Of Tolerance
A post! Actually, it may be more like a mini-rant. But still.
So I was reading my news feeds this morning when I came across a post on GetReligion (great blog, by the way) about a San Francisco activist group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Lovely. Apparently some of the men dressed up in whiteface, insane makeup, and nuns' habits to take Communion at a local Catholic church.
I was irritated. Why would this be okay? How can this level of disrespect for other people's beliefs ever be okay? But, oh, wait, it's okay because Catholic doctrine is intolerant? Please. Catholicism isn't the most liberal religion on the planet - okay, we get that. But if it was really, truly intolerant, these men wouldn't have walked out of that church in mint condition. When you behave as intolerantly as this group apparently chooses to, the only thing that saves you is tolerance.
I think it's unfair that the bishop who gave the men Communion is coming under fire, however. The Sacrament is supposed to be offered to anyone who asks - assuming that they haven't been excommunicated from the Catholic church - and it's up to the person to decided whether they're ready to receive Christ or not.
The fact that these people think that their behavior is clever, amusing, or some sort of ground-breaking social development, rather than just insulting and juvenile, is annoying. But it's not the end of the world. I was horrified when I first read the article, but after a few moments I calmed down and got over it. Their taking the Eucharist isn't going to diminish God in any way, and maybe it will even do them some good.
What really bothers me is the media reaction. If this had been any other type of religious group - Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc. - the media would be toting it as an atrocity rather than a humorous and pointed anecdote. In an SFGate article, a city official, Matt Dorsey, was quoted as saying, "I think it's deeply offensive to see this incident politicized this way. It's not about religion. It's about the culture war." Please. When you participate in a liberal street fair without clothing on, it's about the culture war. When you protest in front of an establishment, it's about the culture war. When you walk into a church and take part in a ritual which the participants believe to be holy, it's about religion. When you actually consume the Body and Blood of their God, it's about religion.
Why is it that people fighting for their personal beliefs or lifestyle always seem to feel the need to insult others' beliefs and lifestyles?
So I was reading my news feeds this morning when I came across a post on GetReligion (great blog, by the way) about a San Francisco activist group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Lovely. Apparently some of the men dressed up in whiteface, insane makeup, and nuns' habits to take Communion at a local Catholic church.
I was irritated. Why would this be okay? How can this level of disrespect for other people's beliefs ever be okay? But, oh, wait, it's okay because Catholic doctrine is intolerant? Please. Catholicism isn't the most liberal religion on the planet - okay, we get that. But if it was really, truly intolerant, these men wouldn't have walked out of that church in mint condition. When you behave as intolerantly as this group apparently chooses to, the only thing that saves you is tolerance.
I think it's unfair that the bishop who gave the men Communion is coming under fire, however. The Sacrament is supposed to be offered to anyone who asks - assuming that they haven't been excommunicated from the Catholic church - and it's up to the person to decided whether they're ready to receive Christ or not.
The fact that these people think that their behavior is clever, amusing, or some sort of ground-breaking social development, rather than just insulting and juvenile, is annoying. But it's not the end of the world. I was horrified when I first read the article, but after a few moments I calmed down and got over it. Their taking the Eucharist isn't going to diminish God in any way, and maybe it will even do them some good.
What really bothers me is the media reaction. If this had been any other type of religious group - Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc. - the media would be toting it as an atrocity rather than a humorous and pointed anecdote. In an SFGate article, a city official, Matt Dorsey, was quoted as saying, "I think it's deeply offensive to see this incident politicized this way. It's not about religion. It's about the culture war." Please. When you participate in a liberal street fair without clothing on, it's about the culture war. When you protest in front of an establishment, it's about the culture war. When you walk into a church and take part in a ritual which the participants believe to be holy, it's about religion. When you actually consume the Body and Blood of their God, it's about religion.
Why is it that people fighting for their personal beliefs or lifestyle always seem to feel the need to insult others' beliefs and lifestyles?