#a class that should be akin to priesthood

[empiriical]

extremely normal about elmer wandering the whole earth for centuries doing nothing but attempting to make people happy, slowly making peace with the fact that he will never feel it himself. actually i’m lying i feel sick to my stomach about it.

[thinktosee]

THE BULLY – PART 10 – THE CHURCH AND ORGANIZED RELIGION

Vatican City. Image courtesy Italy Magazine

A. INTRODUCTION

A Church is sacred because of its good deeds. Where it fails in its actions, the laity bears the painful consequences of an institution which it has little control over. The church and laity were never ONE in this case.

This essay is a continuation of “The Bully” series of posts. The links to the previous posts are listed at the end of this essay.

While every post in “The Bully” series is related in terms of its topical nature, this essay is particularly a direct continuation of “The Bully – Part 8 - #MeTooPope” dated Jan 24, 2018. The link to that post is accessible herewith :

http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/170078376998/the-bully-part-8-metoopope

B. THE CHURCH – AGAIN

Image courtesy Boston Herald

In Part 8, the revelations of decades of shocking and life-shattering abuses of children by clergy within the universal Roman Catholic Church were discussed. I stated then :

“The Church and many religious institutions play a most crucial role toward the formation of Faith among the People. This is a sacred trust which the People have pledged in the Church. The scandals surrounding the Church over the centuries are a symptom of corruption within its leadership.”

It is with sadness, although perhaps unsurprising, that yet again, the world learned last month of even more predation, of a church gone mad, in the diocese of Pennsylvania, U.S.A. (1,2). Over 300 priests were alleged to have committed horrendous criminal acts, including physical abuse and other forms of violence against children, against those they were supposed to help bring closer to god and faith. These despicable acts occurred over several decades, victimizing thousands of faithful and trusting children. Children who looked to the clergy for their salvation, their emancipation. Children who needed a chance to fulfil their dreams.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, on Twitter

These revelations are all the more troubling given its institutional nature. Let’s face it – the church has very serious issues with the way it is organized. This is not unexpected since the church’s leadership is not accountable to the “flock.” It is after all a club – it operates secretly, where leaders are selected behind closed doors, its financial and banking operations are not publicly disclosed, women are not allowed into the priesthood, among other things, where divorce and LGBTQ are sins, but war is not, where church buildings or edifices and art works are some of the most opulent and ostentatious, while the people in many parts of the world where the church roots itself, live in abject poverty, etc. This feudal culture to which the church continues to cling to, has no place in our home and society today.

The crimes of the church are serious aberrations from the teachings of Jesus Christ, to whom the church speaks in the name of. I have little doubt that more disturbing revelations will be made about the church in the near future. The words of contrition which the church, including the pope has offered are positive only if they are followed by institutional reforms, and meaningful reconciliation, if at all, with the victims and their families. It is the only way forward for a political-religious-business organization as the Roman Catholic Church.

C. REFORMING A SICK GIANT

Image courtesy National Catholic Reporter

Reforming an ancient order or club is akin to swimming against a tide. The water has been flowing in the same direction for a long period of time. It can’t change course by its very nature, unless a tectonic shift occurs unexpectedly, like an earthquake. And so it is with the church. Because it is a club, especially at the highest levels, change is considered a mortal threat by many of its members, who have never truly worked in a fluid, open and modern organization, an interactive and levelled environment. These “in-breds” are the real cause of the ills which plague the church. They are more concerned about temporal rather than spiritual power. They adhere to the rules of the club – “do not rock the boat or everyone will drown.” Ultimately, this is about personal gratification of power and material wealth, rather than about the spiritual development of the laity. A club (of men) is after all, about promoting the interest of its members. 

