“While
many denominations claim to be growing, the largest group in American religious
life is the disillusioned – people who have been involved in the church yet see
few similarities between the church’s life and the person of Jesus. In the midst of elaborate programming, professional
worship teams, and political crusades,
they ask, “Is this really what Jesus called us to do?” - Philip Gulley
Building on my previous blog ‘Into the
Spiritual Wilderness’, so begins the flyleaf to Philip Gulley’s book “If the
Church Were Christian – Rediscovering the Values of Jesus’, (2010). Diana
Butler Bass, author of 'Christianity for the Rest of Us’ endorses the author’s effort
as she declares “In an age of shouting, Gulley gently points out the flaws in
the church while opening ways to practise Christian spirituality with greater
integrity. If the church were, as Philip
Gulley envisions here, people would be knocking down our doors to experience
God’s love.”
In this blog I have deliberately ‘borrowed’ Mr. Gulley’s ten chapter subheadings each beginning with “If the
Church Were Christian . . . . . and inserted my own or personal
observations which you can read here. While
it was not my intent to usurp Mr. Gulley’s writings, which are much more
elaborate and definitive, but simply to express my own thoughts and ideas in
answer to each of these ten headings. In
that way I would ask each reader here to consider how they in-turn might answer
each item according to their own and particular understanding. In so doing Philip Gulley’s book can become an
inter-active exercise toward building Jesus’ greater inclusive Kingdom here on
earth.
If the church were Christian, Jesus would be a model for living,
not an object of worship.
The Gospels (see esp. Luke 9:1-6) are quite clear as to how we are to
preach the Good News. Note that Jesus reminded his disciples to take nothing
with them but only preach about the Kingdom of God and heal the sick. Nowhere
do we read in the scriptures that this task should demand an exclusive
membership to a particular religion or more precisely to adopt his Jewish
religion. Jesus does not demand that we must follow and accept any fixed dogma
or doctrine. Instead the role of a true disciple is merely to invite others to
follow or imitate the life of Jesus. We
worship (praise or adore) whenever we imitate Christ.
If the church were Christian, affirming our
potential would be more important than condemning our brokenness.
Again and again the gospels remind us that God is more interested in
our potential than our sins. There are no sins from which we cannot be forgiven
whenever we are willing to ask. Jesus came to heal our brokenness and said that
he came to save the sinner not the self-righteous.
If the church were Christian, reconciliation
would be valued over judgment.
Many of us were taught that we are somehow separate from God. Yet, we
would not be here if God the Creator of all things and matter were not present
in ALL people. Jesus came so that ALL - not some - may be reconciled with the
Father. God’s judgment has everything to do with restoration and being filled
with God’s unconditional love, not with punishment.
If the church were Christian, gracious behavior
would be more important than right belief.
God reads hearts not minds. As
Kingdom people we must learn to accept people where they are not where we would
have them be. Right actions will lead us
to right beliefs. All life is about change - nothing in our expanding universe remains
static.
If the church were Christian, inviting questions
would be more important than supplying answers.
Faith is a gift from God – not from a religious institution.
“Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we
cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.” – Brené Brown. Faith is not a mystery to be
defined but rather a mystery to be experienced and addressed to our own unique and personal
needs and questions.
If the church were Christian, encouraging
personal exploration would be more important than communal uniformity.
"We
may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but
we all belong to one human race." – Kofi Annan
“Our
task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to
embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” - Albert Einstein
If the church were Christian, meeting needs would
be more important than maintaining institutions.
Then
Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and
not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. Mark 2:27
If the church were Christian, peace would be more
important than power.
“Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” - John 14:27
If the church were Christian, it would care more
about love and less about sex.
Jesus said “I came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it”. The
question Christians should ask is, “fulfil it with what?” And they would know that we need to interpret
the law with our hearts, not our heads.
If the church were Christian, this life would be more important
than the afterlife.
Many Christians may have been
mistakenly taught that they had to earn their way into heaven. If that were so,
then none of us would make it. However,
God so loves the world that he cannot share his heavenly realm without
every one of his Creations for even a minute. When we come to realize God’s
unconditional love in this context we can truly begin to live our life in the
present without fear of the future. In addition to Mr. Gulley's insights into all of these ten observations, his book includes a special chapter dedicated to 'Discussion Questions' to help readers explore and evaluate each chapter. You can visit Philip Gulley's website here.
Who shall elect a
Pope?Most certainly not those who have
found the God within, who is always available 24/7 and speaks directly to our
heart.Why settle for ‘a representative’
who has no direct interest in your welfare and only communicates via complex
and confusing documents.
Do Catholics have a
say in who they want as leader of their particular religion?The answer is a definitive ‘yes’ simply based
on Jesus’ teachings!However, in
reality many Roman Catholics understand otherwise. The following article byMatthew Fox from his book ‘The Pope’s War’ (2011)
may help us discover or re-discover who and how a leader of the Catholic church
may hopefully be selected in the future.
“The late and esteemed Father Bede Griffith wrote a fine article on the true meaning of "magisterium," (the teaching authority of the church) saying: "Many people today think that the magisterium consists of the pope, and the Roman Curia, but this is mistaken. 'Magisterium' comes from the Latin magister, a master, and signifies authority to teach. Strictly speaking there is only one such authority in the Church and that is the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to his disciples to 'lead men into all truth.'" He goes on to name four "organs of the magisterium" including the pope and the Roman Curia, which deals with day-to-day administration of the church; the second is the bishops. The pope is "subordinate to the authority of the bishops in communion with the pope who constitute the magisterium properly speaking. This was made clear at the Second Vatican Council." The third organ is the "periti" or expert theologians who advised the bishops. "In a sense it is to the theologians that the word magisterium properly applies, since a theologian is a master of sacred doctrine, who has been commissioned to teach theology in the name of the Church."
