Since returning to the Catholic church in 2005 after 30 years, author Anne Rice has now decided to leave once again. Rice has renounced Christianity, or rather the followers of Christianity. She still follows Christ, but without an organized religion. After years of inner struggle she refuses to be a part of a group that she thinks is not the loving and accepting group that God expects them to be.
Rice made her announcement via Facebook saying, "I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being 'Christian' or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group."
Perhaps one incident that prompted her announcement was the ex-communication of Catholic nun Sister Marg
aret McBride, who was an administrator at a Catholic hospital in Phoenix, AZ. According to Huffington Post, she, along with doctors, agreed that a woman, who was 11 weeks pregnant, would die unless she had an abortion. The patient had pulmonary hypertension, which could have become fatal if she had continued with the pregnancy. For that Sister McBride was ex-communicated from the church, punished for actually saving a life. As long as she continues to be a good person and lives the kind the life she did before she was ex-communicated, isn't that all that really matters? Does God really care where she worships?
Rice went on to say, "I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen." Since her son Christopher is gay, she may understandably be upset that some Christians are more concerned about his lifestyle than what kind of person he is.
Admirable for Rice to make the decision publicly. The zealots will almost certainly condemn her, which would prove Rice's point. Is God all loving or a punishing God? If you choose to believe that God punishes the wicked(whatever individuals define as wicked)aren't you as bad for making that judgment? Shouldn't you leave that to God?
On a Catholic forum one of the users posted the comment, "Anne Rice cannot have a true relationship with Christ if she doesn't recognize and acknowledge what Christ truly teaches."Â Actually, she seems to be in tune with what He teaches. She is following a loving God instead of judging people for what she, as an individual, thinks is wrong. Fortunately not all Christians are holier-than-thou, but not all of Christ's followers follow His teachings of peace and love. It's that group Rice wants to disassociate herself from.
Additional Sources: CBS News, USA Today
Photo: Wikimedia.org
© Marie Gallagher 2010
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Comments: 6
Anne Rice is not turning her back on God, but she seems to be distancing herself from an organized religion that doesn't jibe with her belief of a loving God.
when speaking about "modern world" - ever heard about modern days slavery, human and child trafficking, exploitation and servitude. we live in much worse times than in the middle age or earlier days. our society today i more sexually obsessed than it was at the times of caligula or sodom and gommorah. the mediocre society that rules the world of media is less developed than neanderthalers were. at least the neanderthaler was showing some progress in development. so tell me what is so modern about our times?