Image courtesy Catholic League

The credibility of the church will continue to slide as long as real reforms are avoided, which seems to be the case currently. The laity and church workers, including most of the priests who are truly doing god’s work, should be served and supported by a leadership which is resolute, truthful and forward-looking. I will suggest the following as a way to fulfilling the true traditions of the church:

1. Allow marriage or live-in partners, within the priesthood.

2. Embrace women and LGBTQ into the priesthood.

3. Legitimize divorce (this does away with the dispensations offered only to the rich and powerful).

4. Make a public stand against war in any form without fear or favour to any and all warring parties.

5. Focus on the common folk (the church is too concerned with the rich and powerful, at the expense of the people).

6. The audited financial accounts of the church in every country are to be made public periodically.

7. De-centralize the church. Allow more autonomy outside the Vatican.

8. Create greater representation for developing countries within the church.

9. Do away with grand, costly, wasteful and ostentatious church buildings and art collections.

10. Church leadership selection to be made transparent, and fully open to women and LGBTQ to participate and elect.

11. Re-create a bureaucracy based on performance and not political or personal affiliation. It is recognized that leadership selection as it is currently configured, is a political theatre. Candidates lobby other “red hats” or bishops for support. While it is acknowledged the church is a political institution, the ill-effects of a politically-driven leadership selection must be addressed positively. Those deserving should be promoted. Perhaps to accomplish this, the church needs to re-create a bureaucracy akin to the civil service of the European and American societies. I am aware of course that the civil service in these countries were originally modelled on the church’s. There’s a difference however today – the civil service in Europe and America evolved with changing circumstances. The Church’s hasn’t for a long time. It remains feudal in nature, living within a time warp, with an incoherent reality of its own making, while the laity and society have since evolved. That’s a condition inherent in a club of self-serving “red-hats” and bishops.

Image courtesy Ave Maria Press

These proposals are not exhaustive. They are however, intended to re-direct the church toward its traditions of inclusivity, truth, faith, justice, service, grace, compassion, spirituality, peace, honour, love, charity and more. We learned through the bible that Jesus loves everyone. He doesn’t discriminate.  

A club is by its very nature, exclusive. Hence, it is discriminatory in its appearance and operation. How is this in the tradition of Jesus? The church has to return to its foundational roots. To the teachings of Jesus. It has to live as it preaches, as the embodiment of Christ.

D. DAVID AND THE CHURCH

David, back row first from right, in Legion of Mary class, Grade 9. Image courtesy Tiffany

My children, Sara and David were baptised during infancy. Sara went on to receive her final confirmation when she was 16 years.  

Nearly four years later, one Sunday morning, when David was 16, he said to me that he did not wish to continue with catechism. This meant he would not receive his final confirmation scheduled for that year. I asked David what motivated his decision? He said he no longer believed in the moral authority of the church. He did not feel it was inclusive, and its teachings and practices were at variance with each other. As a parent, I was duly concerned for my son - for his spiritual development. I understood his decision, fully however. David was very clear about truthfulness and ethics. They were values which he would never compromise.

Image courtesy Depositphotos

These issues within the church had also troubled me for some time before David approached me that day. I realized what David was saying to me :  

He wanted no part of what he saw as a self-serving and hypocritical club. He didn’t see it as a religious or spiritual institution. I guess his faith in the church dissolved some time before that, as he grew over the years, and in his discernment. He was particularly vocal about the discrimination against women and LGBTQ by the church, and its support for the death penalty (the death penalty, or state-enabled murder, was finally ruled a sin by the church only this year (3). 

David must have struggled a good deal before he arrived at that decision. It must have been a difficult choice to make – a divorce with a great institution which one is tied to psychologically and spiritually since infancy. Perhaps that decision was made less vexing though – no one from the church contacted us to enquire as to the reason for David’s absence from catechism class. It was as if he didn’t matter.

Image courtesy Ivarfjeld.com

I considered the range of factors which caused David to make the decision to leave the church. I felt anxious, but nevertheless supported his decision. I advised him however that he must go on praying every night before bedtime. 