But the "most important" organ of the magisterium is the laity, "the people (laos)God . . . Strictly speaking, it is the laity, the people of God, who constitute the Church, while popes, bishops and priests are 'ministers' chosen from among the laity and commissioned by the Holy Spirit to act in the name of the Church." The whole church is called "a holy nation, a royal priesthood," and all members of the church share equally in the gift of the Holy Spirit The idea that authority comes from above, from the pope and the bishops, is not the ideal of the church as found in the New Testament. Such a "command structure" smacks much more of the Soviet Union than of New Testament church. Popes and bishops "are responsible to the laity, the people of God, for their teaching and their actions. Just as the pope has no authority apart from the bishops, so the pope and the bishops have no authority apart from the people from whom they are chosen and whom they represent."
Bede wrote these words at the time of the collapse of the Berlin Wall. His prayer was that Eastern Europeans' newly found freedom might also extend to the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal John Henry Newman, who has recently received the dubious honor of being named a saint by the same organization that called Escriva a saint, would very much support this analysis of teaching authority in the church. Newman said this about the papacy in his day: "It is anomaly and bears no good fruit. He [the pope] becomes a god, has no one to contradict him, does not know facts, and does cruel things without meaning it." He called the papacy of Pius IX a "climax of tyranny" that was heretical, and decried the fact that an "extreme centralization . . . now is in use." Newman believed the laity should participate fully in the life of the church, and when a bishop objected he said: "The church would look foolish without them." Newman favored individual conscience over groupthink and blind obedience.”
Both John Paul II and Benedict XVI were instrumental in developing policies that centralized the control of more than a billion Roman Catholics under the rule of the Vatican.When Benedict ignored collegiality by transferring the power of bishops to the Cardinals he immediately lost and avoided the voice or cry of the people. The role previously assigned to our bishops.So it is now that a select group of cardinals, sworn to be totally obedient to the Pope, are to select a new leader of the Roman Catholic institution.While we may hear that the Conclave is surrounded by the Holy Spirit while they cast their votes, the laity is certainly not less endowed with the same Holy Spirit which they received during their Sacrament of Confirmation.
Under the influence of a living but
retired Pope our Cardinals are under enormous pressure to elect an individual
who will ‘carry on business as usual’. And indeed it may require one more Pope
to bring the involvement of the laity out of this antiquantied process. Today more
and more educated Catholics understand that when Jesus spoke in parables he was
talking about a kingdom (here on earth) that reflected upside down values where
the least would be first and the first would be last.
This summary was based on a presentation by associate professor W. Bradford Wilcox during a recent symposium at the Catholic University of America. According to Prof. Wilcox ‘the decline of traditional marriage in America continues to affect students’ education and the welfare of the Catholic Church’. Wilcox and other experts maintain that traditional marriage is on the decline due to:
·The nation’s retreat on marriage
·cohabitation is on the increase
·universities need to do a better job of preparing students for marriage
·Students from unmarried families are prone to more drinking and “hooking up,” or engaging in casual sex
·The creation of the birth control pill
·The government has set up programs encouraging sexual abstinence but still hands out birth control
·the decline in traditional families is affecting the future of the Catholic Church
·unmarried families with children rarely attend church
What should be immediately evident from these expert opinions is that the problem(s) seem to be something or someone else's fault. This begs the question: 'Should this symposium not have redirected its focus on learning to take individual responsibilities instead?'
Accordingly, should we not be teaching our children, students, etc. the importance of being responsible for our own individual actions? Surely we cannot blame ‘others’ for our own mistakes. Each of the issues presented above merely provide an excuse for following the crowd. At the same time it is highly unlikely that these influences are likely to change. What really needs and can be changed are our individual choices and decisions. So, here follow some recommendation for the church today. Teach people that they too are connected directly to the Creator and that their salvation is not dependent on the church. The church too must accept that God dwells within each individual, regardless of our understanding of the faith. The church can no longer afford to dictate to the people how they must live out their life and spirituality. It is the hierarchy in the church that must also change if it hopes to survive - although that may already be too late. The current church teaching on human sexuality is hopelessly outdated since it is almost entirely based on the 4th. century understanding of St. Augustine who himself struggled with sexuality throughout his entire life. In its own struggle to deal with the growing sexual scandal the church has revealed its own battle with its understanding on the subject.
If the purpose of the symposium was simply a call to return to the traditional form of marriage as defined by the church the decline will most certainly continue for the reasons I have already stated.
Rather than complain about failures of society let us pass on the importance of learning to accept personal responsibility for our actions and toward others through the unconditional love of God. The following scriptural passages may be of help:
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ...Deuteronomy 28:1-68ESV
For each will have to bear his own load. Galatians 6:5ESV
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 1 Corinthians 13:11ESV
The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.Ezekiel 18:20ESV
Jesus did not found the Catholic Church! In many ways this is an old story. But I think it has to be told again, and again. Jesus did not found the Catholic Church or any other religion! Jesus simply offered 'the way' to live in perfect peace and harmony. Had Jesus intended to form a new religion he would have had to denounce his Jewish faith, the synagogue, Temple and perhaps his own mother. Jesus was born to Jewish parents, was raised as a Jew and circumcised in the tradition of his Jewish faith. Jesus attended and took part with other Jewish believers in the life of the synagogue and Temple. He therefore typically observed and celebrated all regular Jewish festivals. He frequently engaged in dialogue with the Jewish populace including its hierarchy such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes etc. His Jewish disciples called him Rabbi – not Father (Mat 23:9), Your Holiness, or Pastor. Jesus’ message was truly universal and inclusive of all humankind – something that often provoked anger from his own Jewish religious leaders. When Jesus spoke to the crowds, he frequently employed the use of parables, to make a religious point. Teaching in parables was characteristic of the historical Jesus, especially in his proclamation of the kingdom of God. This literary style was already well known and used throughout the Jewish world especially the Jewish scriptures or Old Testament.
