Using God

The Catholic Church was a major part of my early life.

I remember playing around the neighborhood as a youngster and talking to the kid who lived up the road.

“I don’t ever go to church,” he confessed.

I actually thought that was crazy! He was risking eternal damnation!! Like the nuns said, “We should all have an hour a week available for God.”

In college, we’d make the trip to the chapel, and of course, we also took religion classes. It was there, however, where I first heard about the priests being a little sketchy in some places.

As an adult, we brought the kids to church, and put them through the paces.

The pedophile priest talk became a tidal wave.

I had a hard time processing that. I’m still really battling what I know to be true.

But that’s not what really destroyed me, and made me stay away from gathering with my neighbors.

Nope.

What destroyed it for me are the people who claim to be “men or women of faith” who have complete disregard for anyone who doesn’t look or act the way that they want them to.

Getting dressed up and making a spectacle of yourself as you shuffle off to mass doesn’t make you “faithful” if you spend the rest of the week obliterating the rights of others.

I’ve watched a whole lot of that type of living lately.

Politicians who ride a high moral horse and act obnoxiously immoral.

Lying.

Cheating.

Putting people in cages.

Denying basic human rights to people who live differently...

...and then pretending they’re God-like.

It’s Easter.

Holy Week.

A time when I used to spend a whole lot of my time in a church, looking around, thinking, trying to be a good person.

It’s confusing.

It’s sad.

So, I’ll say a little prayer.

Confess my sins and ask for forgiveness without an intermediary passing judgment.

I know the story of the resurrection and I remember all the words to all of the prayers.

Thing is, now I know a whole lot more about organized religion...

...and that’s too bad.

Happy Easter!

May you truly behave ‘God-like.’