David Ranan

first met British author and social critic David Ranan in a Rome bookshop in the summer of 2007. He was spending a few months in the city absorbing the cultural climate of the Vatican's hometown. He'd just published his first book, ”Double Cross: The Code of the Catholic Church," a critical reflection about Roman Catholic Church history. He was curious to get to know Romans — and their priests — firsthand.

Ranan grew up in Israel and Holland, where he attended an English boarding school. He served in the Israeli Defense Force, later obtaining a BA in economics, an MBA, both of them in Israel, and a PhD in London. He worked as a banker and strategic consultant before turning to research and writing. "There is nothing very titillating about me," he says.

"Double Cross: The Code of the Catholic Church": Doubts from an athiest.

A tall and weighty man with a big, bellowing voice that betrays strong traces of both Israeli and German accents (he comes from a German-Jewish family), Ranan is an atheist who considers religious belief a curiosity. He speaks with the playful authority of someone who won't tell all. During his sojourn in Rome, he spent his days attending Mass and approaching Catholic priests on the street, tossing out questions like, "What made you decide to go into the priesthood?"

Since his Rome sojourn, he's published "God Bless America," a personal and political reflection written in New York City during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign between John McCain and Barack Obama. These are excerpts from a recent email exchange.

Were you ever religious?

I didn't grow up in a religious family, and from childhood on I was very skeptical of the power of religion. I was more than skeptical, indeed I was angry: angry because of the power wielded by the Jewish religious establishment in Israel through the willingness of the secular regime and political parties to coerce the rest of the population into adherence to religious laws.

"Double Cross" draws a poor picture of the Catholic Church and its actions from the early popes through Pope John Paul II. You cite an almost uninterrupted stream of treachery and dishonesty, misconduct and psychological bribery. Why then do so many people — and so many non-Catholics — continue to see the Church as a force for good in the world?

Well, I am not sure that I agree with your statement "so many people…see the Church as a force for good in the world."

I disagree. I think many people regard it with knee-jerk respect. I'm not talking about Mother Theresa-style charity work, but of seeing nuns or Catholic priests in public and treating them as deserving of a special deference. This is quite curious, no?

I think you have just explained it yourself. To begin with, knee-jerk is just what it is. It's not logical.

David Ranan.

But importantly you are describing respect that is often shown to priests and nuns and not to the Church. This respect is for their willingness to forego pleasures — material and physical — in favor of life a life led according to their values. This in itself is worthy of respect.

When we speak of the Church as a "force for good" we normally think of the charitable work undertaken by members of religious orders and other lay members in areas of health and education. They are driven by their faith and their religious role models to take on social responsibility. This important and often vital work is admirable indeed.

Then there is the emotional sustenance and support that religion and faith in general offer their adherents. These have been proven to be of great importance to millions of faithful of all religions, including the Catholic Church. This may be considered by some as a force for good in the world. I would not consider this to be good caused by the structure (the Church) but rather good caused by faith.

Sam Harris's very persuasive book "The End of Faith" condemns the idea of faith as a force for good. He regards it as a shield for fanaticism. Might the Church be protecting its power behind a mask?

I know the Sam Harris book. His conclusion is that faith is dangerous. But, the fact that faith sometimes shields fanaticism does not mean that it cannot also be a force for good.

I actually spoke about the subjective importance of faith for many who feel they need the support of faith in order to cope with life. To those who need the support and feel they get it from faith — faith is a force for good. Those for whom the vehicle for their faith is the Church, will feel that the Church does them good. The Church, like all institutions, will do whatever it can to protect its power. This naturally includes manipulating faith.

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