I did not grow up in a religious home. What was lacking, however, was compensated by
the zealousness of my Grandmother Minnie.
She was from the old Baptist
School and had a black,
leather covered Bible that was well worn from the diligence of her study of all
that was believed to be good and holy within those pages. She was as certain of the absolute truth of
what was recorded therein as most of her children were that it was not.
As a child, I was terrified of what was meant by all of the
words printed in the text of that book.
As I came of age as a grade-school student, Grandmother Minnie decided
the time had come for me to become familiar with the tenets of her religion,
and took it upon herself to introduce me to the joys of going to my first
service at the Jesus
Saves Baptist
Church and the oratory of
Reverent Pulis. As the pageantry of that
experience drew to a close, I became even more terrified. The culmination was the point at which those
who had been inspired by the words of the Lord (as so aptly intoned by Reverend
Pulis) were to “go forward.” Those words
had absolutely no meaning to me, but I was asked by Grandmother Minnie if I did
not want to “go forward.” It quickly
became apparent to me that I would be required to stand in front of the
congregation, profess my belief in all that had been inspired by and attributed
to the Lord, and culminate in the ritual of being “baptized.”
I quickly discovered that “being baptized” amounted to a
healthy dunking in a watering tank for livestock at the hands of Reverend
Pulis, at which point I would then become a believer in the Lord and would be
well on my way to a virtuous life and guaranteed salvation. That was the first and last time I placed my
trust in the inspirational words of absolute certainty coming from the mouth of
anyone even remotely associated with the label of preacher.
As I matured and joined the United States Navy for a tour of
duty, I came to wonder just how all the marvels of the world around me came
into being. The mere fact that there
were more unanswered questions than there were answers led me to conclude that
there must be a higher power that could come into being by more than a
spontaneous cosmic accident and, probably, was beyond my comprehension. There had to be something greater and more
powerful than anything I could possibly imagine. I never felt that it was anything I could
ever clearly understand; much less explain in absolute terms. Therein was the mystery and one that still
remains with me. That is a conclusion
that is entirely mine and nothing I can empirically prove or disprove as part
of the belief system for others. Nor do
I believe that what I have come to accept is anything more than part of the
system of beliefs of anyone else, despite the certainty of what they profess to
be otherwise. In my view, it is nothing
but a system of beliefs that is yet to be empirically proven. It is a system of beliefs I have come to
choose, but one about which I have no illusions of proving.
No matter how hard they may try to assert otherwise, the
absolute certainty attributed to the teachings of any religion are nothing more
than what a willing group of people have chosen to believe. I remain open to proof, but anything less is
self-delusional. What in essence really
is a simple act of faith unfortunately morphs into a zealousness that becomes
absolute and unquestionable resulting, too often, in demagoguery.
Throughout recorded history there has been unlimited numbers
of divinely inspired minds that have stated and preached, with absolute
certainty, that they are the holders of the inspired word of God. I would invite anyone to simply embark on a
cursory study of all that is “inspired” and explain to me what value lies in
all the horrific tales of violence that have been, and are yet to be visited on
the human race. However, all I see is
the growing decadence and limitless evil emanating from the minds of those we
label as our fellow human beings. Where,
I ask you, is the compassion for the suffering of others? What is it that moves us to do with less and
give more to others? Where is it within
us to deny our own materialistic and hedonistic appetites for the greater good
of all of us? What has brought us to the
point of absolute certainty that all of our worst attributes are somehow a
rightful entitlement, and that those who believe otherwise are simply fools to
be exploited by all the “haves,” with any notion of justice being nothing more
than folly?
Never, in my entire life, have I seen the standards of human
decency and human decadence so fluid and ill-defined. There are no measures of what is right vs.
what is wrong. Rather, any such measures
are left to the individual and it is a world of “whatever the traffic will
bear.” We are no longer shocked by
anything. Greed is good and any lesser
ambition is patently stupid. What is
even more egregious is the mere fact that we accept it all with complete
abandon. And the world sinks deeper into
the mire and toward complete collapse.
