In class we discussed the portrayal of the Catholic Church and some of us shared our own ideas. I was able to start how I perceived it, but I feel like there's still more I would like to say.
Especially in college, many of us are subjected to novels where Catholicism is critiqued harshly or remembered by many authors as a cruel upbringing. Granted, a lot of the experiences that people have remembered are almost unbelievable. I know that I have been made to read stories about how horrible convents were, mostly in Ireland, where punishments seemed cruel and unusual. Accounts of authors such as James Joyce and Frank McCourt make Catholicism appear to be strict and harsh. In the modern days, the Catholic Church is often associated by the priests who were caught having sexual encounters with altar boys.
All of this and more does upset me, yes, but as a born and raised Catholic I was brought up with a different understanding of the church. To me, going to church was a family experience and was always followed on Sunday mornings by going out to breakfast or getting donuts to have at home. The priest at my church was a gentle and caring man who was very close to our family. It was easy for me to see him as a man rather than JUST a priest, which made it a lot less intimidating for me to see him preaching at church... and "preaching" is used very loosely here. Now that I'm away at college and getting older, I don't attend mass very often and when I do go it's usually because I'm home for the weekend and I decide to go with my parents. My religion is a comfort to me, knowing I have my beliefs and that I can practice them in my own way, and it is not being forced onto me as an obligation. It's because of this that I can read about the Catholic Church and not let it sway my decision to be Catholic.
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