The Vatican needs to STFU

I said I'd write about my religious ideas and such, so here it is. Like some previous entries, this one, too, is a product of multiple writing days. Forgive me for my small rant, but it made me feel better.

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Enough is enough. Mom and Dad, sorry, but there's just no way I can raise my children to be Roman Catholic at this point, or ever unless someone drastically changes the system. While I wholeheartedly stand by a lot Jesus' teachings, ideals, and lessons, there's no way I can ever condone the opinions and actions of the Catholic church. It's so unlike Jesus, it's not even funny. Paulo Coelho writes in his book, The With of Portobello, that if Jesus were to meet a woman after she's been excommunicated from the church, he would comfort her and tell her not to feel so bad, since it's been a long time since He's been let into the church. Though it was only one line in the book, I think it will stick with me for the rest of my life.

The other day I heard about a cardinal in the Vatican chastising a woman for seeking an abortion after having been raped. The man told news reporters, and the woman, that her abortion was a worse crime than her having been raped ... excuse me?! And last week, I heard of a very young girl (around 11 yrs old) in Brazil also getting pregnant from a rape. The local church denied the family of having the girl receive an abortion, and she is now having the child.

I don't know about you, but this sort of news sends chills down my spine and makes me really angry. I wholly support freedom of expression and such, but not when it comes to mandating choices that could mean the difference between life and death, happiness when it doesn't hurt the individual or anyone else, and the like. I'm talking about issues such as abortion, gay marriage, sex before marriage, etc. The Catholic church seems to have stagnated when the rest of the world has evolved.

Maintaining rituals to recall the foundation of a religion is more than acceptable. In fact, that's one of the few reasons I still attend Catholic masses, because I find the rituals and process of services highly appealing. Then again, I enjoy Protestant services because of the focus on the community, not the individual. On the other hand, I find it fascinating that service for Indian traditions brings harmony, peace, family, prayer, and well-being into such great focus. And that prayer is so important to those who practice Islam, well, good for you. I sometimes find myself struggling for my once-a-night promise to myself. All in all, I believe that all religions say the same kind of things - be a 'good' person and work hard, only then will life truly reward you. The placement of one god versus multiple gods also has some meanings.

If I'm not mistaken, religion was originally established to explain the unknown - see the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. And I believe it still holds that purpose, but is muddled with a lot more crap nowadays. According to history, a lot of what societal norms and such changed when the Catholic church began to impose its views on what went on in the home. And I find it to be true. The politics of established religion just completely makes me want to turn away from it ... but some roots keep my tied to it. At one point, I fancied the idea of making my own religion, an amalgamation of multiple religions if you will, but I have no idea how to go about this. Regardless, I hold my own views of life and what God is to me, and am perfectly happy with my opinions and would have no problem sharing them if you'd like. And in case you were wondering, my being a scientist has no effect on my religious views whatsoever. I have a philosophy of always trying to maintain the best of both worlds. And when it works, the results are pretty fantastic.