Jesus never insisted that anyone should adopt his Jewish background. He never implied to the Roman soldier, the Samaritan woman at the well, or anyone else that they must follow the Jewish tradition. Jesus never wrote anything down, and never proclaimed any particular doctrine or dogma – other than call us to love God, one another (especially our enemies), and most importantly to love ourselves.
Jesus would never have suggested the formation of a hierarchical institution as necessary to follow him or establish a power base from which to evangelize the world after his death. There are no suggestions from Jesus anywhere that there should be a hierarchy or persons appointed beyond the Holy Spirit, or occasions where certain religious truths should be made infallible. Instead Jesus promised his followers that what ever they bound on earth would be bound in heaven*. Even after his death when the number of his apostles is reduced to eleven by the death of Judas, a successor is appointed by drawing lots (Acts 1.15-26). Jesus did however entrust his group of uneducated, doubting and often confused disciples to spread his Kingdom message beyond the boundaries of Israel. This message still applies equally to every daring follower of 'the way' regardless of their background.
< The suggestion that Jesus founded a institutional church is based primarily on one singular passage from Matthew 16:18-19 which reads: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
There are several very important questions that any discerning bible reading should now consider. For example:
Matthew is a gospel originally written in Greek for a community which consisted of both Jews and Gentiles. It is estimated, by most scholars today, to have been written sometime A.D. 80-90 and thus well after the death of Jesus.
The word ‘church’ translates from the original Greek ekklesia meaning assembly or community which is completely compatible with Matthew’s audience and Jesus’ intent to establish God’s Kingdom here on earth. A kingdom based on compassion, understanding, equality, etc., as illustrated through his many parables which many of his frequently disciples did not understand. Jesus came to teach us a way to live communally in peace and harmony, to bring healing and forgiveness.
As for Peter’s qualifications as leader among the apostles there is little doubt. However, to interpret Jesus’ comments about Peter being the ‘foundation’ on which he was to build an institutional church, separate from his Jewish tradition cannot be given any serious consideration. There is nothing in Jewish religious history or tradition that is dependent on a hierarchical institution. Had Jesus intended such, it would have been included or promoted throughout his teachings. It simply is not so. While this understanding may arouse some strong negative feelings among many Christian churches and especially the Catholic Church, we can hopefully all agree on the principle that Jesus' primary message was to Love God, your neighbour and yourself with all our strength, heart and soul. These are the real keys to the Kingdom as promised by Jesus.
At various times in history we forgot to observe Jesus’ simple message to love one another. As a result we allowed the gates of hell to be opened again and again. Millions upon millions have suffered much pain and suffering by ignoring the key to peace and compassion. At the same time we frequently opted to blindly follow others when we needed to take responsibility for the oppression of our fellow human beings.
Jesus died as a Jew. He was nailed to a cross below a sign posted by the Roman soldiers identifying him as ‘King of the Jews’ - a title which he would have clearly denied in favour of his call for Oneness with ALL humankind. The burial preparations were conducted following strict Jewish customs, including the washing of his body, and final entombment.
Metaphorically speaking, I would like readers to see Christ’s resurrection as an awakening of and identification with God who moves beyond time and space, religious identification or membership. We have been given the KEYS to freely to embrace ALL humankind, regardless of their religious beliefs, as One. We are all equally but uniquely endowed with God's divine indwelling to be living examples of his Kingdom on earth. As such we are Holy Temples or churches (communities) of God. Anything less will keep us forever tied to the earth and our egos.
* The doctrine of Apostolic Succession historically allowed the Church to claim exclusive authority to determine and claim (here on earth) what is wrong and what is right. Heaven sets the standard and earth follows heavens’ lead. Because God empowers his people with his divine indwelling it also means that he empowers everyone with the ability, by means of prayer and the Holy Spirit, to discern right from wrong. Through this inclusive model we will come to experience the direct relationship with our Creator.
“Pope says roles of priest, laity should not be blurred” - Catholic News Service, Sep-18-2009
This essay was originally written December 2000 as a test paper for a Catholic University. Some nine years later I think it is still as relevant today as it was then – even more so – especially in light of the concerns expressed by Benedict XVI.
How does the Church serve the masses? Is the Church to be an oasis in the middle of a desert or, must the Church go out into the desert to minister to the tempted? Is the Church, in its present form, still relevant in this largely secular, multicultural and mobile society or, will the Church be viewed as just another institution competing with the seemingly more powerful multi¬national corporations throughout the world? Can the Church be more influential in our daily lives, in our decision making process and remain a sign of hope and healing in this day and age?
I believe it can, when it chooses to become truly ecumenical, truly a servant to the people, less institutional, more spontaneous, reflecting Jesus Christ and responding to the needs of the community it serves. No two communities can ever share similar needs but each community can be a light to those it serves. A corporation serves the needs of those who hold the power. A Church must serve the needs of those who are powerless. Guided by the Holy Spirit, a Church must serve the wounded heart, the sick, the marginal, and those who live their daily lives in quiet desperation. Is that Holy power to be held in the hands of a few, or is that power to be sent out through the Church to everyone? Have we failed to recognize God's face in our neighbours or have we become blind to God's saving grace. Do we instead pin our hopes and desires on the new corporate culture of competition and power with its promises of economic success and greater material wealth often at the expense of others? Are we stuck in the desert worshipping a false god of power? More importantly do we see our own brokenness in this pursuit?
How can we as Church become more dynamic, more influential to those God places in our daily life, including the systems that would bring greater social justice.? Is it possible to see Church not as a separate state but as part of the whole? Is it possible to see Church as being absorbed in all of our everyday actions and activities? This vision may be somewhat idealistic but is that not better then the vision the world holds for us today? . Did God not promise salvation for all? What prevents us from becoming one with one another? What keeps us from living a life to the full? Does God not make his rain fall on the good and the bad? I do not pretend to have the answers to these questions, but I do think we have to be honest enough to ask them of ourselves and our Church . Only then can we proceed into the future.
