Okay I got to the screamy baby service late. I should have left the house 10 minutes earlier than I did but I really didn't care. No really, did, not, give, a crap. I had already had the old & new testaments and the gospel from the priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Suffering with a homily, so the first 1/2 of the Episcopal service is nothing but a re-run for me anyways. Besides, the screamy baby service homilies, are only good because the potential for chaos to rein supreme gives it a kick. I got there pretty much at the end of the homily. As I wrote, re-run. 'Cept there was a chick telling the story and not a dude.
That was one of the issues I had to deal with after the Catholic mass when I and a friend got dinner at a new joint, round the corner from Our Lady. I asked to meet at the church because I saw no reason to head back to my house, meet there and then head back over to that part of town where there were eatery and bar choices. So because of the meeting outside the church I had to explain why my Episcopal self was doing at a Roman Catholic church.
I prefaced the part explanation with the fact that I tend not to vocalize my faith so I tend not to have the language to explain it well enough. Also, something I did not say, is that these things sometime come across as a challenge for me to convince the other person that RC is the true faith and answer all their questions. No, that's what a Catholic information service is for, do I look like a Catholic Information service booth, didn't think so. And once again, it tends to be other people's hang ups with the RC, not mine.
First question, how could you belong to a religion that says that women are unholy and too inferior to become priests? Good lord where do I start? There are several assumptions there, one being that I give a s**t about an integrated priesthood. I like the female priests I have encountered, but I don't really consider their femaleness essential to my salvation. I have no desire to become a priest, maybe a nun (different lifestyle and duties), but not a priest, so the whole female priests thing, not my issue. Also there are Catholic theologians, saints, teachers, etc who are women.
Then there was the priest sex-abuse scandals and celibacy. Knowing how much the RC church asks of its priests, church life can put a strain on family life. And sexual predators are attracted to certain vocations that put them in contact with children, like teaching and coaching and the priesthood. I have no major issue with priestly celibacy. If the RC ever decided to change that I gather they would take a cue from Eastern Orthodox.
I explained, the stuff he brought up were not my struggles with the RC and it is not like I haven't encountered the RC before. I'm getting annoyed (maybe it is the PMS) with having to address other people's problems with the Roman Catholic Church and the assumption that I haven't heard of or considered the cons. I am considering the cons, MY CONS. The issue of the Bishop of Rome as the head of the whole church, the RC churches past sins of indulgences and questionable theology that just seemed to ask for the Protestant Reformation and a variety of minor theological interpretations, not policies.
I also tried to explain the big Episcopal tent, not so well.
While I'm at it, what is it with this constant consensus vibe I keep getting. That we all have to be in agreement almost all the time. Can't we respectfully disagree and stick to the things we do agree on.
Ok this is getting long, I quit.
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