AI and Usage in Religion

It is no secret that AI has the potential to make us dumber. A recent study has indicated that less of our brain is engaged when we use AI to do our work.1 As with any body part, when the brain is not exercised, it becomes flabby. Frankly, I am also exhausted from reading long pages of nothing. Just a limitless amount of text with endless adjectives. I see it in press, releases, statements, prayers, etc. 

It is important for me to clarify that I do believe in using AI. I think it can be a helpful tool and I use it. For example, I often default to using passive voice. AI helps me refine my words sometimes so that I don’t. And, in the beginning of AI, I used it much more frequently until I realized its affect on my abilities. It also can be very helpful in creating images. Although we use the endless stream of AI created images to our peril, it is useful because of the lack of copyright. Many images are not available to us without payment these days. Also, for some simple tasks, like citations, it is very helpful and saves time. 

However, we have to guard against its overuse. We have to protect the beauty of what makes us human. The human mind, a God-given gift, is what separates us from all other beings. Art, beauty, and human touch will ultimately save us. However, it cannot save us if we don’t engage it. Even if we use AI for our base or to help us, we can at least edit the output to include our own human voice. 

I love grammar. But I’m getting to the point, where I find mistakes to be refreshing. Simple mistakes! This is something that I never thought I would say. However, at least I know that it was written by a human. It was the product of a human brain and of real emotions. Frankly, I never could’ve fathomed when I was going through graduate school that this would be an option. I’m slightly jealous because of the ease of doing citations with AI as I mentioned previously. 

However, I do worry where it will take us. Are we doomed to pages of gobbledygook? Will we all become like zombies dependent on asking a computer? What decisions we should make or what we should write? I certainly hope not. But I don’t hold out strong hope. I think we have to take this into consideration as we train new generations of clergy--to encourage them to use critical thinking, to ask questions about the programming and agendas, and to use things as tools rather than the only way. 

Hopefully we can use these tools created by humans for good. If we don’t, we do so at our own risk. 

Prada, L. (February 11, 2025). AI Is Making Us Dumber. Shocker. Vice: https://www.vice.com/en/article/ai-is-making-us-dumber-shocker/ 

Old Catholic Identity

In the Autocephalous Catholic movement, there are a number of different groups. As I know you are aware, dear long-time readers, I have an obsession with purity of identity. I believe strongly that you should be what you say, and you should know what you are. One of the greatest problems of the Old Catholic tradition (or really any of the Autocephalous Catholic traditions) is that there are a number of individuals who enter not because they believe in it, but because it is a place for them to exercise orders. The problem with this is that these individuals are not truly wedded to their identity as Old Catholics. Therefore, there is no real interest in learning the theological necessities. 

I freely chose this tradition. This may sound like a mad thing to say, given the present situation, but I theologically adhere to the principles of the original Church of Utrecht. Whatever they think about us, their wayward children, is irrelevant because they have not made universal jurisdiction and the supremacy of the Archbishop of Utrecht to be a central tenet of the faith. It was not such before Mathew left the Union of Utrecht and it still is not.

In very rudimentary summary, the Ultrajectine tradition includes the preeminence of the local church united around the local bishop as well as the primacy of theological conscience. The Ultrajectines were accused of using this to adhere to Jansenism (which meant a lot of different things to a lot of people) and later it meant rejecting the dogmatic (that which must be believed for salvation) pronouncements of things like the Immaculate Conception, Papal Infallibility, and the Assumption of Mary. 

There are still others who will use the moniker of Old Catholic when they are, in fact, dissenting from the Roman Catholic Church. These individuals' canonical status is specific to them. Canon 754 is very clear that "All the Christian faithful are obliged to observe the constitutions and decrees which the legitimate authority of the Church issues in order to propose doctrine and to proscribe erroneous opinions, particularly those which the Roman Pontiff or the college of bishops puts forth." 

 

There are many people on this spectrum, both right and left. Some have chosen to separate from the Roman Pontiff due to a desire to seek ordination outside of a local Roman Catholic bishop due to gender, marital status, orientation, liturgical preference, etc. Regardless, they are formally separate from communion with the Roman Pontiff and are, therefore, in an impaired communion. There is no such thing as Roman Catholic except for jurisdiction because of Vatican I. In this, they are guided by their own conscience.

