As Easter approaches, let us consider Pope Francis.
https://twitter.com/Pontifex/status/1771152349698142589
The difference between Francis and his critics isn’t as wide as some people make out, and he’s far less unorthodox than his enemies claim, but this is the difference: Francis wants to welcome people, and believes in a God whose primary trait is love, while Church conservatives want to exclude people.
The greatest controversy of Francis’s pontificate has been his allowing blessings for same sex couples. He doesn’t allow marriage, and no priest has to bless a homoxexual couple, but they are now allowed to. In Africa, most of which is virulently and culturally anti-gray, this has gone down badly even with those on the left of the Church, but outside African, it’s been a theological issue. The Church teaches homosexuality is a sin and no grace can be given to homosexual couples.
Anyone who knows the church finds this ironic and funny, given that the priesthood and the bureaucracy couldn’t run without closeted gays.
The larger issue, though, is that just as Jesus spent time with tax collectors, prostitutes and other low-lifes, and believed it was almost impossible for the rich to enter heaven, Francis believes the Church should reach out to sinners, treat them kindly and even love them, as Jesus loved humanity, despite our sins.
The example of Jesus, as displayed in the Gospels, is that of love for the unworthy. His contempt is for the empty ritualists, the Pharisees, and the greedy, but even they are invited to join Jesus on the path to God. But, of all the sins he took time to condemn, Jesus himself never spoke of homosexuality.
I’m not, overall, a fan of Christianity. I’m with Gore Vidal, who said that monotheism was the worst thing to befall the West. Christianity and Islam’s records are of vast violence and coercion and horrific crimes.
But there is a good side to Christianity, a tendency to love and acceptance and care for the poor and the weak which comes directly from the Gospels, and that care tends to be show much more in the better offshoots of Catholicism than in most Protestant denominations, tainted as they are by ideas of predestination and/or salvation by faith alone. When Henry the Eighth forcibly shut the monasteries one claim was that they didn’t help the poor enough, but the new Anglican church did even less.
Francis is the only Pope of my life who I regard as Christian: as following the the example of Jesus, even if very imperfectly. The others were orthodox inquisitors, feeling that rules were more important than love and charity.
I rather doubt that either Benedict or John Paul II will like their reception, should Jesus and Heaven exist:
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
You get what you support. If you like my writing, please SUBSCRIBE OR DONATE
bruce wilder
I grew up Catholic in a small town where the majority belonged to many, many Protestant denominations. I never knew anyone personally at all knowledgeable about theology or theological differences. But, even the Catholic view of the world and history has long seemed alien to me. Why did Mother Theresa hang out with the Duvaliers? I have no answer. The Stations of the Cross is some serious creepy. And, in all the tales of abuse, sexual and otherwise, in Catholic schools and other institutions, what were the authorities thinking? I ride the bus regularly in LA past a Catholic Church built in the style of a Roman building of I guess the 6th century. Why?
I am personally pretty idealistic and I wonder how much Catholic teaching contributed to that personal development. Religion unironically is a mystery to me.
ilpalazzo
I’ve been reading Matthew 23 lately as a description of PMC.
Eric Anderson
Organized religion is the most convincing argument the devil won and cast the oracular sky fairy down low.
The hypocrisy has always astounded me.
Soredemos
Damning with faint praise. The Catholic presupposition is still that homosexuals are disgusting sinners, just that the current Pope designs to condescend to them with blessings. A counter-argument is that well all humans are doomed sinners; part of why Jesus is great is that he offers a way to save us all, but it sure seems like some sins are more sin-y than others…
Joan
For a millennium and a half gays and lesbians have been joining the church as priests, monks or nuns, in an effort to avoid being forced into hetero marriages among other things. There are a lot of gay and lesbian Catholics out there, including patron saints for them, such as Saint Sebastian. Being gay is tough and for some faith can help. Whenever a bunch of closeted hypocrites high up in the church talk about how Catholics shouldn’t accept gays, the LGBT parishioners who likely number in the low millions just ignore them and continue their beliefs.
That said, I’m polytheist and try to ignore the monotheists or anybody else when they get judgy. I feel like I would have been friends with the historical Jesus but his Christians are a very mixed bag.
Purple Library Guy
@bruce wilder I can only help you with one of those–the building in LA. Why? Because Roman buildings of the 6th century looked way, way cooler than nearly all modern buildings do.