These are the issues which come directly to mind as I consider the state of Church and community today. First of all I would like to see a more power filled Church i.e., Holy Spirit power not to build a Church based on earthly power. This Church, or these communities, will then become greater symbols of God's hope, healing and joy when it freely and unconditionally releases God gifts. We must truly become a people taking full responsibility for the growth of our own faith, and dare to become living symbols of God's universal love. Our liturgy needs to reflect and reinforce this message more effectively so that we may know our role and responsibility in our community. This must not be viewed as the sole responsibility of our clergy. After all they (and we) can only act as signs and point the way. Our religious are all invaluable bearers of the faith. They can help us hear His calling more clearly. We in turn must support them in their calling!
We can begin by answering our calling to be ministers to the community. Each one of us is blessed in some way to be the hands, ears, voice, and eyes of our Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit, but we must not wait until we 'feel' special. We must act in faith with the assurance that 'the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fill us with power, love and self-control'.1 In practical terms we need to rediscover the meaning of being 'elders' in our community. We need to rediscover, or discover, our calling.
The Letter from James tells us that the anointing of the sick was initially administered by the 'elders' of the early Christian community. Later it became more narrowly defined and strictly dispensed by ordained clergy under the sacrament of extreme unction. Under this name it was applied only at time of imminent death. More recently under Vatican II it was redefined as the sacrament of the sick to be administered by its bishops and priests to be 'given to those who are seriously ill'2. So, we see that despite many theological explanations and historical influences it continues to be held under the control of the ordained and restricted in its use. With so many wounded hearts and so many lay people ready to minister to the 'call of the poor' why does the Church seem so reluctant to share these God given charisms? Has it failed to recognize these gifts in its faithful elders or is this simply part of our faith evolution? Why are we not more dynamic and spontaneous to our spiritual calling? Are we too dependent on earthly power, on the things seen rather than unseen? Have we abused this power and does that prevent us from claiming the power of the Holy Spirit? Dr. Marjory Gallagher states: "the aspect [of this kind] of "power" downplay(s) the importance of the gift and charism for leadership in a faith community."3 The community, as individuals, must be encouraged to embrace its own salvation more immediately and strongly. The Church on the other hand will serve the community by affirming/confirming the gift(s) on all its willing participants.
I believe this will be achieved because of the increasing and growing 'call of the poor'. God has not forgotten them, he will not forsake them but he did ask everyone of us, through the power of his Holy Spirit, to be his instruments of love here and now on this earth. We will and cannot fail if we are prepared to act according to a Holy power which is far greater than any manmade power on earth. God so readily wants us to share his gifts that he died for us on the cross. The Church will play a valuable part in recognizing these gifts in its 'elders' and it must also recognize any misuses of these gifts if they are used only for the sake of obtaining "power". The elders for their part must hear and respond to their calling asking for the community through the Church to affirm and confirm the gift of the Holy Spirit in them. Together they will form a powerful instrument of God's love in bringing healing and understanding to all who ask for it in His name.
Again, from a practical point of view we could begin by asking the 'elders' of our Church (and they will know who they are) to pray over the sick and troubled in our community by anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. Perhaps this could be done at the conclusion of each mass. What a powerful response to mass. As we are dismissed we immediately go out to love and serve Him and one another! In a more ecumenical setting perhaps this could be included in a evening service or at people’s homes, hospitals, etc. As part of our healing liturgy, this action would become a unifying symbol of God's universal love. Let’s not limit God's healing action to the Mass but rather bring it to the masses.
We need to become a more forgiving people. To forgive one another and to forgive ourselves as Christ asked, because they [we] do not know what we do. Several years ago I read a book by Rabbi David J. Wolpe In Speech and In Silence that powerfully impacted the way I came to view our Catholic sacrament of reconciliation. In this story Rabbi Wolpe describes how during the most solemn moment of the celebration of Yom Kippur called 'Kol Nidre' the participants confess sins or misdeeds not committed by most of the congregation. He asks, "why should the worshipper stand before God and ask for forgiveness for transgressions that he or she never committed? The first answer is that this acts as a shield for those who need to confess. When all the congregation lift up their voices and say, 'We have sinned by . . . 'no one knows who is truly confessing to the misdeed. " Nonetheless, Rabbi Wolpe goes on to say, "there is a deeper reason. We tend to split ourselves off from those who commit terrible crimes. By confessing to sins we have not committed, we admit that such deeds are possible for us. We do not separate ourselves. We recognize the demonic potential that exists in the most placid breast." The Jewish celebration of reconciliation or confession seems to follow the Catholic General Form of Absolution closely in format. However, as Catholics we need emphasize the community aspect of worship and move away from private worship if we are to truly become a more ecumenical community in the world. We cannot remain isolated when God calls us to communion with one another. By sharing the riches of each others' beliefs we will break down invisible barriers of prejudice and intolerance which have so often marked our human history.
This essay began with many questions. How I wish there were easy solutions or answers. All I can do at this time is to ask the questions. Perhaps they will prompt someone to search for solutions. Some may take another 100 years to evolve. Others, like the two I have suggested could easily be adopted within the next five to ten years, at least at a diocesan level. The Church of the Future is on the other hand not something we have to wait for. We do not even have to embrace any new beliefs, we merely have to act as Christ did. To be relevant in this broken world, we (the Church) need to teach and learn: to love the unlovable, to forgive the unforgivable, etc. We need to encourage, affirm and confirm the God in every being in this world. Certainly this is difficult but it is not us doing so, it is not the Church doing so it is by allowing God to do so! It is extremely difficult being a Christian but the rewards will bring us immediately into a Kingdom filled with 'life to the full' right here right now, and forever!
Is the Church of the future ready to trust in its community and will the community of the future trust in its Church? I belief it can when we are willing to more complete trust in God!
