Finding a Voice

I decided to spend my spring semester this year studying away in Washington, DC. When I applied to the program, it was long before the threat of the Trump era arose; I fully expected to spend my semester in the nation’s capitol during the first female presidency. But, as my parents always quoted to me growing up, “you can’t always get what you want.” And hey – that’s totally fine. I’ve actually really enjoyed being here during this time in our country. I’ve witnessed pro-choice protests, pro-life marches, and immigration/refugee protests all in the few short weeks I’ve been here and that experience has been amazing.

While watching the news, studying in the capitol, and participating in protests, I’ve had this conflict in the back of my mind as I struggled to find my political voice: I am catholic, I am a liberal, I am a feminist, and I am pro-choice. Many will tell you that these things do not coincide; you can’t be a pro-choice-feminist and catholic. Nevertheless, I’d like to say I am.

Unique Perspective

Something that gives me a unique perspective on faith is the fact that I did not grow up in the catholic church. My parents and family are not religious so I never attended weekly mass or Sunday school as a child. My faith is something I found on my own in my early teenage years. I went through the sacraments (first reconciliation, first communion, and confirmation) in high school and then began volunteering with the church and attending mass regularly. So, I wasn’t brought up with any preconceived notions about what it means to be catholic. Nobody preached to me about the ideals same sex marriage or abortion. These were opinions I was able to form on my own in my adolescence while at the same time going through the process of confirmation within the Catholic Church. This allowed me to find my own values rather than having values formed for me and thrust upon me as a child.

Many of my views do not align with traditional Catholicism. Like I previously stated: I’m a liberal, pro-choice, feminist. But, does that mean I don’t deserve to have faith? Does that mean I’m going to hell? Some might say yes… but I truly believe in the idea of modern Catholicism.

Modern Catholicism

When the bible was created, science did not exist. Religion was used to explain things we did not have an answer for. Since then though, science has given us many of those answers. For example: the big bang theory, evolution, homosexuality, and fertilized eggs. Science proves how the earth and mankind were created. Science shows us that homosexuality is not a choice or a sin, it’s simply a sexual attraction that develops before you are even born. Science tells us that a fertilized egg is not a human. Many people disagree with this scientific evidence, and all that is, is a deep lack of scientific knowledge and blind loyalty to one’s traditional faith.

For those who are blindly loyal, I do commend you. It takes a lot of guts to stand up for what you believe in. What I ask of you, though, is to not force these views upon others. What is different between the pro-choice and pro-life movement is: pro-choice isn’t telling anyone what to to. Nobody is forcing you to have an abortion, they are simply giving you the option. On the other hand, pro- life is nicknamed “anti-choice” for a reason – it strips women of their right to decide what is best for them and their bodies. Ladies: you can be anti-abortion and still be pro-choice!! If you don’t believe in abortion, that’s fantastic – don’t get one. But please don’t tell me or any other woman what to do with our own bodies; that’s not feminism, that’s oppression.

Message to Modern-Day-Catholics

I truly believe that science is modernizing Catholicism. Just because you choose to accept what the scientific evidence suggests does not mean you should feel ashamed to walk into your church on Sunday morning. Faith is elastic; you can make of it what you choose. I believe that there is a Father, Son, and Holy Spirit looking down on us and I believe there is a heaven to look forward to after death. I also believe in a woman’s right to choose what she does with her own body. I believe that men can love men. I believe that women can love women. I believe that women should be able to become priests in the catholic church. With these ideals in mind, I would call myself a modern-day catholic. I think lots of young women in the catholic church feel the same way that I do, but are afraid to speak out on their beliefs because of the negative feedback they might get from their communities. To that I say: change doesn’t happen by being silent. It’s time to stop blaming faith for our views. Educate yourself, become informed, make your own opinions, have your own values, and then don’t be afraid to let others know what you come up with. It’s time for Catholicism to recognize the changing times and respect, appreciate, and celebrate women. I mean come on, we are half the population! Also… I’m pretty sure God is a feminist.