Contemporary Culture Challenging the Irish Catholic Church - Essay Example

Contemporary Culture Challenging the Irish Catholic Church Unlike any Catholic countries in the world, Ireland has close ties with its Catholic church for a long time now. The Irish Catholic church has had a harmonious relationship with Ireland since it was proclaimed as the Irish Free State in 1922 and ever since then it had the most influence to the State than any other institution in the country. It guided in the government in several delicate issues such as abortion, gay and feminine rights etc. Conversely, the completion of 'liberal agendas' in matters concerning divorce and birth control has destabilized the Church's control (Nutty). Nowadays, being a Catholic in Ireland no longer has an impact in the pursuit of success in socio-economic endeavours. It is no longer synonymous to getting a sound education, health care or any other public services. Inglis, with the application of Pierre Bourdieu's theories calls this situation as a "religious capital" and sees that this decline in regard for Catholicism in Ireland has resulted to a so-called Post-Christian/secularized society ("Where to now for Irish Catholicism"). The waning influence of the Irish Catholic church on politics and other socio-political and moral matters is also due to the metamorphosis of popular culture. 'Pop culture' as what popular culture is more commonly known, is a staple in all societies. Pop culture is fuelled with the needs and desires of the people as well as the 'in' thing at the moment. It is considered the 'mainstream' and anything outside of it is considered 'underground'. Pop culture extends to the masses preference in fashion, food music, entertainment and practically any other thing that is integral in the everyday activities of men. Culture has always this tendency to bring in people into its clutches and somehow influence them to take part in it and devote themselves into it. Sociologically, people feel the need to belong in a certain group and building up their identities there. This 'belongingness' bestows a feeling that one is integral in the group's activities and is especially seen in small neighbourhoods and other groups of people. 'Mass culture' on the other hand allow people to characterize themselves in terms of their association with everybody else in the society. In effect, this makes the establishment of an identity more difficult. ("Popular culture"). Pop culture is very specific and varies from the time and place where and when it occurred. It is like a wave that comes and goes as the interest of a small number of people eventually becomes accepted by the masses. It comes from a wide array of sources, one is the business establishments that constantly invents and produces products that may have any cultural impact. The media is also a source of popular culture; music, film, television, radio, video game, and book and comic books all play a part in the cultural changes of the common man ("Popular culture"). The modern times saw the dramatic changes in the lifestyles and behaviour of men. Adults these days find it hard to adjust to these social changes, especially when it comes to issues regarding morality and religion. Morality changes through time as with people's perception of it. It is firmly anchored to reality but as it is proven, reality also changes through time, what applies to this timeline may not be applicable in the past and vice versa. What is viewed as 'morally' right today may not be utterly acceptable in the past. Also the 'moral norms' based on a certain time period's standards can be reinterpreted or misinterpreted by people living in the current time period. Today, there is a so-called 'morality crisis' not just in Ireland but all over the world. This 'moral crisis' characterised by the misinterpretation or total disregard to morals is said to be influenced by pop culture. The Irish Catholic is in itself in some kind of 'identity crisis', it is currently undergoing a re-evaluation of its perspective on the world and of itself. The Irish Catholic Church is also trying to set new grounds and methods in the discussion of modern morals and values ("Does morality chance"). The discussion of modern Christian morals has caused misunderstandings and confusion among the leaders of the Irish Catholic Church. Reference of moral issues to the Humanae Vitae Encyclical has posed some contradictions on the personal lives of Catholics. Conflicts that were previously discussed behind closed doors are now discussed openly, sometimes with the intervention of media. Among these issues are birth control, abortion and gay rights but recently, the issue regarding the church's authority and it's very purpose of existence have become matters open for fiery discussion and fierce debates. People are now thinking that the teachings of the church are simply too complicated or too impossible to apply in their daily lives ("Does morality chance"). Sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers and other scholars have all agreed that culture, especially pop culture nowadays influences the behaviour and way of thinking of men and women today. They have also agreed upon the idea that culture is the key in the inner and outer workings of societies and that society itself is a victim of culture. One dilemma perceived by Shorter is that today's culture inhibits the Church's missions and accuses culture to have made the Church doubt itself (Shorter). It is now a fact that reality is perceived by people-especially the younger generation- a bound to the current trends in pop culture. Culture may also be though of as a kinetic rather than a static process, and as such is subject from time to time. So the influence of culture on today's society must be thoroughly discussed by both parties (pertains to religion and culture) ("Critical issues in religious education") Culture can be though of having these types: high modernity, late modernity, post modernity and globalisation. The evolution of culture starts with a change in the economic status of a society. Ireland's economic boom in this case has become sort of a microcosm of the economics trends that happens all the over the world for the record, what Ireland's economy went through the past twenty years is matched by economic events by the UK, western Europe and the United States in the last hundred years. Therefore, the observance of the socio-economic events that happen in Ireland is a reflection of what might happen to other countries that experiences economic booms. If this is true, it can be said that