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When you’re among others of your faith, do you feel free to dissent without fear of retribution?

Eric Ringham June 27, 2012, 2:33 PM Jun 27, 2012

A Catholic elementary school teacher in Moorhead has lost her job for admitting to her superiors that she disagrees with the church on the Minnesota marriage amendment. Today’s Question: When you’re among others of your faith, do you feel free to dissent without fear of retribution?

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Eric Ringham

eringham@mpr.org

Rich in Duluth

It seems to me that if you’re going to hold irrational beliefs, it’s foolish to expect rational reactions from others with those beliefs.

Trudy

She got fired for private thoughts, probably shared by most Catholics.

Lou

I feel free to express my opinion on controversial issues in any environment that I find myself in. The administration of St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Moorhead should be ashamed and embarrassed for its decision not to renew the contract of Trish Cameron. I hope other teachers within the Catholic school system that disagree with the church’s stance on issues will show the same courage that she displayed and accurately express their opinions. Any institution, whether it be religious or not,that prohibits dissent should take a hard look at their core values.

Susan

The biggest challenge facing the Roman Catholic Church is remaining relevant in the 21st Century when the churches structure is based on the 13th Century.

Tony

The Catholic Church has some incredibly noble and thoughtful positions on a variety of issues facing our world today. Unfortunately its leaders often choose to amplify the dumbest ones.

Sr Laurie Niblick

I’ve always felt free to express my opinion when it differs from others of my faith – but then again, I’m an Episcopalian – it would be strange if a group of Episcopalians didn’t contain at least one (or 30) differing opinions. It was a major attraction for me nearly 25 years ago when I first walked into an Episcopal Church, along with a strong justice-centered community, beautiful liturgy and music and the church’s ability to laugh at itself. It wasn’t perfect then, it isn’t now, but I never doubt it’s goal of perfecting the whole of Creation in God’s image. Maybe the first sign of an unhealthy church is when folks stop laughing, or as a friend of mine said years ago, when an organization starts believing its own press.

Maria

I’m ELCA Lutheran, and I’ve found we all peacefully agree to disagree at one time or another – with each other and with our pastors often enough. I’ve met with my pastor to tell him how disappointed I am in certain views, and he listens and definitely does not condemn me for my opinions and convictions.

I think it may help that we believe that pastors / priests aren’t above the lay people, and in the priesthood of all believers where we all have equal ability to interpret our religion and to discover our faith as the bible inspires us to. We’re empowered to discover what it means to be Christian for ourselves, not to simply be told what it means by some figurehead thousands of miles away…

Sue de Nim

More so than when the topic is politics, which is a change from years ago. Long before politics got so nasty, there were church fights. The nastiness of our politics feels so similar to church fights I’ve experienced, that I have to wonder if maybe the politicians who are doing that learned it in whatever dysfunctional church they’re part of.

Nicholas

Yes, Carl Sagan, Timothy Leary and the Dalai Lama however agree with me:

“The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.” – Carl Sagan

“Be very careful about locating good or God, right or wrong, legal or illegal, at your favorite level of consciousness.” – Timothy Leary

“There are as many religions as there are people on the planet.”

– The Dalai Lama

GregX

I’m ignostic. It nothing but different ideas all the time.

Steve the Cynic

I’m not sure what “among others of your faith” means. I’ve never encountered two people whose faith is identical. Whatever faith one is talking about, every adherent understands it differently, even if the difference is small. It’s one thing if a group holds to something they see as an important truth that must be generally affirmed by all those who want to be a part of it, but any group that insists on lockstep conformity is not one I want to be a part of. So, no, I’m not afraid of being expelled from a group of narrow-minded zealots.

And yes, the similarity these days between religious zealotry and political zealotry is remarkable. Political ideologies on both wings are rapidly morphing into religious dogma.

Jim G

As a member of an independent Evangelical Christian Church through the 70’s-90’s with a congregational form of government, I felt that my ideas and concerns were taken into consideration when we hired staff or changed policies. That changed in the early 90’s when our form of government was changed to an elder council with complete control over the decision making process. Looking back, it was really a coup with smiles. An new ego-centric performing arts minister was hired, and education: both public ( It’s evil.) and Sunday School (It’s controlling our performance schedule.) took back seats.

I listened to the quiet voice in my mind’s ear and made to the decision to find a spiritual home elsewhere. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was an enlightening and growing experience. I found that there’s more to the spiritual life than any one Church can hold.

matt

I have to agree with Steve and Nicholas’ quote from Dalai Lama. Faith and religion are two separate things, faith being personal and unique. As for disagreeing about your religion and the problems associated with that, you can leave, start your own or work to change it. But in the end your religion owes you nothing and you owe nothing to it.

Ann

I left the ELCA. The Evangelical Free Church is the best church for me. I can express my opinion and we all help each other follow God’s Word. God is shaping me while I am here on earth and I am thankful that I can spend eternity with the Triune God because the grave is empty—the Savior has risen.

suzie

So, this is only a problem with the Catholic religion? How many teachers in other schools, public and private, have been fired because they refused to give a passing grade to the school’s sports stars? How many workers in different industries have been fired because they disagreed with the way their company has “reported” the safety of a product? How many workers in the print or radio or TV media have been fired because they disagreed with the owner’s political adgenda?

From what I know of the Catholic religion, if you disagree with any of the principles of their beliefs, you are free to leave and not fear being killed or finding a job at a different school that is not so strict.

And what does cannabis have to do with this question. Get over it! If you need a DRUG (cannabis or alcohol)l to help with “serenity, sensitivity and fellowship” – then I fear that we are all doomed.

Craig

At work I encounter periphrastic cues to imply affirmation. For example, “Santa’s keeping a list” someone might say with a smile. “Yes, let’s stay off the naughty list” I will joke, satisfying their need to see me as monotheistic. Or perhaps there is an allusion to “next time around.” “Indeed,” I nod, implying my eastern cool. I don’t believe any of it. On rare occasion someone will ask an explicit question, which I sidestep with the phrase “You probably know more than me, I would rather listen than talk. But not here.”

When with old friends from school we dissent freely; often, appositely, on the topic of obscurantism. Obviously I’m for a soft version of it. Some of them scold me for intellectual cowardice and implore me to call out these attempts. The problem is, they are done in a very deniable way. I counter my friends’ challenge by pointing out they inhabit work environments in which not only are gods and spirits not discussed, but freely stating one’s atheism could be done without cost or contradiction.

beth

Yes, I do feel safe from retribution.

I’m Presbyterian; we hold that Christ is Lord of the conscience.

Thomas

@suzie

You asked: “And what does cannabis have to do with this question?”

Please educate yourself on the sacramental usage of plant entheogens (including cannabis). This predates man-made religions such like Christianity, Buddhism, and the like.

“To go from birth to the grave without having a psychedelic experience is as creepy to me as going from birth to the grave without having a sexual experience. It means you led a life of self-chosen infantilism and ignorance, and that’s not what life is for”

Terence McKenna

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