At 12:05, Sr. Pat states, "There doesn't seem to be a safe place to talk about issues of difference." The Church seems to find itself on the wrong side of not just culture but civilization enough times to make it dubious. Coming from a family rich in the tradition of service & obedience to the Church, I grapple with its legitimacy at all. The Church offers no legitimate options in answer to the question Sr. Pat poses, where do people go with honest questions of difference. After finishing this article, No Church In The Wild, by JAY-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean & The Dream, hit me like a ton of bricks. It has played as complimentary noise until today. This "existential rejection of organized religion.", speaks to me as a gay man of color as I live out my life straddling both sides. High five and hugs to you, Joe.
Christopher, I understand you and come from a similar Catholic family who used to be devout and orthodox, but have become less so in my generation and after the child abuse scandals of the last 20 years. While I have studied and adopted Buddhism as my regular spiritual practice, I am still culturally Catholic and believe in the importance of social justice and connected families. I can relate to your frustrations with the RC church, but, as I get older, I am coming to the conclusion that the laity is the real church, who are doing their best to live out the true teachings of Christ in their everyday lives, leaving the corrupt priest class to play political games and deal with their own moral mess.
At 12:05, Sr. Pat states, "There doesn't seem to be a safe place to talk about issues of difference." The Church seems to find itself on the wrong side of not just culture but civilization enough times to make it dubious. Coming from a family rich in the tradition of service & obedience to the Church, I grapple with its legitimacy at all. The Church offers no legitimate options in answer to the question Sr. Pat poses, where do people go with honest questions of difference. After finishing this article, No Church In The Wild, by JAY-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean & The Dream, hit me like a ton of bricks. It has played as complimentary noise until today. This "existential rejection of organized religion.", speaks to me as a gay man of color as I live out my life straddling both sides. High five and hugs to you, Joe.
ReplyDeleteChristopher, I understand you and come from a similar Catholic family who used to be devout and orthodox, but have become less so in my generation and after the child abuse scandals of the last 20 years. While I have studied and adopted Buddhism as my regular spiritual practice, I am still culturally Catholic and believe in the importance of social justice and connected families. I can relate to your frustrations with the RC church, but, as I get older, I am coming to the conclusion that the laity is the real church, who are doing their best to live out the true teachings of Christ in their everyday lives, leaving the corrupt priest class to play political games and deal with their own moral mess.
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