This week I watched the new Irish Film Board film, Calvary, by James Michael McDonagh and starring Brendan Gleeson. Yesterday I went back to see it again. It is a Tour de force and well, just a repudiation of the Catholic Church as it existed in Ireland. The fab thing about the film, is the use of the English language and the poetry in the dialogue.
It makes silly, the basic myths and stories that float that religion. As a former alter boy and candidate for the Priesthood, it whacked me to my soul, such as it is. Basically it tackles the sexual abuse that many boys, men and Women suffered.
Now let me say, I was a seminarian for 2 years on Staten Island with the franciscan's and I never was touched or saw any abuse. The only incidence of discomfort was when I and few of my fellow friars got caught drinking the Mass wine one night.
Fr. Kennan the Prefect and a great man, let me stew for two days before calling me in. "If I hear about this again Dwyer," he said "I am going to send a bill to your parents." I left the next year because I knew I was not the man for the job. It was the best two years of my young formative years.
Today, I am amazed at the brazen face of the church as this and other evolutionary issues torture the church to change and it will not relent and mea culpa itself; Allow women to become priests and allow men priests to marry once ordained. And just admit that God isn't going to send us to hell for immoral thoughts anymore than he would invent a hell in the first place. Rule by fear is a terrible tactic. Fear denigrates and shames.
I get up every day and start my day by forgiving myself for whatever damage I did, the day before. Anyway a lot of bad, bad shit was done to many by the clergy and the church handled it just about as badly as they could. Die hard Catholic's will not agree to it's damage.
We had a 50 year reunion this summer on Staten Island. I did not get to go but we all, 100 odd talked on a web site and are all in touch since. I remember the Beautiful setting overlooking Manhattan and the statue of Liberty. I was amazed at the piousness and adherence many of the men still live with, through the emails we exchanged. The beautiful old 3 story building is no longer a happening seminary. In fact today, news comes that it has closed and being sold.
I think I am now a Christopher Hitchens / Bill Maher Catholic. Figure that?
Many of the cities in the world are struggling (the debates are getting heated) with the proliferation of bicycles on our streets and cities are taking over lanes as bike lanes, which impede the cars and trucks that we built them for. I think we should, if we are going to do this and it looks unstoppable, make bicyclists obtain taxed licenses, obey the rules of the road, like vehicle owner and pay an annual fee to be on the road, as a tax to build and maintain bike lanes. Vehicles pay gasoline, toll and a myriad of other taxes to use them. And that is all I have to say about that.
You can tell a lot about someone by studying who they follow on Twitter...
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