Questions on Faith

For some reason, I've been getting a lot of search requests directed to this page, I think from Yahoo! This is not a page of general dating game questions. It's a list of questions about religious faith, more specifically Catholic religious faith. If you're planning a dating game, these may or may not work for you. If they do, great! If they don't, take a look if you like, then move along.

If you haven't read the general dating message, you should probably do so from this page. Because my Catholicism is such a fundamental part of my life, I'm going to answer some of the questions from one such place, Ave Maria Singles. I also added a few questions of my own.

• How would you describe yourself? Evangelical progressive Catholic.
• What do you mean by progressive? Well, I'm not hierarchical-Marian. I tend to focus on actions of the Church in the world, like Pax Christi, ecumenical dialogue, and evangelization. I see a fairly large role for local custom and experimentation in Mass rubrics. Many of my friends are Protestant. In Avery Dulles' models of church, I lean towards servant and herald, and away from institution and sacrament. Here are my test results:

  Herald Model 78% Servant Model 78% Sacrament model 67% Mystical Communion Model 56% Institutional Model 11% What is your model of the church? [Dulles] created with QuizFarm.com

• Are you one of those liberal "Catholics"? No, I'm progressive. (If you want to attack me on anything, I'd be three-quarters Pelagian. My theologian of choice according to this test is Charles Finney.) The best way to describe me is that I think tomorrow can be better than yesterday, and I work towards that. I focus on making the world closer to the promised Kingdom, particularly as in early Acts. I am staunchly pro-life, anti-abortion and anti-death penalty, but I feel that actions to create the kingdom, showing Goodness and promoting Beauty, will prove more fruitful than shouting or stomping about those questions.
• What does the Catholic Faith mean to you? My knowledge of faith I describe over here. In summary, I believe that the resurrection is true, and that God exists, which makes me Christian. The universality and depth of the Catholic tradition keep me Catholic, though I am quite willing to interact from the other branches of Christianity, and everyone in God's plan of salvation.
• How important is the Sacrament of Penance? We're called to be perfect and sinless. We all fail. Reconciliation is a wonderful benefit of Catholicism, a mandate to examine, acknowledge, and treat our weaknesses and failings. It's one of the most intelligent parts of Catholicism, and leads in my mind to an excellent understanding of fallibility and mercy. I take mine anonymously; I think I'm talking to God through a witness.
• What role do devotions play in your life? Very little, really. My thoughts are more pastoral than monastic. That's not disdain for devotions, just a different path.
• What role does scripture play in your life? A source for study and learning. I'd like to say I read every day, but that would be fallacious. The Bible is the Word of God, but not word for word literally; it provides the basis for our understanding of faith, but is not the sole or complete reference.
• Why aren't you looking towards ordination? I'm not a priest because every time I pray on it, it always feels like it's the fallback option. I might become a very good pastor, but to enter without strong desire doesn't seem right.
• What are your favorite Scripture passages? Isaiah 61:1-3, Revelation 22:1-2, Matthew 25:31-46.
• What is your favorite title for Our Lord? Prince of Peace.
• What is your favorite title for Mary? Our Lady of the Airways, the name of the chapel in Boston's Logan Airport.
• What are some of your favorite hymns? Though most modern praise music is drivel, I admit a great fondness for I Danced in the Morning and The Summons (numbers 708 and 700 in Gather Comprehensive, first edition). I very much like spirituals, although I never manage to get them on the song sheets. What I dislike are the 16th-18th century Protestant hymns; my music is not dull and solemn.

I write a lot about my faith, as it is a large part of my life. The starting point is the general faith page, and you should also look in the musings, particularly my Lent 2005 series.

Written mid August 2003. Updated August 2005.