commune are both fairly obvious and, to those who feel it, fairly compelling.