Side Line Conversations
Or why religion should never be discussed during the soccer.
Friday and Saturday are all about soccer in our house. The prince plays indoors on Friday nights (which he loves) and outdoors early on Saturday morning (about which he, is fairly ambivalent about because it interrupts his café breakfast and tv time). He plays in a local “Christian” League (read here: Protestant). It suits us because the games are on Saturday and that means we can still get to Mass with the kids and at least have Sundays as some sort of rest day.
After a few weeks of standing on the sidelines you get to know a few of the other parents who brave the early winter mornings. The usual questions as follows: What do you do? (A sort of Chaplain) Oh okay, Where? (an inner city school). Isn’t that a catholic school? (Yes it is). Insert long pause here. So are you a catholic? (mumble. Yes - a convert). Insert longer pause. You should talk to so and so’s dad. He’s a catholic too I think – but he goes to a charismatic church (hmmmmm. This makes him tolerable apparently). Then follows the usual discussion about catholic schools, popes, theology and Mary, etc etc etc. Yawn.
I find it best to play my Catholicism fairly close to my chest in this sort of situations. Not that I am embarrassed or scared, but when faced with open criticism of my particular choice, it often leads to uncomfortable discussions on both sides, especially if I am feeling particularly grumpy or prickly.
What gives rise to these sorts of interactions? Is it a deeply held belief that the other is wrong? The roles here could have been easily reversed. Is it a cultural imperative that this is just what “we” (whatever our group) do? Is it laziness or boredom, or merely a conversation starter?
Whatever the reason, the deeper implications of this type of approach have me troubled. In a post-Christian world people of faith need a deeper ecumenism than the surface “events” that seem to pass for it. Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox need each other more than they know. As my parents often said,” What unites us is more than what divides us”. Our following of Christ should be the starting of our unity. What those outside the church see is people who stand for peace fighting and bickering about some finer points of theology which have little appeal outside of theological faculties and some blog forums (in which everyone seems to be an expert).
Obviously as a convert I have my reasons for preferring Catholicism to other forms of Christianity. However does this mean that I need to rebuke or challenge those who aren't, especially as I just begin to know them? Not in my book. The God of love is relational and respecting. So should I be. After all, following the master means taking seriously “See how those Christians love one another”.
The boys lost 1-0. Bugger.
Friday and Saturday are all about soccer in our house. The prince plays indoors on Friday nights (which he loves) and outdoors early on Saturday morning (about which he, is fairly ambivalent about because it interrupts his café breakfast and tv time). He plays in a local “Christian” League (read here: Protestant). It suits us because the games are on Saturday and that means we can still get to Mass with the kids and at least have Sundays as some sort of rest day.
After a few weeks of standing on the sidelines you get to know a few of the other parents who brave the early winter mornings. The usual questions as follows: What do you do? (A sort of Chaplain) Oh okay, Where? (an inner city school). Isn’t that a catholic school? (Yes it is). Insert long pause here. So are you a catholic? (mumble. Yes - a convert). Insert longer pause. You should talk to so and so’s dad. He’s a catholic too I think – but he goes to a charismatic church (hmmmmm. This makes him tolerable apparently). Then follows the usual discussion about catholic schools, popes, theology and Mary, etc etc etc. Yawn.
I find it best to play my Catholicism fairly close to my chest in this sort of situations. Not that I am embarrassed or scared, but when faced with open criticism of my particular choice, it often leads to uncomfortable discussions on both sides, especially if I am feeling particularly grumpy or prickly.
What gives rise to these sorts of interactions? Is it a deeply held belief that the other is wrong? The roles here could have been easily reversed. Is it a cultural imperative that this is just what “we” (whatever our group) do? Is it laziness or boredom, or merely a conversation starter?
Whatever the reason, the deeper implications of this type of approach have me troubled. In a post-Christian world people of faith need a deeper ecumenism than the surface “events” that seem to pass for it. Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox need each other more than they know. As my parents often said,” What unites us is more than what divides us”. Our following of Christ should be the starting of our unity. What those outside the church see is people who stand for peace fighting and bickering about some finer points of theology which have little appeal outside of theological faculties and some blog forums (in which everyone seems to be an expert).
Obviously as a convert I have my reasons for preferring Catholicism to other forms of Christianity. However does this mean that I need to rebuke or challenge those who aren't, especially as I just begin to know them? Not in my book. The God of love is relational and respecting. So should I be. After all, following the master means taking seriously “See how those Christians love one another”.
The boys lost 1-0. Bugger.
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