Quick, somebody pinch me. I think I’m having a nightmare. I find myself agreeing with <<gasp>> the Catholic Church. I just read two articles in which I found some common ground with my former faith.

First, I found the article “Is It Really About Religion?” from the Portsmouth Herald. This piece was written by Fr. Michael Kerper, pastor of St. James Catholic Church. While I strongly disagree with most of what he has to say, there are some good points here.

At least since the enlightenment of the 18th century, many have forecast the disappearance of religion. Despite persuasive arguments supporting that prediction, religions of all sorts have proved amazingly resilient, even at times resurgent. Sad to say, however, religious identity has often survived and flourished, not because of genuine faith and spirituality, but because religion can mask other things, notably political grievances and nationalism.

This is a keen observation, particularly for a priest. Religion has played this role throughout human history. It makes, all at once, an excellent smokescreen and rallying point for other causes. However, isn’t this an admission that religion itself, without being manipulated by politics, is pretty weak after all?

During the so-called Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, many American leaders gave the East-West conflict a religious twist. The Soviets, they claimed, were determined to destroy the West primarily because it was Christian while Communism was officially atheistic.

American atheists are still paying the price for this today. The Cold War is chiefly responsible for the strong link between patriotism and religion in the United States. Unfortunately, after such a good start, Fr. Kerper draws poor conclusions.

Two dangers flow from habitually accenting the religious identity of terrorists. First, many people may come to believe that all religions necessarily breed violence and conflict. A prolonged war against terrorism, in which the motives of terrorists are always assumed to be essentially religious, may lead thoughtful people to fear and reject all religions, even the most tranquil.

In the first part, his error is in thinking that religion plays no role or only a minor role in the fomentation of violence and conflict. While not everyone who ends up wearing religion into battle is motivated by the religion, these conflicts are often sparked by faith. To the second part, all I can say is… Amen.

The other Catholic I found myself agreeing with is Herr Ratzinger himself. Shocking, I know. I was immediately drawn to the title of “Pope Says Religion is Dying in the West” for obvious reasons. I’ve heard about the pope spreading the good news, but this is great. In a speech he made to a gathering of priests in Italy, he called the West… “a world that is tired of its own culture, a world that has arrived at a time in which there’s no more evidence of the need for God, much less Christ, and in which it seems that man alone can make himself.” Yup. That pretty much sums it up. He then rambled on about how divorcees still can’t receive Communion, seemingly to provide an example of WHY the church is dying in the west. When the pope is prophesying the end of Catholicism in the industrialized world, it’s a good day to be an atheist.

~I AM~