Anne Rice’s Catholic Anti-Catholicism

By now, most have read Anne Rice’s emphatic rejection of Christianity.  She laid out her template of left-wing values which are more important to her than being part of the church which rejects these things (anti-science, anti-Democrat, anti-gay, anti-life, waitaminute, did she say anti-life?) and declared her allegiance to Jesus alone.

What fascinates me about the way she has done this is how Catholic she is in her rejection of the Catholic Church.

If Anne Rice were a Protestant of almost any kind, she would surely flee to a denominational group or congregation which embraces Jesus while more closely approximating her values.  There is no doubt it would be possible to do so.  There are liberal Baptists, liberal Lutherans, liberal Methodists, etc.

But Rice doesn’t avail herself of that opportunity.  And I think I know why.  Anne Rice movingly wrote of her Catholic childhood and of her dramatic return to the church.  At no point did she apparently consider returning to faith as a Protestant.  She clearly believes that the Catholic church is the only true manifestation of the Christian church.  And thus, when she rejects it, there is no other church for her to join.  She is affirming the church at the same time she loudly and publicly is slamming the door and running away.