economic change also entails social change. The advent of mobile communications and other modern forms of communications are perfect example of this idea. Another example is the shift from a relatively rural to an urban setting of a particular area. This change can bring about several drastic changes: as an individual or family settles in an urban area, their rural roots and customs will be subsequently neglected or forgotten. The two previous examples of socio-cultural changes can be easily quantified in terms of GNP, GDP and other demographic means while there are certain factors that are not easily quantified or may not be quantified at all. These socio-economical changes happen within quantifiable limits; on the other hand cultural changes exist at a more intangible level. Cultural change entails the change in values and morals and not on statistics. ("Critical issues in religious education"). The currently used term for modern cultural references is 'globalisation' this term is also used by many other modern day professionals such as economists, social scientist and politicians who believe that we have now arrived at the age of international unity and global understanding. Friedrich Schweitzer states that the term 'globalisation' should be readily adapted and should replace the current definitions of culture. With this thought, we can say that we are now experiencing the 'globalisation' phase and that we are past the 'post-modern' phase in this age. The age of globalisation he adds is characterised by the improvement of global trade and marketing, which as mentioned earlier is one of the factors that lead to cultural change (Schwiertzer). Religious teachers are now slowly adapting this term as part of their definition of the cultural reality we are facing. In the point of view of religious educators, globalisation is the new catalyst for cultural change and my be considered as another cause of deviation from traditional Christian beliefs and practices ("Critical issues in religious education"). In particular, the emergence of new terms used by several offshoots of the Catholic faith such as 'post-Christian' and 'secularised' points out that the Irish have not yet forgotten their Christian roots. The increase of devotees attending Lough Derg and Croagh Patrick as well as the 3 million devotees of Saint Therese when her relics made it on Irish shores in 2001 is proof that Ireland is still in league with it's spiritual side and that there are still people that faithfully follows the Irish Catholic church. Back in then, when an Irish Catholic has somehow deviated or went astray from the teachings of the church, he or she will have to step out of the Catholic community and the faith itself to live as an atheist or agnostic. Nowadays, Irish Catholics are more liberated, shown by their openness and willingness to discuss issues that were previously taboo such as divorce, contraception, abortion or homosexuality albeit still considering themselves as Catholics. Other religious faiths and practices have also been tried out by many Irishmen among these are: transcendental meditation, yoga, Wicca etc. Catholicism is treated as another one of these religious paths and is no longer the sole religion practiced upon by Irishmen today ("Where to now for Irish Catholicism"). The media has been quite responsible for the shaping of today's pop culture with its modern technological broadcasting methods; it can easily bring any message anywhere, anytime and to every person in the world. The various forms of visual and verbal media- film, radio, television- as well as printed media have the capability of influencing the masses due to its accessibility. Nevertheless, popular culture is not considered as a derivative of media but is treated more of as a result of the association of the media industries and the consumers ("Popular culture"). History has been a witness to the various scandals and atrocities that the Irish Catholic church was accused of. In the 1950's, schools and orphanages operated by members of religious orders were often accused of physically and sexually abusing children. Although most of the cases have proved that most of religious order members were not directly involved or not at all. This clearly shows that some of these cases might have been cover-ups for the protection of the real perpetrators. An example of these supposed cover-ups were the odd and untimely transfers of priests that have been reported to have questionable behaviour. Many believe that there are priest that teach things that are not part of the Catholic faith but this may yet to be proven. There is also some sort of discrimination applied to children who came from orphanages, they are looked upon as 'products of sin" and as such are treated in a rather cruel manner. In the first place the government should have the initiative and drive in managing and running these schools and orphanages and not the church. If it were not for the crude manners of some politicians in the government this would have been the case. On a lighter note, recognition must also be given to some of the noble members of the various religious orders for their unconditional dedication towards the improvement of the lives of orphans and underprivileged youths in their care (Nutty). The most shocking case that the Irish Catholic church was involved came in the form of scandals involving its servants. The media has reported several cases of physical and sexual abuse by clergymen on hapless children, and these reports have been received with much disgust and shame. Likewise, the whole world was appalled upon hearing these reports and sympathy for the victims were quickly given by the masses in response. These acts were made even worse as the masses felt betrayed as they heard about what the clergy has done. The very visage of the Catholic Church was shaken as the public now view them as traitors and hypocrites. Higher church authorities and even the Vatican itself suffered from this sort of issue ("Does morality change"). Due to these scandals, twelve Irish senior prelates have stepped down in recent memory. In reference, from 1995 to 2002, there were over 5, 000cases of clergymen abusing children in not less than 20 countries. These have left the church in a state of bucolic, monetary and universal turmoil due to the damage dealt by these scandals. These cases prompt us to be very careful in the observance of behaviour among the clerical system; they must not be allowed to do as they please. These problems may have been caused by the constant power struggles and the silent disposition of