cheers hannah! “i wish my words could expression the depth of this feeling but they cannot.” that is why we have mr. fish. pictures and words condensed to the minimum but encapsulating maximum meaning. one thing you have stumbled on is black humor. there is a psychology of black humor and what it does and releases in the human that is constantly and continually under pressure like the people in our culture. i think one thing most disturbing is the element of Truth. thank god for mr. fish. cut to the chase. because your head’s on straight you don’t get this entirely, you are kindly. but the church has hurt and killed many people which has yet to be fully acknowledged and appreciated. you are trying to do good work through a diseased system. no one will fault your good work…it is the corruption in the institution that is targeted. pray for those whose lives have been ruined by any corrupted institution. our times are desperate. Hail Mr.Fish
Expecting anything from a clergy (in particular if aligned with fascism ) is something that I do not get it. There is Einstein’s theory of lunacy, and the organized religions along with nation-state are just that.
I don’t expect anything from clergy either, but for some absurd reason I can’t seem to abandon it. I guess I figure there’s less hope in abandoning it given my particular circumstances. I teach religion at a Catholic high school, and I see that as my way of channeling my frustration into patient labor, the fruits of which I may never see. I am in a position and have the personality that allows me to do that, so I’m doing it. I hope my work can ripple into what will be an ultimate shift towards a church that is for the people.
More than anything, my initial comment–which I now feel silly for how tangential it was, sorry–was just me letting anyone who cared to read know that religious people are pissed too, and we’re fiercely trying to make it what it should be: people bound by common limitations seeking Truth and discovering it through community. These pissed off, thirsty-for-change people exist, I count myself one of them, and it hurts my religious identity to be associated with the institution as it is rather than as it should be.
As naive as it might sound, individuals corrupted the institution, so it only sits well with me that individuals could also restore it, so I gotta try. That’s all.
Also, the design is obviously doing its job, so kudos. 🙂
I am not sure how I stumbled upon this, but I did. I am not usually one to comment when I find myself taken aback by the things people post, but here I am.
I don’t want to disrespect your page, nor do I want to say “How dare you disrespect the pope!” I am Catholic, and I have tremendous difficulty with the church, the hierarchy in particular. However, I am a proponent of understanding the depths of that which I reject so, at the very least, I understand precisely what I am rejecting.
As a person who has this weird faith-thing, I do not consider myself gullible, I am just grappling with what I hope to be a meaningful mystery, painfully aware that it very well might not be. I don’t find this unreasonable considering the five proofs of Thomas Aquinas among other things.
I do think the church could do a much better job being pastorally sensitive and welcoming concerning matters of “fags, birth control…and equal rights for women,” if those are the words you choose to use (I wouldn’t). However, scientific inquiry has been pretty well-exercised for a while now, despite the excommunication of Galileo many moons ago (pun intended). It’s exciting to me that the church finally recognizes that the creation story is indeed a story, rather than a literal truth.
I, too, dislike the lavish decor in Churches. Though there are historical reasons for a lot of it, now we are in a day and age where that message no longer speaks to the society. Personally, much to my surprise, a pope who checks out of his own hotel room and takes the bus back to his home seems like he might be a great contender for improving that aspect of the church’s identity. We’ll see, though.
As for the papacy, there are tens of thousands of Catholics who are dedicating themselves to a way of faith that constantly challenges it. They write about ordination of women. They write about a flawed ecclesiology. They give radical homilies about the need for update in the church.
I guess the reason this picture bothered me so much is because it’s both ignorant and true. It’s true that the Church can be and often is a source of exclusion rather than a source of Christlike love, and this breaks my heart. I wish my words could expression the depth of this feeling, but they cannot. However, the picture is also ignorant to the many, myself included, who are working so hard to change it from within it. This is a constant struggle for me day in and day out, and I hope the next time you hear mention of Catholicism, you remember this comment. On behalf of the Church, I am sorry.
