Duuude. Famous novelist and former atheist Anne Rice just broke up with Christ…ON FACEBOOK!
Totally ruuuuude. Uncool. Breaking up via Facebook is just a little bit better than getting broken up with via Tweet. Not much better but I guess a little.
The Deacon’s Bench writes:
The best-selling writer who made headlines with her dramatic conversion (or reversion) and wrote a popular book about her journey back to Catholicism, has changed her mind.
She made the announcement on Facebook:
“I quit being a Christian. I’m out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of … Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.”
Sheesh! Why doesn’t she just read the National Catholic Reporter, I think a lot of those guys over there would agree with her kind of Christianity.
Actually Rice tried to make up with Christ a little later. She wrote on Facebook:
“I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity.”
Wow. Quickest break up like…evah. Kick Jesus to the curb and then when she realized she couldn’t get a date for Sunday she calls the big man back and says it was all a misunderstanding. Again -not cool.
But what a weird statement -she remains committed to Christ but not to being “Christian.” Huh? So she’s committed to Christ as long as Christ agrees with her. Maybe I have to read the National Catholic Reporter more to understand statements like that. I’m not going to though.
The funny thing is that she doesn’t realize that by calling herself a follower of Christ and not following any of the rules of Christianity she just joined the majority of Christians in this country. We’re called sinners, Ms. Rice.
July 30, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Joe,
That was hilarious. Thank you.
🙂
July 30, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Good points Euloogos, this is no surprise. Just a year ago she posted something radically pro-choice on Facebook. She was a traditional, in Liturgy and aesthetics but always a social liberal. She never truly disposed herself to God's light.
July 30, 2010 at 9:28 pm
I read her reversion memoir this past spring and found it interesting but I came out of it with concerns for her. She did, as someone above mentioned, say that she was herself past dealing with a lot of issues personally – she was heterosexual and her agnostic or atheist husband consented to be remarried in the church, she was past childbearing so reproductive morality wasn't a concern, etc., and she felt at the point of writing that the Church was big enough to hold the discussions which were important.
I guess she doesn't feel that way anymore. She did say in the book that her son is a homosexual, and to me that looks like the most likely difficulty, because from a perspective of 30 years of extreme liberal atheism our beliefs can seem very harsh and unwelcoming, despite the fact that we simply want complete fulfillment for our fellow children of God and sinners. She came back because she remembered the love she had for Christ as a child, and the love he has for her. But this break looks very like the break she had the first time around — some rules proved difficult and the intensity of childlike faith wilted under the burden.
The sad thing is how many will leap on this uncharitably or nearly as bad, as proof of some "true faith" (otherwise called "conveniently the same as what I believe").
~Nzie
July 30, 2010 at 9:39 pm
I never realized that Catholics had to be anti-gay, anti-artificial birth control, anti-Democratic Party. I guess I never paid attention in RCIA. Seriously, if a Catholic has real problems with Doctrine there are more than enough people and resources to "guide" the person. And with her stature, I bet more than a few Bishops would make the time to have a private session with her. And by dissent, I don't mean partaking in the sin or behavior. As long as she keeps her doubts to herself and does not openly assert heresey, there is no reason she cannot remain Catholic. Besides, I know of no other religious organization that strives so hard to promote the dignity of women and not to offend homosexuals, and well as promoting solidarity with the poor. The Church bends over backwards to accomdate those who disagree.
I wonder if Anne Rice's biggest problem with the Church wasn't even mentioned. Abortion always seems to be in the backburner with dissenting and/or former Catholics. Artificial Birth Control just doesn't bother most Catholics -as polls suggest, ABC is practiced by the majority of Catholic couples. Why would that teaching cause her to leave? And as far as party affiliation, that too is just misdirection. Most Catholics either vote or lean Democratic. But, the issue that now seperates Catholics as well as most Americans, but especially Catholics is abortion. Just look at what it has done to even Notre Dame.
I bet we haven't heard the last of Anne and her "faith". And I suspect she will come out fully in support of abortion.
July 30, 2010 at 11:49 pm
http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2010/07/deconversion-of-novelist-anne-rice.html
July 31, 2010 at 12:33 am
Too bad. I was looking forward to her next "Christ the Lord" book.
July 31, 2010 at 11:44 am
@Jerome,
I guess you've never heard of Unitarian Universalists, or any of the other liberal Protestant denominations. Or of Buddhists, for that matter.
July 31, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Just pray for her.
Susan Peterson's right.
S. Murphy
July 31, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Sad and unfortunate, but I'm not surprised. Prayers for her.
August 2, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Yes, let's ALL pray for Anne Rice… That her heart might be truly opened to God's Word.
I enjoyed her books and, as was stated above, I think that having a homosexual son must have been/must be very difficult for her. She needed to try to justify being a Catholic and also at the same time justify, not same-sex-attraction, but the homosexual act and lifestyle too. OR she would have had to somehow be able to explain to her son – who I think is a grown man now – why suddenly, after years of telling him "hey, there's nothing wrong with that" – that suddenly. Now it's a sin. That's pretty tough.
It is strange that her interpretation of Church teaching seems to be "off" in that her use of the word "anti" seems to suggest that Catholics must be against the PEOPLE rather than against their sinful actions.
As Catholics we SHOULD be taught to have a extreme and universal love for all of God's children. Period. Hate sin? Yes. Hard to understand that? No. Unless you don't want to because it can be REALLY difficult sometimes.
From her book she seemed attracted back to the Church by the physical beauty of the Churches themselves and by the beauty of Catholic traditions. All well and good, but I fear that because of her fame, she probably found it harder to find good spiritual direction rather than the other way around.
Because of who she is, and her ability to impact other souls, I imagine there must be quite a battle raging for her soul right now…. Well, I really wish her well, as we all should, and we should all pray that she may be able to hear and understand the fullness of the Truth of God. God will never give up on her – or any of us either. May we all be continually converted to God alone!