Raised with very little exposure to church traditions, Sean Ackerman has insights on what makes religion work — for other people.
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I’ll start this by saying that I in no means disrespect any religion. I observe all of them from my own planet.
On Sunday, I brought my daughters to church, it’s a Catholic church. I walk in this beautiful building and to be honest, I always feel like an alien observing a foreign civilization or life on another world when I arrive.
A little back story and frame of reference. I wouldn’t say I was raised faithless. Religion wasn’t prominent in my household, it was nonexistent. By the time I married my wife, I had only been to church four times. My baptism as an Episcopalian, a wedding, and two funerals (isn’t that a movie?)
There are three things primarily that congregate and feed these people and keeps them motivated and moving forward; Tradition, faith, and community.
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With that being said, you can probably guess that being a regular church attendee was not something practiced in my family. When I married my wife back in 2000 it was just the opposite, her family were devoted Catholics. Their faith, instilled from their mother, was very important to the family dynamic. To be blunt, I can see where it definitely helped bind those people together. But that’s a story for another time.
I arrived in church on Sunday with my daughters, seeing that, like an unknown civilization, here was their culture that defines their moral and social decisions. There are three things primarily that congregate and feed these people and keeps them motivated and moving forward; Tradition, faith, and community.
Tradition — I always find it entertaining to watch the altar boys and girls hold the books for the father, to watch the ceremony of giving a sacrament, but I see the engrained traditions and the people in the audience following those traditions. That builds the foundation of consistency. That consistency gives those individuals a sense of comfort because as we all know, stepping outside of our own box or even our own planet can sometimes be difficult.
As an other-worldly observer, a faithless man, I admire what I see.
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Faith — Well it is probably the strongest of the three observations, because faith is what brings these people together. Faith is what holds their hope for, not only a better place in another world, but also that their time and energy here is well-spent, that it is on a purposeful path.
Community — Now this is the one that really always intrigues me. While I won’t necessarily say it is a mob or a gang mentality, the group itself is very tight, even if they open their arms to others. This community of faithful and traditionally-led individuals gather together for this common purpose. Their common purpose gives them strength, hope and desire to really overcome any adversities and the interesting thing is that they do it together. A potluck dinner, a tricky tray. Somebody’s house burns down, the community comes together to go ahead and give clothing, shelter, food.
As an other-worldly observer, a faithless man, I admire what I see. I don’t know whether to agree with everything that I see. Again, some of the traditions just speak differently to me as far as what I’m used to growing up with. I will never disrespect their religion to my children, but I’ve also found that I don’t necessarily follow it. But I do I respect it.
Signed, one who has faith in mankind and the universe.
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Photo: Getty Images
Thank you for your being very respectful … when I saw the photo that was used for the article, the first thing that came to mind was “oh great, here we go again.” I can see how you would feel the way you do. Sadly, many Catholics struggle with the different parts of the mass. If you know any of them, I would highly suggest a small book called “If your mind wonders during mass.” It will reiterate and in some cases educate the Catholic as to the parts of the mass. There is clearly a sense of community but… Read more »