I’ve been thinking about this, and now it seems really odd to me. Suppose I were talking to a Theravada Buddhist, who tells me, “Some of the Mahayana Buddhists may worship Buddha, but we do not. We think of him as an extraordinary man, the Enlightened One, but JUST a man. He is not divine, nor is he worshipped.”
Here’s what seems odd: How many times would this Buddhist have to explain this to me before it sinks it that he doesn’t worship Buddha (even though they do have statues of Buddha)? Wouldn’t he be puzzled and offended if I kept asking him–no, accusing him—of worshipping Buddha? Wouldn’t he eventually say, “Look, didn’t you understand the first time I explained?”
How many times do some people need explanations regarding Catholics and the veneration (not worship) of Mary? Why isn’t it apparently “soaking in”?
i’m WITH ya!! LOL.
i THINK it’s because it’s EASIER to continue to believe what you already believe instead of opening up your mind and admitting you just MIGHT have been wrong.
true story:
i once had a friend who was a self described ‘rabid feminist atheist’.
the Catholic Church was right up there in her mind with hitler and nuclear war. LOL.
she was FULLY aware i was converting but kept trying to tell me all the ‘wretched’ things done in the name of religion. (my response was that ‘in the name of’ was a key part of that phrase.
anyway…her BIG thing was the ‘secretiveness’ of the church. to hear her tell it…it wouldn’t surprise her if the Catholic Church held the cure to cancer in their vaults and was keeping it secret. (i never did find out WHY that would happen).
right before my declaraction of faith to the assembly of my parish, i mentioned that i was a bit nervous being in front of all those people and not knowing anything that was to happen other than what my replies were to be to certain questions. she JUMPED on it. ‘SEE!!! i TOLD you’ she said. ‘SECRET RITUALS!!! IT’S A CULT!!!’
after the service i called her and explained the ‘secret’ part was simply the ‘sealing’ of my mind, eyes, mouth, heart, hands and feet…‘marking’ me (so to speak) that i always thought, saw, spoke, loved, worked and walked with Christ. the Father and Sister felt that not telling my RCIA class what to expect, gave us the opportunity to really FEEL and experience what was going on without pre-determined ideas as to what we were SUPPOSED to feel or experience.
her reply:
“well what ELSE would you tell me? you’re one of them now!”
