So, I’m new to this blogging thing, and I apologize for any neophyte mistakes I make along the way. But here I am, and my name is notacommie, which is because, you know, I’m not a communist. Well, not really.

My girlfriend (who’s Catholic, by the way–though I have something to say to glitterwriter’s post) tells me that I’m actually a moderate and not a liberal, but I think I’m pretty darn liberal and here’s why: my definitions of liberal, moderate, and conservative all deal with how much change you think should happen. Conservatives are pretty okay with the way things are (or were), moderates want some change, and I want a lotta change. So that makes me liberal.

BUT I love Adoration, and I go to confession regularly, and I try to go to Mass often (not quite daily, because that involves waking up early, but in the summer, I’m pretty good about getting to Mass quite a few times a week). So I’m also pretty orthodox about a lot of things, I suppose, but then I’m not too (I’m not sure about the Virgin birth and a lot of other dogma, but we’ll get to that later).

Anyways, enough about me. Fascinating point, glitterwriter. You know, my whole family are a bunch of cradle Catholics, but my brother, er, we’ll call him Luke, is now an avowed agnostic in the full-traditional-sense. He simly doesn’t think there’s enough evidence to believe anything–it’s not that he hasn’t made up his mind: he has. He thinks you just can’t know. So, fine. He’s my brother, I love him, and he doesn’t go to Mass, and there are other things I need to worry about, like why my circuitbreaker always seems to short out just on the circuit that runs my AC. (Landlords!)

But things get tricky when we’re at Mass together for family events. He goes up to get the Eucharist, you see, because he says the tradition is meaingful to him, and to placate our mother, who really doesn’t want to believe her son has left Holy Mother Church. I’ve told “Luke” I’m uncomfortable with him recieving the Eucharist becuase he doesn’t believe it’s really the Body of Christ. It’d be one thing if he were experiencing a period of doubt and recieved anyways–that’s fine, we all go through that. But he flat out does not believe.

He says it doesn’t matter, and I guess I’m not that worried about it, because Jesus, if I may pun, is one tough cracker. (sorry, sorry). If he can survive all he’s been through, he can handle being in my brother’s apostate tummy. Still, it seems quite direspectful. How do you think I should approach him and, for that matter, my mother?

Oh, and glitterwriter, I would say that you and your boyfriend are doing the right thing not to recieve Communion. I know I’m supposed to be all liberal and say everything’s fine, but belief is belief, And most Christian faiths believe very different things about the Eucharist. I believe that that is actually the Body and Blood of Christ, and unless you’re saying it is too, I’m not going to consume it, and unless you think it is too, I’m not comfortable with you consuming. Unless you’re my brother and our tyrannical mom gets in the way.

Help! People! Jesus, my argumentative, self-righteous brother, and my passive-aggressive mother all hang in the balance! I need your advice!