I've often thought (half-jokingly) that a good subtitle for this blog could be, "The rantings of a madman." Perhaps I went a little overboard yesterday with my posts on Mitt Romney and the Catholic Church. (It's been a stressful week and I think my writing reflects that.) So I'll try to tone it down a little.
There. I'm over it.
Another reader, Ed, writes in (his emphasis):
So you are saying that obedience is what makes you a Catholic? I am guessing that being a Catholic is more "tribal" and less about obedience, church attendance, or even belief.
And he's right, of course. Most Catholics are Catholic by birth. You're born into a Catholic family (like I was) and you're baptized before you can even speak. Then you receive your First Communion in about second grade and are confirmed by eighth grade (like my kids). Chances are, you'll marry another Catholic and repeat the cycle. (That's how it's happened in my family for about a thousand years now.)
Most Catholics don't give two seconds of thought to the teachings of their inherited Church. Original sin? Sure; why not? The Trinity? It's a mystery. Mass on Sunday? As long as we're home in time to watch the Bears. Eat meat on Fridays in Lent? No way; let's get fish sandwiches from Brokers' Inn!
So it's true: Most Catholics are culturally Catholic first.
And, yet ... that can't be all that it means to be a Catholic, can it? What about the unique teachings and beliefs of Mother Church?
Take birth control, for example. (Aw, Jeez; here he goes again!) Most Americans would say that you could still be a good Catholic and ignore the Church's teachings on the subject. Okay; fair enough.
But what about transubstantiation? You know, when the priest changes bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. Could you have doubts about that and still be considered a Catholic? Wouldn't that make you an Episcopalian?
What if you decided to let your conscience be your guide, instead of following the Pope and his bishops? Wouldn't that make you a Lutheran?
And what about the Trinity? That's a tough one, isn't it? Especially since the early Christians didn't even decide on the divinity of Jesus until the early fourth century. What if you had problems with that? Could you still consider yourself a Catholic? Wouldn't you be a Unitarian?
What if you went off to Harvard and studied evolutionary biology and your instructor said that evolution implied "no designer." Then what? Could you still be a good Catholic and not even believe in God?
Isn't there a line somewhere? Where is it? And who gets to determine that? Is Catholicism strictly cultural, or does it require some adherence to a set of beliefs?
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