Cheers to a better future and so sorry that I monopolized the space of your page to an extent that even I did not anticipate,
Hannah
cheers hannah! “i wish my words could expression the depth of this feeling but they cannot.” that is why we have mr. fish. pictures and words condensed to the minimum but encapsulating maximum meaning. one thing you have stumbled on is black humor. there is a psychology of black humor and what it does and releases in the human that is constantly and continually under pressure like the people in our culture. i think one thing most disturbing is the element of Truth. thank god for mr. fish. cut to the chase. because your head’s on straight you don’t get this entirely, you are kindly. but the church has hurt and killed many people which has yet to be fully acknowledged and appreciated. you are trying to do good work through a diseased system. no one will fault your good work…it is the corruption in the institution that is targeted. pray for those whose lives have been ruined by any corrupted institution. our times are desperate. Hail Mr.Fish
if I may suggest you to make another one, Pope flanked with the Highest Priest from US Supreme Court, Scalia, Roberts etc from Opus Dei sect.
Great! Thanks.
Expecting anything from a clergy (in particular if aligned with fascism ) is something that I do not get it. There is Einstein’s theory of lunacy, and the organized religions along with nation-state are just that.
I don’t expect anything from clergy either, but for some absurd reason I can’t seem to abandon it. I guess I figure there’s less hope in abandoning it given my particular circumstances. I teach religion at a Catholic high school, and I see that as my way of channeling my frustration into patient labor, the fruits of which I may never see. I am in a position and have the personality that allows me to do that, so I’m doing it. I hope my work can ripple into what will be an ultimate shift towards a church that is for the people.
More than anything, my initial comment–which I now feel silly for how tangential it was, sorry–was just me letting anyone who cared to read know that religious people are pissed too, and we’re fiercely trying to make it what it should be: people bound by common limitations seeking Truth and discovering it through community. These pissed off, thirsty-for-change people exist, I count myself one of them, and it hurts my religious identity to be associated with the institution as it is rather than as it should be.
As naive as it might sound, individuals corrupted the institution, so it only sits well with me that individuals could also restore it, so I gotta try. That’s all.
Also, the design is obviously doing its job, so kudos. 🙂
hail hannah.
I am not sure how I stumbled upon this, but I did. I am not usually one to comment when I find myself taken aback by the things people post, but here I am.
I don’t want to disrespect your page, nor do I want to say “How dare you disrespect the pope!” I am Catholic, and I have tremendous difficulty with the church, the hierarchy in particular. However, I am a proponent of understanding the depths of that which I reject so, at the very least, I understand precisely what I am rejecting.
As a person who has this weird faith-thing, I do not consider myself gullible, I am just grappling with what I hope to be a meaningful mystery, painfully aware that it very well might not be. I don’t find this unreasonable considering the five proofs of Thomas Aquinas among other things.
I do think the church could do a much better job being pastorally sensitive and welcoming concerning matters of “fags, birth control…and equal rights for women,” if those are the words you choose to use (I wouldn’t). However, scientific inquiry has been pretty well-exercised for a while now, despite the excommunication of Galileo many moons ago (pun intended). It’s exciting to me that the church finally recognizes that the creation story is indeed a story, rather than a literal truth.
I, too, dislike the lavish decor in Churches. Though there are historical reasons for a lot of it, now we are in a day and age where that message no longer speaks to the society. Personally, much to my surprise, a pope who checks out of his own hotel room and takes the bus back to his home seems like he might be a great contender for improving that aspect of the church’s identity. We’ll see, though.
As for the papacy, there are tens of thousands of Catholics who are dedicating themselves to a way of faith that constantly challenges it. They write about ordination of women. They write about a flawed ecclesiology. They give radical homilies about the need for update in the church.
I guess the reason this picture bothered me so much is because it’s both ignorant and true. It’s true that the Church can be and often is a source of exclusion rather than a source of Christlike love, and this breaks my heart. I wish my words could expression the depth of this feeling, but they cannot. However, the picture is also ignorant to the many, myself included, who are working so hard to change it from within it. This is a constant struggle for me day in and day out, and I hope the next time you hear mention of Catholicism, you remember this comment. On behalf of the Church, I am sorry.
Cheers to a better future and so sorry that I monopolized the space of your page to an extent that even I did not anticipate,
Hannah
What a good Sheep you are!!!