 

For Ultrajectines, this is not a problem because we do not subscribe to a Ultramontanist view of papal authority and church structure and left before this innovation. But, there is a vital imperative that those who claim this name and this tradition understand what it is about and why we exist. This is not a consolation prize. This is not a "we're like them but..." For me, I want to invest in something with my very valuable time and resources that I absolutely believe in and hold. Unfortunately, it is a bit of building from the ground up. And we have to work harder to catechize people who come to us and explain the difference. But, I think it is worth it to let them know that we really hold our faith dear.

 

It also does not necessarily mean large numbers. The remaining Old Catholic Churches in Western Europe are infinitesimally small compared to other traditions. But, we have as our inspiration one who left the many to chase the few. 

“Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.” - St Francis de Sales

A Pope of Our Own

Much buzz has been created about the Conclave in Rome and the election of a new pope. As Autocephalous Catholics, we do not look to the Pope as our leader. This is true for anyone not in communion with the local Roman Catholic bishop, despite any perceptions to the contrary. In fact, the position of the papacy is one of the major issues which facilitated the break in our relationship. As Bishop of Rome, we honor the pope as the first among equals and the successor of Saint Peter. However, this is where the adulation ends. To consider him as infallible on matters of faith and morals and holding universal jurisdiction is, well, a step too far.

It would be folly, however, to not acknowledge that the papacy has an impact on us all. As the saying goes, adapted from a statement by Klemens von Metternich, "When Rome sneezes, the rest of Christendom catches cold." When Rome radically changed the Roman Rite in 1969, much of the rest of Christendom followed suit. Similarly, so many of our customs and traditions come from Rome that it has a big impact on the rest of us.

Despite the honor given to the Bishop of Rome and an acknowledgement of the papacy's impact on the rest of us, I will confess that we otherwise go largely unimpacted. We will pray for him and we will have our opinions about what changes we would like to see that might affect us. This is natural, like acknowledging that an election in a neighboring country will inevitably impact ours. However, because we are not Roman Catholics, we are largely not affected by what happens. Any investment on our part in hoping for a certain outcome or wanting the pope to change this or that is largely misspent. 

In the meantime, we will continue our work of providing pastoral care, sharing the sacraments, and building the Kingdom of God. I will certainly pray for the man chosen, that he lead his flock with wisdom and prudence. A job made all the more difficult by infallibility which, to the ill informed, seems to extend to everything. As for me, I will focus on my very little patch in the Kingdom of God.

"To go to Rome is little profit, endless pain; the master that you seek in Rome you find at home or seek in vain." - Sedulius of Liège

Independent Catholic Narratives

A friend and I were recently talking about belonging to a tradition that is adjacent to a larger tradition. This is incredibly difficult. I have written on this topic many times, but I want to again reinforce it. Our adjacency to Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, etc., makes it difficult to describe ourselves. The reality is that it is easy to default to "we're like x except..." 

A better example of this is illustrated in a talk given by a dear friend. In this talk to an ISM or Autocephalous Catholic jurisdiction, my friend said:

"Like me, you probably are invited to explain yourself when people find out that you belong to a church like this, or worse yet, are some sort of priest! Random inquirers probably misunderstand larger denominations with great regularity, but most of the time, they at least have some idea of what a Methodist or Roman Catholic might be – even if it is a completely wrong idea. But when they meet us, we often blow their categories and they aren’t quite sure who we are or how to understand us..... And most of us reach automatically for stored narratives we have in our pocket, which may have been useful along the way, but may be less so in this moment. The first automatic narrative might be called the inclusivity story, or the “just like… except…” tale... Well, we are just like the Roman Catholic Church, or the Orthodox Church, or whoever, except we ordain women, or gay people, or trans people, or do same-sex weddings.” Or whatever the specifics may be. We hereby set up a game where our vocation as church is only ever seen or understood in comparison or contrast to one of the large denominations. We fail to answer the question or who we are or who we are called to be, without pointing to another church...."

We may feel like it's a "necessary evil" to define ourselves in relation to someone else. As humans, we like to categorize people. If we can place people in a bubble "gay/straight, Democrat/Republican, black/white, etc." we know if they are "on our side." But, I think a better path is to share what we believe to allow the inquirer to discern if they believe it, too. We also can share our rich history to explain who we are and how we got here.

