Last week, Leonard Pitts Jr., winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary and a columnist for the Miami Herald, took organized religion to the woodshed.
He based his conclusions on statistical data that shows that the number of American people who call themselves Christian is 76 percent, down 10 percentage points since 1990. In that year, 8.2 percent (about 14 million) of us said “none” when asked to specify their religion. Last year, 15 percent (34 million) did!
“Some have suggested our loss of faith,” Pitts says, “is due to increased diversity, mobility and immigration. I’m sure there’s something to that, but I tend to think the most important cause is simpler: religion has become an ugly thing. Included in that ugliness is a seemingly endless cycle of scandal, controversy, hypocrisy, violence and TV preachers saying idiotic things.”
Never mind that Pitts ignores the secularism of the new millennium. Those of us who grew up in the ‘50s see a very different influence that moves us in a downward spiral. And victims we are becoming.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s agree with Pitts that organized religion could be doing a better job.
Jungian psychology urged us years ago to embrace our shadow individually. Collectively we can do the same with this, our “dark side.” Humility is the virtue which enables this acceptance. There’s nothing wrong with swallowing a little pride.
Moreover, Pitts may be right when he says “too often religion worships and serves that which has nothing to do with Him, worships money and serves politics, worships charisma and serves ego, worships intolerance and serves self.”
But, in an age when so many stand for nothing, faith in Jesus Christ demands that we know Him as the way and the truth and the life. And we find that in his eternal Word and his Presence in our sacraments.
I believe that we can never become defensive with writings which call us to task or chide us about our failures. We are all made of the same stuff. We are not gods in our own right. There is only One and everything about us needs to point to Him.
Our modern day popes have served us well with their thoughtful writings. In travels to the globe’s people they have shown us how to pray and hope.
I hope Mr. Pitts noted Pope Benedict’s broad influence when he came to our shores.
A parish’s church is God’s house and stands for what we believe in and how we become his people. May the respect we have for it help us to deal with our weaknesses and allow us to be brave enough to defend truth and life.