Wir haben einen neuen Papst
First off, I'll add the caveat that I'm not Catholic, I was actually raised Lutheran. So the Pope has something of a passing interest to me. But I was raised pretty gosh darned religious (I did go to church every Sunday, went through communion, yada, yada, yada), so while he doesn't affect me directly, I am very interested in what happens there.
So in reflecting on Pope John Paul II's papacy, I had mixed feelings. I think he really did some amazing things, including directly opposing communism and the more recent war in Iraq. He traveled more than any other Pope and was the religious leader to 1.1 billion people. However, he oversaw one of the worst scandals in the church's history with coverup after coverup of priests abusing children, and was venomous in his attacks on gays and gay rights. He sent a message that apparently it's okay to molest children, but consensual adults have no right to exist.
So the election of any new leader is a time of great hope. It's a hope that we can continue the great, and improve on what needed improving.
When I first heard the news of the new pope was elected, I had heard of Joseph Ratzinger only in passing, merely that he was "palpable" and from Germany and nothing more.
I think it'll have a large effect on Germany (although the exact effect remains to be seen), just John Paul II's palpacy had a great effect on Poland (communism in Poland did fall under his reign). The CDU (Christian Democrats Union) has been gaining political power in Germany, not so much on social issues, but bread and butter issues like the economy. Unemployment has exploded in Germany mostly because of reasons outside of the leadership's control, things like opening and movement of markets (and jobs) and "near sourcing" into eastern Europe (for example, the IT market in Poland has exploded). And thus, unemployment in Germany has exploded in the last few years. That makes it ripe for any other party to take control, and the CDU is hovering like vultures.
At the same time, gay rights, especially rights for same-sex couples, in Germany have flourished in the last few years. Germany doesn't have same-sex marriage, but pretty darn close. They have a domestic partner registry that allows many of the same rights as married couples, even such rights as survivorship (including the right to take over a partner's pension), nationalization (that a non-German partner of a German citizen can become a citizen), etc. As in the case in California, it begs the question, if you're gone 5,000 feet, why not go the whole mile?
What we don't see behind the scenes is that these rights were not just handed over. There was opposition from conservatives. However unlike much of the Americas, Europe has seen first hand the effects of discrimination. In Germany, calling it discrimination is like calling murder a slight flesh wound. The guilt of the holocaust rings so strong, they voices for equal rights for all rings much louder than the opposition.
But the opposition has found a new voice. The Catholic Church has been an extremely vocal opponent to same sex marriage and rights. (The latter I can't understand.) And now that their home boy is the pope, it hits home. Ratzinger once referred to homosexuality as a "tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil" and same sex marriage as "the legalization of evil."
Ouch.
What really bothers me is, why the hate? Why the focus on us? Mommy, why do they hate us?
Growing up religious, I battled myself around the subject. How can I be so bad? Why would God make me incapable of fulfilling his will?
And so I read the bible. I'm pretty sure it's the same bible Mr. Ratzinger read. I came to a much different conclusion. There's the one we've all heard about in Leviticus. Have you read Leviticus? If you don't want to go to hell you rather should, otherwise you might end up an intrinsic moral evil:
So I'm really confused. If they're both an abomination, where's the fire and brimstone and people protesting outside of Red Lobster? I mean, the very name sounds Satanic. Where's the constitutional amendments protecting out families from the evils of those without fins or scales? Where the edict?
The reasoning is that it's conveniently ignored. Most of Leviticus is considered by modern Christians (including the Catholic Church) to be "ritual law." It was done in an age, probably with a lot of good reasons at the time (don't eat pork or shellfish, probably out of health concerns, sleep with a woman at a certain time in her cycle, probably to ensure pregnancy). Of course, we can never guess why God thought this reason. But the Catholic Church has nonetheless pretty much thrown out the whole book. And bishops gladly eat lobster on Fridays during Lent.
I like to say the only thing wrong with homosexuality is that it's different. And that's not a problem with me, that's a problem with you.
And that's why it's one of the few verses of Leviticus left.
Rather I have a much better verse. It's so popular, it's made into a song:
So take this away: Love one another, as God loved us and you and God will be best buds.
