I’ve been thinking lately about the Catholic church, especially considering that our current presidential election, and the Supreme Court choice for a new justice, are rooted in the Catholic vote.
When you look back at the original foundation of the Catholic church, you can see a lot of corruption and hypocrisy. Priests said they were celibate, but often slept with prostitutes. Priests said they followed the teachings of Jesus, but they accepted bribes for blessings, what we call “tithes.”
And then the Catholic church used a lot of violence, overpowering, and domination to spread the Roman empire throughout the world.
Yet when I looked in the Bible to find what Jesus said about violence, I found this passage:
“Am I leading a rebellion…that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching you in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” Then everyone deserted him and fled. (Mark 14:48)
There is another part, where persecutors come to capture Jesus, and one of the disciples cuts off the persecutor’s ear, but Jesus puts the persecutor’s ear back on, because he says he is not interested in harming anyone through violence.
So if Jesus is against violence, why do the governments and institutions who purport to “follow” Jesus allow violence?
It doesn’t make sense to me.
And now so much of the future of democracy rests in the Catholic vote.
I can’t help but wonder if we had something like a woman pope, if we could fix the problem once and for all. Not that all women are perfect, but I suspect a woman pope who aligns with the teachings of Jesus more closely would hold men accountable for their violent deeds, for their lies, for the corruption of the system. And it would be ideal if she was a woman of the people, who lived a life more like Jesus—simple, on the margins, whereby she would develop a lot of compassion for people who need help and saving in this world.
I’m just saying. I think it’s worth a thought. Or two.
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Thanks!
Best,
JS