the clergy as a means to cover up its wrongdoings. Issues that stemmed out of these problems may have become the spark to prompt a reform in the policies of the Catholic church in order for them to gain the people's trust once again ("Does morality change"). The public's image of the Catholic Church has changed in recent years. In the past, the church has been viewed as authoritative and unsympathetic organizations. In catholic schools, religious policies are carried rather strictly as in the public and private sectors. This strictness is reasoned out to some sort of protection for its members from all manners negative influences. For most Irishmen, this righteousness is seen as a positive thing, the wrongs of the past are taken in account as do the church's recent achievements. But some, the wrongs of the past are irreversible and unforgivable, giving the people the impression that the Catholic Church's authority has had its time and see to it that the church's role in their everyday lives is lessened (Duffy). The circumstances presented here has made the assessment of the status and dedication of the Irish Catholic church to the public somewhat muddled and confusing. The media has reported that most Irish prefer to turn its back from organised religious groups because of the various negative reports seen and heard through various mediums. For the devout Catholics and clergymen, these reports have cost them much pain and suffering because of the commitment they have place on the faith and on the church. What the media has failed to see is that the Irish still has a need a sort of organisation in their practice of Catholicism. It is hard to think that a country if a devout as Ireland can stand to be dispossessed of its primary religious faith. While it can be said that the Irish media has done an excellent job in exposing the atrocities behind the church and its clergymen, the Irish Catholic church has taken this matter seriously. The Irish Catholic church has been regarded as the fiercest Church in the world in terms of zeal, but its aggressiveness can only be matched by the men and women who has who are currently attached to it. The clergy's characteristic rash tendencies toward the media and the media biased point of view against the clergy may be one of the reasons why they are in constant conflict with each other. However, there are many lay people, media men and civilians would like to see them all exist harmoniously in modern Ireland ("Where to now for Irish Catholicism"). The influence of pp culture, globalisation and the exposure of several scandals by the media has left the Irish Catholic church in a state of shock. These factors not only affected their pubic image but also in their level of political and socio-economical influence in the country. The churches opinion on issues like contraception, gay and women's right abortion etc are now taken lightly, unlike before when it is held in high regard. This was shown in 1995 when the majority of Irish voters were in favour of legalising divorce which naturally enraged the Irish Catholic church. This 'open rebellion' of the Irish happened again in 2001 when the voters decided that they wanted to intensify their country's involvement with the European Union (EU) which was again outraged the Irish Catholic church. Yet again in 2002, the Irish has once again defied their Catholic church by voting against the stricter abortion policies laid down by the government and the church. Recent polls have shown that the modern Irish is in favour of gay marriages as well as agreement that priests can marry. All of these poll show that a drastic change is happening to Ireland and its people. Cooney has stated that although Catholicism is the benchmark of being Irish and although it is embedded in the Irish Constitution that Catholicism is the main religion that should be practiced in Ireland, things are now deviating slightly. Statistically, this radical change is shown in the percentage of people attending church. In a recent count, church attendance has reduced form 90% to 50% going as low as 20% in some areas. It is also a curious fact that Ireland is now experiencing a shortage for clergymen when in the past, it produces clergymen by the dozens (Melvin). If the Irish Catholic church intends to once again gain influence in the moulding of the lives and morals of its devotees then it must again actively participate in public discussions even if the issue laid out were part of the scandals they are involved in. The Irish Catholic church may take on the task of eliminating clergymen that give the church much shame and this might gain them the public's trust once more. The people and the church must not base the present situations with those that happened in the past. Putting it in another way, the people and church must not judge past situations according to the situations that are happening to the present. This is what is commonly called as 'presentism' and should also be avoided so that the two sectors, the State and the Church would exist in harmony. It must also be pout in the hearts of all Irishmen that trust in their faith and church should be amended so that the church and the State would trust each other again (Dardis). This situation is not only experienced by Ireland but in other predominantly Catholic countries in Europe, Asia and other continents where moral distress and distrust in its Catholic church is commonplace. Works Cited BRADY, SEN, REV. 5 MAY 2004. Faith and Identity - A Catholic Perspective on Northern Ireland" The Key to Peace is the Will to Embrace. TEXT OF LECTURE GIVEN BY MOST AT ST ETHELBURGA'S CENTRE FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION, LONDON 78 Bishops Gate London EC2N 4AG. 05 April, 2006 Eames, Robin Arch. 28th June 2002. THE IRISH CHURCH - A PERSPECTIVE. A lecture given at the Galway Social Study Summer School in University College Galway. 05 April, 2006 Melvin, Don, Sex abuse radically alters Catholic Church in Ireland. Cox News Service. One in Four Ireland. 05 April 2006 Nulty, Patrick . n.d. Church and State Relations. StudentXpress. 05 April, 2006 "Popular culture." 28 March 2006. Wikipedia. 05 April, 2006 "Religion and politics in Ireland at the turn of the millennium." 2005. CatholicIreland.net. 05 April, 2006 Schweitzer, F. The Fourth R for the Third Millenium, ed. Leslie J. Francis, Jeff Astley; Mandy Robbins. Dublin: Lindisfarne Books, 2001. p. 159. Shorter, A., Towards a Theology of Inculturation. New York: Orbis Books, 1988. p. 5 "Where to now for Irish Catholicism" 2005.CatholicIreland.net. 05 April, 2006 Read More