Before there was Stephanie Meyer and the Twilight series, before there was Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels and HBO’s True Blood, there was Anne Rice. With books like Interview With a Vampire (which was the inspiration for the hit movie starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise) Rice is arguably the mother of today’s vampire craze.
These days, though, Rice is in the news for a different reason. Last week the author announced that she and Christianity have called it quits. The writer’s religious history has been a more of a rocky road than a trip down the straight and narrow. Though raised Catholic, Rice rejected the church as a young adult and her salacious, gothic novels weren’t exactly Sunday school readings. But in the late 1990s Rice converted to Catholicism and began to write exclusively Christian-themed novels, like Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.
But last week, Rice said, “I’m out.” She announced on her Faceback page:
On July 28 she announced on her Facebook page:
For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. 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.
She went on to say:
In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.
Rice’s decision to remove the label Christian but stick with Christ begs the question, Can this really be done? Since much of the New Testament stresses the importance of fellowship with a body of believers, can you truly be committed to Christ and not be devoted to the Christian church?
When I read Rice’s statements the first thought that came to mind was, “I’ve been there.” In the past I have attended churches that left me convinced that my feminist beliefs were an abomination and that my vagina made me a second-class citizen in the kingdom of God.
I too have been on the verge of dumping the church. After years of hearing fire and brimstone sermons at one particular church, I was convinced that God absolutely hated me and I figured that if that was true then there was no point in doing any of this religion stuff. After all, how do you change the mind of the creator of the entire universe?
Eventually, I got back on track thanks to a new church that helped me grow so close to Christ that I felt like He was holding my hand as I walked down sidewalks and crossed streets. Here in Birmingham I’ve found another church that feeds my soul and urges me toward deeper devotion to God. However, I know that this church is not perfect and I haven’t been there long. Of course, there’s a chance the hell fire and damnation messages could kick in any given Sunday.
Rice’s announcement called to mind the popular bumper sticker: “I love Jesus, but hate his fan club.” But what I learned from my past experiences is that while church is important, it is more important to have a strong personal faith that goes beyond religion and is a relationship. It’s important to have a love for Christ that’s not only strong enough to help you hold on to your faith despite the crazy fans, but is strong enough to make you love them too.
I like this piece Jai. And I can understand and relate as well. You and I have had several discussions regarding such. This is one of the main reasons why I tell people all the time that I am not religious but spiritual because to me there is a difference. So many people are religious and caught up in what it means to be religious and to belong to a particular church or group and all be damned who do not agree with them or who are not a part of their group. To me, as you stated in your article, a relationship is more important and that is where my spirituality comes in to play. I feel that it is much more important for me to have a personal relationship with God where He and I can connect on a one on one basis than for me to claim a particular religion. There are people right on the church who don’t have that relationship so what makes them better than anyone else? Just because they go to church every Sunday? That just doesn’t fly with me. I enjoy church when the message is on point and as you also stated, is not about hell, fire and brimstone!
You can belong to a religion all day long but unless you have that connection, then in my mind and humble opinion, it doesn’t make a bit of difference.
I went to a friends church on the past Sunday. And they “allowed” a woman to do the sermon but i could barely concentrate on the sermon due to that fact that they dont allow the women to preach in the pulpit but give them a small podium down below the pulpit to deliver their message. this is the kind of think that makes you go Anne Rice. so i completely understand where she is coming from.
Merch, the church I grew up in had that no woman in the pulpit rule too. Even as a little girl I knew something was wrong with that.
I cannot believe churches still have that ‘no women in the pulpit’ rule. If a woman is called to preach, who are we to say she can’t?
I bet they have no problem with a woman going in the pulpit to run a vacuum or to dust it off.