Interview on September 9, 2024, with Eric, who is studying economics and statistics, outside the Student Services building at Taft College, southwest of Bakersfield.
Do you consider yourself religious?
Eric: Yes. We don’t go to church on Wednesdays. We don’t read the Bible. We don’t necessarily pray to God. But, on occasions, I do read some of the Bible on my own time and I would occasionally pray to God for wellness for my friends or family, if any of them are suffering.
If someone asked why you believe God exists, what would you say?
Eric: The Big Bang theory is a plausible theory. But it would make more sense if we had a creator that’s slowly but surely gave us life. That’s just my thought.
If someone asked if you have evidence for the existence of God, what would you say?
Eric: Honestly, I would be at a loss. Other than I simply believe.
Do you think it is true that there is a God and that it is incorrect to say there is no God?
Eric: That is kind of a gray area that I have. There could be God, there could not be God. I’m honestly undecided. I don’t see any proof to say God is real, nor God is fake. There is science to be mentioned, though personally I believe God created science for us humans to understand the world He created.
You said you read the Bible. Do you hold the traditional Christian moral teachings?
Eric: Not really because I’m a Catholic, so it’s been a while since I’ve gone to any church practices. So I don’t really remember any of the practices. If there’s some things that stick out to me in the Bible, I hold them in my heart, in a sense, because that helps me find the right path for myself.
What do you think about the morality of abortion?
Eric: That’s a good question. Personally, I give life to that clump of cells, though there are some external factors where that baby may be better off back with God rather than having to deal with this real world. So as much as I don’t like abortion – I’m not sure how to put it. It does sound terrible to take a life from a person who can’t make their own decisions. I think it is up to the better judgment of the parents to see if their kid is truly fit for this world or not. So I am glad that it exists.
Would you also allow parents to make the decision to end their two-year-old’s life?
Eric: No.
What’s the difference? Do you think abortion ends the life of a human being?
Eric: That is a good question because I haven’t thought of that. I have no answer. I’m sorry.
If a biological male identifies as a woman, do you think that person is a woman?
Eric: Personally, no. Gender is, how I see it, an immutable character trait. It’s something we’re born with, it’s in our biology and can’t exactly be changed, but I would respect them. I will call them whatever they want so long as they’re not being confrontational. They have the right to identify as who or whatever they want, but I believe I also have the right to reserve my freedom of speech. But generally – I know this sounds wrong – I’ll play along.
Do you believe in an afterlife?
Eric: I don’t believe in heaven or hell, but I do believe in an afterlife. I don’t really see the point of infinitely generating souls while some of them are permanently stuck in hell. How I see it, we as souls are put into the real world and, when we die, we go back to the afterlife, which is like a waiting room. And depending on your circumstances, your wait may be a couple of months in our world or eternity and then our cells become recycled into a new body and here we are reborn again.
You identified yourself as Catholic but said you don’t go to church. Were you raised going to church?
Eric: Yes.
And why did you stop going to church?
Eric: I don’t remember what happened, but I believe my parents saw that they can easily teach the lessons of God at home. Whenever we’d have free time, usually on Sundays, they’d take us to a park, sometimes talk to us about some lessons that they learned from the Bible. I would keep that in mind and afterwards we got to go down the side, play the swings, climb the jungle gym, stuff like that.
Do your parents consider themselves Catholic still?
Eric: I’m not sure, but I would think yes.
Did you receive any of the Catholic sacraments?
Eric: I don’t remember because I don’t know what that means. I think it was I think six or seven when I stopped going to church. I’m 18 now.
May God bless Eric and his family and draw them to Himself and His Church. I hope and pray that we Catholics will develop outreach to the many lost at our community colleges. And, we should rejoice (and not complain) that our evangelical brothers and sisters are reaching out to Eric and others like him.
I think it wouldn’t take too much persuasion to bring Eric back into the fold. Let’s pray for him and all the other young people who are within arm’s reach of being reunited with the Faith.
We carried our rifles and shotguns to school in our pickups. Did not lock our car doors, never ever heard of a school shooting in the early 60’s. The problem is not guns. The problem is people.
Like, totally! Catechesis (sp). Good, bad or non-existent? Cool.
Multiply that by thirty million and you have the story of so many Catholic young people whose families have lapsed in practicing the faith.
As Saint John Paul taught us, the new evangelization begins with us Catholics
and should extend to all others as well.
Most Catholics are ignorant about their faith. Even the kids who go through two years of confirmation preparation are ignorant. What is the point of all these catechetical programs and requirements if in the end the people who enroll don’t know anything and stop going to Mass right after receiving their sacraments?
The church is like a club that people feel they have to qualify for minimally by getting their sacraments/membership, but they don’t really want to be in the club so they stop going to meetings/Mass.
Nancy Pelosi is not that different from about 2/3 of Catholics. They think Catholicism is whatever they want it to be, on their terms. And their terms often include not bothering with showing up for anything, yet they still consider themselves members.
I do funeral ministry at my parish, and I see it all the time. Grown adult children who have stopped going to Mass burying their deceased parents. They think funerals are celebrations of life. They think they can receive Communion even if they haven’t been practicing for twenty years. They think their dead loved ones are in heaven now automatically, and that everyone goes to heaven when they die.
The Church has been almost a total failure for the past 50 years. I believe that will become clear by the year 2040, when there will be hardly any practicing Catholics left in the US if current trends continue.
