Skeptical Faith

Celia Cruz, Google Image No matter your age, if you’re Latino/a, or like me, personally involved in the life of a Latina, you’re probably a fan of Celia Cruz, the Cuban-American diva who died in 2003 at age 77. That’s because Cruz was special. Known as the “Queen of Salsa,” she released more than 40 albums over a career of nearly a half century, winning two Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards. If you’re not Latino/a, you may have never heard of her and seeing videos of her performances, you may be put off by her outlandish costumes and what one writer calls her “custom-made, gravity-defying shoes.” It’s a cultural thing, I suppose. But if you want to expand your horizons, take a listen to what is, perhaps, her most famous song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IibNqwndtCE . I challenge you to watch and listen without tapping your foot or moving your body with the rhythm. And to be unimpressed with the message. The translation is below. Can't Help But Feel Go...

Google Image Karl Marx, the German philosopher who wrote the Communist Manifesto, is quoted as saying that “religion is the opium of the masses.” It’s a quote widely shared, especially by people who are indifferent or hostile to religion. But what, exactly, did Marx mean? “Marx believed that religion had certain practical functions in society that were similar to the function of opium in a sick or injured person,” according to Wikipedia. “It reduced people's immediate suffering and provided them with pleasant illusions which gave them the strength to carry on. “Marx also saw religion as harmful, as it prevents people from seeing the class structure and oppression around them, thus religion can prevent the necessary revolution.” Comforting but Never Challenging? Like most axioms, there’s truth to Marx’s quote. For some believers, their faith appears to be just that – like an opiate, comforting, soothing, but never challenging. It prevents them from seeing the structural...

Google Image My wife, Amparo, and I went to church last Sunday in a tiny village in County Clare, Ireland. As we drove into the village, called Mullagh, for the 11 a.m. Mass, we were impressed by the big, old stone church and the large number of cars parked along the street and in the church’s parking lot. Although the church wasn’t full, there were some 150 people there, seemingly a good crowd for such a small place. But just as we were about to enter the church, a man told us that there would be no priest or Mass. Instead, laymen and women would conduct a Liturgy of the Word and a communion service. The church’s pastor, I was told - who with a couple of part-time priests, serves three rural churches - wanted the people to get used to the idea of not having a priest and to learn to conduct a service themselves. The priests of Ireland are all middle- to old-aged and there are few seminarians “in the pipeline” to replace them. First Experiment It was the first Sunday of the...

Google Image I’m not big on hearing the opinions of celebrities on politics, religion or any field other than their own. But the recent interview of comedian Steven Colbert by CNN’s Anderson Cooper isn’t about Colbert’s opinions but about his personal search for God and how it relates to grief and suffering. I know Colbert is a fierce political commentator and that Cooper’s network is associated with the political left. But this isn’t about politics. It’s about one man’s view of what all of us experience, and struggle with accepting, and attempts to answer the question, “How can suffering be redemptive as some religions claim?” Cooper’s mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, best known as fashion designer and heiress to the fortune of the famous Vanderbilt family of New York, died recently at age 95. Colbert wrote Cooper a letter of condolence saying, “I hope you find peace in your grief.’” Punishments as Gifts? In his interview of Colbert, Cooper used that as a segue to talk about ...