Today in American Dharma: Anne Rice Quits Christianity "for Christ"

Less than a week ago (July 28th to be exact), Anne Rice, the author of the famous Vampire Chronicles (and my favorite author), announced via that she quit Christianity. The message appeared in two facebook status updates. The first read as follows:


"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."

and the second promptly followed:

"As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I'm out. 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."

Now, some may say, "Who cares?". Fans of her books may know that she made a very public return to Catholicism (after being an avowed atheist and the queen of darkness for many) a few years back, claiming she would cease to write about vampires and witches and only write for Christ (including her Christ the Lord series and now her new Angel Time series). What is also interesting is the response this has all gotten, as if one woman's personal, spiritual life spoke out as a beacon to many, and a sign of our times.

I was going to write about this the other day (this entry was started August 1st) , but I'm glad that I didn't. Since then some deliciously interesting reactions to Mrs. Rice's decision have popped up all over the internet including a very amusing advertisement for the liberal Christian United Church of Christ group that claimed: You'd Like the UCC, Anne Rice!. Other groups that have jumped on the ban wagon of reviewing Anne Rice's decision include publications like the New York Times and Religion Dispatches, liberal Christian groups, agnostic groups, conservative Christian groups, and the individuals who have written letters to Rice (which she has posted on her facebook wall): many of whom are intrigued or completely agree with the idea of a personal Christ anti-organization approach to religion.

It is worth wondering if it is the sign of our times... In my own life, I know a majority of the people I know prefer personal spirituality to organized religion. Often they cite the corruptness of the Church, the extremism of the Religious Right, or even the old fashioned nature of organized religion. In my own analysis of my friends, peers, and colleagues, I also wonder how much of this is just us being American. Americans certainly are still religious, but being the headstrong individuals that most of us are, our way is best, and since we are all individuals, shouldn't our God and our Christ (if we are for Christ), be the way we see him, through our perception? I always thought that's why Swami Vivekananda did so well in capturing the American spirit, because his teaching of Vedanta focused on the individual, the individual's experience, and the individual's enlightenment. In this same spirit much of the New Age spirituality flourishes. Even today's evangelical movement is based upon a "personal relationship with Jesus" within the individual's own heart (despite one's Church attendance, only the individual can choose to be "saved").

So, although many think Anne Rice may be doing something interesting and radical by rejecting Christianity for the Christ, I'd say that she's a Catholic soul just tapping in to that good ol' American religion of her Protestant cousins.