The Catholic Church - Essay Example

A critical exploration of the relationship between the Catholic Church and the transformation of Irish culture and society Ireland has continued to be a largely catholic nation in the later and early stages of modernity. The Irish Catholicism was an essential marker of its distinctness even when the nation reduced the use of the Gaelic language and culture when the ties with the United States and England intensified through trade and emigration in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Ireland was also susceptible to an extensive global civilisational conflict between the modern and pre-modern whereby Protestantism was generally related to rationality, enterprise, liberalism and materialism while Catholicism was related to superstition, traditionalism and dogmatic Gothic authoritarianism. The values and temporalities of the pre-modern and modern have regularly been associated to the island’s sectarian or religious denomination in addition to the topography of the country (Cleary, J. 2005 p.8). The Catholic Church has influenced the political thinking of Catholic politicians, their policies for the state and their vision for the Irish society. The influence of the church lasted until the 1960’s when the state started to abandon the recommendations of the Catholic teaching and strictly pursued the vision of an Irish society that was inclined and instrumental in economic growth, trade, opening up of consumer market and attracted foreign investment and international corporations especially from America that paved way for the Celtic Tiger. The success of the Celtic Tiger pushed the Irish to acquire equal status with other nations in the west. The Irish moved from rural communities that survived off land, to live in ever developing cities and town and participated in universal production and consumption without the need for Catholic habitués or practices that centrally controlled individuals, their pleasures and desires (Inglis, T 2008 p.49). In the Collision Culture, the authors explain the Irish experience of economic boom that has created collision due to incompatible ways of life (Keohane, K. & Kuhling’s, C. 2004). The change in the Irish economy during the second half of the twentieth century also gave rise to a change in the culture. The Irish overcame the self-repression and self denial factors of life (Inglis, T 2008 p.50). Tom Inglis explains the public morality campaign in Ireland during the 1970’s and 1990’s towards topics such as divorce, contraception, abortion, sex education and homosexuality as an outcome of the activities of the Catholic church or hierarchy’s as a whole. Inglis argues that the Church used full authority of the church only towards the close of the 1983 pro-life campaign, to urge the laity to continue to be loyal to its teachings and implement the same in the political framework of Ireland. However, Inglis also claims that with reference to the divorce referendum of 1986, the church is considered to have had a persistent ability to set limitations to the political sphere in the Irish society. This is despite explaining that the anti-divorce lobbies to have not been formally associated to the church. Inglis reinstates that the Catholic Church exerted influence and power on Irish society that was implemented through autonomous organizations comprising lay catholics instead of implementing directly through the hierarchy of the church especially when there were changes in social values and circumstances (Share, P., Tovey, H. & Corcoran, M. 2007 p.464). The change in the political and economic entity of Ireland has redefined the nation with its active participation in the global economy. The Irish society is also adapting to the changes brought about by the redefinition process stripping itself of the traditional processes and classis functional structures. Throughout the nation, traditional homogenous rural communities have broken up to (Corcoran, M. & Peillon, M. 2006 p.169) merge with the internationally integrated heterogenous, multi-skilled communities (Corcoran, M. & Peillon, M. 2006 p.170). Slater and Peillon points out the positive factors of modernity as a result of the Celtic Tiger economy as (i) the commodification of the society – a process that marks the break between two phases of modernity namely the simple and late modernity out of which Ireland experienced only the latter (ii) globalization - that erased the boundary between the outside world and Ireland and enabled access to global flows of commodities, images, signs and structures (iii) visualization – a process through which visual symbols and images became the universal language of production across boundaries and (iv) the aesthetisation of day to day life. These processes together with urbanization increased industrialization, literacy and communication and transformed Ireland to a pluralist modern society that let people witness a complete range of alternatives for values and lifestyles (Engaging Modernity). The Republic of Ireland set forth for a remarkable process of social change in the 1990s. The counties of Ireland exhibited essential hallmarks of a liberal and secular society. The power of the Catholic Church declined at a faster pace due to the scandals related to clerical child abuse. With the decrease in the moral authority of organized religion, people started to explore