“My soul had lost faith long ago — probably around the time I stopped going to church.”
Posted on July 23rd, 2007 by catalyst into the About Us categoryAn LA Times reporter loses his faith while working the Religion Beat:
Here's how he got his faith:
At the climactic service Sunday, Mike Barris, a pastor-to-be, delivered an old-fashioned altar call. He said we needed to let Jesus into our hearts.
With my eyes closed in prayer, I saw my heart slowly opening in two and then being infused with a warm, glowing light. A tingle spread across my chest. This, I thought, was what it was to be born again.
And here's how he lost it:
IN the summer of 2005, I reported from a Multnomah County, Ore., courtroom on the story of an unemployed mother — impregnated by a seminary student 13 years earlier — who was trying to get increased child support for her sickly 12-year-old son.
The boy's father, Father Arturo Uribe, took the witness stand. The priest had never seen or talked with his son. He even had trouble properly pronouncing the kid's name. Uribe confidently offered the court a simple reason as to why he couldn't pay more than $323 a month in child support.
"The only thing I own are my clothes," he told the judge.
His defense — orchestrated by a razor-sharp attorney paid for by his religious order — boiled down to this: I'm a Roman Catholic priest, I've taken a vow of poverty, and child-support laws can't touch me.
The boy's mother, Stephanie Collopy, couldn't afford a lawyer. She stumbled badly acting as her own attorney. It went on for three hours.
"It didn't look that great," Stephanie said afterward, wiping tears from her eyes. "It didn't sound that great … but at least I stood up for myself."
The judge ruled in the favor of Uribe, then pastor of a large parish in Whittier. After the hearing, when the priest's attorney discovered I had been there, she ran back into the courtroom and unsuccessfully tried to get the judge to seal the case. I could see why the priest's lawyer would try to cover it up. People would be shocked at how callously the church dealt with a priest's illegitimate son who needed money for food and medicine.
My problem was that none of that surprised me anymore.
I encourage you to read the whole thing. A lot of our readers are going to see themselves in this article. I know I did.
(H/T Andrew Sullivan)
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July 24th, 2007 at 10:06 am
I can’t imagine trying to be a detached reporters while covering the numerous Catholic child sex abuse scandals, rejected Mormons, TBN, Benny Hinn, etc., in addition to the callous child support hearing above.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:27 am
True.
Which is why I think it’s important to differentiate between Religion and Faith. I have no use for religion. Overall, I think it does more harm than good.
However, I find that a person’s individual Faith can be quite powerful and can sustain them in times of need. Yet, for whatever reason, a lot of people can’t seem to maintain their faith in the absence of religion. This bothers me, but I’m not sure there is anyway around it.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:53 am
I think people often confuse faith in man/woman with faith in God. I think that is when people lose faith–because they have expectations of men to be unconditional, faithful, just, true, etc. in the way that God is. Even the best people in the world will fail others–it is just the way it is.
I understand the argument that if God is good et al, then how could He allow things like this to happen/people like this to exist? But God never promised us that things wouldn’t suck. He just promised that He would be there when they do.
July 24th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
That article was very thought provoking, there seems to
be a lot of us out there who have had to rethink and examine our beliefs.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Your comment about God ‘allowing’ terrible things to happen is an important one! So many times I have heard from the pulpits of Christendom today that “God is in COMPLETE CONTROL”. (this usually comes out the mouth of a controlling type ‘A’ leadership person) Can I disagree with this? Read Luke 4:6, “And the devil said to Him, I will give You all this domain and it’s glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” (this included all of the kingdoms of the world) Or how about 1 John 5:19, “We know we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Why does Jesus tell us to pray daily, “deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13) if He is in complete control? Get it right and at least blame the correct party for all the evil on planet earth! It has made such a difference in the way I veiw our Father in heaven.