Rebel at Religion
I was raised Catholic,
but never asked to be baptized.
Of course, I had no choice;
it was a "right" my parents exercised.
When it came to being Catholic,
I was something of a maverick,
and certainly a rebel
when I sometimes "raised hell".
And this is really something
I cannot sugarcoat:
Catholic dogma was constantly
being shoved down my throat.
When I was just six years old
I realized I was being coerced
to go to Sunday mass -
a rule very strictly enforced.
As far as my parents and others were concerned,
Catholicism was never negotiable,
but throughout my childhood and my youth
I simply refused to be moldable.
When I was growing up, I had to go to Catholic schools
and prayers were said aloud several times a day.
That was the reality and those were the rules
along with other functions where we were told to pray.
And attempts to inflict "Catholic guilt"
would certainly, and frequently, ring
when I later refused to do readings at mass
or join the church choir to sing.
In those days, the churches had a firm grip
on people's hearts and minds,
so much so that when evil acts were committed
church leaders - and the public - were willfully blind.
When I think back, there was much deceit and hypocrisy
and I wondered "Do we really live in a democracy?",
because, given the powers that churches had,
it seemed to be more of a theocracy.
Today, in the twenty-first century,
the churches' power has waned considerably,
and while organized religion is still a powerful force
it needs to be monitored as a matter of course.
Copyright © Jim Healey | Year Posted 2026
|