This one is a bit of special one… Very difficult conversation… I was inviting a friend of mine for the imminent seminar on *Theology of the Body when his curt response sparked the subscript.
A. I want you to come for this*... i.e. you're invited
Q. I’d hoped we could discuss in person, but for a myriad of reasons I have little to no faith left in the Roman Catholic Church brother…. Here’s one more reason [link to news article on “Nuns ‘sex-slaves’ scandal fresh blow to Catholic Church”]
A. Duuuude! That's perfectly understandable! And ye... I’m up for a face-to-face discussion when you have some time...
Q. So now I practice my faith and prudence in reading the scriptures daily
A. Nice!
Q. Any initial reactions before our meet up?
A. Uuuumm… Ye! Sure… But some of my comments are actually more of questions.
Q. Shoot.
A. Firstly, so that we’re on the same page, you no longer believe or you no longer have faith in what the Catholic Church teaches because her priests, nuns and bishops are morally corrupt?
Q. Correct. I find the whole situation and all the scandals horrendous and unbelievably hypocritical!
A. I do too, man! We’re together on this one…
Q. And then you think of the victims: the poor kids and now nuns (!) who have been defiled by those two-faced monsters! I… I just don’t even know what to say! It’s like beyond sad! As in if it were some pervert out there that would be at least a bit more understandable and a bit less shocking… But priests!? Catholic priests!? Really!?
A. It’s terrible.
Q. So absolutely yes! I no longer believe that what the Catholic Church teaches could possibly be from God if this is how her own ministers live that out that faith!
A. In other words, that there is God the Father who created heaven and earth, and all things visible and invisible; and that there is God the Son who became human like you and me, died on a Cross for you and me, and resurrected three days later; and that there is God the Holy Spirit who works on souls like yours and mine, all these are now in your present estimation false statements?
Q. Not like that… As in… I dunno… As in, the Catholic Church can’t be God’s Church if “God’s people” are doing this to the weak and defenceless, to women and children. It’s diabolical!
A. I wish people had the same reaction to abortion! But sticking to our concern right now, do you believe there is God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit? Do you believe that Jesus the God-man died on a Cross and rose from the dead for us?
Q. Yes. I’m not an atheist. And as I mentioned earlier, I still read my Bible.
A. So the Catholic Church is one more church among many and you would rather not be associated with paedophiles and rapists?
Q. Who would, ram!? Who in their sensible mind would!? But even calling it “one more” gives it much more prestige than I would accord it right now. The Church right now means nothing to me.
A. OK. But you have no objection to continuing to read the Bible – a “Catholic thing”.
Q. That’s different. The Bible doesn’t have priests and popes and bishops mistreating people like that!
A. Wow! That’s a bit of a blanket statement, don’t you think? Is it all Catholic priests and popes and bishops who are mistreating people?
Q. Obviously not! But you get my point.
A. Which is that a number of specific and morally corrupt priests and bishops have by their unforgiveable behaviour made it impossible for you to believe in the Roman Catholic Church.
Q. Correct.
A. But shouldn’t your faith – your belief in something – be based on whether that something is true or false?
Q. What do you mean?
A. The Catholic Church has taught the same things for the last 2000 years. Are those same things now false because these sad souls have publicly sinned? Do you believe in the messengers or in the message?
Q. The message.
A. Has the message changed?
Q. No…
A. But…
Q. But the messengers are pretty messed up!
A. That we agree! A number of them! My point however is not to let emotion cloud right thinking. The messed up messengers should pay for what they’ve done. And the victims should be assisted and compensated in whatever way the civil law finds just. But we believe in the message, not the messengers.
Q. Makes sense. But to be honest, is very hard to accept right now…
A. Agreed.
To be continued…
11th Feb 2019