religion interview

My niece, who attends Boston Latin High School, is doing some kind of project or report on religion, and had to interview someone. Here are the questions she sent, and my answers. I'm not sure if she was given the questions or came up with them on her own. I admit that I more or less tossed off my replies; I certainly could have done more research, but I'm pretty sure this was adequate for her purposes.

I think it's kind of funny that I've been interviewed twice in the past week, given that I don't think I have ever been interviewed before at all!

Some of my answers are not at all politically correct, but these are my opinions and feelings, and reflect what I've learned. Here goes:

1. What section of the Christian religion do you practice?
Roman Catholic

2. How often do you pray?
Several times a day by myself (no specific count). Twice a day with my whole family (grace before dinner, prayers before bed with the children), once a day with my husband.

3. How often do you go to church?
Once a week, plus holy days of obligation, like Christmas, New Year’s Day, the Assumption, etc.

4. What would you say is the best lesson your religion teaches?
God loves everyone, everyone is worthy of love. Love your neighbor as yourself.

5. What would you say you most disagree with about your religion?
I have had more disagreements in the past with the RC Church than I do now. I’ve studied a lot more and at this point there isn’t anything that I can say I disagree with as far as the teachings of faith go. I have huge problems with how the sexual abuse situations were allowed to take place and then were covered up, that was just horrendous – but that is not a criticism of the faith or the religion itself, it is a criticism of certain people acting ~supposedly~ within the Church, when in reality they were far outside the teachings of the faith.

6. What is one thing about your religion that affects you in daily life?
The knowledge that I’m not alone, that I can ask for help if I have trouble.

7. Which do you praise the most from the Bible?
I’m not sure what you mean by this question. There are many Biblical passages that are beautiful, and there are some stories that I really love just because of how they are told. I like the description of love in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. I like the Gospels. I like the Psalms in the Old Testament.

8. How often do you feel you pay homage to your religion?
I never pay homage to my religion. I give honor to God through the practices of the faith, but it is not the religion which is revered.

9. Can you tell me one story from the Bible that you remember having a strong impact on you?
The parable of the Prodigal Son, because I was a prodigal daughter.

10. Are there any people/stories in the Bible you show serious doubt in? If so, which story?
I don’t, and Catholic doctrine doesn’t, take the entire Bible literally, especially the Old Testament. It is clear when Jesus is telling stories such as the parables that he is not speaking of literal people, times, or places, but is using broad brushstokes to paint a picture that will get his point across. I’ve been very interested to watch the shows on the History Channel going over the history of the Bible, describing how certain events could have happened, and then how they may have changed through the oral tradition that existed before the books were written down. So if you’re asking me do I believe that every word in the Bible is factually, historically true, I’d say no. But if you ask me does the Bible contain the revealed word of God, then I would say yes. Does that answer the question?

One other thing, our understanding of certain things in the Bible changes with our understanding of the world and natural law. We are only human and trying to understand the Divine is a worthy effort but not assured of success. So things change, as our understanding of the world grows.

11. Would you consider yourself an adamant Christian?
I went and looked up “adamant” so I could be sure to answer your question correctly. Am I impervious to pleas, reason, or doubt concerning my faith? Probably not, but maybe, at this point. My spiritual journey has been long and convoluted, passing through agnosticism through Judaism and then back to Catholicism. DH recently completed the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults and became Catholic, and through his classwork I had an opportunity to review and relearn a lot of things about Catholicism that I had forgotten or never knew. It all makes a lot of sense to me, and I’ve read/see/heard many arguments in favor of the faith, against the common arguments we hear against it. It has been an interesting year.

That doesn’t mean I’m not willing to listen to other people’s (respectful) opinions, though. But at this point I can’t imagine any argument or event that would change my mind.

12. Have you ever questioned your faith?
Sure, many times.

13. What could bring a person to question the Christian faith?
The same things that bring a person to question any faith. Usually it’s a personal tragedy or a tragedy befalling someone they love. There doesn’t seem to be much order or justice in the Universe, and this is the kind of thing that makes people ask, “Why?”

14. Do you think Christianity is the only relevant faith?
Relevant to what? I certainly think that Christianity is one reason that Western Civilization has advanced as much as it has. It appears in practice to be the faith most compatible with freedom. That’s not to say that predominantly Muslim or Buddhist or atheist countries can’t be free, it’s just that in reality, they aren’t. I can’t lump Hindu in there because, first of all, I don’t know anything much at all about it, but secondly, India I think is mainly Hindu and it’s one of the largest countries on Earth, with a huge population.

15. Do you think Christianity is the best religion, in your opinion to raise your children on?
My children are all being raised Catholic, in my opinion, it’s the best.


16. If your child ever did anything that went severely against Christianity, would you condemn him or her?
No… this is kind of funny, actually. DS2 threw one of DD’s toys across the family room today, and I said to him, “Be nice to Teddy!” in a stern voice. He started to cry. I explained to him that I will always love him, even if he does something that’s not very nice. If he does something that’s not nice, I have to teach him to behave better, but I will always love him.

So: I will always love my children, even though there are times when I don’t love what they are doing. They make their own choices and have to live with the consequences of their decisions, but I will always love them. “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” I may condemn their actions, but I wouldn’t condemn them.

17. Any last notes?
Most Catholics are very poorly educated in their faith – I was, even though I went to a Catholic grade school through 6th grade, and then went to CCD classes until my confirmation. We didn’t really learn much about what the teachings of the church are, and how they are all supported by biblical as well as historical evidence. I have been learning all this as an adult.

Where you live in Boston is a very secular (that is, non-religious) area of the country. That is not typical in America overall. Yes, your mom listed off all the different churches you have in your neighborhood, but that’s not the point. The point is that the general population are not very devout and do not practice their religions as part of their lives the way you see in many, if not most, other parts of the country. The popular media (movies, tv, radio) tend to portray anyone who is religious as either a psycho or hopelessly out of touch with the culture, and usually a bit stupid as well. Around here, being a member of a church and part of a church community is pretty much taken for granted. We’re all just normal people, and our churches are a big part of our lives. Hollywood’s take on it is often “how quaint and old-fashioned;” it is anything but!

I hope that the religious and moral education we are giving our kids will help them to deal with all the pressures they will feel as they grow up. There’s a lot of “whatever feels good, do it” advice in our culture, and there’s also a huge “me, me, me!” thing going as well. Our religion tangibly teaches our kids that they are not the center of the universe, and that doing whatever feels good can have very negative consequences. I think it’s important for parents to teach these lessons, but having the backing of the entire Church community on these issues is very helpful.