The other
day religion in geography was brought up in class. Rich picked on me a lot
because last semester when I had him for Human Geography I would turn every
paper he gave me back to my faith and what I believe in as a Catholic. I was
okay with Rich picking on me because it gives me a chance to talk about my
faith and you never know if something you say will affect another person in the
classroom and perhaps touch their heart in some way. I am not saying I know it
all. Despite coming into my faith more in college I am still a sinner and I mess
up a lot. Also, despite going to catholic schools from kindergarten to twelfth
grade, the Catholic School system really failed me on knowing my religious
education. I have simply been fortunately enough to find a community that has
formed me and lead me to a better understanding of the truth. I have learned to
seek the Lord every day in prayer, to follow Him, and be intentional in my actions
as a Christian.
One
argument was: does religion hinder or control rational thought. My answer was
that for me religion does not hinder my rational thought because as you come to
know the Lord better, you will become more like yourself. You become more like
yourself because you are becoming the person God created you to be. This, to me,
encourages rational thought because you are more like yourself. Further
evidence that religion does not hinder rational thought can be found at the
Vatican Observatory. It is one of the oldest
astronomical research institutions in the world and continues to have
Vatican-paid scientists on staff today and it is tied to the University of
Arizona. Also, Monseigneur Georges Lemaître of Belgium
was a priest and scientist who proposed the expansion theory of the Universe
and what became known as the big bang theory. This idea that rational thought
and religion do not mix is a fallacy. I believe that they go together and complement
each other.
Another
argument that was brought up was whether or not the Pope has the power to
collapse the U.S.. This argument came about from how John Paul II helped collapse
communism in Poland and ultimately this lead to the end of Communism in Europe.
I always think it is funny how people look to the hierarchy in the Church and
try to figure out how much power the positions have. Certainly, at some points
in the past, hierarchy in the Church was corrupted and people used the
hierarchy to seize power. And perhaps by definition the Pope could be looked at
as a prominent dictator in the world today. Instead, I propose looking at it a
different way. Because of Christ’s emphasis on being a servant and serving
others, is the Pope instead of the world’s greatest dictator the world’s
greatest servant? In the business world there is the model of a triangle and
rising to the top. In the Church we like to think of an inverted triangle and
the Pope being the point at the bottom, serving His people. Our current Pope is
a good example of that: this past Holy Thursday he was in a youth detention
center washing the inmates’ feet. Do I think he could collapse the U.S.? I don’t
think so. I believe I am one of the few people in the U.S. who trust my Church
much more than I trust my country. I do not think people put as much emphasis
on religion anymore. They may still say they believe in God or go to church a
few times a year, but I think that ultimately a holy man like the Pope probably
would not have the power to bring it down. I think that the country itself,
unless it turns to God, will bring itself down.
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