The Cellar - View Single Post - 6/26: Homeschooling and animal skinning (thanks Slithy_Tove)

Griff · 06-29-2001, 08:39 AM

Warning! scattered thought debris watch yer heads

Looks like I'm the token practicing Papist here, no offense taken nor intended given. I have a younger sister who fits the hardcore Catholic stereotype to the t. My younger brother is essentially on the other end, only another Catholic would understand his complex relationship with his childhood faith. My older sister is the high-light reel type... Christmas, Easter, palms, throats, and ashes.

I attend mass regularly and have have been asked to lector about once a month. For me, church going is about re-building community bonds in our increasingly fractured rural society. Big church Catholicism holds no attraction for me, maybe they can form communities in those huge parishes but I wonder if folks don't lose something in the convienience of anonimity. Catholicism can be as uplifting or oppressive as the individual (or his parents or priests) makes it. Right now we have a very talented (multi-lingual) very CHRISTIAN parish priest who was raised in a home split between the Russian Orthodox and RC churches. He is therefor much more aware that there are many paths, than our last priest (who almost destroyed our parish with his personality and political commentary). My wifes parents were Unitarians before they split and our extended family runs the full gamut of the American religious and irreligious scene, so naturally we don't take to exclusionary religion. Our new priest has a fascination with pre-Roman Celtic Christianity which should play well here in Irish country, although some of the old folks seem much more Roman than Celtic. As for those who are still cursing the House of Orange "We are," as Stan Rogers put it, "kindred in nothing but name." (brilliant folk anti-war tune I'll see if I can dig up a link)

My kids are in parochial school, more to avoid the public system than out of any religious concern. My wife and I discussed home-schooling, since educationally we make one good human, but didn't think we were organized enough. Our tuition is rising though and we may have to revisit the question. We both went to and hated public schools and both had nightmarish 7th grade experiences (now I'm wondering how common that is?)

06-29-2001, 08:39 AM	#25
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Warning! scattered thought debris watch yer heads Looks like I'm the token practicing Papist here, no offense taken nor intended given. I have a younger sister who fits the hardcore Catholic stereotype to the t. My younger brother is essentially on the other end, only another Catholic would understand his complex relationship with his childhood faith. My older sister is the high-light reel type... Christmas, Easter, palms, throats, and ashes. I attend mass regularly and have have been asked to lector about once a month. For me, church going is about re-building community bonds in our increasingly fractured rural society. Big church Catholicism holds no attraction for me, maybe they can form communities in those huge parishes but I wonder if folks don't lose something in the convienience of anonimity. Catholicism can be as uplifting or oppressive as the individual (or his parents or priests) makes it. Right now we have a very talented (multi-lingual) very CHRISTIAN parish priest who was raised in a home split between the Russian Orthodox and RC churches. He is therefor much more aware that there are many paths, than our last priest (who almost destroyed our parish with his personality and political commentary). My wifes parents were Unitarians before they split and our extended family runs the full gamut of the American religious and irreligious scene, so naturally we don't take to exclusionary religion. Our new priest has a fascination with pre-Roman Celtic Christianity which should play well here in Irish country, although some of the old folks seem much more Roman than Celtic. As for those who are still cursing the House of Orange "We are," as Stan Rogers put it, "kindred in nothing but name." (brilliant folk anti-war tune I'll see if I can dig up a link) My kids are in parochial school, more to avoid the public system than out of any religious concern. My wife and I discussed home-schooling, since educationally we make one good human, but didn't think we were organized enough. Our tuition is rising though and we may have to revisit the question. We both went to and hated public schools and both had nightmarish 7th grade experiences (now I'm wondering how common that is?)