Following David’s passing in 2016, I came to appreciate that the most sacred place in the world is our home. It is where my children, Sara and David were conceived and raised. It is where Life began. It is a place of divine love, peace and happiness. Like David before, I made the decision to put our home before any man-made edifice, be it a religious institution or a political class which pretends to represent the people. This is as it should be, now and forever. God is in us. As David advised, “BE YOURSELF!” 

I continue to walk in the footsteps of David, my son. 

E. CONCLUSION

Image courtesy Break your chains

When we put our faith in others at the expense of ourselves, we lose our sense of being. We become what they want us to be. Not what we truly are and should be. 

The roman catholic church continues to grapple with its wide-ranging and life-threatening faults. They are not alone. In the world of organized religion, cases of physical abuse and corruption are not isolated. The Buddhist orders in Cambodia and Thailand are also plagued by the same ills as the church (4,5,6). And in Malaysia and Southern Thailand, we learned that child “marriage” to overage adults, among the Islamic community is shockingly acceptable and in many cases, welcomed (7). Also in Malaysia, the lesbian couple who was recently arrested and prosecuted, and whom I mentioned in my post “The Bully – Part 9 – The Individual and the State” dated Aug 16, 2018 was sentenced by an Islamic court to be caned – a truly violent and dignity-robbing action which pretends to be religious in its application (8). Imagine that - violence is religious! Hinduism too has its innate problems, with frail-in-mind human beings masquerading as strong-in-mind gurus (9). And this week, 2 bombs exploded in Southern Philippines, in Edna’s hometown of Sultan Kudrat (10). The perpetrators were alleged to be Islamic terrorists, although I don’t quite understand how the two terms could be conflated. One is either Islamic or a terrorist. Not both. Same way a priest in the church is either a Christian (follower of Christ) or a criminal. Do we call him a Christian criminal if he had committed crimes? 

School-age victims of the bombings in Sultan Kudrat. The young man in the middle was attending the same university as Edna’s niece, Julie Ann. Image courtesy Radio Koronadal. 

Faith formation among organized religion must start with the clergy or teacher. Faith, in this respect is the love for self and our dignity. No one is perfect. Least of all me. So please, let us try to be good to ourselves, so we too may be good to others. 

In the Spirit of David Cornelius Singh

David’s father

Email : davidnfather@gmail.com

References/Sources

1. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Pennsylvania-Catholic-Church-Child-Sex-Abuse-Report-Grand-Jury-490837551.html

2. http://media-downloads.pacourts.us/InterimRedactedReportandResponses.pdf?cb=22148

3. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-deathpenalty/catholic-church-changes-teaching-to-oppose-death-penalty-in-all-cases-idUSKBN1KN1EQ

4. https://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/20/asia/thailand-jet-set-monk-extradited/index.html

5. http://sea-globe.com/the-sound-of-silence-sexual-abuse-in-cambodias-buddhist-pagodas/

6. https://nypost.com/2018/08/24/buddhist-monk-accused-of-beating-child-to-death-during-prayer-session/

7. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/01/thailand-malaysia-muslim-child-forced-marriage

8. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/malaysian-muslim-lesbian-couple-caned-public-punishment-57570030

9. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Hindu-guru-gets-14-years-prison-for-sexual-molestation-in-US/articleshow/7663325.cms?

10. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/666378/sultan-kudarat-police-officials-sacked-over-2-bombings-in-6-days/story/ 

Links to the “The Bully” series of posts

1. http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/158095557698/the-bully

2. http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/158622995123/the-bully-chapter-2-gender-another-perspective

3. http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/159295321838/sarjit

4. http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/160097845908/the-bully-part-4-david-the-pacifist

5. http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/163517554143/the-bully-part-5-the-pacifist

6. http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/163870795978/the-bully-part-6-school-yard-to-cyber-bullying

7. http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/169733908418/the-bully-part-7-metoo

8. http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/170078376998/the-bully-part-8-metoopope

9. http://thinktosee.tumblr.com/post/177060363153/the-bully-part-9-the-individual-and-the-state