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AlexandraRexFirstPaper 9 - 18 Apr 2012 - Main.AlexandraRex
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What is Catholic? | | | And Meagan, I really appreciate your point that subscribing to only some of the stances espoused by a particular religious institution isn't indicative of or synonymous with cognitive dissonance or splitting, but rather an illustration of individuality, an inherently beautiful incoherence that's unique to each of us. Both points, I found, were instructive in recasting my thoughts on Alix's essay and our conversation earlier today regarding the value we derive from our respective religious institutions in spite of our distaste for some of the fundamental tenets of those very institutions. And I'd also like to thank you both for sharing your thoughts because I found them really helpful in beginning to facilitate a more self-accepting way to think about my own faith and spiritual identity.
-- CourtneyDoak - 18 Apr 2012
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> | Thank you all so much for these insightful comments. I love the parent-child analogy - so true - and I think I've always considered my "religion" as a kind of buffet-style spirituality similar to Meagan. I think you all are right that describing this selective approach to Catholicism (or any religion) as cognitive dissonance is unfair if you assume that cognitive dissonance has a negative connotation. If anything, such an approach allows for deeper introspection and a closer relationship with God or spirituality than blindly following on "faith." And I too, wouldn't choose to believe in any other kind of God than one that would appreciate this self-reflection and thought-provoking discussion.
I think what I continue to struggle with is the line between using Church as a time for self-reflection and meditation (and anything else I choose to get out of it) and the fact that attending mass in itself is a sign of support for an institution that at its foundation I'm not sure I agree with. As Courtney and I were discussing yesterday, I think there is a significant difference between attending church occasionally on the one hand and using religion to justify one's stance on abortion or gay rights or any other social controversy on the other. If each member of a congregation was able to selectively integrate into the community then I don't see a problem with buffet-style spirituality. But one of the major issues I experienced in Southern California was the fact that there were entire communities that clung to Catholicism to the possible detriment of their children and younger members (I'm thinking specifically of teenage girls unexposed to birth control for religious reasons and then being forced to drop out of high school due to pregnancy - a type of cyclical, perhaps even institutionalized, poverty). But maybe what I'm experiencing is simply one side of a spectrum of faith, ranging from absolute adherence to absolute denial and the issue isn't the stark contrast between the two endpoints but the range of middle ground that extends between the two. Thus, my real problem is that I haven't decided for myself whether I'm too close to denial to use Catholicism for what I need/want out of religion (not to say that there aren't plenty of other belief systems that may be more conducive to my goals), or whether my beliefs are sufficient to overcome any prejudices I have against blind faith.
Again, thank you all so much for your input. This has really helped me to try and align my personal belief system with the real problems I have with the Catholic Church. Obviously I still have a lot to figure out, but this is a great start.
-- AlexandraRex - 18 Apr 2012 |
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