Chicken Little keeps saying “The sky is falling; the sky is falling,”
and the only response she ever hears is, “So what? Tomorrow is another
day.” Anyone and anything perceived to
be weak and vulnerable is fair game.
They are the prey for the stronger among us, simply for the asking; all
based on a set of simple beliefs.
The greatest legacy of my life was from a professor at the
university from which I graduated. For
his parting words to those of us going out into the world for the first time we
were admonished to adopt as our mantra for the rest of our lives, “Question,
question, question, and never abandon that fundamental premise for so long as
you shall live!”
I have, by my own volition and free will, been a member of
the Roman Catholic Church for most of my adult life. I did not choose it because I necessarily
believed in all that it professed to be, but because I chose to believe in what
I most wanted and needed to believe.
That is an issue of choice based on reason, not based on mystery or
fear. Is it an imperfect system of
beliefs? Of course! Is it a system of beliefs that can be made
more perfect? Of course! Is it the only inspired Word of God? How do I know? Is He the only God and when, where and to
whom has He spoken? I have no idea. Obviously, that line of questioning could go
on ad infinitum, never to be conclusively answered. In the final analysis it is the choice of a
system of beliefs we choose to adopt.
From that point forward we become the embodiment of that system of
beliefs and, if we are the least bit inclined to be rational, we do all in our
power to see that system continue to nourish our very souls and become the
guiding light of all we are destined to become as human beings. However, with the passage of time comes the
illusory phenomenon of insidious change that may threaten that system of
beliefs and undermine the validity of what it once appeared to be. We can no longer see the forest for the
trees.
I believe that the strongest and most pervasive phenomenon
of the human condition is the ability of outside forces to corrupt what we are
most prone to believe by our very nature.
The same applies to organizations of whatever ilk they are likely to be. The more corrupt they become, the more
inclined to further corruption they are likely to be. Lord Acton said it best; “Absolute power
tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Therein lies what I believe to be the
greatest peril to civilization, as we know it, and what I believe is the most
ominous for some of the greatest institutions of civilization in our history;
not the least of which is the Roman Catholic Church. I commend the United Nations for taking it to
task and raising many of the unanswered questions that have yet to be answered,
and for far too long.
The Catholic Church has, in my opinion, been seduced by the
very power within the hierarchy of the Church.
The corrupting influence of that power has caused so many of its real
problems to be passed over at the expense of reason that could have been better
applied to lesser problems, not that any of them should be minimized. The focus seems to have been directed more at
the priests who are the offenders, and less at the so-called “princes” of the
church who overlooked and tacitly condoned what was going on. Who most benefitted from that? Those who were in positions of power and
influence. Why did the responsibility
for what befell the Church not come raining down on the heads of the Bishops,
the Archbishops and the Cardinals who covered up so much of what was occurring,
and who continued to be revered by the Church and their station within the
Church? Clearly, I see a conspiracy of
silence with what appeared to have been set in motion in order to protect the
power of those in high places. They were
accorded deference and respect they forfeited when they became as complicit in
what was going on as the actual perpetrators of those offenses.
What befell Cardinal Dolan of New York while he was serving as the
Archbishop of Milwaukee in whose diocese boys who were deaf and mute were being
molested by clergy? The last I knew he
was comfortably settled in St. Patrick’s Cathedral surrounded by all of the
trappings of power and prestige customarily accorded that station. Where was he when justice was handed
out? What kind of retribution is
promotion to one of the most powerful and prestigious offices in the American
Catholic Church?
Where was the atonement that should have been demanded from
Cardinal Roger Mahony for his complicity in the cover-up of sex offenses while
he was in the position of Archbishop of Los Angeles? It was subordinated to the power and prestige
of the office he held rather than his conduct in that office. How did his complicity differ from that of
the parish priests who were known to be sex offenders and who served in his
diocese? The mere fact that he knew what
was going on makes him as complicit as any one or all of the priests he was
aiding in the cover-up.
Where was the retribution that should have come down on the
head of Cardinal Laws of Boston
for his failure to address the problems of sex crimes among the clergy of his
Diocese? The penalty he paid was for
Pope John Paul II to transfer him to the largest and most affluent church in Rome where he remains to
this day. What pain did he suffer and
how did he atone for his role in the scandal?
