Faith for the faithful.

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I have studied from kindergarten until law school in Catholic-run institutions. That’s more than 20 years of Catholic faith embedded in my psyche. My parents can also be described as practicing Catholic. Thus, it can be said that Catholic faith has been an unavoidable part of my existence. Growing up Catholic, I was led to believe that following a certain path reaps particular rewards, and that straying results into punishment.

To this day, I still consider myself as a practicing Catholic. I go to Mass on Sundays and days of obligations, do my confessions, and take the Holy Communion. Maybe not as devout as others, but I try to do my best, at the very least, to comply with the few things that my Faith requires of me. However, some would still ask during lazy conversations, particularly by agnostic and atheists friends, why I even bother.

Truth be told, the inherent hypocrisy in the structure of the Catholic Church, the seeming prejudice towards differing points of view, the manipulation of the flock—these are all pretty justifiable reasons to just leave everything and start looking for the next path towards Enlightenment. Except, all other religions and dogmatic shticks tend to do the same.

In my limited understanding of things, I attend to my Catholic duties with the faint hope that maybe, just maybe, I might pick up something new from the religious exercise. I have always been told that the purpose of Catholicism, or of any religion for that matter, is to extend humanity beyond our usual selves and be better individuals. Not always as a man for others, but as a man who leads by good example.

However, the proverbial illustration of universal salvation, the dogmatic declaration of what constitutes “Evil”, the proposition of “for-us” or “against-us” are quite easy references that make the masses cling to religion. We can all argue that it might just be a product of the ignorant or of the Machiavellian snobs who use religion to further their own specific purposes. Dissecting the experience, it is no longer religion, but politics. The sad part is, the people behind these dogmatic catapults are acting under the guise of the divine.

I still believe that religion should not be measured by the number of times one has attended the Mass, or listened to the sermon, or confessed to a priest. The moment religion stops improving oneself as a human, and starts exploiting the faithful into sheer obedience; then it ceases to be religion. It ceases to be divine. It becomes a tool for manipulation, the promotion of fear and ignorance, and even the hate-mongering.