Vocations and Callings

Football has distracted me from blogdom for a time, but I want to return to some thoughts about religion.

It is interesting to see that 'religious' persons are almost constantly involved in condeming those who do not agree with them to zillions of years of punishment. The reason religious people spend almost all their time wishing the worst for others, not of their faith, can be found with a little reflextion. The precepts of religion deal with things not subject to rational analysis. This does not mean that a person should not have religious beliefs(we all do), but it does mean that religious beliefs are just beliefs---they cannot be proven. Therefore every absurdity has been held important by some believers. After all, I can believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary, BUT in no way can I prove it to be true.

As a Catholic(sorry "Mr. Mole" you's just have to put up with me), I really don't get very bent out of shape by the doctrine of infallibility. Our church was challenged by science and modern thought in the 19th century, so thy propounded the doctrine that the Pope could not be in error on matter of faith and morals----in other words religion. And the fundamentalist protestants assure us that everyword in the Bible was correct, no matter how ridiculous.Both Catholics and many protestants were telling us there was NO way their beliefs could possibly be in error. So the hard line catholics believe some freakish little Italian (Pius 12) and a former Nazi soldier HAVE to be right on all serious matters of religion. And, Oh, those Bible believeing Christians!! They find a few lines in an ancient book and say it MUST be true because God dictated it. So some of us Catholics (like "The Mole") assure us that any one who defies the Guy in Rome with the red shoes is facing eternal damnation, and possibly may have a very hot future for eternity. And the Bible believeing group says we WILL face the same future, possibly,if we don't believe every page, every word in some old texts. BTW most other world religions have the same fights.

And since we really don't KNOW about the "other" world, most religions feel quite free to make something up to help their cause.

So I want to say a word about "vocations". Almost all preachers, priests, ministers like to inflate their own image by claiming that some being ("GOD") has picked them out as his fovorites and set them above all other people. Protestants use the word "called" and Catholics use the term "vocation." No one I have ever heard of can define these words. Here's the logic: A young man decides to become a priest;ergo that proves he has a "vocaton."A protestant chooses do be a minister,ergo that proves he was called. Somehow this seems backward to me. I prove I was "called" or God gave me a "vocation" just because I choose a certain occupation. After all did God, defined as omnisient, not in time, calls priests and ministers who have a strong proclivity to, for example, sexually molest young kids.

Now this is a special problem for us Catholics. To serve God in the highest. I must never "fall" into love with a member of the opposite sex, even have sexual thoughts. and , of course, not be bothered with those pesky children. B16 even praises those who LEAVE their families to be more favored by God. And this from your "family life" self appointed protectors.

Now, I'm not putting down priest , pastors, preachers whatever. Probably most of them are helpful. (I should note that a disproportionate number of homosexuals are 'tapped' by God to be Catholic priests. But since "vocations" come from a world we really can't know--just believe--I won't argue God's judgement here. )

We've all known priest, pastors, preachers , ministers. I think their professions are arrived at quite normally. They become interested in religion, they usually like to help people, they want to make a better world. Great. But to end on a sour note some of these guys and gals have other interest---like the body parts of the young. But nothing we can know is this world is perfect.

s

Assumptions. We just say they are true. So they are?

Football season is here, so I've been away for a few days. But I have three topics I want to introduce here hoping I would get some kind of rational answer.

One. We use the word "God" in our vocabularies almost every day, but ,to be honest, I, and we, I suspect, have no idea what we are are talking about. Supreme being. What does that mean? It's just another way to say "God." The "creator." Means what? The ground of all being???And we could go on and on. I challenge anyone to define "God" without just making the definition more complex. And what is our relationship to God? Does he talk to me? Does he tell me what to do? Does he occupy space? Does he think? Does he have a brain? Etc.

Two. The "creationists" have pretty left any intellectual ground they stood on. So scientist and rational people agree. So I think we've cleared up biology. And almost no biologists or educated people even argue with the creationists anymore. Is the same situation prevailing in philosophy/science. Do the "new theists"seeing the triumph of science and its approach, find the field empty--- do these "new theists" have the field to themselves. So we get Keith Ward being considered seriously. After all, Ward and his group, like the "creationists" try to find something unexplained by science and then say that proves God. Ward, for example, fools a great many by finding something in Kant that can be twisted a bit, and alleluia, that almost proves theism.

Three. What in hell do we Catholics mean by "vocation."? The argument apparently means that God calls each of us to do something. In other words God tells me to be married(the bottom), single-celibate(one step up) or a priest(the highest "vocation."

The three things I've mentioned above have become such common assumptions that we don't even discuss them. I think I'll touch on each in the next few days. Be fun for me.