Asymmetric Catholic

I thought it may interest some people the process by which I settled on Catholicism as my religion. In keeping with the blog concept, I'll be as succint as possible, touching on the main points without a lot of exposition.

Now, why did I want to be religious in the first place? The answer is that I really didn't. I didn't feel any social pressure; I was happy and wasn't going through a particularly difficult moment in my life; none of my friends went to church.

It's been my observation that atheism shocks religiously-raised people and belief shocks those raised in a secular home. I wasn't particularly hostile to religion, but fell closer to the latter than the former. I was raised in a secular home where, to this day, nobody else attends church regularly. In most Catholic countires, there is a strong undercurrent of anti-clericalism. Cuba, the country of my parents' birth was one of the least religious countries in Latin America. My father would tell me stories about priests lecturing him for not bringing my bother into be baptized earlier and considered anybody who gave money to a church a fool. It seems to be my nature to ponder religious themes and, as a youth did so, but found Christianity, as explained in the bible, contradictory and impossible to follow-"turn the other cheek;" and be a pushover?-give away your money; and live on what?

So, I went along happily feeling no need to attend church except, perhaps, as a way to meet girls. When I became engaged to my current wife, the priest let me get married if I promised to get confirmed in the Catholic church. I kept my promise and attended the classes where I promtly began to annoy people with my unserious remarks and obvious lack of interest. As I continued the classes, however, I started thinking whether I should really give this a go. I made a mental chart of the potential benefits and drawbacks which I recreate below:

Money

At least a couple of bucks every week. If time is money, it's even more. You can conceivably get by without contributing to the Church or spending time at mass, but that leads to the disadvantage below.

Guilt

Religious people have to run many decisions past a higher authority. Sometimes they can’t bring themselves to conform and the consequence is guilt. Guilt can lead to unhappiness.

Crutch theory

Religious people may be happier because they can focus on something outside of their miserable lot. May counteract effects of guilt.

Fun, or lack therof

Some actions frowned upon by religion can be convenient or just downright fun.

Appeals to authority

Sometimes you can win people over by accusing them of not living up to their religious principals. Some appeals will make people act against their own immediate interests or desires.

Moral clarity

Many things are already decided for you. Have a question concerning morality? Your religion probably figured it out already.

Tolerance

Religious people will probably be more likely to tolerate their batty aunt and even take care of her. Religious people tend to accept people of different races and abilities as long as they follow the same religion. Some may feel this about people of different religions-people being created in God's image and all that. Complicated and not always the case. Religion both separates and brings together.

Community

I’ve found religious people to be nice. Then again, I’ve found non-religious people to be nice as well.

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Now, let's examine the advantages and disadvantages of being secular.

Money

No such costs; big advantage.

Guiltless

Unless you're determined to conform to a non-religious code, guilt is not a problem.

Fun

No restictions.

Moral Pride I

You can be proud that you need no crutch.

Indefatigableness

You’re impervious to moral brow-beating. “This is what makes me happy,” should suffice in most cases. It’s important to note that most secular people impose some kind of moral code on themselves, regardless of whether they expect any kind of reward or punishment for their adherance.

Moral Pride II

What’s the fun in being told what's right? Figuring out how to live is half the fun.

Tolerance

Secular people are more tolerant of those who break the rules of traditional religion. Some may even encourage it, But it may be true that every group has their rules and get upset when people break them. Again, complicated.

In 2006, you’re cool

Secular is definitely the way to go if you’re in the entertainment business, for example. Religious people can be dismissed out of hand in some circles and they're often mocked in popular media (unless you're very threatening); not a big problem for me, but some victims get a little bent out of shape. Plus, most people, regardless of their views, get ribbed a little for being different. Unless you live in a Communist country, religious people in secular countries are mostly left alone.

Conclusion

So there you have it; a wash at best and no super-compelling practical reason to convert. Not a big deal either-in the US, few are attacked for their religion

Tomorrow we'll continue the process by which I arrived at Catholicism