1 I Timothy 1:7
2CCCB, 1513
3 God and the Christian Tradition
4 David J. Wolpe. In Speech and In Silence - The Jewish Quest for God, Henry Holt Company, New York 1992
'Faith is not an answer, nor a solution. It is a voyage of exploration.' - Jeremy Rosen
A time to dream – why we left the Church
“Afterward I will pour out my spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions”
Joel 2:28
After many years of dedicated and rewarding service in our Roman Catholic community my wife and I decided to leave our Church six months ago. This difficult but final decision was hastened following a recommendation, from a newly appointed parish minister, that I take an immediate sabbatical. My ongoing passion as catechist/co-ordinator in the RCIA process had sadly and suddenly come to an abrupt end after more than twenty years. The process would now revert back into the hands of the clergy and follow the rules “according to the book!”. In the last few months we have come to realize how God’s urgings of forgiveness, in such trying circumstances, are not only essential but can form in many guises. Our decision was not only necessary but essential if our faith is to grow. However, I needed a push and that came in the form of the newly appointed minister. Who ever said “God works in mysterious ways” understood that faith demands new questions and not ready made answers.!
As a convert since 1986 I have everything to thank the Church for what it left us particularly over the last twenty plus years. I am indebted to many for the richness and blessings it brought into our lives. Not the least of which is the power of God’s overwhelming gift of unconditional love. During these years I was given the incredible opportunity to sit at his feet in the form of five years of wonderful teachings from the Carmelite fathers. This was followed by four wonderful years of intensive study with St.FrancisXavierUniversity resulting in a Diploma in Ministry. These blessed events brought many intermittent opportunities to teach and share God’s message with many wonderful people in various parishes in our Catholic Diocese.
God’s abundant gifts continue to bring much healing, spiritual, emotional and physical. Through his blessings I have come to the understanding and share, with those he places in our path, that his great unconditional love is beyond all understanding. It simply cannot be confined or limited to any dogma or doctrine. The latter can guide us but not bring us to his ultimate Truth.
One of these truths is perhaps best expressed through the words of Sr. Rita Larivee: We must allow ourselves the freedom to imagine beyond what we have known. Those who would build boundaries and barriers for conversion are short-circuiting the future. Debates on such matters as the war in Iraq, the issue of abortion, and the legitimacy of gay marriages seem more like stalemates in a big chess game than shared wisdom [with other competing religions] for a better world and a healthier church. Our world and our church have forgotten how to dream.
I want to dream again. I want to dream the way it was envisioned by Pope John XXIII and all the wise fathers of Vatican II. We need a Church that encourages the kind of questioning or imagining that filled the minds of these dreamers. Without these dreams we will become reluctant to go beyond our usual comfort zone and to venture onto a dance floor whose music we have yet to understand.
A bus tour and the spiritual journey
It is Easter and I find myself reflecting on the death of Christ and the death of the false or ego self. Somehow I have to learn to embrace my darkness if I am to discover the healing Light within. Had I not learned that Jesus himself had to face his own darkness when he entered the desert? And, is Jesus’ death and resurrection not the perfect representation of what it means to die to self?
All this has helped me to understand that our journey is never finished here on earth and that we will face many obstacles on the road to salvation and our true self. One of the growing obstacles for me has been our own Roman Catholic Church. Particularly its inability to embrace the spirit of Vatican II. Leaving it, six months ago has been very difficult. For me it was a necessary separation from an increasingly exclusive institutional religion to more freely embrace that spiritual kingdom instituted by Christ for all humankind. Perhaps the following true story will help explain the detour my journey has now taken.
Back in the late seventies my brother acted as a temporary bus tour guide escorting predominantly German sightseers passing through the Canadian Rockies. A prerequisite for the job was a working knowledge of the German language and a rudimentary understanding of the local geology. Almost immediately my brother fell far short of the German expectation for precision and exactness. “Excuse me sir, but exactly how high is that mountain and what is it called?” was the common question. By the time my brother had searched the “official guide” the bus had passed another snow capped mountain range. It did not take long for my brother to realize that to state mountain heights in approximates was not enough. By the time of his next tour he would quickly announce that “Ja, das berg on ze immediate right is precisely 3,209.4 metres high”!. Much to the comfort and satisfaction of his captive audience. Little did they know that their guide had merely fudged his estimates to suit their Teutonic minds. The majestic beauty of the scenery in question only seemed secondary.
This short story is not intended as a slight or insult toward the great German mind. Being of Western European birth myself I recognize that same obsession for exactness and precision in my own perfectionist behaviour and thinking. This cultural ‘gift’, if recognized for what it is, can become a wonderful tool for self discovery and healing. If left unchecked and denied (as was in my own case), perfectionism can lead to much anxiety and even depression. One of the earmarks of perfectionism seems to be the need to always “be right” combined with the fear of being wrong. This inevitably leads to guilt. A very natural preoccupation with a lot of Catholics.
THE JOURNEY TAKES A DETOUR
Today, the Vatican also seems to be living in an atmosphere of fear and denial. Nearly every edict coming out of this patriarchal institution these days comes in the form of dire warnings for all its followers. Apparently we are all tainted with the guilt of “relativism”, secularism, pluralism, modernism and a host of other negative “ism’s”. There can be “no salvation outside the Catholic Church or for those who leave it”. which incidentally claims it also has the exclusive fullness of the Truth. While the Church constantly reasserts that it seeks unity among believers it clearly sees itself as quite distinct and ‘unblemished’ from the laity who represent more than 99.5% of the make-up of the Church. Never mind, its increasingly distant relationship with other world faiths and religions.
Vatican officials only recently reminded Catholics that “we are losing the notion of sin” and went on to say that “abortion and pedophilia are two of the greatest sins of our times”. At the same time these Vatican officials brushed off cases of accusations of sexual violence against minors committed by priests as “exaggerations by the mass media aimed at discrediting the Church”. The fact that the Church to date has paid out more than $ 2 Billion in damages for these cases seems to have escaped these same officials.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) followed by the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2005) closely resemble the Code of Canon Law (1983) by expressing our religious requirements in both legal and ‘absolute terms’. All three documents carry the signature of present Bavarian born Pope Benedict XVI or Joseph Ratzinger. Based on his uncompromising and ridged leadership style, is it possible that he was a passenger on one of the buses touring the Canadian Rockies back in the late seventies?
