Jesus and Religion. The Debate

There is currently a video that has made its way to my Facebook, Twitter, and about every other social networking site on the web.  No it's not the "Shit that _______ Say" videos, even those too have infected every aspect of my social media.  Instead the video I am referencing is something that flew in under the radar and all of a sudden became a big deal...at least for those in the Christian realm of things.
This is the video:

First of all, I have this new thing where I'm a big fan of poetry/spoken word.  So I just want to say: completely not looking at the subject matter, I loved how this was written.

Moving on...

When I first saw people posting about this video it was all in a negative context or people making fun of it.  I didn't watch the video I was just going by other peoples responses and decided that I wasn't going to like it.  After all I am a born, raised, and proud Catholic so by all understanding of the definition:  I am religious.  I like my religion.  This video should really bother me.

That brings me to the other set of people who posted this video simply saying that they love it, or agree with it.  Suddenly I found myself confused.  I didn't know whether to watch the video or not; let it become some video trend that I am just too cool to partake.  

One morning a musician I knew of and am a big fan of (Andrew Belle, since I know how curious you all were) posted the video saying "this pretty much sums it all up".  No one was around, and I was bored so I decided to watch the video.  As much as I figured I should  be upset with the video- I wasn't.  In fact, I found myself nodding along with a lot of it and agreeing.  I was torn, because this was muddying the waters of my nice pick and choose of religion that I have been doing the past few years.

By pick and choose religion I mean that I am a Catholic who does not agree with the Catholic Church on several huge issues...aka gay rights, and right to life issues.  While I do not agree with the Church's stance on these issues, I do enjoy every other aspect of Catholicism, and can honestly say that being a Catholic has been such a huge factor in my life and I cannot imagine not being a part of the religion.

I love Jesus though, and I agree that Jesus would not be in favor with the way a lot of churches (regardless of their denomination) are run.  There is so much corruption and sin riddling churches, it is frustrating.  Despite how much good the Catholic Church is capable of doing...it is flawed, just like any human invention.  

The line in the video that struck so much with me would have to be the "if Jesus came to your church, would he be let in?"

Earlier this year I read the book "Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller and he describes how Jesus, if he were to come back today he would be an ugly dude, living on the street hanging out with drug addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes.  So if someone like that came to your church, honestly, how would he be treated?  Probably not very well, which is a shame.  These are the people Jesus calls us to love and to serve.  These are the ones that Jesus has told us will be first in the Kingdom.

However, where would we be without religious institutions?  Hasn't God also called us to invest in a community?  I did some research to find a good Catholic response, and the best I found was by this priest.  

I think this sums it up really nicely.

See, I understand and am also frustrated with how broken and damaged religion is.  I have had to deal with so many personal issues with that.  I will be honest, I flip-flop on these issues...I pick and choose even though I know I shouldn't.  

I love Jesus, and I love His teachings, but I also practice as best as I can what I believe in.  I love my religion and I love what my religion has done for me, but I also do not agree and approve of the sins that my religion has committed.  

So I guess that it my stance on the issue.  I love Jesus and (for the most part) love my religion.

ReO and other things...

This past weekend was spent just twenty minutes away at the Fatima Renewal Center in Dalton, PA.  JVs from all over the East Coast came for what is called "reOrientation".  The five day retreat was focused on our JV value "social justice", a term that is hard to relate to here in Scranton...or so I thought.  It begs the question that I've been asking myself for the past week: where do we limit our social justice to?  How come we can show so much empathy to an emaciated child in Africa (rightfully so I must add), but we find it difficult to show similar empathy to someone steps away from that situation in the United States?  Shouldn't we be fighting these issues everywhere?  Does it have to be those who suffer from Urban issues?  What about those suffering in the suburbs?  Do we ignore those?

Sitting at the retreat there were so many people telling heartbreaking stories of their JVC experience so far and the work they are doing.  Then, there was me.  Running a youth group for some kids in a working class neighborhood.  None of my students are starving.  None of them are homeless.  Are there issues not as serious as someone suffering in New York City?
I'm guilty of not giving them the attention that the deserve, I must say.  I have ignored their issues and chalked them up to high school drama...but their issues are real.  Their problems exist and deserve my attention.  

Where did these lines of social justice come from?  

We assume our neighbors are fine.  We pass judgments on their economic standings and their family life.  Do we really know what personal crosses on person is carrying on their back?  No. We don't.  That's the simple answer.  We never know for sure.  

Empathy might begin in an urban setting, but it ends right in your own community.

Musings on Scranton thus far

When I moved to Scranton, PA this year to begin my year of service as a Jesuit Volunteer I expected many things. I expected to be challenged in ways that I'd never imagined. I expected weekly, if not daily, references to "The Office". I expected to hear about the history of Scranton's once booming coal mining industry. I expected trains, because it is, after all, the electric city. I did not expect the amount of hills we would be surrounded by, which has provided a challenge for my out of shape self as I walk around. I did not expect Poor Richards from Office fame to be placed in a bowling alley. I did not expect to find people with faith that could move mountains. I did not expect to meet my neighbors and find out that they are refugees from Bhutan. I did not expect that there is a right and wrong way to Scranton, and there is even a Scranton accent. I also did not expect our best friends here in Scranton to be a group of IHM nuns (well, honestly, who saw that one coming?) I'm not sure if this means that I set the bar too high or too low for this year. Maybe this just means that this year, thus far, has been beyond my wildest expectations. With about another 7 months to go on this journey I know that I shouldn't "expect" anything. I should know that this small, struggling city has a big enough heart that can warm even the biggest of cynics. I'm a little jaded with my New York City ways and tendencies to judge everything, but I must say with a full and gracious heart: I love Scranton. I love the hills. I love my different but amazing neighborhood. I love Scranton accents. I love nuns! To be quite honest I don't think I would have met this city with the open arms that I have if I didn't have the loving, honest, sometimes tedious, support of my community members in my house. Among all of my expectations for this year the one expectation I had this year that was accurate was that I would have roommates that would challenge and inspire me. These roommates would come to be my family and best friends over the course of the year. I did not expect this to happen through game nights with nuns though (once again, who honestly saw that one coming?) but it did, and I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised with this year and the city if Scranton because of it. -Candidly Catherine

Location:Moosic St,Scranton,United States