The power and the Glory
This novel was very different from I thought it would be. I thought it would be a book about the glory and power of Christ or the glory and power of believing in Christ. I don't think it dealt with either. I was raised in the Catholic faith and attended Catholic school through out my elementary and high school years. I know the Catholic church is known for asking for money but that was the only way the church and school could survive. But, what I don't understand is why the priest would only work for money. I would think after outlawing the church that he would look for anyway to do Gods work paid or not.
Another point I did not understand is why, after finding out that the lieutenant was killing innocent villagers that had knowledge of his where abouts, that he continued to run and hide. He was allowing innocent people to suffer or be killed that were trying to save his life. I would think a priest or a "true" priest would sacrifice his life for the sake of saving others. Maybe I am just being naive. I truly do not know what I would do in this situation. It is easy to pass judgement.
I do understand that priest and others that are "holy" are still men. But.....they have received "the calling" and with that have higher standards in which to live. The problem I have is when these "holy" men use their position to take advantage of others, either financially, sexually or any other way.
posted by NurseKim @ 7:02 PM
4 Comments:
I wasn't sure what I expected when I began to read this book either. I don't know why the priest was shown in such an unhealthy way. I also believe that leaders of any church who have accepted their calling must have higher standards!
Kim, it's really interesting to get your take on the whole priest thing. I wasn't raised Catholic and don't had a good frame of reference for how parishners view a priest of how a priest views his calling and his parishners.
I agree that it is truly a sad thing when anyone in an authority position takes advantage of those under them, but it is a horrible thing, indeed, when a priest or pastor does so. When that happens it changes the way people view God, often for the rest of their lives. I do not believe that it is unforgiveable, but they need to be accountable for the many lives being destroyed.
Being raised Catholic as well, the part about the Priest taking money, especially more money than what he really needed and was working harder to add to his own personal wealth than for what he needed to survive. Most Priests and those who are called to religious life typically take vows of poverty as well as chastity. This Priest was able to follow neither of these vows.
I did not find any redeeming quality in the whiskey priest. I assume that if you have a "calling" that you can also lose it. It is often that mere humans lose their vision and their drive - why can't this happen to men of the cloth and then would they cease to be men of the cloth?
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