The Cat and the Mouse (and the Church)

I just read* the second story in the Brothers Grimm's books, and I cannot help but feel it is still so current because of its message: Churches are not always safe.

Places of Peace?

For those wondering I say it's very current, there's a a very good reason for it: Churches are not safe, not anymore, not in many places. For the sake of simplicity, I'll take the United States as an example, where the numbers of sexual assaults by members of the church are worth worrying for.

Just to give an example of this, Méténier (2020) wrote that: 

In 2004, an independent study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York) put the number of priests accused of abusing minors between 1950 and 2002 at 4,400, i.e. 4% of the 110,000 priests serving during that period. 11,000 people are reported to have been victims of this abuse, of whom 67% were aged between 11 and 17 at the time.

In Pennsylvania, a Grand Jury, formed in January 2018 of 23 American citizens under the jurisdiction of a prosecutor, found in August 2019 that sexual abuse had been perpetrated by more than 300 priests on 1,000 children and covered up by the Church. Priest David Poulson, 65, was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault and attempted assault on two boys aged 8 and 15.

Also, some members of the church have a questionable order of priorities. According to Gun Violence Archive, just in Texas this year there have been 44 shootings, But there's one event that got me thinking: There were shootings on May 29, May 31, June 2, June 4, ergo four shootings in just one week, with 13 injured and six dead. However, right after a bar hosted a family friendly drag queen show on June 4,  which many protested against, a Republican former pastor and current Texas Representative, Bryan Slaton, 'said a law was necessary to protect children from "perverted adults"' on June 6.

Churches are supposed to be places of peace, of meditation, of worship, but a lot of religious people blame the victim, and some feel the can even joke about assaulting a child. What does it mean in a larger scale? That Christianity is declining in the US, and seems like things are unlikely to change. This is just one religion in one country, and there are 195 countries total. Think about the numbers all this would imply.

Religion is not the Problem, Though

For me, this story is a clear metaphor about members of the church, and religious people in general, with talent for words and sympathy, preaching (conditional) love and (selective) salvation, who are actually hiding too many skeletons in the closet. while it's not a tale about a practice, it does lend itself to some theory and discussion.

What do we expect from religion? What about religious places, which are supposed to be sacred? What kind of things happen in there? Are they as sacred as the place is supposed to be? These are all questions to keep in mind when thinking and speaking (or writing, as in this case) about religion and religious people.

"What do we expect from religion? What about religious places, which are supposed to be sacred? What kind of things happen in there? Are they as sacred as the place is supposed to be?". Image by Alexa from Pixabay.

A lot of people say that they don't believe in religion, and the last stats I shared about Christianity show that many are now identifying as non-religious. The thing is, religion is not the problem, but the followers. It's true that many religions have been used as social tools by the state to keep power just for a selected few and control the mass, and the mass would believe every. single. word. But now things are different, we can prove other people wrong, we can have our own point of view. People are the problem, because Texans can't blame Christianity for a law against drag shows instead of one regarding regulations, they can't blame Christianity for people being abused at churches, but they can blame Christian who seem to forget the "love thy neighbor as thyself".

More than a Spell (but also a Spell)

Instead of a spell, an incantation, a ritual regarding this, I think it's much more powerful to start conversation about this topic. But since not many will agree with this, I though, what about the symbolism of the mouse? In this story, the mouse is the working class, those with seemingly no power, the ones who stay at home and take care of it and the family. Common folk. We are all common folk. We are all mouses, the ones deprived of power by those special few I mentioned before, the cats.

Keeping with this analogy, what if all mouses took a stand against those few cats? Mice can reproduce with ease, their number increasing rapidly, making them symbols of fertility. Cats have been symbols of magic and mystery, which we are deprived by since we don't have the same knowledge or access to information as them. Why not take it back to ourselves and remind the cats we are the ones who keep them in that position?

And so I wrote a thing. Maybe consider incorporating catnip, which has been used as a sedative, ergo, to put someone to sleep.

A Mouse's Revenge Incantation

Sacred hymns you defile with your face,

Sacred vows, too much honor for your names.

You took power without asking, without thinking,

You took it all, swallow down, made us listen.

Look at us with cat-like eyes, playing with your prey,

Mouses between your paws, feeding your greed and reign.

We're the ones who keep you up, who sing your praise,

But we're also the ones who can burn your place.

We're the ones who clean your debris,

We're the ones who build your seat,

Paint your picture, harvest your tea,

Yet it's only us you claim that sin.

You're the ones who damn us all,

You're the ones who make us fall,

You're the sickness in this place,

You're the vermins with an ugly face.

Go to sleep, fatty cats, drink your tea, and go to sleep,

Go to bed, take a rest, and hope you have sweet dreams.

We made you a bed your size and shape,

A pretty gravestone with your face and name.

*I originally wrote this for my Patreon, but since I'm focusing on the blog now, I wanted to share an updated version here.

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