BOOKS: "Going Rogue" & Catholicism

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whatevergirl

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*Just wanted to vent, maybe I’m overreacting. You be the judge.

I bought the book, Going Rogue by Sarah Palin last week. I have long admired her…she seems like a loving, family woman, who is willing to stand up for our country. That said, I’m on chapter 2…or maybe it’s 3…it’s early on in the book, and she talks about her upbringing. Her mom was a very faithful Catholic, which I thought was interesting, just from the point that I didn’t know that. I read on, a few pages flip by, and then Sarah writes how her mother discovered the evangelical faith, when Sarah was a preteen, or teen, can’t recall the timeframe. And how Sarah finally felt like she was being spiritually fed. I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the gist.

Okay, so in other words, she didn’t feel like her faith was complete as a Catholic? sigh I don’t even feel like finishing this book, now. I still admire her, and the book, while far from Hemingway, it’s a good read. I just couldn’t believe that she had to take a poke at the Church. It just bugged me, reading that.

Ah well…just a rambling vent for the day. (Am I overreacting?) 😊*
 
I knew that part of S.P.'s story. Many people who do not know their faith, including church history, find the more emotion-charged experience of evangelicalism appealing. They often have the knowledge (catechism) of a child w/ the questions and desires of an adult. I imagine S.P. may have more exposure to authentic RC as a national figure then not.
 
MJE said:
I knew that part of S.P.'s story. Many people who do not know their faith, including church history, find the more emotion-charged experience of evangelicalism appealing. They often have the knowledge (catechism) of a child w/ the questions and desires of an adult. I imagine S.P. may have more exposure to authentic RC as a national figure then not.
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You are right. And by no means do I judge her choice in religions…my qualm is more with taking a poke (albeit subtle) at the Church, by stating that being truly fed took her leaving the Church, or her family leaving it. She talks about all these bible camps, etc. It’s like, there are Bible camps within local parishes. Guess, I just take offense to people taking a shot at the Church. It was eloquently written, how she said it, but I was taken aback all at the same time. Wasn’t like she wrote it in a disparaging way…but, nonetheless, the implication was there that the blessed Roman Catholic Church is ‘lacking.’ 😦
 
*The other thing to that I thought about last night, is that soooo many people are buying this book, and yet again, we have someone taking a shot. So, someone who left the Church, or is thinking of it…admires Palin, and says…’‘Yep, I knew that, that’s why I’m no longer Catholic.’’ or ‘‘Hmm…let me look into this evangelical faith a bit more…’’

I know she’s just telling a story of her upbringing, but that’s ultimately the fallout when someone makes a comment like that about the Church. *
 
That is interesting. My guess is that even though her mother may have been a “very faithful Catholic” that she probably very faithfully scratched the surface of Catholicism. They probably went to church every Sunday and maybe sometimes to daily mass, but I bet Palin’s mother couldn’t really defend her faith that well. I guess my point is being faithful and having a great understanding of your faith are two different things. It sound like Palin misrepresented what her mother had.

I doubt she intended to take a poke at the Catholic Church, but then again, I have not read the book. I have a lot of respect for Sarah Palin and I don’t think this would change it. I would probably continue to read the book.

All that being said, I see how this would be rather annoying.

You’ll have to let us know what you think of the book as you get further into it. I have a long list of books that I have not got to yet, so I doubt I will read hers any time soon.
 
Sarah Palin did not leave the Catholic Church. Her Mother started having doubts when Sarah was VERY young, and took herself and the children out of the faith to seek who knows what elsewhere. Her Father never any real religious convictions, one way or the other, and just went along with it. No one is taking any shots at the Catholic Church in this book , it’s an autobiography, and the Govenor is just tell us what happened to her as a child.
 
*She specifically made the comment that SHE never felt so ‘‘fed’’ (I need to go back to this section to find the exact wording) as she did in the evangelical church. Yes, her mother left the Church, but Sarah makes the distinction…she obviously thought that the Church wasn’t providing enough, to make a PERSONAL comment like that. It’s not her intent to attack the Church, I didn’t say that. I am saying though that the subtly of her comment (which was a poke at the Church), was rather annoying to read…and to me, unncessary. *
 
My feeling is that, in cases like these the person leaving the Church likely had a very poor understanding of Catholicism; otherwise, who would give it up???

I have also encountered people who want church to be a three-ring-circus, with a little something for everyone - like family entertainment! I actually had a friend say that the Catholic parish just didn’t “offer anything” for her daughter (aside from a school, CCD, youth groups!) and so they were joining the local huge Methodist church (very social place.)

I have also read that it was, indeed, the mother who left the Church and brought the kids along. I wonder what the story behind all of that is.
 
Yes, Sharon, I think you are over reacting. I am reading the book also.
Remember that Sarah went where her mom decided to go to church. Her mom switched churches and the kids just follow along. It’s what she knows.

Sarah may not be a practicing Catholic but she has many good qualities that are important to refelct upon. She talked about the importance of Right to Life.

Do you only read Catholic books?
 
*Oh my gosh…haha :eek: My memory must be going! I am rereading page 22 and it was ***her mother **who found the spiritual fulfillment she had been seeking. (it still seems to be a subtle poke at the Church, as if to say she didn’t find her spiritual fulfillment in the Catholic Church so she needed to ‘seek’ elsewhere) But…I thought Sarah said it…my apologies for that piece of it. 😊 So…in that case, maybe I was overreacting. 😛
 
whatevergirl said:
*I know she’s just telling a story of her upbringing, *
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I think that that is where you have to leave it. Really.

