Landmark Study on Religious Affiliation

It is less than two days to Holy Thursday and I find myself reflecting on the death of Christ and the death of the false or ego self. Somehow I have to learn to embrace my darkness if I am to discover the healing Light within. Had I not learned that Jesus himself had to face his own darkness when he entered the desert? And, is Jesus’ death and resurrection not the perfect representation of what it means to die to self?

All this has helped me to understand that our journey is never finished here on earth and that we will face many obstacles on the road to our true self. One of these obstacles for me has been our own church. Leaving it has been very difficult. For me it was journey away from an increasingly exclusive institutional religion to the spiritual kingdom freely instituted by Christ for all humankind. Perhaps the following story will help explain the detour my journey has now taken me.

Back in the late seventies my brother acted as a temporary bus tour guide escorting predominantly German sightseers passing through the Canadian Rockies. A prerequisite for the job was a working knowledge of the German language and a rudimentary understanding of the local geology. Almost immediately my brother fell far short of the German expectation for precision and exactness. “Excuse me sir, but exactly how high is that mountain?” was the constant question. By the time my brother had searched the “official guide” the bus had passed another snow capped mountain range. It did not take long for my brother to realize that to state mountain heights in approximates was not enough. By the time of his next tour he would quickly announce that “the mountain on your immediate right is precisely 3,225.4 metres high”!. Much to the delight and satisfaction of his captive audience. Little did they know that my brother had merely “adjusted” these estimated to suit their Teutonic minds. The majestic beauty of the scenery in question only seemed secondary.

This short story is not intended as a slight or insult toward the great German mind. Being of Western European birth myself I recognize that same obsession for exactness and precision in my own perfectionist behaviour and thinking. This cultural ‘gift’, if recognized for what it is, can become a wonderful tool for self discovery and healing.
If left unchecked and denied (as was in my own case), perfectionism can lead to much anxiety and even depression. One of the earmarks of perfectionism seems to be the need to always “be right” combined with the fear of being wrong. This inevitably leads to guilt. A very natural preoccupation with a lot of Catholics.

Today, the Vatican also seems to be living in an atmosphere of fear and denial. Nearly every edict coming out of this patriarchal institution these days appears in the form of dire warnings for all its followers. Apparently we are all tainted with the guilt of “relativism”, secularism, pluralism and a host of other negative “ism’s”. There can be “no salvation outside the Catholic Church or for those who leave it” along with claims that it alone has the exclusive fullness of the Truth. While the Church tells us that it seeks unity among believers it clearly sees itself as quite distinct and ‘unblemished’ from the laity who represent more than 99.5% of the make-up of the Church. Never mind, its increasingly distant relationship with other world faiths and religions.
Vatican officials only recently reminded Catholics that “we are losing the notion of sin” and went on to say that “abortion and pedophilia are two of the greatest sins of our times”. At the same time these Vatican officials brushed off cases of accusations of sexual violence against minors committed by priests as “exaggerations by the mass media aimed at discrediting the Church”. The fact that the Church to date has paid out more than $ 2 Billion in damages for these cases seems to have escaped these same officials.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) followed by the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2005) closely resemble the Code of Canon Law (1983) by expressing our religious requirements in both legal and ‘absolute terms’. All three documents carry the signature of present Bavarian born Pope Joseph Ratzinger. Based on his ridged administrative style which demands exactness and precision, is it possible that he was a passenger on one of the buses touring the Canadian Rockies back in the late seventies?

To look for fault for most of us is an easy thing to do. After all there is no perfect religion to be found anywhere. But I know that looking for fault is not what Christ would ask us to do. The Church has a incredible rich history of both saints and sinners. Accordingly, I need to practice forgiveness and understanding. However, an outdated and patriarchical attitude that insists on condemnation instead of healing cannot be (for me) the way to look for God. I need to find him beyond the often stultifying doctrine and dogma and human error. As an adult I longer need to primarily focus on a list of do’s and dont’s - rather I need to listen to God’s affirmations and learn to live life to the full.

May the promise of Easter renew the life of the Church and all humankind.

Bert Monster
March 18, 2008