Dearest Son,
To answer your letter concerning why we did not encourage you to participate in a organized religion. First: It's my fault if there is blame to apply. I take responsibility for the consequences of not inculcating you in a religion. I am still conflicted over that decision. The major reason is my personal prejudice against religion and another smaller part is geography. :::::Read this carefully!!!!
First let me tell you about my own experience.I was born into a very Catholic family which indoctrinated me into the Catholic cult. Once one becomes part of these religious ranks the taste imparted lasts for a lifetime. It is fused to your tongue. Wherever you go and whatever way you turn it is still there garnishing any flavor you encounter. You see, my training was different than yours. I was taught religion in Sunday school from a very young age. I went to church every Sunday until I was 15 years old. I attended a strict Catholic high school and afterwards a Catholic college. You were allowed to run unbridled.
As religions go, the Catholic religion allows for a lot of personal interpretation. It took me a long time to see that. Free will is an important tenant of the church, however it is interpreted, and allows catholics a psychological exit from disaggreable dogma,, of course only if they wish to depart. Let me explain. A catholic can be sitting in church, even praying by rote, yet at the same time be awash in skepticism. There is a duality at work here that falls somewhere between faith and reason and allows for both or neither. Reason, once it is employed, is stronger than the gospels yet it should not negate wondering about creation. Not all Catholics are the same. I consider myself a Catholic but I have many disagreements with the dogma (teachings) of the church. I don't even know if I believe in God,,,but I feel comfortable around most Catholics. Three hundred years after the death of Christ when the "religion" was invented by a group of politicians and devout shamans in Constantinople, this unknowing ecclectic group replaced the fear of Almighty God,,, with "LOVE". This was revolutionary and the concept in itself is a soft form of atheism. An idea,,,, love, demoted God to the icy distance.
I have a distaste for priests who preach from an immoveable point of view. Most sermons are solely repetitions of a questionable history yet I like to attend mass once in a while because the ritual holds a strange pleasure for me. Perhaps the feeling is a remnant of my indoctrination. Also I enjoy the spaces,,,,,, and who shouldn't enjoy sitting in a lofty tasteful space,,, where you can blot out the distractions. And the mass,,, for all its lavish redundancy can be reduced to theatre,,, a re-enactment of a farewell,, (Jesus with his buddies),,,and then,,, well back to the pain of living. Catholics will forever be party animals who at times surprise you with their conscience.
When you were a baby we decided not to force a religion upon you. One reason was that we didn't feel we could enforce it well,,,,like my Catholicism was enforced. We lived deep in the north country, a bastion of baptists. Who would take you to church? Who would re-enforce the dogma without grandparents near. I wasn't comfortable with baptists,,,the dominant religion in Maine. They are too single minded. I felt that it could be possible to enter the doctrinal waters of catholicism or judaism surviving with their skepticism intact and maintain a healthy perspective on religion. If at first there is an immersion, like with me, a good soaking,, there should come with maturity a distancing. After you pass through a ritual wether it be high school or the church,, well you should be able to see it more clearly. It may have been a mistake not to have given you the "treatment". You can learn a lot about human nature from religion but I didn't think we could have served you well as religious parents. To know religion you need familial backup and some religious pressure. I was not equipped with the backup or the pressure. I apologize for not trying.
Probably your friend Churchill feels your responses about the subject don't show enough respect for religion in general. You can sound disrespectful in your tone....probobly because you are usually nervous. I really can't say because I don't hear the conversations. You really cannot call yourself a catholic just because of your brief time as a baby in El Salvador. Religion is not only genetic.You need to be indoctrinated, and you did not pass sufficient time to be indoctrinated. You should however show respect for the religion of others. They in turn should not force theirs upon you. You can answer him by telling your story and saying that you are not very religious and for what reasons,,,that you just haven't decided yet for instance. This is not to say you are looking either in case the other pérson sees an opening and wants to convert you. Your beliefs in God, Saints, Angels, Devils are your business and not for sale even if not formed yet.
At any rate to think in religious terms is not a bad exercise. People have been doing it for thousands of years. Who is this person we call God. How does he fit in the universe? Is God great? Why then could life be extingushed by an asteroid? Why is there so much suffering if God is just? Why not just believe in water and sun and love for your fellow man instead of the traditional western concept of God? Is the universe ordered or is it just a chaos of accidents? These are interesting questions and worth the effort to explore.
