I grew up in the Catholic church and cannot deny its influence in shaping my worldview. I can't deny the way its teachings have influenced my mind and development. Considering this, I'm hesitant to criticize the church's moves - out of respect for my family and to their devotion and beliefs. I respect everyone's right to their spirituality of choice.
But there comes a point in time when somebody has to say
something, most especially when a clear and poignant evil is emulated from
what many consider the most holy of holy of sources. The recently cannonized Junipero Serra is not holy. He
was quite a questionable character and had a major part in colonizing, subjugating, and
dehumanizing indigenous peoples.
Every Sunday, hundreds of
thousands gather for mass and engage in the ceremony of
paying homage to Jesus Christ. During this ceremony, these hundreds of thousands engage in this prayer that incorporates certain elements of the saints according to how they lived their lives.
As a former Catholic I know that Catholics pray to the saints. Please, do not pray to Junipero Serra. No good can come from a prayer evoking destructive elements in the name of conversion. Serra's example and presence should not be evoked and admired as saintly.
As a former Catholic I know that Catholics pray to the saints. Please, do not pray to Junipero Serra. No good can come from a prayer evoking destructive elements in the name of conversion. Serra's example and presence should not be evoked and admired as saintly.
I believe that most of the prayer is a good thing. It is
formed though good intentions. It is directed in sincerity and a good way.
However, there IS a wrong way to pray.
The hundreds of thousands should not be evoking the name of
someone who as perpetuated evil in these chants. Doing so is akin to evoking witchcraft in a bad way. But even for the less spiritual and more secular minded, there is much more implicated in the psyche of the matter.
For the atheists out there and the science minded—forget I
ever said witchcraft. Forget I ever referred to anything spiritual. Instead, ponder the psychological aspects of reflecting on the life of
someone who lived theirs with little regard for the territory and those inhibiting it.
Serra pretty much behaved as a psychopath with little
regard for the sanctity of life. What does paying homage to someone who helped perpetuate genocide do to the psyche of those
who pray on it? The psychological aspects alone are unsettling.
What happens when you add the spiritual effect to the psychological? Add it all together, and now we
have a room full of hundreds of thousands of people on a given Sunday, chanting
and evoking a person who lived his life in moral disarray. That, my friends, is
witchcraft of the darker sorts. For that, the Vatican should be called out and
exposed for perpetuating evil.
Disclaimer: This is my opinion of the hierarchies of the
Vatican only, and is in no way a condemnation of anyone else, nor towards
anyone practicing the tenants of the religion. The direction comes from the top
down, and my criticism is solely directed at the people in charge at the top.
I was also dismayed by Serra's canonization. Especially coming from Pope Francis who has in other ways stuck up for the downtrodden. Another canonization I deplore was for Robert Bellarmine
ReplyDeleteAll human endeavors are flawed. It's my hope that when taking the sum total of Christianity's contributions, the net result is positive.
At times churches have been very effective advocates of doing what's just and right. Churches played a part in the abolition of slavery in the early U.S. history and Martin Luther King's advocacy was made more potent from his use of Christ's teachings.
Some Catholic priests were instrumental in establishing the notion that all humans are endowed with rights. That may see obvious today but at their time these teachings were controversial. Dominican Friar Antonio de Montesinos' advocacy for abused got him hauled before King Ferdinand. Ferdinand called together a group of jurists and theologians to develop laws that would govern Spanish officials in their interaction with natives. From this came the Laws of Burgos (1512) and of Valladolid (1513). Father Francisco de Vitoria helped lay the groundwork for international law. Also Father Domingo de Soto. Again, we take these notions for granted today that all humans have rights but they encountered stiff resistance in their time.
In the 2000 year story of Christianity there have been heroes and villains. By all means, call out Junipero Serra and hold Pope Francis' feet to the fire. But in fairness we should also look at the good Christianity's has done.