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| Assumption Catholic Church, Morris MN |
But of course we know the "evangelicals" are a real force. We can think of churches in our Morris who are assuredly conservative. But there we go with labels again: "conservative." Let's lay that out with "evangelicals."
Jerry Falwell Jr. gave so much impetus for defining "evangelicals." And it was to be equated with supporting Donald Trump.
Are there "conservative" churches in our Morris area with members who might secretly vote for a few Democrats? There is at least one local "conservative" minister who I feel privately has a lot more sense than what he shows in front of parishioners. He's willing to respect his church policies/doctrines. Informally I find him far more agreeable than that. Although, I can't be certain of all the exact thoughts floating in his head. I try to have faith in certain people. It's the only way to live. I won't name names because people get so emotional about these matters.
What about the Catholic Church? For years my skepticism about the Catholics had to do with clergy sex abuse revelations. Is it so hard to withdraw from a church that gets in such serious trouble harming kids? Normally our attitude out here in Morris, the quiet hinterland, is that "well, these are problems in places like Boston but we're Morris." We of course had a pretty serious problem with a Catholic priest in Morris a few years ago. Forget "it can't happen here."
That's why I worry about the problem of police misconduct. Will we end up with a controversial shooting/killing here? Don't shake your head. In the years when I handled newspaper distribution in Morris, I had a little jackknife on my key ring for cutting strings on newspaper bundles. If a state trooper were to pull me over now, would he determine that I was "armed" and put seven bullets into me? I feel uncomfortable if I even see cops in the restaurant.
We might have expected clergy sex abuse to be an existential threat to the Catholics. It certainly must have drained them. But it looks as though they're still standing. Maybe sex abuse has been dealt with well enough to be put on the back burner. Well if not, why do people still belong? I thought we prioritized the health and safety of our kids so much. Why doesn't the Catholic Church end its policy of celibacy? We all know that's the root of the problem.
Catholics and politics
Now we read about Catholic clergy who are joining with the evangelicals for political ends. All the headlines are suggesting that Christianity is going so far beyond the wisdom of the gospel. Christ's teaching emphasized tolerance and an empathy for the poor and struggling. It's not about Ayn Rand or the "prosperity gospel."
An item in the news now is out of Wisconsin, right next door. It's the state of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, one of Trump's biggest loyalists. Minnesota too is trending to the right politically, according to conventional wisdom. Are the Dakotas going to bleed into us that drastically? We in Morris are so close to the Dakotas and the likes of Governor Kristi Noem and U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer. Stevens County appears supportive of our quite conservative state senator and representative.
Are the Catholics now feeding this, in addition to the evangelicals? A Wisconsin priest slammed a fellow clergy member who spoke at the Democratic convention. Father James Altman pointed fingers at Father James Martin. Fr. Altman of St. James the Less Catholic Church - St. James the Less? - lashed out after Fr. Martin participated in the Democratic Party event. Fr. Altman called on any Catholic Democrats to revoke their support of the party or "face the fires of hell."
I glean this info from a Fox News article. Fox News is pretty credible in the eyes of conservatives.
Fr. Altman posted a ten-minute video in which he called Fr. Martin a "hyper, confusion-spreading heretic." More: "Here is a memo to clueless Catholics out there: You cannot be a Catholic and be a Democrat. Period."
Ah, "period." I remember when the Morris Sun Tribune ran a guest editorial that ended with "enough said." Jim Morrison was amused, as he translated this to mean "no further discussion necessary." Yes, the right wingers don't like a prolonged discussion on anything. Their views are so baked in, why risk confusion or being put on the defensive by people making sound contrary arguments? Like on climate change, to cite one issue. Extended discussions are inconvenient for them. They are impulsive and like to just latch onto certain ideas.
Pro-life: Well, who wouldn't want to be pro-life? A pro-life person would have wanted the president of the United States to be far more proactive from the get-go with the virus, using the massive resources of the Federal government in a coordinated nationwide way. Wouldn't this be necessary to be "pro-life?"
And some of the righties have sort of shrugged and rationalized that it's mostly older people dying. It doesn't call for the same level of concern? Because the older people aren't contributing much to society anymore? Because they'll probably just die soon anyway? We had a Stevens County resident die of the virus at age 64. Is that really old? This individual might have looked forward to another 20-30 years of life. The people are cherished family members whether or not they are engaged in employment any more.
But pro-lifers weren't aroused to anger when the likes of Ben Shapiro expressed the questionable rationale re. age. Shapiro is just a commentator but Trump is president.
Commenting on Trump seems almost futile, obviously, because his legions of supporters don't care what comes out about him. Do you really think the revelations from Bob Woodward are going to result in fewer Trump flags and yard signs in the Morris area? Well of course not. We're past any hope on that.
And my concern as I write this, is that if there's a movement by Catholics to join the Jerry Falwell Jr. types, we'll sink into an ever deeper hole in this nation. Fr. Altman said "repent of your support of the (Democratic) Party and its platform, or face the fires of hell." (Do you wonder why young people are falling away from organized religion?)
Memo to public schools
I will state again: If churches are extending themselves so far into right wing politics, our public schools should quit setting aside Wednesday as "church night." This accommodation only facilitates the dangerous rhetoric and behavior.
Wednesday could be opened up for school activities like sports and music concerts. Well, we probably already have enough sports, but I know there's some tension in trying to work in arts events. The school activities would be so much healthier for the kids than church, at least with the right wing-oriented churches.
Is there refuge? For now we can look at the two ELCA churches of Morris. However, these churches do not appear as robust as they once were. I belong, and now I have to listen to Catholics telling me I'll go to hell for supporting progressive political ideas. It is those ideas that the ELCA has sought to be receptive to. It is the accommodative spirit of Christ himself.
Catholic bishop backs Fr. Altman
Maybe you think one or two Catholic priests don't carry that much weight. Well. . . Catholic Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler TX endorsed Altman's remarks about Martin. Strickland wrote "thank you Father Altman for your courage. If you love Jesus and his church and this nation, please heed this message."
Last fall, practicing Catholic Joe Biden was denied communion by a priest in South Carolina over his beliefs on abortion. The presiding priest said "any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of church teaching."
The outlier Fr. Martin is a Vatican consultant. He said he has heard a number of priests say voting for Joe Biden was a "mortal sin."
I wonder how our Morris area churches will come through the upcoming cold weather months which will likely present no fellowship due to the pandemic. A final thought: The Morris City Council is so concerned about passing laws relative to our water softeners, when they might consider a law prohibiting the Apostolic Church.
Memo to Joe Biden: How can you be content staying in a church that refuses to give you communion? Come on over to the ELCA synod of the Lutheran faith. You'll be happy and warmly welcomed.
Please visit my podcast
I continue with some thoughts in today's vein with the "Morris Mojo" podcast. But first! But first I recall last night's walk home and seeing a skunk by the Morris armory. Skunk sightings have been more frequent over the past few months. I wonder: Why did God create both skunks and racoons? Arguing this might be preferable to arguing politics. I invite you to click on link below:
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