Divisively Speaking: item #1

I said I would make a tally about fundamentalists in the Church.

I'm not doing this because I hate these fundamentalists, but because I am afraid of what they are doing to our Church.
I'm afraid they think they are making it stronger; more righteous, but they are only weakening it.
They are creating fissures in the foundations of the Church; the people of God.  They are fostering hostility when Jesus calls for peace.  They are trying to annihilate personal thought and conscience and differing points of view, but it is these points of view that let us continue to grow as a faith community.   They are, if you will allow the clumsy metaphor, narrowing the gene pool for the sake of purity, ignorant of the fact that this will leave them more susceptible to disease.

I will continue to add posts in this line as I find more evidence of divisive behaviour in the Church.

I understand that this is all online, and I'm probably finding stuff by people who are not mainstream but that's the point.  These people exist and they are praying for "their" Church to overtake and trump "my" Church.  That's the problem.  There is only one Church and it's beautiful and rich in its multifaceted nature.

So with that said, I have found my first entry.  (Of course I've come across many in the past, which were the impetus for this whole thread in the first place, but I'm not sure where I saw them, or they just aren't clear enough examples.)

There is a post on Fr. Z's blog  alluding to an article by the National Catholic Reporter about progressive Catholic youth communities.

Fr. Z doesn't have much to say about the actual article, except to re-post an earlier piece of "satire" about the future of the LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious).

Apparently by 2020 the LCWR will support:
-Transgendered Daughters of Charity
-President Obama's fourth term
-Polygamous lesbian marriages
-Lowering the age of sexual consent to 11
-Abortion

I know this is supposed to be funny, but it just perpetuates the myth that all "progressive" orders of women religious will support anything in the name of freedom.

Some of these things are obvioulsy more offensive than others (I happen to like Obama, and wouldn't blink twice at a transgendered nun, but that's just me) and although this is a satirical piece it does nothing but reinforce the idea that the LCWR and its members are truly off base and not a part of the "real" Church.

the problem is that I know for a fact that many orders represented by the leaders in the conference are working hard for good, and for the Lord.  Take the School Sisters of Notre Dame, of which I happen to be a pre-associate.  They are working against human trafficking in all parts of the world including North America, human dignity of all persons, the dignity and importance of the environment, peace and justice around the world, and the list goes on.

To poke fun at a group of people within the Church, is to poke fun at the whole Church, which causes rifts and unease within.

So now, lets go to the other article that this repost was in response to.

On one hand I find it interesting and possibly problematic that these people are gathering under the term "communion" without having Mass... but on the other hand they seem to be fulfilling all of what Jesus was trying to fulfill with His ministry.  These "Guerilla Communions" are events that all people who feel marginalized and unwelcome in the Church can attend and feel part of the Church.

"Sharing our joys and our brokenness, sharing a meal, and discussing our faith helps me still feel part of the church." Witchger says. "It is one of the best experiences of church that I've had in a long time."

This is, ultimately, the most important first step.  Jesus didn't go out into the streets proclaiming that all people who didn't follow x, y, z, weren't welcome at His table.  On the contrary, this was the Man who went to eat WITH the tax collectors and prostitutes.  Through this open door ministry, many were converted and saved.

Regardless of what I personally feel about what these people stand for (I agree with some, and wholeheartedly disagree with others) I believe they all deserve a chance to feel welcome at Jesus' table. And this is His table.  After all, where two or more are gathered....

Is this a replacement for Mass and the Eucharist? No.  There is no sacrifice here, but this is communion on a grand scale.

Now if only we could get the Trads at the table instead of demonizing the rest of us á la LCWR satirical post... now THAT would be something.

Lines in the Sand

Fundamentalists.

They bug me.  I was listening to a Tapestry podcast last night in which Franz de Waal, a biologist who works with primates has written a book about apes and their ability to be compassionate and moral called The Bonobo and the Atheist.

The conversation turned to how religious leaders and atheists reacted to his book.  He said that most religious people didn't seem to mind too much (and I agree, if God can create people with a moral code, and all of creation is good, than why not apes and dolphins and who ever else too!  We are special not because God made us special but because we are made and loved.  That is enough.)

The people who seemed to have a huge problem with de Waal were the fundamentalists.  Not just religious fundamentalists, but ATHEIST fundamentalists too.  They didn't like that he criticized their black and white view of humanity and society.

Unfortunately, that's the point.
Fundamentalist ANYTHINGS have a very hard line, black and white view of the world, and if you disagree with them, you will find yourself on the "other" side.  De Waal is an atheist, but the  "new atheists", the fanatical fundamentalists are the ones who most strongly oppose his work, because he believes that there is still a place for faith and religion in society, even though he personally doesn't believe in God.

Do you know what else bugs me?

Catholic fundamentalists.

I shouldn't say bug.  Catholic fundamentalists sadden me.  And I know that Catholic is Catholic, it's universal, there is no us and them in the Universal Church.  Trust me, I've tried to believe this to be true, but I can't.  It's not true.  there are real and scary divisions in this Church.  The divisions are not coming from the "left" or "right", but from the fundamentalists.  They are the ones drawing lines in the sand, making everything black and white, while the rest of us are trying to hold this ship together with grey ropes.

Why can't we all just get along?  I say.
Why can't we focus on the real message of Jesus; to love God and to love each other?
Why can't we leave our troubles at the door, or in the confessional, and just go to God?
Why can't we appreciate the difference of values and opinion within the church and use those to make our church stronger and our experiences deeper?
Why is this thing going to fall apart but by the help of the Spirit?

Because of the fundamentalists.

Because it isn't enough to say, "I believe we should do x, even though it's not a rule right now, so I'm still going to do it for my own personal benefit.  We all have our own way to God."

The fundamentalist says, "I believe we should do x, and everyone who doesn't do this is ignorant and misinformed and evil, and I don't even go to parishes where they don't do this because those parishes must be run by evil or apathetic clergy who shouldn't even be clergy and who were ordained as priests by bishops who are also good for nothing for not insisting that every parish do x either.  It's my way or the highway, boys.  Who's in?"

Who are the fundamentalists?
Essentially they are the ones who believe what they believe or prefer what they prefer and who think that anyone who does not agree with them are idiots.  Or they just don't love God enough.
They are the ones drawing lines in the sand and forcing the rest of us in the grey to be "other".  Sometimes I think this goes so far as to "other" our Pope as well.  This is a real problem.  It's a problem of pride.  It's a problem of idolatry; what is more important, the love of God, or the ways in which we love God?  I will not worship the medium, but the Message.  But the medium IS the message.  This is a very fine line we are talking about.  (more on this later)

I'm going to make a tally.  Who are our Fundamentalists?  What are they so divisive about?  Where are the lines drawn?  How can we heal our Church despite them?  And how do we heal our Church while still including them?

NO MORE US AND THEM
Holy Mary, Pray for us.