I came across this gentleman, Phillip Pullman somewhere. You are probobly already familiar with him. He is an atheist with whom I might get along with. He lacks all the fascist overtones,,,,they usually come big time when atheism or any religion that does not invite questioning is coupled with state policy. In his case however he comes off softer being a writer of children's books. Once you have chosen atheism, for example, there are prescribed thinking routes that you are obliged to take. Atheists seem to turn to science probobly because it gives the impression of spewing truths, or that it can discover everything. It is as natural a path for atheists, as is fence walking is for agnostics, and as anti scientific stands are for the fervent faiths. He is attracted to science too,,,but I have the opportunity to take what is sensibly said from whom I want whatever their predeliction.
When you were a baby we decided not to force a religion upon you. One reason was that we didn't feel we could enforce it well,,,,like my Catholicism was enforced. We lived deep in the north country, a bastion of baptists. Who would take you to church? Who would re-enforce the dogma without grandparents near. I wasn't comfortable with baptists,,,the dominant religion in Maine. They are too single minded. I felt that it could be possible to enter the doctrinal waters of catholicism or judaism surviving with their skepticism intact and maintain a healthy perspective on religion. If at first there is an immersion, like with me, a good soaking,, there should come with maturity a distancing. After you pass through a ritual wether it be high school or the church,, well you should be able to see it more clearly. It may have been a mistake not to have given you the "treatment". You can learn a lot about human nature from religion but I didn't think we could have served you well as religious parents. To know religion you need familial backup and some religious pressure. I was not equipped with the backup or the pressure. I apologize for not trying.
Probably your friend Churchill feels your responses about the subject don't show enough respect for religion in general. You can sound disrespectful in your tone....probobly because you are usually nervous. I really can't say because I don't hear the conversations. You really cannot call yourself a catholic just because of your brief time as a baby in El Salvador. Religion is not only genetic.You need to be indoctrinated, and you did not pass sufficient time to be indoctrinated. You should however show respect for the religion of others. They in turn should not force theirs upon you. You can answer him by telling your story and saying that you are not very religious and for what reasons,,,that you just haven't decided yet for instance. This is not to say you are looking either in case the other pérson sees an opening and wants to convert you. Your beliefs in God, Saints, Angels, Devils are your business and not for sale even if not formed yet.
At any rate to think in religious terms is not a bad exercise. People have been doing it for thousands of years. Who is this person we call God. How does he fit in the universe? Is God great? Why then could life be extingushed by an asteroid? Why is there so much suffering if God is just? Why not just believe in water and sun and love for your fellow man instead of the traditional western concept of God? Is the universe ordered or is it just a chaos of accidents? These are interesting questions and worth the effort to explore.
I came across this gentleman, Phillip Pullman somewhere. You are probobly already familiar with him. He is an atheist with whom I might get along with. He lacks all the fascist overtones,,,,they usually come big time when atheism or any religion that does not invite questioning is coupled with state policy. In his case however he comes off softer being a writer of children's books. Once you have chosen atheism, for example, there are prescribed thinking routes that you are obliged to take. Atheists seem to turn to science probobly because it gives the impression of spewing truths, or that it can discover everything. It is as natural a path for atheists, as is fence walking is for agnostics, and as anti scientific stands are for the fervent faiths. He is attracted to science too,,,but I have the opportunity to take what is sensibly said from whom I want whatever their predeliction.
Here is a short article-quote about-from Phillip Pullman.
"This impulse toward theocracy will defeat the School Of Morals (theatre, theatre being, for the devoted, a place to receive ethical instruction) in the end". He seemed oddly cheerful making this prediction; in his books Pullman enjoys striking a tone of meloncholy resolve. He continued," But that doesn't mean we should give up and surrender......I think we should act as if we should read books, and tell children stories, and take them to the theatre, and learn poems, and play music as if it would make a difference...We should act as if the universe were listening to us and responding. We should act as if life were going to win....That's what I think they do in the School Of Morals".
"This impulse toward theocracy will defeat the School Of Morals (theatre, theatre being, for the devoted, a place to receive ethical instruction) in the end". He seemed oddly cheerful making this prediction; in his books Pullman enjoys striking a tone of meloncholy resolve. He continued," But that doesn't mean we should give up and surrender......I think we should act as if we should read books, and tell children stories, and take them to the theatre, and learn poems, and play music as if it would make a difference...We should act as if the universe were listening to us and responding. We should act as if life were going to win....That's what I think they do in the School Of Morals".
