I left the Catholic Church my senior year in high school, as a Knight Commander in the Knights of the Altar, a teacher in CCD classes for people younger and much older than me, and having almost entered a Maryknoll seminary at age 15 to become a priest? Why? I had read enough church history and theology untethered from the nihil obstats …
I left the Catholic Church my senior year in high school, as a Knight Commander in the Knights of the Altar, a teacher in CCD classes for people younger and much older than me, and having almost entered a Maryknoll seminary at age 15 to become a priest? Why? I had read enough church history and theology untethered from the nihil obstats and imprimaturs of the Catholic book censors to see fully its failures and contradictions as an institution and theological system. After fifty-plus years as a confirmed and outspoken atheist, through a strange set of circumstances. I was called to Greek Orthodoxy, being not a drop Greek myself. And finding in its American form everything the Catholic Church lacked. A stress on free will, a commitment to the American tenet of separation on church and state (our priests can’t even vote), a clear understanding of that coerced religion is an oxymoron, a belief that our goal in life is to become as much like Christ as possible, a recognition that sin is an illness, not a crime,that confession is more of a spiritual counseling than an absolution, which only God can give. Oh, and that no man is the equal of God, which is why we have no pope, and in many ways each of us is a theologian in our own lives. We are totally at home with science (our American archbishop’s first encyclical was on climate change), and we accept that faith is exactly that, meaning much about God, most really, is a mystery,and we are comfortable with that, too. We also accept that there may be other paths to God than our own. I have found in Greek Orthodoxy peace, purpose, the strength to keep going in a very difficult and limited life, a welcoming community, and in the end, joy, a feeling alien to me during almost all of my 76 years.
Which brings me to our election. The fascist ticket brings to us, if anything, two of Satan’s greatest minions in living memory. That the faux orange felon shrinks from debating VP Harris is much like the demons who shrink from Christ in many episodes in the Gospel. Given the wonders of modern technology, here is my idea: let the DNC use its new, huge war chest to create a series of short “debates” between VP Harris and an AI generated image of the grotesque creature she is fighting for the office of POTUS. have each “debate” made up of his spouting collected obscene snippets on one of various topics of import—climate change, abortion, immigration, Ukraine, the disabled, women generally, social safety nets, crime. Have VP Harris respond in her strong, direct cogent way to each of them. Have the “debates” on TikTok and YouTube—the MSM will report them to if only to howl about not being able to control the narrative, so they will reach a very wide audience and, most directly, the young voters she needs to get to the polls. In addition to the impact on voters, it might cause the flatulent phony to explode in apoplexy as his own words become weapons against him in situations he can neither control nor disrupt. Maybe just a fantasy on my part. But…maybe not. The technology is there. VP Harris should use it. We are engaged in total war for our ideals and the soul of our country, and she should use every means at her disposal to assure victory.
What God’s plan may be I do not presume to know. But our plan, those of us who are true Americans, should be simple, clear, and forceful—to make November a blue tsunami so overwhelming that no amount of fraud, chicanery, criminal interference or the corrupt SCOTUS can withstand or overcome it.
Obviously you know little about it. Or have had a run-in with some local church not in the mainstream. The women in leadership roles in our parish would beg to differ with you. But you know what they say about opinions…and our church says you are welcome to yours.
I left the Catholic Church my senior year in high school, as a Knight Commander in the Knights of the Altar, a teacher in CCD classes for people younger and much older than me, and having almost entered a Maryknoll seminary at age 15 to become a priest? Why? I had read enough church history and theology untethered from the nihil obstats and imprimaturs of the Catholic book censors to see fully its failures and contradictions as an institution and theological system. After fifty-plus years as a confirmed and outspoken atheist, through a strange set of circumstances. I was called to Greek Orthodoxy, being not a drop Greek myself. And finding in its American form everything the Catholic Church lacked. A stress on free will, a commitment to the American tenet of separation on church and state (our priests can’t even vote), a clear understanding of that coerced religion is an oxymoron, a belief that our goal in life is to become as much like Christ as possible, a recognition that sin is an illness, not a crime,that confession is more of a spiritual counseling than an absolution, which only God can give. Oh, and that no man is the equal of God, which is why we have no pope, and in many ways each of us is a theologian in our own lives. We are totally at home with science (our American archbishop’s first encyclical was on climate change), and we accept that faith is exactly that, meaning much about God, most really, is a mystery,and we are comfortable with that, too. We also accept that there may be other paths to God than our own. I have found in Greek Orthodoxy peace, purpose, the strength to keep going in a very difficult and limited life, a welcoming community, and in the end, joy, a feeling alien to me during almost all of my 76 years.
Which brings me to our election. The fascist ticket brings to us, if anything, two of Satan’s greatest minions in living memory. That the faux orange felon shrinks from debating VP Harris is much like the demons who shrink from Christ in many episodes in the Gospel. Given the wonders of modern technology, here is my idea: let the DNC use its new, huge war chest to create a series of short “debates” between VP Harris and an AI generated image of the grotesque creature she is fighting for the office of POTUS. have each “debate” made up of his spouting collected obscene snippets on one of various topics of import—climate change, abortion, immigration, Ukraine, the disabled, women generally, social safety nets, crime. Have VP Harris respond in her strong, direct cogent way to each of them. Have the “debates” on TikTok and YouTube—the MSM will report them to if only to howl about not being able to control the narrative, so they will reach a very wide audience and, most directly, the young voters she needs to get to the polls. In addition to the impact on voters, it might cause the flatulent phony to explode in apoplexy as his own words become weapons against him in situations he can neither control nor disrupt. Maybe just a fantasy on my part. But…maybe not. The technology is there. VP Harris should use it. We are engaged in total war for our ideals and the soul of our country, and she should use every means at her disposal to assure victory.
What God’s plan may be I do not presume to know. But our plan, those of us who are true Americans, should be simple, clear, and forceful—to make November a blue tsunami so overwhelming that no amount of fraud, chicanery, criminal interference or the corrupt SCOTUS can withstand or overcome it.
The Greek Orthodox is even more intolerant and Misogynist than the Latin Church.
Obviously you know little about it. Or have had a run-in with some local church not in the mainstream. The women in leadership roles in our parish would beg to differ with you. But you know what they say about opinions…and our church says you are welcome to yours.