Unfortunately, we belong to a tradition which defies explanation. Most Christians have associated the word Catholic exclusively with the Roman Catholic Church, despite its universal meaning. Despite, as well, its use among other traditions which offer a prefix like Anglo-Catholic, Old Catholic, Evangelical Catholic, or even Eastern Orthodoxy which often uses a derivative of the name Orthodox Catholic Church. 

I think the farther we can distance ourselves from mainstream churches in our descriptions, the better it will be. We may be buoyed by the names "Catholic" or "Orthodox" to describe our theological and (especially) sacramental commitments, but we do not have to use them as oppositional words. It is more important for us to build up strong, vibrant communities of faith. Doing this is only more difficult when we base our identity on our opposition to another Christian community. It is also complicated when we seek to change another Christian community, despite our having left it.

I have no interest or desire in changing another tradition, any more than I do by defining myself in relation to it.  As I have written multiple times, I wish there were different names to describe ourselves. But we are wedded either by historicity or our firm theological commitments. And these are what should guide us in describing ourselves, not our place in the Christian continuum. I will stand by using Catholic because that's what I am. Not because it's in relation to a larger version of Catholicism but because I am part of the universal tradition--the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic one.

"What a heavy burden is a name that has become too famous." - Voltaire 

Ordination without Sacrifice

Gandhi gave us his take on the Seven Deadly Sins, and one of them is "religion without sacrifice." I think of this a lot when it comes to ordination. The reality is that within Independent Catholicism (and its many iterations thereof), it is easy to be ordained. This reality spans from the liberal to the traditional--if you find a willing bishop, you, too, can be a priest. I do not think that this is inherently bad. There are many people who have been innately called to priesthood who should be ordained. For one reason or another, they are not able to pursue it in their church of origin. 

I do not always think that a theological degree is required for ordination. While helpful in explaining theological concepts to those to whom we minister, I also realize that they are out of the reach of many people. Because of the exorbitant cost of education in the US (especially), it does not make good financial sense to go tens of thousands of dollars into debt for ministry that will never be able to reimburse you for your costs. However, thankfully, because of the internet, there are many opportunities for learning that are less formal but still provide insightful, challenging insights.

So, without formal training, what is the option for training clergy? Well, there are other ways to prepare. A lot of it depends on the candidate. The individual has to take every opportunity to prepare themselves for ordination. At a minimum, ordinands should work on their spiritual life, emotional health, professionalism, grammar, and demeanor. Without this, ordinands are doing themselves a disservice because 1) they are seeking the easy path without doing the work and 2) they limit their own success in ministry and their ability to minister to people.

Some of the fault is on the ordaining bishops, who do not challenge applicants to do this hard work. Sometimes, they are eager to ordain people to grow their church or, less cynically, there is a true ministry need. However, by ordaining too quickly you actually do the ordinand a disservice on your side, too. It is incumbent that each person called to public ministry be spiritually prepared, emotionally prepared, and intellectually challenged. To fail to do so can cause a host of additional problems. 

Technology has made our lives infinitely easier. If you wish to be ordained, take it upon yourself to learn and digest. Take courses to improve your grammar. Watch videos about professional conduct and take trainings about child protection. We have access to some of the most brilliant human minds at the click of a button. Document what you have done and show it to your bishop. Together, you can craft a meaningful, yet challenging plan forward that does not put you thousands of dollars into debt while still helping you grow as a person. What a time to be alive!

O Priest! You are not yourself because you are God. You are not of yourself because you are the servant and minister of Christ. You are not you own because you are the spouse of the Church. You are not yourself because you are the mediator between God and man. You are not from yourself because you are nothing. What then are you? Nothing and everything. O Priest! Take care lest what was said to Christ on the cross be said to you: "He saved others, himself he cannot save! - St. Norbert

Stability among Independent Catholics

I was speaking to a friend about the lack of stability in the Independent Catholic world, and it inspired a writing. As you may know, the Benedictines take a specific vow of stability. Thomas Merton writes: "By making a vow of stability the monk renounces the vain hope of wandering off to find a ‘perfect monastery.’ This implies a deep act of faith: the recognition that it does not matter where we are or whom we live with. …Stability becomes difficult for a man whose monastic ideal contains some note, some element of the extraordinary. All monasteries are more or less ordinary.… Its ordinariness is one of its greatest blessings."

