Second Vatican

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Dear Editor,

Esther Villalobos is correct, I was too pointed in my criticism of the Catholic Church. Sometimes, my sense of outrage gets the best of me. My suggestion to abolish the Church was just plain dumb.

Oddly, though, my earliest recollection of that sense of outrage, and the beginning of my departure from the Church, was in the 3rd Grade when Mrs. McElhone at St. Paul's in Oswego, NY, taught us that babies who died before being baptized don't get to go to Heaven, but go to Limbo instead. Forever. Not even a shot at Purgatory.

My chubby arm shot up, and an involuntary "What?" came from me, there in my seat in the front row. I was always moved to the front row by October 1st- never quite figured out why. My eyesight was fine!

The next stumbling block came with the understanding that there was evil and unhappiness in the world because Eve ate an apple from the wrong tree. The unfairness of that was bad enough as a kid, but now, as a male adult, it's even worse to realize it is simply because a woman couldn't follow directions. Huh? Hello! Feels like a setup from the very beginning, right guys? I mean, if men can be criticized for never asking for directions, we can do the same to women about following them.

Last year, this Pope did away with Limbo. All those years that parents anguished over their children stuck in Limbo, and now "poof!" it's gone? Hmmm. This is the kind of thing that drives me crazy! It's what happens with Catholicism, though, because of, unlike other religions, the "changing of the guard" that takes place when a Pope dies.

It is a fact that condoms prevent AIDS. The idea that distributing condoms increases AIDS spread because it encourages multiple partners is a red herring. The German, French, and even the Italian governments were quick to lament the Pope's comments. Many of the 22 million people in Africa with AIDS were either in what they thought were monogamous relationships, are now, or will be in the future. I am not knowledgeable enough to know whether abstinence programs in Africa are effective, but I know the record here is dismal.

When the Pope travels, he does so as both the head of the Church and the head of the Vatican State, and he talks to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. I believe that adds even greater responsibility to his shoulders about what he says. By the way, Popes do not get misquoted. It's not like He gives Jimmy Olson or Lois Lane an exclusive interview behind closed doors. Thousands of people are always witnesses.

On a lighter note, I received a lovely postcard from His Holiness in the mail on Monday. It had a great picture of himself on the front, which did not appear to be digitally retouched. He basically explained to me that he was the first German Pope since Adrian the VI, as he probably did not think that a heathen like me would know that, and he also wrote "So, you have had enough, huh?". It's not really suitable for framing, but I did laminate it. The Edgar Allan Poe stamp was a very nice, subtle touch, also.

On Thursday, in what appeared to be the same handwriting, and again with an Edgar Allan Poe stamp, I received a DVD: Come Home to the Catholic Church: Why I Did, Why You Should! It is a series of lectures by, oddly, a priest. I put it on my DVD rack between Shoes of the Fisherman and The Thorn Birds.

Here's the thing. I love the Church, always have, even though it drives me crazy sometimes- but I am now an Atheist, and that's not likely to change. I mean, it's been over 35 years since my last confession- who wants to spend the next 5 years saying Our Fathers and Hail Marys? I gave up Confession for Lent in 1972, and it just kind of stuck.

I am probably different than most Atheists though, in that while I am 99% sure I am right, I still hope I am wrong. It's a simple matter of fairness for me. Up to 2/3 of the people ever born worshiped a higher form of life, while probably a third did not. All that time, effort, money, all those good deeds- I hope the 2/3 are right. My fate is sealed either way. If they are right, they get to say "I told you so!". If I'm right, I don't.

A couple more light notes. The first is I am looking forward to May 15th, when the next history movie of Catholicism comes out, Angels & Demons. Secondly, my irreverent sense of humor led me to order a "GOD "heart" GAY" license plate for my new van, and DMV notified me Friday that it awaits me in the Vacaville office. Please, could we not have a modern-day "Crusade" to deface my van?

Dr. Dawkins: I now own www.mcmasterful.com. Never even thought of it. Merci!

Folks, you don't need to send me stuff anonymously. I'm not going to hunt you down, or invite my gay friends to camp out on your lawn. Obviously, the anonymity of the postcard from the Pope and the subsequent DVD added to their mystique, but when you send me the pro-church or anti-gay stuff, just put your name on it. That way, my wife doesn't have to worry if there is some strange white powder in there. I tried to reassure her that, at most, it might be dipped in Holy Water prior to mailing, but she would prefer honest return addresses.

Lastly, the Winters Express is our hometown newspaper, and it's a damn good one. I have long been dismayed when I hear or read about people who have unsubscribed because they did not like something that Debra wrote, or Charley, or maybe even me, or Jon Tice, or Donald Sanders.

You don't take the local newspapers for the writers. You subscribe so you know who had a baby, and who died; you subscribe to see that a Winters HS baseball player is batting over .600 and a pitcher gave up only one hit in two games a couple of weeks ago; you subscribe to learn who this year's Mr. Warrior is, and to see what the specials are at Town & Country Market; you subscribe to find out when and where the next fund-raising dinner is for Little League, Youth Day, the Soroptimists, Swim Team, Youth Football, Scouts, or Rotary, or to be reminded that the Fire Department Garage Sale is coming soon; and you subscribe to read the tributes that two former students of Mr. Mac wrote about a man who was so dear to them, and made such a difference in their lives.

It's not an option, it's an obligation. The only legitimate excuse is that you can't afford it. If you don't understand this very basic fundamental about living in a small town, if you are so petty that you don't subscribe over somebody exercising their free speech rights, or because you counted the words in my last letter and realized I was over the limit, then not only can you not be taken seriously for criticizing anybody else, you are in need of some serious therapy.