Photo courtesy of Rod Long via Unsplash
I grew up attending Catholic school and was raised by a Catholic family. Every night we would say the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and a prayer that we made up that read, “Dear God, please watch over everyone in the whole wide world and please make sure we are safe and sound and happy and healthy. God bless us and guide us, watch over and protect us.”
My mother always encouraged loving everyone around me and to not judge anyone. As a result of witnessing Catholics being portrayed negatively or Catholics who did portray negative stereotypes, I disconnected from my religion and neglected to share my background with others for a fear of being judged.
I’ve been in a lot of debates recently regarding the belief that Catholics are hateful, judgmental people. Yet out of anything, as I reconnected with my religion in college, Catholicism has taught me how to become a more loving and open-minded person.
The church by my house has a progress flag hanging by its door with a sign saying “all are welcome here,” which was my first reminder that Catholicism is not a finite subject. I am pro-choice and a large supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community, and I don’t think these attributes impact my faith or vice versa.
Additionally, I do not look down on others for not agreeing with my religious beliefs. To me, it’s like having a favorite color. I like pink, whereas you might like blue or no colors at all. That does not impact my daily life at all.
Pew Research has found that there are around 1.1 billion Catholics worldwide. There are negative people in every group, but I can assure you that not all Catholics are angry, hateful people. In fact, the Bible states in 1 Corinthians 13:4, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.”
The passage continues, “It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
The idea of “loving thy neighbor as thyself” has greatly shaped my outlook on life. I am no better than any individual based on my persona, upbringing, religious beliefs and more. With this mindset, I’ve enhanced my overall happiness.
My religious beliefs are not my identity, nor do I force them on my peers. I do feel that claiming that all Catholics and Catholic teachings are malicious is an unfair assumption.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve also experienced hypocritical Catholics. Being raised by a single mom with a daughter attending a Catholic school was not easy for her or myself. It’s hard to say whether this was an act of retaliation against my mom, but each year when she would try to sign me up to be a Girl Scout, they would reject her and say they were full, despite allowing other girls to sign up after she inquired.
Other moms were also not always welcoming to her, and witnessing that growing up majorly impacted my outlook on Catholicism. But learning about spirituality, love, karma and meeting kind, supportive Catholics at Hofstra is what led me to come back to my faith.
In my freshman year at Hofstra, I felt directionless. I felt like my only purpose in life was to work. Now, I feel whole. I try to bring love and joy to those around me, and while I know I don’t always succeed in this mission, it does give me a positive, life-long goal to work towards.
So before assuming that just because someone identifies with a certain religion, they are bound to have certain views, consider the purpose and feeling of love that may come from religion. I don’t agree with all the teachings of the Catholic Church, but I believe that religion is up for interpretation and can truly enhance one’s life.
