In response to Erin’s Questioning the text post on Confessions of a Closet Catholic I am writing this blog.
I felt similarly to her as as I was reading this text. I would also consider my family "twice a year Catholics." I am technically Roman Catholic, I went to Catholic school from Kindergarten til I was a senior in High School, and I do believe in God. However, for me, at least I see myself as more spiritual than religious.
My family attends mass on Christmas Eve and Easter morning. It wasn't always like that. When I was in school I attended mass once a week during school and sometimes twice a week if we also went on Sundays. I think as I have grown up I have started to look at the human aspect of the Church (meaning the mortal institution) and I don't like what I see.
I disagree with a lot of what Church officials say Catholics believe in such as issues of gay rights and birth control. I was once told by a nun (my religion teacher in fact) that I was a "cafeteria Catholic" because I would pick and choose what I wanted to believe in and, so, I was going to hell. That is just one more thing I do not believe in.
So, for me, I could see where Justine's parents were coming from when they decided not to observe many of the old Jewish customs and traditions like keeping kosher. I know in my family, we still, for the most part, refrain from eating meat on fridays in Lent. I went to an all-girls Catholic high school and the nuns that made our hot lunchs would only make tuna sandwiches and mac and cheese on fridays. I had a lot of grilled cheese, veggie soups, and meat free pasta dishes as a child. We did it because my father (like Jussy's) grew up in a strict Catholic home. When my siblings and I grew up and learned the origins of some of the practices we chose for ourselves if we were going to continue. As I was always taught, the "no meat on fridays" thing was not even about sacrifice to remember Christ's eternal sacrifice of his life. In fact a MAN (the Pope), not God, ordered this to be a part of Catholic traditions. The fishing industry was not doing well and so the Pope told his followers that not eating meat on fridays during Lent made you a good Catholic. This caused people to seek out protein in the form of fish. It solved the problem. I am not saying all religious practices are flawed or based in lies, but a great many of them are based on human decrees. This means that Jussy choosing or not choosing to follow one of these human decrees does not mean she is any more or less "Jewish."
I still observe Catholic traditions as far as diet goes on Good Friday because of the nature of the day. (the actual day Jesus was crucified). But, even on that day...my mother had to go to church and kneel and pray from noon to 3pm (the approximate time Jesus suffered on the cross) when she was a child. My family always listened to Jesus Christ Superstar on the record player, sang, and cleaned the house in preparation for Easter. It was our tradition and it meant something to us. Kneeling on the Church floor did not. So, does that make my family less "Catholic" than someone who does go to church and sits in prayerful silence for 3 hours? Perhaps, but I do not think it makes my family worse people or any less spiritual or less loved my God.
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3 comments:
Ok...Since my group has decided not to participate in this online blog discussion on the book, Confessions of a Closet Catholic...I have decided to just comment on yours! I like the point that you made in your blog about "twice a year" Catholic/Jew. You raised just about the same question I raised in my blog...does the fact that I don't attend mass more than two times a year make me a bad person? Is god going to love me less than people who attend mass/synagogue more than I do? I actually don't think that at all. I think that in my family, we celebrate being Catholic and Jewish at the same time in our own ways. We have our traditions, just like my grandparents had theirs and their parents had theirs. I think that each generation is different, even if you are the same religion. I think that this also applies to Justine and her Bubbe. Her bubbe attended Synagogue a lot and never once drove there in seventy-five years. So...just because Justine's parents drive her and her sister to Synagogue doesn't mean that they are less Jewish than her Bubbe.
I think both of you raise interesting questions about the continuity and change of cultures and religions. It seems like you are also asking who gets to decide who does and does not belong to a culture/religion. I tend to lean toward the side of respecting each individual's self-identification. At the same time, can an identity exist without some common knowledge or practice?
Something that seems particular to "Confessions..." and the way it frames Justine's identity is her relationship to her grandmother and the history and significance of remembering the Holocaust.
Alright, you told me about this post a couple weeks ago and I'm just now getting to read it. My fault. But I just wanted to agree with Lauren about her comment on the amount of times you attend mass/synagogue, etc. My family was also what is considered twice a year Catholic's. Christmas and Easter being the only 2 holidays we attended. Is attending mass the only way someone can be considered religious? What about wearing a cross or a star as representation of your religion? Are you less religious if you don't? Yes, I may only attend church a few times a year, but I also know the stories, and I do take messages to heart. My family also has our own traditions which are meaningful to me, and yes, I believe some of them are directly related to religious beliefs. Justine's family has chosen to participate in traditions representing their own interpretations of their religion. I agree with Lauren that this does not make them any less Jewish than Justine or her Bubbe.
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