You're in Catholic Country Now, Dorothy
Living in another country, every day provides a fun (and at times frustrating) chance to observe cultural differences. The latest: I am surprised by how little the majority of Italians know about other religions besides Catholicism. The country is predominantly Catholic but most Italians are non-practicing. That is, they consider themselves Catholic and go to mass on the holidays and special occasions.
So I was at dinner with friends the other night. One of the most stereotypically Italian moments I've had so far. There was a huge bunch of us - cousins, uncles, aunts, friends - sitting around an incredibly long dinner table. We were at the country house, being renovated just like that in Under the Tuscan Sun. And, of course, we ate tons of homemade pizza and drank homemade wine. After we finished eating, we sat around for awhile, just chatting and laughing. Don't remember how, but at one point the conversation turned to religion and someone asked me which mass I attend. My friend interjected that I'm protestant, and upon hearing that news everyone had a million questions for me, mainly, "What do you believe?" No one at the table (approximately 15) could answer what the difference between Catholics and Protestants was.
This coming from a country that teaches religion classes in public schools. Everyone from the kids I watch to high schoolers has religion homework and classes. There are churches literally on every corner here, like Starbucks in Seattle. Towns close down on the holidays celebrating their respective saints. And yet the majority of the population doesn't know that Protestants believe in the same Trinity (God, Jesus, Holy Spirit) that Catholics do. According to them, Protestants don't believe in "The Church" and so for that they are heretics.
Fortunately my friends are like many Italians, in that they are not strict Catholics. They didn't just write me off as a heretic the moment they learned I wasn't Catholic; instead they are interested in and open to learning about what I believe. It was a fun and educational cultural exchange.
Just yet one more to jot down in the "things I've observed and learned" notebook for the year.
So I was at dinner with friends the other night. One of the most stereotypically Italian moments I've had so far. There was a huge bunch of us - cousins, uncles, aunts, friends - sitting around an incredibly long dinner table. We were at the country house, being renovated just like that in Under the Tuscan Sun. And, of course, we ate tons of homemade pizza and drank homemade wine. After we finished eating, we sat around for awhile, just chatting and laughing. Don't remember how, but at one point the conversation turned to religion and someone asked me which mass I attend. My friend interjected that I'm protestant, and upon hearing that news everyone had a million questions for me, mainly, "What do you believe?" No one at the table (approximately 15) could answer what the difference between Catholics and Protestants was.
This coming from a country that teaches religion classes in public schools. Everyone from the kids I watch to high schoolers has religion homework and classes. There are churches literally on every corner here, like Starbucks in Seattle. Towns close down on the holidays celebrating their respective saints. And yet the majority of the population doesn't know that Protestants believe in the same Trinity (God, Jesus, Holy Spirit) that Catholics do. According to them, Protestants don't believe in "The Church" and so for that they are heretics.
Fortunately my friends are like many Italians, in that they are not strict Catholics. They didn't just write me off as a heretic the moment they learned I wasn't Catholic; instead they are interested in and open to learning about what I believe. It was a fun and educational cultural exchange.
Just yet one more to jot down in the "things I've observed and learned" notebook for the year.
2 Comments:
At 6:08 PM,
Ryan said…
Cool Sarah. Sounds like it was a great conversation. Im interested in how you described your faith to these people who know nothing about it (and in a foreign language!).
At 7:30 PM,
Sherene said…
Very interesting Sarah. What a great opportunity for you to let God work through you into their lives!
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