Thinking back on my literacy and those who influenced it, I think I’ve underappreciated how much the Catholic Church has done for me in that regard. These days it almost seems fun to bash religion and constantly remind ourselves of how corrupt these organizations are, and I don’t think it’s wrong at all to be bringing up the hypocrisy of the Church.
However, I do think it’s important to give credit where credit is due. I used to go to a private catholic school as a young child (and still do now I guess), and while I was there, like most schools, they would try and teach us to read and write as soon as possible. Learning how to write our names and how to read basic words was something that I think I’ve taken for granted, and haven’t truly given much thought to who was responsible for teaching me. It wasn’t just my school of course, my parents tried their best to teach me how to read before I even started going to school. In light of all the corruption and scandals that plague the Church’s reputation, I think it’s important to realize that there’s still good intentions in there.
