interview with an apostate!

[andrew]

anne rice leaves the church:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-0804-rutten-20...

good on ya anne! hell, it only took me less then a year 26 years ago to see through the institutionalized churches b.s.......

you know anne, you might want to check out fowler's stages of faith and heaven forbid- integral theory......or come and visit us a pomo/postmetaphysics.......kela will set ya straight!

[Joseph]

One of the few things that impress me about the Roman church (besides the renaissance art displayed in some of it's churches), is the loyal critics of Catholicism. People like Hans Kung, James Carroll, & Gary Wills, who remain associated with the church, but are unwilling to be silenced in matters of the abuse of power, self serving theology, & attempts to whitewash history. I just finished reading James Carroll's book Constantine's Sword, a well written & researched history of the mistreatment of the Jews by Western Christendom over the last 16 centuries or so.

I don't know what finally made Anne Rice leave the church, but I'm a little saddened that she wasn't able to stay & add her creative voice to the fray. The institution will only change if intelligent Catholics keep pushing to make it change.

[Mary W.]

The main reason I was able to return to the Catholic church was because of the presence its loving dissenters like Kung and Carroll, as well as those who are tenderly pushing, renewing, and breathing fresh air into the tradition, like Joan Chittister, Richard Rohr, Thomas Keating, Megan McKenna, and many, many others who are in the institutional church but not of it . . . the institution is rotten in many ways, but the church is a lot wider and deeper than the "anti-gay, anti-feminist, anti-science" facets that she rejected.

One commentator suggested that this is, in part, a publicity stunt. I have no idea, of course -- but somehow I think that she must know that Christianity can't be defined solely by its abuses, mistakes, and atrocities.

And I wonder why she just doesn't go find a progressive, post-modern and/or emergent church that prides itself on being pro-gay, pro-feminist, pro-birth control, etc -- i.e., she could go the Episcopal or UU or liberal UCC or nondenominational route instead of remaining in the Catholic fold. But she's leaving not just Catholicism -- she's leaving Christianity altogether, in the name of Christ.

Well, sometimes a disciple's gotta do what a disciple's gotta do. Peace and blessings to her during this new turn in her journey.

Heretically hanging in there,
Mary

[andrew]

well, personally, i've never been a catholic unless one considers christian universalism catholicism. i still have an affinity to god's most beloved slacker son, but 25 of 26 years of my walk has been outside of the christian establishment, so i say go anne! btw., there is a great dialogue between the pope and voltaire in the age of voltaire by will and ariel durant. so, it's not like i have no sympathy for the church; yet on the other-hand, those damn pesky new atheist's are darn convincing! sorry ken, the ero's hypothesis is not science; but rather, spiritual philosophy! you should state it as such:) anyway, if civilization ends because of the manmade insane squabble over a couple of dysfunctional brothers and their offspring-well, what can one really say about that other than it would be a disgrace, imo.....

e-s-o-t-e-r-i-c-s might be the way to go anne:)

[Mary W.]

Yes, esoterica would probably really appeal to Anne! :)