To look for fault for most of us is an all too easy thing to do. After all there is no perfect religion to be found anywhere. But I know that looking for fault is not what Christ would ask us to do. The Church has a wonderful history of both incredible saints and sinners. Accordingly, I need to practice forgiveness and understanding. However, an outdated and patriarchal attitude that insists on condemnation instead of healing cannot be the way to understand God. I need to find him beyond outdated doctrine and dogma and human error. As an adult I longer need to concentrate on a endless list of do’s and don’ts - rather I need to listen to God’s affirmations and learn to live life to the full. For me the scenery is much better from here and the journey continues.
WATCH FOR DETOURS
My decision to break with organized religion may have been foreshadowed some fifteen years earlier. I ask readers to judge for themselves.
In the spring of 1992 a business trip took me to Rome and the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. One bright sunny Sunday morning, I took the opportunity to attend church services in the ancient capital city of Cagliari. The previous day I had noticed a Catholic church within walking distance of my hotel and taken note of convenient Mass times.
By walking along the narrow streets of the city I easily reached my destination and the front steps of a centuries-old Catholic Church. Entering the open doors of this ancient building I was immediately met with a strong odour of decay and mildew. Elsewhere I could see crumbling plaster . Much of the paint on the inside walls was peeling. No doubt this building had suffered a long period of neglect, and was in urgent need of a radical makeover. Despite the recent introduction of electrical wiring, lighting was extremely poor.
Perhaps these were the reasons most people, such as I, chose to sit on the hard wooden benches near the light of the open front doors. Attendance was limited to no more than twenty people in a church that could easily hold five to 600 parishioners. On the right-hand side of the well-worn church aisles was an enormous glass display case. It contained the life-size wax figure, the corpse of a bloodied and bruised Jesus as he must have appeared immediately after being taken down from the cross. My eyes could hardly keep way from this disturbing image.
Mass was celebrated entirely in the vernacular, which I could not understand, but I was able to follow to some degree with the aid of an English missal. The elderly priest spoke to us from a dimly lit distance without the aid of a microphone. To receive Communion, one walked along the central aisle for what seemed an interminable distance to an aging celebrant. The stale consecrated host echoed the immediate surroundings rather than a living Christ.
At the end of Mass I found several people gathered around the priest on the outside steps of the old church. Instead of finding a priest shaking the hands of fellow parishioners, I witnessed a heated argument. Several people were shaking their fists and pointing fingers at the aging, now indignant, priest ,for reasons I will never know or understand.
More than a decade has passed since this event and yet it continues to haunt my memory. I ask myself, exactly what was its meaning. Was this experience a vision of a disturbing reality of what seems to happening in our church today? Or, does it reflect what is happening in my own spiritual life? Am I perhaps pre-occupied with too much self preservation?
The church today shows signs of wear and tear. The Vatican seems to be an institution preoccupied with preserving an ancient past rather than enthusiastically embracing the reality of the present. The walls of the institution are straining under the weight of a less-than-glorious past, rather than being anchored in a living and risen reality. Like the aging priest in Cagliari, the Magisterium seems to speak to us in a stale and foreign language from a dim and distant past--a tired voice caught up in dogma, doctrine, rules and regulations.
As a convert, imagine my disappointment on discovering that the Catechism of the Catholic Church still holds that "Outside the church there is no salvation" (#845,6). This claim is made despite an earlier declaration from Vatican II which states that we all come from the same creative hand of the one God and that salvation is possible even apart from explicit faith in Christ. In recent years, some Vatican encyclicals such as "Iesus Dominus" and hard-line conservatives have sought to return the church to the dark ages, a period when questioning the faith was tantamount to heresy and could result in being burned at the stake or cursed an anathema. Why would anyone want to go there?
My love for the church may falter from time to time, but I cannot leave it where Mel Gibson left Jesus hanging, impotent and un-resurrected on a made-in Hollywood cross. That sad Hollywood epic reminds me of that helpless figure in the glass case I thought I had left behind more than 10 years ago.
Recent Vatican rulings together with other extreme right-wing theories have come into sharp conflict with my adopted faith and religious beliefs. In a real sense I feel betrayed. When I chose to become Catholic in the mid-1980s, the church seemed alive with hope and enthusiasm, embracing the spirit of change and the mystery of our faith. Today the Magisterium is preoccupied by blocking every attempt to bring forward the gift and spirit of Vatican II. Christian unity, once upheld as necessary and sacred by the Vatican has now been reduced to mere rhetoric and little or no positive action.
The truth is now subordinate to the Magisterium. Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I am forced to accept that Christian unity and salvation can only be achieved when our Protestant brothers and sisters are ready to submit to the hierarchical authority of Rome's Magisterium. Is this the faith I once embraced and adopted for the sake of my family?
I now find myself shaking my fist and pointing a finger in the direction of those leaders in our church who want to return to a previous era, a time when Vatican II had not yet been heard of. It saddens me even more when I read in the leading British Catholic paper The Tablet that the Vatican deliberately downplayed diocesan-wide ecumenical services during a week when the church was supposed to be celebrating Christian Unity.
Where does that leave me today? Stranded between two worlds--the old and the new. I can take solace from scripture. When I suppose that Abraham, the father of the world's three major faiths, had listened to the 'religious' leaders of his age instead of the God in his heart it is doubtful if he would have ever embarked onto this wonderful and often confusing journey of faith. Similarly, did Jesus not frequently challenge the religious leaders of his time? Maybe it's time to set out again.
CHANGING BUSES
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside awakens. - Carl Jung
It has been suggested that members of an organized religion may not see any significant difference between religion and spirituality. Or they may see a distinction between the mundane, earthly aspects of their religion and its spiritual dimension.