Moreover, we now hear that Pope John Paul II is going to be canonized as
a Saint in the Roman Catholic Church!
Where is the rationale and justice in the face of all this? I see no evidence of it, whatsoever. If that isn’t raw political power I don’t
know what is. Moreover, what rational
mind who is cognizant of this kind of power and privilege could accept this as
“punishment” that fits the “crime?” I
just don’t see it.
The foregoing is just a miniscule number of those in the
hierarchy of the Church who has gotten off Scot free and has never been held to
account for their transgressions simply because of the power and prestige of
the offices they coveted and abused.
Rather than acquiescing to the ravage of the Church’s vital
resources serving the poor and deprived of the world in the form of schools,
hospitals, churches, monasteries, etc. by those seeking “justice,” (if you can
call it that), why has the Church not chosen to punish all those who could have
and should have taken the influential and powerful members of the ruling
hierarchy of the Church to task, defrocked them and let them suffer the shame
and scorn of the public they betrayed and the victims who will never recover
from the stain that will be indelibly etched into the history of the church,
the church they so willingly betrayed in the pursuit of their own avarice and
lust for power and prestige. Nothing
about them justifies the least bit of deference or leniency.
All of the vast resources of the Church belong to the people
of the Church. Those resources were
obtained through the sacrifice and devotion of those seeking spiritual guidance
and salvation from that same church.
Many of those same resources were willingly taken from the legacy left
by coal miners, fishermen, and myriad others who willingly gave of themselves
through arduous labor in the service of a greater good and to charity for
others of less means. Instead, who
benefitted? Those who were encouraged to
adopt a sense of entitlement and the opiate of money to wash away the pain of
what they had endured. Behind them, as
one would expect, are legions of those who claim membership in the union of those
seeking justice on behalf of others, all for a price of course.
Money is not the issue.
What is rests with all of those who used and exploited an institution
and a system of beliefs they were sworn to serve, but only ravaged for their
own aggrandizement, ambitions and shame.
Yet, to this very day, the Church has lost a treasure of resources
acquired over many years to be used in the service of the poorest among us
because it failed to address the cancerous growth of what was in the offing for
more years than most of us could possibly recount.
Now, let us focus on much the same set of issues closer to
home.
Why is it that, historically, those who are the most vile
among us almost always seem to get a mild slap on the wrist for their crimes
against humanity, but those who are their victims suffer the most? How does the history of the Roman Catholic
Church differ markedly in comparison to the history of wealth, power and
privilege in the secular world? How does
its history differ significantly from the Wall Street Bankers, and the scions
of commerce and industry who have become billionaires at the expense of those
they have so blatantly and wantonly exploited, aided and abetted by a willing
government that is sworn to serve those very same people? How is it that they are supremely confident
that no misfortune will ever befall them and the wealth they so covet? Do they honestly believe the day will never
come when they will have to pay their fair share and assume the responsibility
and accountability that comes with their ill-gotten gains?
Why do we, as a people, disparage the simplicity and purity
of honesty, yet defer so willingly to thievery and exploitation by those who
have mastered and practice every conceivable kind of thievery and dishonesty
that can be imagined? Their reward is
handed out every day by a compliant government that subsidizes their greed with
money commandeered from the people whose sacrifice is gargantuan compared to
the millions in pocket change for the rich and powerful?
Where is that “government of the people, by the people and
for the people” that is so revered and so often quoted by those whose disdain
for those words is almost palpable?
Their words ring hollow and I see nothing of value to the broader social
contract by what they allege vs. what they practice.
I think we need to refocus on the basics. We need to break free of the bonds of the
rich and powerful, reclaim this nation for the people, restructure the
framework of social and political justice so it serves all of the people, all
of the time, and there is no privileged among us who have not earned the right
to be respected members of the society they have exploited for their own
personal gain.
Karl Marx is famous for the quote, “Religion is the opiate
of the masses.” That embodies the
essence of his contempt for a system of beliefs that can and should serve the
common good. I am more inclined to
believe that, in the case of modern-day America, too many of those among us
believe that materialism and hedonism is the alpha and omega of life’s
ambitions, underscored by Marie Antoinette’s admonition for the masses to
simply “Let them eat cake.” There has to
be more to it than that.