the other alternative of existence in the world. The Irish government introduced a number of social legislation that stressed on indispensable personal freedoms. Contraceptives were more freely accessible, homosexuality was legalized and the constitutional ban on divorce was lifted. The Irish society now enjoys substantial civil liberties which the citizens of the United Kingdom enjoy (Slater, E. & Peillon, M. 2000 p.5). The people of Ireland have given up the traditional belief of rejecting the self as taught by the Catholic Church and this paved way for the modernization of the Irish society. The entry of transnational corporations into the homes and society through jobs, consumer choice and prosperity created a novel sense of self. The Irish became consumers and the economic growth was dependent on consumption and there was increase in self indulgence which was mainly due to the accumulation of wealth and prosperity. The Irish gave away the notion taught by the Catholic Church that self indulgence was a sin and brought about a change to the social norms (Corcoran, M. & Peillon, M. 2002 p.29). The weekly attendance of Irish people at Mass continues to decline together with a lesser confidence among people in the Catholic Church. There has been a decline in the influence of the Catholic Church in the Irish society. Though the popularity of the Catholic Church is decreasing there is a continuing Catholic religiosity in Ireland. The church has withstood the institutionalization of Irish Catholicism and the damage to the reputation of the church. Certain insights about the persistence of specific forms of a religion (while others have declined) indicates that there is a considerable demand p.91 for the curative powers acquired through the intercession of saints even in urban, modern and well educated societies. Petitioning to saints continues as a private form of religious practice and belief though church attendance has reduced in an increasingly secular Irish society (Peillon, M. & Corcoran, M. 2004 p.92). Cultural Catholics do not adhere to the teaching and principles of the institutional Catholic Church and encounter role strain due to their unorthodox day to day life practices like homosexuality and cohabitation (Corcoran, M. & Share, P. 2008 p.169). The decline in the popularity of the Catholic Church is also evident from the number of nuns, brothers and priests who give up their order each year that result in a 35 percent decline in the number of religious people since 1970 (Moral monopoly of Church `dying off). Women were considered as guardians of morality and sexual morality in the society. The Catholic Church shaped the discourse of sexuality from the later part of the nineteenth century and taught that moral rectitude as the responsibility of women. The church also instilled guilt and fear in the minds of young catholics for anything related to sexual drives. However the quasi monopoly started to break down by the 1970’s. The public denial of sexual aspects even in married heterosexual sexuality has given way to an anxious adoption of sexuality among younger generations (Peillon, M. & Corcoran, M.P. 2002 p.52). The transformation of the Irish society also resulted in certain criminal events which is considered as a fault line between conventional Catholic Ireland and the modern Ireland that was pursuing a more individualistic and modern path (Inglis, T. 2003 pp.288). It may be concluded that the Catholic Church has lost its popularity in Ireland and as a result of the economic boom, the Irish society has liberated itself from the religious catholic inclination to adopt a secular society that is similar to other western nations. Reference Cleary, J. 2005 ‘Introduction: Ireland and Modernity’ pp. 1–21 in J. Cleary and C. Connolly (eds) The Cambridge Companion to Modern Irish Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Available: http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/20097/excerpt/9780521820097_excerpt.pdf. Retrieved on March 31, 2010 Corcoran, M. & Peillon, M. 2002 (eds) Ireland Unbound: A turn of the century chronicle. Dublin: IPA Corcoran, M. & Peillon, M. 2006 (eds) Uncertain Ireland: A Sociological Chronicle, 2003–2004. Dublin: IPA Corcoran, M. & Share, P. 2008 Belongings: Shaping Identity in Modern Ireland. Dublin: IPA Engaging Modernity Available: http://www.catholicireland.net/books/dialogue-a-ecumeninsm/452-engaging-modernity. Retrieved on March 31, 2010 Inglis, T. 2003 Truth, Power and Lies: Irish Society and the Case of the Kerry Babies. Dublin: UCD Press Available: http://cmc.sagepub.com/cgi/pdf_extract/3/1/133. Retrieved on March 31, 2010 Inglis, T 2008 Global Ireland: Same Difference. London: Routledge Keohane, K. & Kuhling’s, C. 2004 Collision Culture. Dublin: The Liffey Press, 2004 Moral monopoly of Church `dying off Available: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/moral-monopoly-of-church-dying-off-452263.html. Retrieved on March 31, 2010 Peillon, M. & Corcoran, M.P. 2002 Ireland unbound: a turn of the century chronicle Dublin: IPA Peillon, M. & Corcoran, M. 2004 (eds) Place and Non-Place: The Reconfiguration of Ireland. Dublin: IPA Share, P., Tovey, H. & Corcoran, M. 2007 A Sociology of Ireland. 3rd ed. Dublin; Gill & Macmillan Slater, E. & Peillon, M. 2000 (eds) Memories of the Present: A Sociological Chronicle of Ireland, 1997-1998. Dublin: IPA Read More