Values and my Native Culture

I’ve turned my “About Me” page into several shorter pages, arranged hierarchically:

• About Me
  • Brilliant, Talented, and On Medication
  • Becoming a Catholic
  • Being a Catholic Citizen in America
    • Values and my Native Culture
  • Science? In a ‘Religious’ Blog??
  • Journal
  • Who are Those Catholics?

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Being Catholic and American

My values are somewhat counter-cultural.

That’s partly because I’m a practicing Catholic who is also an American citizen: not an American whose name shows up in a Catholic parish directory.

America has been a Protestant country, with some tolerance for people who don’t go to the ‘right’ church.

Following my beliefs in a system that isn’t quite built around them can be challenging.

Take ‘love thy neighbor,’ for example. As a platitude, it seems sufficiently fluffy. Acting as if I think it matters is where it gets hard.

As a Catholic, I’m expected to see everyone as my neighbor: a real person, created in the image of God, someone who matters. Everyone, no exceptions. (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 5:43-44, 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31, 10:25-37; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1789, 2258, 2260)

I’m also expected to see human life as special, sacred, a gift from God. (Catechism, 2258, 2260)

And as if that doesn’t make things awkward, I must also see every human being as a person.

A real person, a neighbor, someone who matters: created in the image of God. Someone I should — must — love. No exceptions. (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 5:43-44, 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31, 10:25-37; Catechism, 1789, 2258, 2260)

That’s everyone: even folks who are too young, old or sick to deserve life by today’s standards. And those who have committed serious crimes. On the other hand, defending the life on innocent people is okay. Even if it means using force. Within reason. (Catechism, 2258-2317)

And then there’s social justice. The kind that makes sense.

I’ve talked about this sort of thing before, and almost certainly will again. I’ve tagged these topics as life issues and social justice.

Taking Freedom Seriously

I think the Church is one, holy, catholic (lower case “c”) and apostolic. And I’m obliged to respect folks who practice other faiths. (Catechism, 811-856)

I’m also obliged to support religious freedom. That’s religious freedom for everyone, not just me. Within reason. (Catechism, 2104-2109)

As I said: challenging.