I think we shouldn’t get too hung up on the religious aspect of abuse. People get abused in similar circumstances in Baptist churches; they also get abused in the Boy Scouts, by their sports coaches, and in the military, as well as traditionally in show biz although I’m not sure what the situation is like now. Anywhere you have a hierarchy where the people above have a lot of power over the people just below them, abuse happens. Catholicism’s problem isn’t mostly in its fundamental religious beliefs, although there are some creepy things in those basic texts. Catholicism’s problem is that it’s a totally undemocratic hierarchy–part autocracy, part oligarchy, zero legitimacy. So are most other Christian denominations. So are many sporting organizations, so obviously is the military and so on. Reform the organization as organization and you will reform the institution.
Chuck Mire
What to Know About Donald Trump’s New $60 Bible:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/03/what-to-know-about-donald-trumps-new-60-bible/
“It’s my favorite book,” Trump added. 😂
According to the book’s official site, the God Bless the USA Bible has nothing to do with Trump’s campaign. It is “not owned, managed, or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures LLC, or any of their respective principals or affiliates.” Instead, Trump’s “name, likeness, and image” are being used “under paid license from CIC Ventures LLC.”
Wait, what is CIC Ventures LLC, though?
Okay, so CIC Ventures LLC is, according to the Washington Post, basically a pipeline to Trump:
In [Trump’s] financial disclosure released last year, he’s identified as the [CIC Ventures LLC’s] “manager, president, secretary and treasurer” and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust is identified as a 100 percent owner of the business. The same entity also receives royalties from his book “A MAGA Journey” and speaking engagements.
In case it’s not already obvious: if you look at the company’s documents, you’ll find the principal address for CIC Ventures LLC is 3505 Summit Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida. That is a Trump golf course. Moreover, in a 2022 disclosure, Nick Luna is listed as a manager. Luna was Trump’s personal assistant and body man.
Soredemos
@Joan
The historical Yeshua ben Yosef (providing such a person ever actually existed, which is by no means certain) was likely a Jewish Apocalypticist. He was preaching about forcing the Romans out, restoring ‘proper’, uncorrupted Temple worship, reestablishing a theocracy under the line of David and ushering in a literal Kingdom of Heaven on Earth where all would be judged and the worthy would be resurrected to live forever, while the unworthy dead would just stay dead.
When he turned out to be yet another failed Messiah, his cult would have eventually died out if not for Saul and his hijacking of the cult to create Christianity with its added layers of mystical abstraction.
In so far as he preached love and economic reform, historical Jesus had some good things to say. But in the end he was another intolerant theocratic.
Joe
My mother went to Catholic school. She informed me that as students they were told outright that the rules themselves were not the point. Following the rules, no matter if they made any sense to one or not was the point. Maybe this is why conservatives have issue with Francis.
mago
Having grown up in Mormon country, I formed opinions from a young age and could rant even then.
Not gonna do that now except to note a couple of things. The morality and religious views are a bit, um, peculiar. The cultural cohesion—back then, at least—was impressive. They didn’t call Utah the beehive state for nothing.
They practiced local agriculture, raising crops and livestock which were processed in their own local facilities and distributed to the needy among their flock, gratis
Then there’s the Catholic thing.
All my friends raised and schooled in the culture bear some degree of lifetime trauma, not to mention the guilt syndrome.
I remember Amiri Baracka recently returned from a visit to the Vatican ranting in high style, but the only comment that stands out is: “a bunch of thieves in petticoats.”
Chuck Mire
If Jesus Never Called Himself God, How Did He Become One?
(NPR Fresh Air with Terry Gross, April 7,2014)
Listen and/or read the full transcript:
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/300246095
How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0061778192/
Jorge
In Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, the proscription on priestly marriage is routinely ignored. “We feel lucky if a Bishop only has one wife”- anonymous quote from some Vatican guy, unsubstiantiable.
Tallifer
Jesus Christ does indeed have compassion on all us sinners, but his sermon on the mount is just as uncompromising towards venial sins as against violence and exploitation. Moreover he famously said, “Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more.”
Oakchair
One strategy oligarchs use is to engage in “philanthropy”. This allows them to transfer wealth to families/friends, get tax breaks, gain leverage to dictate public policy all while appearing to be caring upstanding moral citizens. This is the exact same thing Churches do.
They transfer wealth to Priests, are tax exempt, fund activities to gain converts, and use their appearance of caring and morality to dictate public policies.
Mary Bennet
Soredemos, Nice bit of rhetorical trickery there. In your first paragraph, Yoshua ben Yosip is described as “likely a Jewish Apocalypticist”. By your last paragraph, your first assertion, which remains mere assertion until you provide at least some support for it, is assumed to be true.
