Crossposted on Amplify
I am a person who grew up with the saying that all that is needed for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing"
-Anne Rice
Today, Rice followed through on that statement as she publicly left the Catholic Church over frustration with their social agenda, particularly their stance on gay rights.
Anne Rice, author of Interview With The Vampire, has had an interesting relationship with religion in her life. She was raised catholic, but renounced the church when she was 18. She became an atheist and wrote novels with a markedly anti-christian tone. But in 1998 she made headlines by converting to Catholicism writing exclusively Christian-themed novels, like Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.
Due to the Churches active stance against gay marriage, Rice could not in good conscience stay a member of the church. Today she posted to her facebook: “It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.” And Today on NPR she cited gay marriage as the last straw that prompted her to leave:
"I didn't anticipate at the beginning that the U.S. bishops were going to come out against same-sex marriage," she says. "That they were actually going to donate money to defeat the civil rights of homosexuals in the secular society." (NPR)
I say kudos to her for not remaining silent. The Catholic Church is a source of inspiration, hope, and meaning for countless people, and Rice said the decision to leave was a very painful one. But even though it was difficult to turn her back on her faith, she did what she thought was right. The Church has a right to take an anti-gay stance, but when they publically advocate for anti-equality measures in regular society, I think they are crossing a line. As a young person, I am inspired by Rice’s actions to speak out. It is too rare these days to see someone living out their principles in such a profound way, and I hope Anne Rice serves as a role model to others. As she said, "all that is needed for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing," and I am moved by her bold decision to speak out.
Dan Jubelirer is a 2010 Netroots Fellow at Amplify, a youth-driven community dedicated to promoting sexual health and reproductive justice.