No sympathy for the angry godless

Posted by ludamad on May 3, 2008, 12:35 a.m.

Most of this wasn't meant for 64Digits, but hey.

I currently consider myself somewhat trapped in the Catholic education system. I was raised Catholic, went through Catholic elementary school, and somewhere along the line lost the faith. After elementary school the natural thing happened and I was fitted into a Catholic high school, a place where I feel endlessly oppressed. There is no chance that I can openly state many of my opinions, and admitting that I'm an Atheist often leads to unbelievably inane remarks, from staff and students alike. There is no sympathy for the fact that I can't leave (for purely practical reasons, parents, friends); for many it's impossible to conceive why I would want equal representation in a Catholic school. For many it's even impossible to recognize I have the right to stay in the school. This isn't limited to students, but teachers that have asked flat out why I just don't leave. One thing I know for sure, leaving wouldn't solve the greater issue I see in this. Recently I got a good taste of how the Catholic school system deals with criticism.

After handing out anonymously signed articles I wrote along with a friend that protested how the school spent its tax money, my friend (who they mistook to be the author) was quickly told to go to the office. He could not do so at the time due to other obligations, but he did manage to talk to the principal enough to find out that he felt the article was insulting. We didn't stop handing out that article. Two days passed, and I was informed that my friend had received a letter from our chaplain - a written response to our article. The article was entirely religious, calling towards god given rights, and ended on the note that any criticism of Catholic schools was dangerous and destructive. It added that it was the schools duty to discourage "anything secular, humanist, atheistic, or satanic". Not only has the article left me offended, but I feel like there is no sympathy for me here. The students are flooded with apathy, and when told that you are against catholic schools, they are puzzled why.

Comments

PY 16 years, 6 months ago

Juju, I assume simply from the name it is belief in many dimensions, I assume the belief that every time a decision, no matter how small, or concious, is taken, a new dimension splits off, where that decision went a different way.

Religion cannot take criticism like this, because it cannot back anything up. There was someone called Jesus, about 2000 years ago, but whether he did what is attributed to him, or not, is entirely different.

However, Religion was, perhaps is, very necessary. The human mind needs answers, an explanation of what seems inexplicable. I find it in science, others do not, many find them in the simple, all answering call of religion. It is like that, because God made it so. Simple, 9 words to solve every mystery.

So, yes, many Christians are fairly hypocritical, and unforgiving, but… would you like it if people went around insulting what you believed? No, and there are millions, billions of religious people around the globe, which gives them a sense of power, or confidence in their own faith. So yes, it's annoying, but without religion, our race wouldn't be where it is today.

Juju 16 years, 6 months ago

And how does this belief behave theologically? Are you suggesting that some deity shows you which paths are safe and which aren't? Or does this remove god totally? I'm not really sure what that thought is getting at really since theoretical physics shows that the branching of time occurs anyway.

PY 16 years, 6 months ago

I personally don't beleive it myself, so I don't know.

Josea 16 years, 6 months ago

You know, everytime you call those morons around you 'Catholic' I feel angry, because they can't be called catholic, they are stupid morons.

My mom is catholic, but my dad doesn't give a damn about religion, and there they are. My school is catholic, but we have many atheists students, there are even evangelists, jews and muslims. And I've never heard any of the staff (except the religion teachers, which are like 2 or 3) mention the word 'God'.

Dude, leave that place for good. That's not a school, that's a big brainwashing machine.

Cesque 16 years, 6 months ago

Wow. I know something about it, luda - I've gone through Catholic school myself, for reasons that I can't quite understand even after 6 years. The atmosphere was rather different - nobody publically mentioned their religious beliefs to teachers, even though quite a lot of my mates there were atheists. But presumably, the school would respond to criticism in exactly the same way - thing is, nobody tried serious criticism.

If you can find a way leave or change school, I'm holding my thumbs for you - if not, you can always try just focusing on something else and wait until the school turns into a memory of the past. But that's a lame way out of a lame situation. Good luck.

flashback 16 years, 6 months ago

And this is why public education is a must, then if the student wants catholic/protestant/whatever education, they can choose such a post-secondary institution. Simply forcing catholicism isn't very bright.

Polystyrene Man 16 years, 6 months ago

They kicked my brother out of Catholic school for having Asperger's (and consequently, "being a threat to his pupils"). So there's your answer.

Anyways, tough predicament, but aren't you almost finished with high school anyways?

Quote:
Can't we all be indifferent?
Yes, please?

OL 16 years, 6 months ago

You're in a Catholic school. What do you expect?

ludamad 16 years, 6 months ago

I'm sick and tired of hearing things like OL's comment. THEY are in a secular country, what do THEY expect? Apparently that they can have their own education system at the expense of all other religions.

SteveKB 16 years, 6 months ago

I'm sick of people in religions who abuse it and say they have the right when they still have no proof that they have the right or not. >:(