Actual ghost of Henry James may differ from that pictured.
In a looong stretch to tie two ideas together into an unnecessary pun, I will now speak of dinner.
Marlin had gone back home for his son's graduation -- he'll be back shortly. That left myself, Don, Wayne, and Maria to find some food. Before the food showed up, I made some comment about being sad about how religion is being defined by its worst examples -- I was thinking of the many, many stories we've heard of sexually abusive priests, bloodthirsty nuns, and the spiritual doctrine of "Kill the Indian, Save the Man." Surprisingly, they disagreed.
This led into a discussion lasting over an hour of the many, many abuses of the Catholic church (particularly). This list is no doubt well known by most people, and stretches from the murderous, money-driven Crusades to modern-day abortion clinic firebombings. Of course, particular emphasis was given to their actions against the Indian people; besides the boarding schools, there was the infamous Council of Bishops to determine if Indians were human beings, secret Church funding of boarding schools after the government backed out (this funding continued in some places until the 1960s, and 'saved' some of the worst schools from closing), and the current-day 'grassroots movement' of dutiful Christians who host bonfires on reservations and encourage the locals to burn their feathers, beads, and historic art.
Most of this I was aware of, and nothing they said surprised me much. Catholicism, as an organization, is beyond humongous. In any organization larger than about five people, there's always going to be someone who misuses power, uses the group to validate their own personal faults, or somehow behaves like a jackass and reflects poorly on the rest of their companions. The Catholic Church, being one of the largest and most powerful organizations in the world, has their fair share of abusers in dusty corners. That doesn't make the 'whole' bad.
If a violent crime occurs in Wisconsin, does that mean that Americans are bad? No, it means one single American was bad.
But what really shook me, during this conversation, was another perspective I hadn't considered. Corrupt individuals hiding behind a label don't make the label bad; that's clear and, I think, beyond question. But if a violent crime occurs in Wisconsin, the American police come in and stop it. That's what keeps "Americans" from being a negative -- the governing power fixes its mistakes, or at least tries to. The Church, on the other hand, protects its fallen. If a priest molests his congregation, he is shipped off to a new congregation in the middle of the night. Abuses occur ed in boarding schools, and much of what went on is still secret, thanks to Church interference.
Individual bad seeds don't bring down the Church; but what does it mean that the Church refuses to purge those seeds, and continues planting them along with the good? Even if they're not defined by the actions of individual members, they are defined by the fact that they support those individual members and enable them to act again.
This shook me badly. I didn't eat that night, or sleep particularly well.
The Catholic faith works for me, and its what I have in mind when I say my prayers. There's a lot of good in there, and a lot of good people. But other religions have good points, too, and their powers-that-be don't support the very worst members.
The others were calm, rational, and factual: the three hardest traits to argue against. They give every impression of being good, spiritual people; but they simply have no patience for a hierarchy that actively steps in to shield molesters, murderers, and psychopaths who hide behind the name of virtue.
I don't feel well... I don't feel well at all. This wasn't where I expected the conversation to go, and I think I might throw up unless I lie down soon.
2 comments:
Hmmmm, this is a tough one, isn't it? Chris, I had fallen a bit behind on your blog,and printed it out yesterday so I could read it in a comfy chair. Do you know it is already 52 pages long? Your writing is amazing, your experiences life changing, and your insights keen.
I'm putting my post on this page since it is also hitting close to home for me. I was unaware of this situation, and I think of myself as being fairly aware of justice issues in the church. Being Catholic is also important to me, even after all the problems the church has endured over the past years - all of which sicken me. I have struggled mightily with the situation, and the realization I have come to at this point is that the hierarchical church is not the church, the community of the people of faith is. My Catholic faith is not tied to a very fallible male hierarchy. Having said that, my Catholic faith does call me to stand up for, and with, those who suffer as a result of any injustice that society imposes, whether it be governments, churches, industries, etc. They all have a hand in causing suffering, and it is my duty as a Catholic Christian to do what I can to change the structures that cause the suffering. This includes speaking up in my own church about injustices the hierarchy perpetrates by condoning and covering up.
That said, I also want to point out that while our government will go in and prosecute someone who commits murder, as you mentioned, it is behind unspeakable atrocities on the international level, that it not only has condoned, but continues to cover up.
None of us is perfect, as you so eloquently said, Chris. I believe our job, as Jesus showed us, is to continue to make a difference, as He most definitely did. You and your colleagues are doing that, and you are calling the rest of us to do that also. Bless you all for what you are doing. And....let's continue this conversation in person. It's a worthy one.
Thank you for this thoughtful response.
Over a month has gone by, and I'm not sure I have a terribly solid grasp on this issue, yet. I suppose it's probably meant to take more than four weeks...
One thing you said that I like a lot is the reminder that the Church is not a hierarchy (nor is it a building), but a community. One of the ways that the higher-ups have been able to get away with some of these things is by keeping them hidden from the people they lead and represent. I have to believe that the church -- the community -- would have rebelled over the actions of the church -- the hierarchy -- had they been fully informed.
I believe that partially because I need to believe that, just to get up in the morning.
And, certainly, experience seems to back me up. No one I've spoken to has stood up for mistreatment or genocide, and most people are shocked to learn about the truth behind the boarding schools.
The same is true on the national level: the government is not America, you and I are (along with some other people of lesser importance). The government certainly keeps its secrets when it knows it is not acting in accord with the people.
But, yes, this is conversation that would be well worth continuing in person. -- Let's make Brian get married, that'd be a great excuse.
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