I know of no New Testament passage, from Jesus himself or any apostle, in which He preached about forcing the Romans out or reestablishing monarchy under the line of David. If other evidence supporting those claims exists in some other source, maybe you would like to share? If anything, the only overtly political message which I think can be derived from His teachings amounts to no more than a kind of passive resistance. Live a righteous life and don’t kiss up to sinful authorities, whether Roman or priestly.
I think the early believers found they needed leadership who could reliably interpret the Founder’s words–did he really mean slaves are people with souls?– and serve as spokespersons in dealing with secular authority.
Willy
My father was a minister. As a boomer kid I watched him grow a struggling congregation operating out of a rental house in the bad part of a midwestern town, into their very own brand-new architecturally-designed sanctuary. He was the talk of his minor league denomination, nationwide. In the 70’s he accepted a call to another struggling congregation in a far-away city hoping to do the same thing for them.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out the same. He wound up living through decades of that church steadily declining until sometimes, it was only he and mom attending his services. He’d gone from hero to zero. Quite sad really, considering his dedication to his faith.
In hindsight, the reasons why attendance degraded isn’t all that hard for me to understand. In the old church the core vibe was ‘friendly fellowship with equal peers’. Plus the idea that if your life sucks, there might be a perfect afterlife waiting for you. Dad had been perfectly happy to live more with less. During Reaganomics and the subsequent neoliberal years, dad changed. He’d brag about spending his inheritance “blessings”, oblivious to the fact that many of his congregants were going broke. He’d been suckered by the kiss-up-kick-down variety of the prosperity gospel craze, promulgated by a handful of billionaire heirs and corporate psychopaths. You rich because Jesus loves you best. Curious newbies to his church would get turned off and his remaining people either went elsewhere or hung in there until they died.
The verses alluded to in this post come from the famous “sheep and goats” bit seen in the book of Matthew. They make good horse sense (in a scripture which sometimes doesn’t), especially when one considers the vastly differing time scales between living a brief messy material life and the promised eternal perfection. It’s like comparing a speck of dust to everything anyone could see with a telescope or microscope. I’d think your average parishioner would know this and wonder about focusing so much effort on that tiny speck of dust.
Christianity wouldn’t make a lick of sense anymore, for most. “Eternal salvation” would just be seen as an extension of material greed, an egocentrism gone mad.
There are many who still believe in actual Christian values. Maybe they can help us convince some of the others that tribal conservatism is an extension of satanic deviousness. I mean if I was Satan, that ultimate trickster as described by scripture, that’s how I would’ve played it, get ‘worshippers’ to despise their own pope.
Jan Wiklund
Ideologies, of which Christianity is one, are nothing apart from the people who subscribe to them. Christianity was conceived as a revolutionary program against the ancient empires – see for example Ulrich Duchrow: Alternatives to global capitalism – but as everyone know, all revolutions are carried out by an alliance of popular movements and marginalized elites. When the elites have taken the place of the old elites they bend the revolutionary program out of recognition by emphasizing the features that serve their own power.
The same thing happened to socialism, by the way. And we shouldnt be surprised.
Ideologies are tricky. They exist in people’s heads, as patterns of thinking, and serve the (perceived) needs of the people who house them. It follows that they are not the same from person to person. And it follows that they are heavily conditioned by the place in the hierarchy of the carrier.
Popes are supposed to keep up the organization of the catholic church as their first commitment. Which isn’t conducive to particularly subversive thinking. I think we should be grateful to Francis that he goes as far as he can considering his position.
Chuck Mire
What to Know About Donald Trump’s New $60 Bible:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/03/what-to-know-about-donald-trumps-new-60-bible/
According to the book’s official site, the God Bless the USA Bible has nothing to do with Trump’s campaign. It is “not owned, managed, or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures LLC, or any of their respective principals or affiliates.” Instead, Trump’s “name, likeness, and image” are being used “under paid license from CIC Ventures LLC.”
according to the Washington Post, basically a pipeline to Trump:
In [Trump’s] financial disclosure released last year, he’s identified as the [CIC Ventures LLC’s] “manager, president, secretary and treasurer” and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust is identified as a 100 percent owner of the business. The same entity also receives royalties from his book “A MAGA Journey” and speaking engagements.
… if you look at the company’s documents, you’ll find the principal address for CIC Ventures LLC is 3505 Summit Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida. That is a Trump golf course. Moreover, in a 2022 disclosure, Nick Luna is listed as a manager. Luna was Trump’s personal assistant and body man.