“Not Guns” — the father of the latest murderer proudly posted photos of his 15 year-old on the gun range. She/It was wearing a T-shirt with the KMFDM logo. This is a German rock band also idolized by teenaged murderers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. She/It identified her/itself as non-binary and sometimes Trans. The father had guns in his home with a She/It mentally ill teen who’d been broadcasting her warped feelings all over the media. The parents of these murderous children bear culpability and should be held criminally responsible for their crimes.
We’re not in Kansas any more, Toto. There’s no slack to give. No sloganeering “it’s people, not guns” either. We know it’s the people. We also know that we’re the laughing stock of the Universe. In today’s society, If you have a cache of guns in your home and you have young children glued to their cell phones, then prepare for the mayhem that most likely will ensue. If it happens, you’re to blame.
The evangelical leaders of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at this school have clear expectations of their leaders, “you are preparing for serious spiritual responsibilities. You will be expected to exemplify Christ-like character, conduct and leadership (c.f. the following relevant passages: 1 Peter 5:1-7; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Galatians 5:19-26; and 1 Corinthians 6: 7-11). This application is designed to help you understand these expectations more clearly. It will also assist the Leadership Team in getting to know you as they seek to pass on the leadership of this Chapter to faithful persons.” While they do not have the fullness of the Faith, they take it seriously. Sometimes in some Catholic parishes and dioceses we don’t expect fidelity from those who serve. A warm body, good heart or having gone to a Catholic school are not enough. We all need to be disciples of Jesus.
In some parishes you can be gay married and be the music director.
What parish allows someone in a fake “gay marriage” to be the music director?
People in gay relationships and marriages are writing music published by OCP and sung at Mass. It happens more than you would care to think. If a parish flies the rainbow flag or publicizes itself as an “All Are Welcome” parish, you can bet it’s gay friendly. People who are involved in putting on the LA Anaheim Religious Ed Congress are gay married. And if they’re not gay themselves, they are gay supporters. It’s a cancer in the church that needs some Christ chemotherapy to cause it to go into remission. The more I’ve experienced in church ministry, the more I’ve realized how many fakes and frauds there are among clergy, musicians, and catechists. The normal person in the pew has no idea how corrupt things are on the inside. Be careful, because once you open that door and go down the gay rabbit hole, you will be shocked at what you learn about the presence and influence of gays in church ministry, both clerical and lay.
But, who are these practicing gay people and parishes? If it’s known, why cover up for them?
Why not “Mr. X Y at parish Z is a civilly ‘married’ homosexual?”
If lay people know and don’t say anything, are we any better than bishops who cover up for pervert priests?
Well, here’s a recent story about a gay married music director who was actually fired by a courageous pastor:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-church-fired-its-music-director-for-being-gay-then-something-surprising-happened/ar-AA1tNRSf
The whole choir quit because the gay married director was fired. Note that they did not have a problem with him being the music director while being gay married, and they certainly all knew about him.
Pray for that pastor. He’s shepherding a largely apostate and ignorant flock of parishioners.
There are many, many more who are still employed in parishes. And the laity and priests often wink at it.
Yes, that story about the music director in a same sex marriage being fired, with parishioners up in arms about it shows that the church has mostly failed to teach people what it means to be Catholic. For many, Mass is just a Sunday Jesus social club, and what you do in your own private life doesn’t matter because everyone is going to heaven. Post Vatican II clergy from the 70s through the 90s made Catholicism weak and meaningless.
Any Catholic who thinks you can be a good Catholic and even a minister while being in a same-sex marriage has no clue about what being Catholic really means and requires in living. It’s not the Kiwanis Club. It’s not a bowling league. It’s not a card club. It’s not a community theater. It’s a Catholic religious community with definite principles about what constitutes a life of holiness and what constitutes a life of sin.
Note a detail in the story towards the end: the music director was fired by a newly appointed parochial administrator. The former pastor had been reassigned due to credible allegations of sexual misconduct. See? The (probably) gay former pastor knew about the gay music director and looked the other way. Gay has got to be surgically removed from the church, like that other poster said. Gay priests and gay ministers bring corruption.
@ “Anonymous”. Wow. Your turn of phrase, “It’s a cancer in the church that needs some Christ chemotherapy to cause it to go into remission” is an apt and on-point metaphor. I was also deeply saddened by many experiences I had working in the Church, some of which involved gay-pandering and crass ambition by lay employees who thought they were priests. Add in fawning parishioners and you’ll end up with clergy and lay employees with giant egos.
In reply tp pray for pastor December 21, 2024 at 1:51 pm, the MSN article, like the parishioners, have it wrong. The article is headlined: “A church fired its music director for being gay.” In the article, we read” ““He got fired because he’s gay,” fellow choir member Bob Holden said. “He’s extremely talented, he’s perfect on the piano, he has perfect pitch and because of him, I look forward to going to church every week. I’m divorced. Do I get thrown out next?””
So both the article and those quoted assert error. He was not fired because he was gay, but because it was discovered he had married another man 4 years prior, violating God’s Moral/Natural Law. And because this man knew he had violated God’s Law, he kept the marriage from Church authorities, whose duty it is to uphold God’s order. It was incumbent upon this man to reveal his marriage when it happened, and it is now incumbent upon the man to correct those parishioners who wrongly assess the entire situation as the Church’s “hatred” both of gay men and hatred of God, who “includes” rather than “excludes.”