I think this is all the more difficult in the Autocephalous Catholic world. Because of our independence, the sky is the limit on what we want and where we want to go in our spiritual life. We have seen that manifest itself chaotically--clergy who have cycled through religions as frequently as we change socks. We also see micro levels of this--clergy who change within the Christian tradition from Anglican to Roman Catholic-ish, to Orthodox, and everything in between. Or, clergy who start and stop and start again parishes while creating whiplash among attendees. Or, perhaps they change jurisdictions frequently--hopping from here to there in contravention of the vow of stability mentioned above.

In typing these, I realize that I am not immune to the call to change. I have frequently waffled in understanding if my beliefs are Old Catholic or Western Orthodox. I struggle between these two poles because my deep commitment to the Western liturgical tradition while being called to the theology and mystical understanding of Orthodoxy. I have found, in myself, a way to nurture both, albeit sometimes confusingly. Fortunately, the founder of my tradition lived in this same confusing place, so I am in good company.

As I have written before frequently and emphatically, there is no good name for us in this little world. We seem to swing between being accused of schism, imitation, and innovation. So, we live in a gray area. However, despite this we are called to "keep at it" as much as we can. This also has implications in our own worshiping communities. Not planning ahead can lead to starting and stopping liturgical plans and programs, which in turn creates confusion among those to whom we minister.

Another caveat is that I am not stating that it is ok to stay in a situation where, in good conscience, we cannot stay due to feeling abused or conflicted. Unfortunately, there are plenty of stories of bad jurisdictional experiences in our tradition (although the same can be said for mainstream churches). However, constantly hopping around or rapid changes do not benefit us and the people we serve. Consider the person who digs a well only superficially and gives up. If they but only dug a bit deeper, they would have found their treasure: water.

I have a very dear friend who has labored at his parish for many years. Unfortunately, the response has been low but he persists nonetheless because he knows the importance of what he does. I admire him so much because I have been in the same place, laboring consistently and working for growth. His little group continues to meet despite, what I might imagine, is some disappointment and frustration but also hope. Yet, people know he is there and visitors come. He is consistent and present. May we all be so, too.

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” - Saint Augustine

Mind Your Business People of God

A few weeks ago, I walked through a cemetery and one of the monks buried there had a sign that read "Almost everything is none of my business." I laughed and forgot about it until this week. For some reason, I thought about this sign again. The simplicity of the sign is profound, and I think is a message to us all. This is something I struggle with, because I try to know a lot about a lot. Being well versed in a variety of areas is important to me, so this sign gave me greater reflection and pause.

Religious people, especially clergy, can be especially pedantic. If people don't do things exactly the way we want or in the same way we would, we criticize them. Similarly, if someone believes differently from us, even slightly, we find it easy to condemn or vilify them. This is not unique to any side or perspective. You can do any number of things wrong: liturgy, being too or not enough justice oriented, believing too much or too little in something, wearing something wrong, etc. etc. etc. Instead of asking "well, why do you do that?" to try to understand, many times we just shut down or condemn.

On a forum recently, an individual posted about another denomination "their communion isn't real anyway." I think it is easy to write other people off. To say, "well, they're not like me, so I can say what I want." Or, "I have nothing to learn from them." Or even "they're not real and only I am." The reality is that none of this is new. We have been saying things about each other since the dawn of time. And, frankly, in my ministry experiences it has turned people off. Most normal lay people do not care about the complexities of this or that, they simply want to improve their lives through a reverent and involved faith. To some, this may be a sign of how far we've fallen. However, I think the farther we can get away from burning each other at the stake the better, and maybe this is a step in the right direction.

It seems like a good resolution to take into the New Year to say "almost everything is none of my business." See something you don't like? Don't comment on it. Let it go or ignore it. I think that we all have something to learn from each other--a different way to pray, to learn, to grow. If you shut that down, you have no chance to expand yourself. We all like to think we're the best or we're right or our way is the only way. We can choose, instead, to see the best in people. Now, I'm not talking about when people are being intentionally malicious and cruel. We don't have to put up with that. But for many things, we can disagree but still live in harmony. Or even work towards agreement! We just have to let it go and mind your business people of God.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." - St. Theresa of Calcutta