I know that as Catholics we sometimes feel the whipping-boy (sometimes rightly so). But I just heard Jeff Cavins tell his reversion story. If I were Baptist, I wonder how I’d feel. Ya know?

If she called us the whore of babylon, well that’s another matter!
 
*Yes, I agree! Please read my latter post… :rotfl: I’m really embarrassed that I didn’t remember that right. I thought Sarah said it, but I also think that if her mom left the Catholic Church seeking ‘‘something more’’ elsewhere, that she didn’t fully understand what she was leaving. As you say dixieeagle…if you really know the Catholic faith, how could you leave it? :o

My apologies though for forgetting that her mother was the one who left the Church…and that was Sarah’s interpretation of what was happening. 🙂 I do like the book thus far though. *
 
dixieagle said:
My feeling is that, in cases like these the person leaving the Church likely had a very poor understanding of Catholicism; otherwise, who would give it up???

I have also encountered people who want church to be a three-ring-circus, with a little something for everyone - like family entertainment! I actually had a friend say that the Catholic parish just didn’t “offer anything” for her daughter (aside from a school, CCD, youth groups!) and so they were joining the local huge Methodist church (very social place.)
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You mean like LifeTeen? 🤷

Why do teens get special red-carpet treatment at masses when the single adults are abandoned?
 
havana1 said:
You mean like LifeTeen? 🤷

Why do teens get special red-carpet treatment at masses when the single adults are abandoned?
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No, our parish doesn’t have LifeTeen, just a “youth group” for high school kids; they act as readers, ushers, etc., one Sunday a month at a regular parish Mass, and have pizza parties and speakers. It’s a good way to try and keep the kids close to the Church and parish, post-Confirmation.

We also have an active group for single adults in our parish, and a group for over 55s. There is also a city-wide single adult group, and a group for alums of the area’s Catholic high schools.
 
More disappointing to me is her stance on birth control, and her comments regarding it related to her daughter Bristol’s pregnancy.
 
I like Sarah…I don’t idolize her or anything, but the fact that the left hates her so much and wants to destroy her so badly makes me think she is doing something right.

Whatevergirl…I can understand why reading that would give you pause. When I hear people insulting the Church, it hurts me, it is like a knife to my heart.
In my opinion, it is not smart for her to single out the Catholic Church…if I am not mistaken, she has bounced between several denominations. There are simply greater enemies at hand than other Christians to be dealing with right now. I remember during the election when a video of her pastor praying over her to protect her from evil and witchcraft surfaced and people were mocking her beliefs non-stop (she actually believes in evil and a devil, hahaha, etc)…I stood up for her. I would all hope all Christians would stand up for each other against evil

It is always sad when anyone leaves the Church. I would love to get a copy of “I’m not Being Fed” by Jeff Cavins to Sarah.

What does she say about birth control in her book? I am afraid to ask! I wish more evangelicals would see the link between contraception and the other moral horrors that surround us…
 
shannyk said:
More disappointing to me is her stance on birth control, and her comments regarding it related to her daughter Bristol’s pregnancy.
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She advocates abstinance, not birth control. I’ve heard she and her daughter Bristol say it more than once.

She also advocates life “no matter what the circumstances of conception” which means including cases of rape and incest. That’s further than many Catholics will go, no matter what the Church teaches, and that stance can hurt her politically. She took it anyway.

This woman is THE preeminent woman of life today. She’s walked the walk as few others have. She practices what the Church preaches and invokes JP2 constantly. She’s NEVER pushed birth control to unwed women. It’s for all these reasons that the Left hates and fears her like no other.

Sarah “left” the Church as a little girl–probably before Confirmation–because her mom left. Her mom left because she was probably badly catechized. Blame her priests/nuns and the lifeless parish she probably attended.

I’m Sarah’s age and my parents stopped going to Mass when I was a kid. I left faith completely and it’s only through God’s grace that the right books came into my hands and I read my way back. If I didn’t know that the Church itself is the true Church, I’d be out the door like a big bird. With very few exceptions, I’ve encountered nothing but priests who preach “nice”, safe little sermons and congregations who are cold, unwelcoming and bored.

She’s taken on the Culture of Death more than any priest I’ve ever personally met. They’re silent on the issue. Not her. I have to watch EWTN to see priests with courage and fire. When the Heaths left the Church, they found a community of believers who welcomed them and seemed to care about God. I’ve yet to find a parish where that’s the case.

I intend to campaign my heart out for her if/when she runs.

I write this as someone who loves the Church and thanks God every day that I’m back. We’d do better to look to ourselves and figure out why we lose people like Sarah’s mother and therefore, Sarah.

When she describes finding God in her book, she quotes Blaise Pascal. I’d recommend it to anyone.

I’ll bet she’ll be back.
 
MarkR - when you say she invokes JPII constantly… do you mean she actually refers to him or quotes him? I have never heard it…but that would be very awesome.
 
Yes Mercy Mia. She did a pro life speech in Michigan a couple of months ago and refered to him by name, at length to applause.

Btw, I’m reading her book now. She describes (pretty humorously) her labor pains when she was having her 1st son. She said she kept thinking “Sweet Mother of Jesus!”. No died in the wool Evangelical would say that. She might just have quite a few Catholic sensibilities still.

She describes her faith often in the book. She says nothing that would offend a Catholic. I’d hold her up as a role model to any Catholic kid I know and hope they’d read her book.
 
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