Believing in faith above the institution, reconciling religion and sexuality

Amanda Howell Artsci11

I was born and raised Catholic in a small town in central Ontario. I attended Catholic elementary and secondary schools complete with uniforms, multiple daily prayer times, in-school masses, and compulsory religion classes.

People are often surprised to learn that I’m very proud to be a Catholic, because I’m also an out and very proud lesbian.

It’s true many of the doctrines of the Catholic Church are, in my opinion, old fashioned and closed-minded, but I believe in the faith above the institution.

The Catholicism I identify with is the general spirituality offered by God, rather than the fine print details that have been imposed by humankind.

The core message of Catholicism—and Christianity in general—is love and goodwill.

The other primary tenets are found in moral guideline packages such as the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes, which encourage behaviour globally accepted as good: do not kill people, do not steal things, be merciful toward others, etc.

Read more at www.queensjournal.ca

Believing in faith above the institution, reconciling religion and sexuality I was born and raised Catholic in a small town in central Ontario. I attended Catholic elementary and secondary schools complete with uniforms, multiple daily prayer times, in-school masses, and compulsory religion classes. People are often surprised to learn that I’m very proud to be a [...]