Catholic
October 25th, 2007 by 
elenamary
One of my phrases I often repeat is “I am fornicating, gay advocate, planned parenthood working, pro-choice, Catholic”.
I really dislike it when people think that because I am Catholic, I am not liberal. Or that because I am liberal I am not Catholic.
A formerly Catholic friend of mine who now calls herself an atheist, laughed when I told her I was Catholic. Without pause she said “You are a bad Catholic”, I grinned “No, I am the best kind of Catholic.” I view my Catholicism the same way I view my patriotism and my commitment to the democratic party.
My government, my country, may be funding a war in Iraq, abstinence education, enlisting undocumented immigrants to fight wars, and commits war crimes, but this is still my country and I am still an American. I do my best to make my country better, not by giving up on it but by declaring loudly I am an American. I am an American who voices her opinion against her appointed president, against unjust laws, against misappropriated funds.
I may not agree with the democratic party but it is still my party. I work within it not to give up on it but because I want to make it my party. I want government officials who truely represent me. I want my Catholic Church to be my Catholic Church.
I have not given up on my party, on my country or on my religion because I love all of them and want them to truly represent me. I want them to represent me because I believe in the end, they can be good and helpful institutions.
Mister T Says:
October 26th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
I used to call myself a “Cafeteria Catholic,” and then I heard a Muslim woman talk about faith. From that, I realized that, like her, I am a “dissenter.” So, now I call myself a Catholic dissenter, but I’ll always be a “New Deal” Democrat.
Zulma Aguiar Says:
October 26th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
this is why i say, I am Culturally Catholic. It is part of my culture but it does not have anything to do with my thoughts on politics. One thing is the way that I choose to meditate and pray, the other how I choose to live as an american citizen.
I agree on all your politics. I just think that If Jesus lived in 2007 he’d agree with my notion of the world. It’s just nicer the to be Culturally catholic than to be a christian that wants to cause wars with its neighbors over words and genres of religions. If my neighbor likes Jiffy and I prefer Smuckers, I’m not going to send a bomb into their yard just to prove a point. Potato Potatoe I say!
xoxo
z
CJ McElroy Says:
October 28th, 2007 at 4:09 am
F religion [pointless]
What is that, like the number one cumulative cause of wanton death in world history or something. Hypocrites, all of them.
F parties [politician = corrupt]
They fail to represent or maintain their proclaimed worldview the minute they are sworn in. I don’t get it.
But damn, never ever ditch the country. because you are the country…and the country’s last hope against all above.
cindylu Says:
October 30th, 2007 at 2:14 am
The main reason I still call myself a Catholic is because of how it’s a part of my family. I feel like my faith is another member of the family.
I’m a lot like you on this.
Man Eegee Says:
October 30th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
I hear ya on this one.
irasali Says:
November 7th, 2007 at 10:14 am
hello elenamary…pues, i’m technically lutheran–but raised pretty much catholic–long story. but i do get a kick out of correcting folks when they assume i’m catholic just cause i’m latina.
Julissa Says:
November 7th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I had thought about this a while back ago. And finally I know that there are others that think like me. I like Culturally Catholic, Zulma.
» Because I can - By ¡Para Justicia y Libertad! Says:
November 25th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
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mari Says:
December 24th, 2007 at 2:33 am
Ay elenamary, thank you for this post ~ and for the comments it generated ~ I see I am not alone. Recently, I worked on the Bubble Ordinance we just passed in Oakland, to protect women seeking abortions and other reproductive health care at womens’ clinics. Because I’m Latina, and presumed Catholic, there was major distrust of me from some of the women on the pro-choice side. It was difficult to work on the Ordinance while having to prove to them that I was absolutely pro-choice, while delicately trying to point out the irony in that they were fighting for the right to privacy. Then the extremist messaging from the religious and pro-life/anti-choice side really really put a bigger dent in my faith. But I reminded myself that I am actually anti-organized-religion and more culturally catholic as Zulma said….Thanks again for this post!
abdul-halim Says:
December 29th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Elena, its been a while…
I think your post is definitely thought-provoking. I’m not sure if I see the issue in the same way. I think there is definitely a large set of social justice issues where you are totally on solid ground. I mean, things like Gustavo Gutierrez’s liberation theology, the Catholic Worker movement, the Sanctuary movement, anti-war, etc. have a really strong pedigree within Catholicism.
I think it is much more difficult to do that with abortion, contraception or homosexuality.
Somewhere there is line between “This is my Church and I’m going to change it” and “It’s time to shop for a new church”. But where that line is exactly has to be a personal call.
The other thing I wanted to bring up (which I’ve touched on in other posts on Planet Grenada) is that at least when it comes to Islam, I’m a bit bothered by the “cultural Muslim” concept. It is weird to me that some random Indo-Pak or Arab should be automatically conferred some kind of legitimacy or “authority” independently of what they believe or how they behave in their personal life. It’s not that I’m eager to kick folks out of the mosque or anything. It’s definitely great to try to create a welcoming community where everyone feels that they belong and are accepted. But I think there is a flipside to what you are saying. Suppose (for example) on one hand you have a Japanese guy who was raised Buddhist, but had some kind of spiritual experiences which guided him to believe in (among other things) every word of the the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and fully and thoroughly accept the authority of the bishop of Rome. Then, on the other hand you have a Latina (or Irishperson, or Pole, or Italian, etc.) who was raised Catholic but currently disagrees with things in the Catechism and actively works to promote alternative views.
What’s the best way to describe the different “Catholicities” (if that’s a word) that each person has?
xine Says:
January 24th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
yes!! liberation theology was what immediately came to mind when I read this. Living in Latin America (and meeting Jesuits etc.) changed my whole perspective on Catholocism. That’s not to say that liberation theology is the only brand practiced OBVIOUSLY, but still, I think it is often not known about or it is overlooked when thinking of Catholocism, be it cultural or religious.