Monday, August 18, 2008

Holy War?


Yesterday Paul and I were sitting, as new parents are wont to do, admiring our beautiful, intelligent baby as she leaned up against dad's knees and made faces at us. Mostly smiles, but some other faces too.

One of us had said something about church, which prompted me to say "Yeah, before we know it she'll be up singing in the children's choir at church" (or, more aptly, standing in front of the church with a bunch of other little kids, two of whom are actually singing and the rest of whom are A) scanning the crowd for mom and dad, B) having found mom and dad, waving wildly, C) looking like they are about to cry, or D)all three).

Paul agreed that she might be in the children's choir, because we will probably raise her Presbyterian. After all, Paul reasons, it is the church that I (and sometimes we) go to on a regular basis. By "a regular basis" I mean once a month or more...Paul is still adjusting to this whole "not going to church weekly is not a sin" element of the Protestant faith.

Paul teases me that I have something against the Catholic church, since I am so avowedly Presbyterian. In my defense, I point out that half my family and most of my friends who profess any religious preference are Catholic, but this does not seem to sway his view that I am somehow anti-Catholic.

I had to laugh, though, because as we were talking about church, Paul said to Audrey "Yes, you'll probably be Presbyterian but you could be Catholic, what do you think about that?" Audrey replied with a face I can only describe as "dubious." Too bad I didn't get a picture.

1 comment:

Alexandria Poet said...

Representing the half of Kay's family that is Roman Catholic...I can reassure Paul that you are anything but anti-Catholic. My belief has always been that there's no column marked "Religious affiliation" at the pearly gates. Raising children to be kind, thoughtful, caring members of society, recognizing that there is something beyond what we can see with our own eyes...that's what really counts, not the labels.