So maybe I'm not so bad after all. :-)
So in reflecting on Pope John Paul II's papacy, I had mixed feelings. I think he really did some amazing things, including directly opposing communism and the more recent war in Iraq. He traveled more than any other Pope and was the religious leader to 1.1 billion people. However, he oversaw one of the worst scandals in the church's history with coverup after coverup of priests abusing children, and was venomous in his attacks on gays and gay rights. He sent a message that apparently it's okay to molest children, but consensual adults have no right to exist.
So the election of any new leader is a time of great hope. It's a hope that we can continue the great, and improve on what needed improving.
When I first heard the news of the new pope was elected, I had heard of Joseph Ratzinger only in passing, merely that he was "palpable" and from Germany and nothing more.
I think it'll have a large effect on Germany (although the exact effect remains to be seen), just John Paul II's palpacy had a great effect on Poland (communism in Poland did fall under his reign). The CDU (Christian Democrats Union) has been gaining political power in Germany, not so much on social issues, but bread and butter issues like the economy. Unemployment has exploded in Germany mostly because of reasons outside of the leadership's control, things like opening and movement of markets (and jobs) and "near sourcing" into eastern Europe (for example, the IT market in Poland has exploded). And thus, unemployment in Germany has exploded in the last few years. That makes it ripe for any other party to take control, and the CDU is hovering like vultures.
At the same time, gay rights, especially rights for same-sex couples, in Germany have flourished in the last few years. Germany doesn't have same-sex marriage, but pretty darn close. They have a domestic partner registry that allows many of the same rights as married couples, even such rights as survivorship (including the right to take over a partner's pension), nationalization (that a non-German partner of a German citizen can become a citizen), etc. As in the case in California, it begs the question, if you're gone 5,000 feet, why not go the whole mile?
What we don't see behind the scenes is that these rights were not just handed over. There was opposition from conservatives. However unlike much of the Americas, Europe has seen first hand the effects of discrimination. In Germany, calling it discrimination is like calling murder a slight flesh wound. The guilt of the holocaust rings so strong, they voices for equal rights for all rings much louder than the opposition.
But the opposition has found a new voice. The Catholic Church has been an extremely vocal opponent to same sex marriage and rights. (The latter I can't understand.) And now that their home boy is the pope, it hits home. Ratzinger once referred to homosexuality as a "tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil" and same sex marriage as "the legalization of evil."
Ouch.
What really bothers me is, why the hate? Why the focus on us? Mommy, why do they hate us?
Growing up religious, I battled myself around the subject. How can I be so bad? Why would God make me incapable of fulfilling his will?
And so I read the bible. I'm pretty sure it's the same bible Mr. Ratzinger read. I came to a much different conclusion. There's the one we've all heard about in Leviticus. Have you read Leviticus? If you don't want to go to hell you rather should, otherwise you might end up an intrinsic moral evil:
"These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers--that you may eat. But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you. They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales--that shall be an abomination to you." - Leviticus 11:9-12Have you heard of that? It's an abomination. You'll go to hell for, wait a minute... I can eat anything from the water, unless it doesn't have fins or scales. So halibut's okay, but lobster? No fins or scales. Crab? Same deal. Clams? Oysters? Satan food.
So I'm really confused. If they're both an abomination, where's the fire and brimstone and people protesting outside of Red Lobster? I mean, the very name sounds Satanic. Where's the constitutional amendments protecting out families from the evils of those without fins or scales? Where the edict?
The reasoning is that it's conveniently ignored. Most of Leviticus is considered by modern Christians (including the Catholic Church) to be "ritual law." It was done in an age, probably with a lot of good reasons at the time (don't eat pork or shellfish, probably out of health concerns, sleep with a woman at a certain time in her cycle, probably to ensure pregnancy). Of course, we can never guess why God thought this reason. But the Catholic Church has nonetheless pretty much thrown out the whole book. And bishops gladly eat lobster on Fridays during Lent.
I like to say the only thing wrong with homosexuality is that it's different. And that's not a problem with me, that's a problem with you.
And that's why it's one of the few verses of Leviticus left.
Rather I have a much better verse. It's so popular, it's made into a song:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. - 1 John 4: 7-11That's much clearer. Love one another. Leviticus only refers to the physical act. We should all love another. If someone hates me, even the Pope, he does not love, and does not know God, for God is love. It couldn't be clearer. And regardless of who I love, as long as I love, I know God.
So take this away: Love one another, as God loved us and you and God will be best buds.
So maybe I'm not so bad after all. :-)
posted by Joe Carlin at 3:22 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home