Pope John Paul I said that Christ’s Church should be a poor
church. I think the time has come for
the people of the United
States of America to reclaim this democracy
for the people. Democracy should be a
fair and just system, with liberty and opportunity for all and not a system for
the wealthy, privileged and powerful to exploit at will for their own self-aggrandizement. We need to start by culling from the system
those who think they have deluded us into believing they proudly serve and
genuinely care about the people while they work feverishly to guard the interests
of the masters of that same wealth, privilege and power.
Do I believe it can be salvaged? Yes.
Do I believe massive reform will come to either the Catholic Church, the
Government of the United
States or the ingrained sense of entitlement
claimed by the rich and the super rich will come about anytime soon? No, because it will be a challenge of
gigantic proportions simply because of its prominence in the world, its
influence in the world and what it represents to the world. What lies ahead is rather akin to the beast
at the head of the herd that becomes injured and falls to the back of the
herd. The wolves have smelled that
weakness and, if human nature proves correct, that same nature will motivate
them to move in for the kill. They are
motivated by the same predatory skills that have befallen other bastions of
power and influence throughout history that have so callously ignored the many
humanitarian needs of people throughout the world, all in the pursuit of the
“almighty dollar”, placing their own avaricious monetary gain ahead of their
unbridled greed. Nothing excuses the
wanton plunder of what has, and will surely occur again, by the predators in
the disguise of angels simply waiting in the shadows to further line their
pockets at the expense of a greater need and a greater good.
I have no idea as to why the rule of celibacy was invoked as
a requirement for becoming a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. I am totally mystified by that
requirement.
We are all living examples of God’s Creation, and God
created mammals to procreate for survival of the species. Man, as I understand it, is a mammal. Mammals are infused with hormones that cause
them to want to reproduce. That is one
of the strongest drives mammals have and one that is the most intense in
gratification. That is not lurid or
titillating; it is simply a fact of life.
Why would God require that his church consign the most vital of His
servants to a life that is contrary to that very nature? It makes no sense to me at all. It seems totally contrary to the essence of
humanity, to me.
If other religions, both Christian and others, can
constructively deal with the issue of marital fidelity, then why can’t the
Catholic Church? My limited experience
suggests to me that it is entirely possible for Ministers to be just as
proficient in preaching the gospel and the values of the religion as can any
Priest. If the Catholic Church seriously
wants to address this issue, then it seems to me it has to acknowledge that
fundamental fact. Celibacy has no place
in a viable and dedicated priestly life to the religion it serves. It only creates conflict and torment for
simply being normal. What does that
achieve? How does a life of loneliness
and solitude serve God in any more noble ways than does a dedicated priest, a
devoted husband and the father of children?
In instances where sexual orientation precludes a married
life and where there is a calling to serve, the Church has monasteries where
those individuals could have the opportunity to devote their lives to
intellectual, ecclesiastical and other callings that lend themselves to a
celibate life, to the service of mankind and to the Church. There is no reason why those same children of
God cannot, and should not, be given the privilege of serving Him as well.
Pope Benedict showed tremendous courage by putting a
significant number of pedophile priests out to pasture as his parting shot at
what has been a smoldering fire within the belly of the Church for far too
long. It is time to open the windows,
let in the fresh air and breathe new life into one of the greatest religious
institutions in the history of the world.
It is time for his church to finish the job. It is time for his successors to pick up the
cudgel and get on with the challenge and promise of a better future for all the
faithful.
It is, also, time for the American people to say “Enough is
enough.” The time has come to purge our
public institutions of those who abuse the system, taking from the many in
order to serve their masters of wealth, power and privilege. We need a multiparty system of government,
none of which should ever be allowed to enjoy special status over any of the
others. Democracy must always belong to
the people, not vested interests of any kind.
It must be a society that belongs to us, the people and that democracy
must serve all of us equally, fairly and justly. We have a long way to go
before this even approaches reality; but it can be done.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
February 12, 2014