It is important to draw a strong distinction between religion and spirituality. Spirituality may be seen as a belief in ideas of religious significance (such as God, the Soul, or Heaven), but is not bound to the bureaucratic structure and creeds of a particular organized religion. While spirituality is primarily concerned with an interior attitude, religion often appears to be more focused on peoples exterior behaviour or shortcomings.
Despite overwhelming scholarly and scriptural evidence to the contrary; the Catholic Church still formally teaches that Jesus founded its institution. As Christianity was formally legitimized by Emperor Constantine in AD 313 it adopted his military and political ambitions which produced most of the religious trappings which remain until this day.
When we apply the difference between spirituality and religion to the real intent of Jesus we more clearly see what he meant when he spoke to Peter about building a ‘church’. Nearly seventy percent of everything that is quoted by Jesus in the New Testament refers to interior attitudes that people must have in order to enter his father’s kingdom which begins here on earth - not any obvious religious displays or exterior behaviours. The building of religious institutions and structures merely emphasizes an outward expression of our beliefs – and not necessarily an inward attitude. When Jesus instructed Peter to build a ‘church’ he was simply stating that all people are God’s temple and that his Spirit dwells in them! For this we need not a building but rather an inner desire to discover God within.
Thomas Keating writes “the Divine Indwelling is a truth of faith that is easily forgotten or avoided. Yet it is the one on which personal conversion radically depends.” Thus what prevents us looking inside at finding the God within and entering his promised kingdom? Children are already there we have been told. But as adults we have somehow been diverted or hi-jacked from our intended destination. Firstly, our religious institutions often teach that they are necessary intermediaries, between people and God. This creates an unhealthy atmosphere of co-dependency. The role of religious institutions, similar to all inspired writings, is to point the way but not to become the substitute for God and our final destination. That is not to say that religion cannot help us in our search for God. But a religion that does not encourage questioning is dead.
Secondly, and more importantly are the works or Satan – which is better known as our ego! We need to recognize that Satan or evil is a force that is not outside or independent of our being. The argument that “the devil made me do it” is absolute no longer valid. But our ego can also easily hi-jack us from following a path that leads to the truth.
Thirdly, faith can only grow through individual experience. Blind obedience to church rules and regulations does not nourish the soul. It merely keeps us unbalanced and wondering if we are doing the right thing. Spirituality seeks to experience God in all everyday things and relationships with people. The spiritual person accepts that faith often means carrying on without having all the answers. That’s what having a trust in God really means. Institutional religion on the other hand is too focused on rigid rules and regulations rather than healing. It can also divert us from the path to salvation. Many people have been hurt by insensitive clergy and over zealous church members. No one has ever been hurt through a spiritual experience.
These major obstacles have led us into a dangerous and arid desert by following a strict cultural belief rather than by choosing to trust in God. Faith in God does not require group membership. God’s unconditional gift of love does not make any demands. We are once again free. Free to choose and free to find our own path to salvation.
Each religious institution has its own set of beliefs and practices. Members of that institution are subsequently expected to remain faithful to its established dogma or creed. In years past to question these beliefs could have resulted in being branded a heretic even to the point of risking torture and death.
Today, these same religious institutions are facing more and more challenges for change from its questioning followers. The issues, be it same-sex marriage or homosexuality, are deep and often divisive. The resistance to change continues to drag these issues to a point where more and more people are leaving the institutions at ever increasing and alarming rates.
Change is the very dynamic of faith. Our adult understanding of God demands nothing less. Doctrine and dogma tend to stifle spiritual progress. “Father, Reverend, or Rabbi, etc. what does our religion have to say about . . . . “ is a sure sign that the person has not discovered the power within and has abrogated their faith to an institution rather than to look within.
Many religious institutions continue to teach varying forms of fundamentalism. Even though noted author Karen Armstrong states that narrow and literal biblical interpretation is a recent phenomena. This form of fundamentalism is now also widespread in North America. Fundamentalism we have come to realize of late, also teaches and breeds a particular form of violent extremism. This too is a dysfunctional form of religion, one that has not taught the individual to look for God within and recognition of the same God in others.
Failure to look within and trusting an institution will eventually fail everyone. In the meantime however, religious institutions hold all the power. When Jesus entered the desert he was tempted with this same false power. Jesus, however, refused to obey his ego! How dangerous can this false power be?
The abuses of such false power has been orchestrated by various religious organizations, such as Christian Crusades and Islamic Jihad, the marginalization and persecution of various minorities and the Spanish Inquisition. The list is endless and goes on to this very day!! While the various religious institutions remain in competition with one another more reasons will be found to disagree with one another. This too will cause more pain and suffering.
While faced with some fundamentalist views expressed by a friend several years ago I found myself responding accordingly:
Dear Friend:
If we as Christians are genuinely interested in resolving our differences with other religions we need only do one simple thing. In fact it is so simple it will completely astound you. You will not have to introduce any new doctrine, dogma, rules or laws you will not even have to join a new religion. You will not have to move or dismiss the world and live on a remote mountain top. At the same time you need not wonder if we’re going to suggest some make belief world only inhabited by Pollyanna’s or do-gooders. Nor is anyone asking you to enter into some sort of dream or drug induced world where reality never takes place. Lastly it will not demand that anyone become holier than they all ready are. No saints need to apply! All it will take, are you ready for this, is for people to change their belief about religion and God!
All the world religions simply need to change their belief about the need to defend God! It is as simple as that – no more. You see, dear friend, it is only our perception of the need to defend our religion that keeps us at odds with one another and subsequently causes so much pain and suffering here on earth. Every time we profess that we think we know God better than the next person, we cause the other person much sadness and pain. That pain if it is let to fester will eventually translate into fear and hatred. Do any of us, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, or Jew, really believe God is asking of us to defend him from one another? If God is truly allowed to be the all powerful all loving God we would know that: Love does not need to be defended, because Love does not know attack!
