but as an ex-Catholic, there's a world/God-view in it that appeals to me for reasons that I can't put my finger on beyond just a common frame of reference.

My extremely lapsed-Catholic dad thought it was a fabulous movie. Of course, he thinks that The Prophecy is the best movie about The Church ever, and keeps borrowing my DVD of it.

The Prophecy is cool because it has Viggo Mortenson playing Satan. It's not many people who can out-creepy Christopher Walken.

My mom is a practicing Catholic who stole my copy of Dogma and keeps a Buddy Christ on the knickknack shelf above the kitchen sink.

This is also the church that offers rice cakes instead of bread for people with wheat or gluten allergies.

That is so awesome!

My favorite Satan is the sad Saddam-fucking Satan of the South Park movie.

A friend and I made a pilgrimage to Red Bank, NJ one time (we didn't have the money to take a real spring break, so we road-tripped to the Quik-Stop). While we were driving, we saw the church they must have used for some exterior shots at the end and almost crashed the car. (It may not have been, as it didn't have the lawn where Alanis was doing cartwheels, but the windows were identical.)

ETA:

My favorite Satan is the sad Saddam-fucking Satan of the South Park movie.

I begged my little brother to sing the song "Up There" for the school talent show. He would have brought down the house.

That is so awesome!

I'm surprised your church doesn't do that.

Dear boy, insent.

eta: I'm fairly sure my parish would do it, but a priest on the East coast got reprimanded for doing it a few months back so it doesn't look like (a) the big-c Church is gonna be cool with it and (b) my parish is likely to try it anytime soon. We already have the spooky conservabot bisohop from Ohio (sorry, Tep) breathing down our necks, so we're trying to lay low and be stealth progressives.

Though I have a feeling there may be a blow-up with the new bishop at some point; I just don't know if the staff and the parishioners' council have decided which issues they're willing to ask us all to go to the mat on.

I'm surprised your church doesn't do that.

Unfortunately, canon law says it ain't God less'n it's made from the right ingredients. It's not JZ's priest's fault.

I just don't know if the staff and the parishioners' council have decided which issues they're willing to ask us all to go to the mat on.

As my father said over and over (and did I listen?) "You've got to pick your battles."

When I went to my mom's church in April, I was shocked at how Protestant it seemed. Lots of singing instead of reciting the standard lines, no kneeling (heck, no kneelers to kneel on!), and an overall approach that reminded me of the one Lutheran service I attended (for a friend's daughter's christening). I leaned over to my mom midway through the service and asked her when she converted.

For as liberal as I am, I guess I'm a traditionalist when it comes to Mass. Mom promised to take me to an older-fashioned church next time I go out there. If I could find a church that would combine the style of service I grew up with and a liberal philosophy (willing to buck the Vatican), I'd attend Mass regularly instead of just once or twice a year.

If I could find a church that would combine the style of service I grew up with and a liberal philosophy (willing to buck the Vatican), I'd attend Mass regularly instead of just once or twice a year.

My Book-of-Common-Prayer-loving Episcopal heart agrees with you. My problem is that the old-liturgy/new liturgy split is also the conservative/liberal split. Makes it hard for a liberal Episcopalian to get her fill of Cranmer's exalted language.