Catholics are full of it...
If you read my going off on Jon Kitna and his "it was a miracle" quote, and aware of my struggles with severe arthritis (which I specifically mentioned in that post, and a few other times), you know that I have issues with religion. Or more accurately, those who throw religion around as a weapon, or as a moral high ground.
I was born and raised Catholic. I attended Catholic school for a couple of years. I'm baptized, had first communion, and confirmed. My marriage ceremony was a full Catholic mass, though it was more for the sake of my (now ex) wife and family.
In fact, for reasons I'm struggling with, I still call myself Catholic. It's more out of guilt than anything else, though I'd never call myself religious. I'm as far from being religious as Rob Parker is from being a good writer.
The older I get, the more I realize I disagree with many of the church's policies. Just call me a heretic!
At this point of my life, I think it's safe to call me a lapsed Catholic. Maybe even a recovering Catholic. Being divorced, I'm not in the good graces of the Catholic church anyway.
I'm glad that I've seen the proverbial light in regard to my religion, and happy in my decision to not blindly follow Catholicism, but question it, when I see what's happening to Rick Majerus and Dana Jacobson.
Majerus' job may be in jeopardy, and he is catching a ton of shit from the St. Louis Archbishop (who's a known hard ass), for being pro-choice, though he coaches at a Catholic school, St. Louis University. Since the Catholic church, as we all know, is pro-life, and basically anti-everything, I guess that means Majerus can't give his personal opinions. At least the ones that don't jibe with the church.
I'm sure if you read Deadspin or The Big Lead, you are very aware of the Dana Jacobson story. The "First Take" morning show anchor is being hung out to dry by the evil overlords at ESPN. The hypocritical Catholics are free to take shots at her for getting piss drunk at the Mike and Mike roast (I still don't get the popularity of their boring ass show, it's as milquetoast as it comes) and saying "Fuck Notre Dame," Fuck Touchdown Jesus," and "Fuck Jesus" while at the dais. (I thought about censoring F*** like so, but I don't want to be as hypocritical as my religion)
Let's party! Seriously, I want to party with Dana Jacobson!Was what she said offensive? To some people, sure. Being it was said at a roast, are offensive jokes par for the fucking course? Most definitely. Has Jacobson been apologetic? Totally. Is a suspension from the 4 letter punishment enough? She didn't deserve it, but considering the situation, and the suits at ESPN being soulless corporate bastards, yes.
Yet some religious groups want their pound of flesh.
The bat-shit insane, knee jerk, eye for an eye, our view is correct, all others are wrong religious zelot types like the oddly named Christian Defense Coalition (Christians need to be defended in AMERICA?) are calling for her head on a platter.
I mean, come on, a prayer vigil? Get real. Aren't there more important things to worry about in the world, rather than protest the drunken mutterings of an ESPN anchor? Accept the damn apology, and be done with it. Instead, they'd rather put on a show for the media. They are nothing more than attention whores.
All this makes me ashamed to call myself Catholic.
Growing up (and having moved back 11 months ago) in a area where Catholicism is the dominant religion, I have first hand knowledge as to how hypocritical Catholics can be.
Most Catholics I know are religious when it's convenient. My favorite show of that convenience is the early evening Saturday mass, so you can then go out, party your ass off that night, and not have to worry about getting up on Sunday morning. Because you did do your time in church!
Another example is when I go to my old Chruch's summer festival, which is closer to a bacchanalia than anything remotely religious. Just how do they raise money at the festival? With a massive beer tent (where I drank without fear when underage), bingo and a gambling tent.
Every year, I see the same scene. The congregation walking in the front door of the church for Saturday night mass, then piling out the back door and straight into the beer tent to tie one on after mass ends.
Now that's Catholicism in a nutshell. Sin like Hell during the week, and recant at confession. Then you're good to go for another week!
So don't go all holier than thou over someone who made a drunken mistake, or just voiced an honest opinion. They should look in a mirror instead. They might not like the intolerant person that's looking back at them.
amen
ReplyDeleteCatholicism Wow!
ReplyDeleteNice Dogma reference, Cheech! Kevin Smith call outs are always welcome!
ReplyDeleteI knew she got drunk and said stupid things - but why was she insulting Jesus at a Mike and Mike roast? Seems irrelevant more than anything else - I certainly agree with you that it hardly warrants that much attention.
ReplyDelete(To be fair, Catholics aren't the only convenient religious folks. They may be the loudest, though.)
Too many people (of any religion) don't listen to the important parts of their texts, like caring for others, or forgiveness, or anything that requires actual effort or commitment (like maybe NOT KILLING PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE THEM - there's a concept!), and like the fancy trappings and ceremony and parts that make them feel happy and superior.
One of my pet peeves is those who follow a religion solely out of reasons of intellectual laziness, because if they are told how to think, they don't have to actually exert themselves.
Total waste of the brain they were born with, and it ticks me off like few other things.
I wish that more folks who claim to be religious would make an attempt to live up to the best parts of their teachings, and recognize that non-religious doesn't mean amoral - the world would be a lot nicer for everyone.
(And I'd like a raise, new car, built-in bookcases, leather sofa, and a pony as long as I'm in a fantasy land.) :)
Oops - that was me.
ReplyDelete(Stupid computer mouse hit the wrong button.)
I appreciate your thoughts Baroque, and I like where you're heading. I agree with you in that following a religion blindly makes no sense. That might work for some people, but not me. Once I started to question Catholicism, I became disillusioned with it. I'm not that religious anymore, but isn't being a good person enough?
ReplyDeleteI now try to go by the teachings of Dalton as spoken the classic flick Road House. "Be nice!"
Hey, you made it farther along in Catholicism than I did. My parents wanted all of their kids to go to church until college, and after that we could make our own decisions - so I've never been through confirmation. I understand why, though - my Mom wanted us to have some idea of what religion was like so if later in life we felt as though we were missing something, we would have some basis for determining whether or not it was religion and we would feel a little more confortable going to a house of worship to "try it on" because it wouldn't be a completely foreign place. Some of the family goes to church, some doesn't, but they have no problems as long as we are good people.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in the Baltimore area for several years, I took public transportation to work. Whenever someone wandered up to me at a bus stop and started talking religion I told them I was a sporadic agnostic.
I'm not sure which word confused them more, but either way they were distracted enough I could get past them and jump on the bus! :)
(Someone asked me once if it bothered me that I didn't have a solid religious faith. I told them no, because whether I knew for certain there WAS a god or WASN'T a god, I'd still treat people the same way because we are social beings and the interconnections we make are, what I think, make us fully human. No other species on the planet is capable of the complexity of society and level of empathy humans are. And whether or not there is a god, I figured we all die eventually, and I'd get any questions answered then. That will be soon enough.)
Cool blog, by the way.