Perception

The Simpsons. They’re the all-American family and one of the best written TV series voted by the Writer’s Guild of America and the smartest according to Vibe. I more than agree that the Simpsons is a staple to modern television, the “literal caricature of America”, and produces awesome criticisms on social issues. One of these issues – you guessed it – is religion. The Simpsons isn’t the only satirical cartoon to speak on religion, but it might have been the first to do it on Prime Time television.

 Remember that episode when Homer decides to skip church? Here it is to refresh your memory: 

 Aside from having the best day ever, Homer brings up thoughtful points on the structure of religion. My all-time favourite is when he’s on his knees explaining to God, “I’m not a bad guy, I work hard and I love my kids, so why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I’m going to Hell?” God, being the unconditional-loving type, understands. An understanding God, who woulda thunk it? Homer (or maybe George Meyer) perceives God in much the same way as I do. And really, who wouldn’t want such a chill creator?

 There’s a reason that people are leaving the church and it’s not because they’re less faithful. Church is a wonderful experience and a miracle for Catholicism with the presence and sacrament of Jesus through the Eucharist, and for this reason church is important. But as Micah J. Murray states, “Some people talk of church as if it’s a package deal, take it or leave it. As if we can’t reject the subculture while still embracing the mission. As if we can’t disown the political machine and still embrace the community.”

 I don’t believe I am less of a Catholic for choosing not to go to Church every Sunday. We’ve all had different experiences in our life and we all have valid reasons for our choices. I believe that the worship of God can happen anywhere, not just a stuffy church where everyone (including Ned Flanders) is quick to leave after their weekly duty. 

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Sarah Durocher

Sarah Durocher is currently studying the art of writing, while making delicious Pumpkin Spice Lattes on the side (how cliché of her). With a passion for all things fantastic, Sarah first fell in love with writing through Harry Potter and aspires to write children’s stories that will whisk away a new generation to fantastic places. She enjoys watching anything by Tim Burton or starring Johnny Depp and will never pass up a Disney movie. Ever.

Creep Me: Facebook | Twitter  

Creep Others: Todd Clayton | Dan Pearce

Confusion

Facebook. If anyone wants to be a part of society, they’d have to create a Facebook account. I remember describing it to my mom as the “modern day Social Insurance Number – you don’t exist until you have one!” She now exists in modern society, which has since proven to be a nuisance as she goes “like” crazy over all of my photos. But other than creating an existence, Facebook allows us to broadcast who we are. This includes religious affiliation (I never noticed that Facebook links religions, but it’s true! check it). I remember the debate that went on in my head when I first created my profile. I had decided to show who I was by using my amazing wit and placing – what I thought were – funny things throughout my profile. I labelled my political standing Sarah’s Party of Awesome (FB link pending), but when it came time to choose my religion, I hesitated. Part of me wanted to skip it purely because I didn’t want to say I was Catholic and I didn’t want to make fun of it either. The other part said I needed to come to terms with my beliefs. If that meant I’d be judged by my peers, so be it.

I think that’s when I really started to re-evaluate my faith. I began to doubt my religion in Grade eight and didn’t go through a confirmation because of it; I didn’t want to follow the herd as all my classmates got confirmed. But did the thought of labelling myself Catholic mean I had faith? I was confused.

One major criticism of Catholicism is that we are all brainwashed. Not quite. Many of my friends raised Catholic have rejected all religions. My Catholic high school even offered a philosophy course instead of mandatory religion. Last time I checked, philosophy teaches rational, individual thinking. This is exactly how I approached my confusion. I questioned my faith and why it mattered to me. I looked at other religions and thought of converting. In the end, I found that the hope and understanding that Catholicism gave me simply made me happier. I went through with the sacrament of confirmation at 17, deciding on my own that I wanted to live as a Catholic. Not because my parents told me to, but because I wanted it. 

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Sarah Durocher

Sarah Durocher is currently studying the art of writing, while making delicious Pumpkin Spice Lattes on the side (how cliché of her). With a passion for all things fantastic, Sarah first fell in love with writing through Harry Potter and aspires to write children’s stories that will whisk away a new generation to fantastic places. She enjoys watching anything by Tim Burton or starring Johnny Depp and will never pass up a Disney movie. Ever.

Creep Me: Facebook | Twitter  

Creep Others: Todd Clayton | Dan Pearce

Assumptions

Catholicism.  Pretty big word, huh? The history rooted in those five syllables is enough to flood any one with emotion: happiness, joy, fear, and yes, even hate (especially hate). If we were to use a Time-Turner and go back through the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, we would see that Catholics were often persecuted simply for being Catholic. This happened mostly throughout England when Henry VIII declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England (check out the full history here), but the religion became the western norm as Irish and European Catholics sought refuge in America during the nineteenth century. A Catholic church could be seen in almost every neighbourhood, and Catholics had a place to be open about their religion. Even though Catholics made up 17 percent of the United States, they were still looked down upon for being different.

Fast forward to the 20th century, and the same stigma around Catholicism is still lingering. Only now, the stigma has extended to most of the Christian faith. In a modern society where religion is held under a microscope, it’s no wonder people turn to agnosticism or atheism or even opt out of religion altogether – there’s simply too much stigma around Christianity and Catholicism to consider the choices. Extremists who deny the human rights of sexual preference, frown on pre-marital sex, and want to outlaw abortion all under the name of God, ruin the faith for everyone else. As in the time of Henry VIII, Catholics are still afraid to freely call themselves Catholics, for fear of being taken for some kind of zealot.

Let’s look at what Catholicism is. This nifty link describes Catholic as “the body of Christian believers all over the world, united by common traditions, beliefs, church structure and worship”.

Each pillar can hold different meaning to someone’s faith. One person might value the church structure at the core of their belief, while another may put traditions at the top. It shouldn’t matter what order you value them in; no one is “more religious” for focusing on one aspect more than another. We live in a modern world where religion is not always present, but a person who does not broadcast their faith shouldn’t be taken as “faithless”. In fact, a person may not broadcast their religion because of the amount of stigma surrounding it.

I am Catholic, but that shouldn't change a person's view of me.

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Sarah Durocher

Sarah Durocher is currently studying the art of writing, while making delicious Pumpkin Spice Lattes on the side (how cliché of her). With a passion for all things fantastic, Sarah first fell in love with writing through Harry Potter and aspires to write children’s stories that will whisk away a new generation to fantastic places. She enjoys watching anything by Tim Burton or starring Johnny Depp and will never pass up a Disney movie. Ever.

Creep Me: Facebook | Twitter  

Creep Others: Todd Clayton | Dan Pearce