The minute we think that our religion is the only one – we are in trouble. The minute we talk in terms of ‘we’ the good guys and ‘they’ the bad guys, we are in trouble. The minute we draw lines and separate ourselves from our neighbours because ‘we’re better’ or because we believe we ‘have the corner on the faith market’ we are in trouble. The minute we teach ‘who is going to heaven and who is going to hell’ we are in trouble. The minute we focus on the future or the past, instead of the present, we are in trouble. Mother Teresa said it best: we need to teach the Muslim to be a better Muslim, we need to teach the Jew to be a better Jew, and so on. This means we need to drop what or who we think God is for our religion and think more about what or who God is for all humankind!
So how can we begin to change our beliefs? Perhaps we should begin by accepting that God is much greater than any idea that we (past or present) might have of him. Perhaps we could begin by changing our beliefs about who God is for all humankind. Perhaps we should admit that there is not one religion that possesses all there is to know about God or the Truth. Perhaps we could begin by accepting that we need one another. Perhaps we could begin by trying to understand each other’s uniqueness rather than by any enforced (and unrealistic) similarities. Perhaps we could refuse to listen to voices which lead to greater disharmony and disunity. Perhaps we should begin by accepting that God is much greater than any idea that we might presently possess.
Lastly, if you want peace and harmony you have to work for it. It does not simply drop out of heaven. If you want Love then you have to draw on it’s Source – there we will find an unlimited supply of answers for all of the world’s problems.
A beautiful letter to the editor of the National Catholic Reporter, reminding us about the purpose of our journey, from a Sr. Julian Carbone, OSC, dated September 28, 2007
. . . . . for Jesus, our faith was never a matter of "right beliefs," except possibly for the belief that we are all one in God. If we follow Jesus and his blessed mother in the Gospel accounts, we would see them living the simplicity, inclusiveness and humble trust in God depicted in the beatitudes, the essence of Jesus' teachings. Evangelical orthodoxy and its association with institutional supremacy and exclusivity simply do not fit well in this equation. The beatitudes invite us to enter a rather different kind of life and relationship with God and others.
Jesus demonstrates over and over that institutional supremacy and doctrinal correctness were never meant to eclipse the promptings of God's love, which always lead to the acceptance and inclusiveness of each encountered human being, especially the outcast. Ironically, the orthodox/evangelical mindset of right beliefs and practices is precisely what led to Jesus' arrest and brutal crucifixion. Truly, then, Christ's love and submission to our common creator, and Christ's love and acceptance for each of us, would be the prominent transforming message of our Catholic faith.
(Sr.) CLARE JULIAN CARBONE, OSC
Chesterfield, N.J.
THE FAITH JOURNEY
The marvel of the faith journey is that it is never finished. The soul [intent] purpose of a spiritual journey is to absorb the diverse scenery and people along way. The people and places we encounter along the way are all part of the spiritual landscape. Everything is presented as a potential gift to help us understand the mystery of our faith Part of that mystery are the encounters along the way that were not of our choosing or liking. God comes in many disguises.
Evagrius of Pontus (345-399) is quoted as: "God cannot be grasped by the mind, if he could be grasped, he would not be God". Accordingly we can hardly confine our understanding of God to all the books or opinions ever expressed about him. Some religions seem intent on closing the book while still others stop short along the way claiming they have reached the destination. But for me the story and journey is far from over. Some years ago, during a catechetical session with initiates who were dealing with the various books of the Bible I informed these inquirers that "the last chapter to the Bible is yet to be written - and that's the one about you!" So the journey continues and the final story yet to be told.
A wonderful story about a journey is told by Anthony de Mello an East Indian Jesuit and master story teller. A poor man who had lived his entire life in a small village in India was finally persuaded by his friends to take a journey to Bombay. Following many days of travel by foot, he reached the outskirts of the city were stood a city marker announcing ‘Bombay’! Upon noticing the sign the old man turned around and returned to his village convinced he had arrived at his destination.
If you too are on a journey but have given up on organized religion you are not alone. According to a 2005 survey compiled by Ipsos Reid, 70% of those who call themselves Christians agree that “my private beliefs about Christianity are more important then what is taught by any church”. While it is widely accepted that church attendance has dropped at an increasing rate over the last five decades the same survey shows only a modest decline in peoples’ belief in God. These results would indicate that religious institutions are seriously failing their followers.
As an enthusiastic convert in the mid eighty’s, I had never expected that twenty years later I would walk away from the very institution that meant so much to me earlier. It is only now that I am discovering that many others have become disillusioned with organized religion and taken the painful step of leaving the faith of their fathers.
It is paramount to our understanding of church, temple, synagogue, etc., that we begin by examining the difference between religion, spirituality and faith. Members of the faith community often use these three terms interchangeably. This may be a major factor that has led so many followers to abandon institutional religion.
The following letter to the editor appeared online in The Social Edge.com in response to an article written by well known Canadian author and lecturer Ted Schmidt. Readers may also refer directly to his informative essay mentioned below
LEAVING THE CHURCH
The "so called arrogant nonsense" referred to in "The Rise of the Lay Voice: Sensus Fidelium (Part One)" by Ted Schmidt regarding the question of salvation outside the Catholic Church was unfortunately not put to bed with the Second Vatican Council.
Beginning with the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994 --paragraph 846) followed by the Compendium of the Catechism (2005 --article 171), the Church has shown it wants to completely reverse the pastoral views introduced by Vatican II. Furthermore the new Roman Missal awaiting approval from the Canadian Bishops pushes the question of salvation back even further. If accepted, Canadian Catholics will be instructed to respond that Jesus came to save "many" instead of the current "all." The theological implications of these changes speaks volumes. To quote Sr. Joan Chittister: "Who is it that Jesus did not come to save?"
This was just one of the many reasons why my wife and I finally made the painful decision to leave the Church.
