RE: Ask a Catholic
June 20, 2015 at 6:19 pm
(This post was last modified: June 20, 2015 at 6:22 pm by Randy Carson.)
(June 20, 2015 at 3:31 pm)Neimenovic Wrote: Ok, that was very in depth. Thanks.
(June 20, 2015 at 2:48 pm)Randy Carson Wrote: Now, I fully understand that you are not a Catholic, not a Christian and not even a theist. However, what I have just shown is that Catholic thought on the subject of celibacy is consistent with with the Bible which Catholics believe to be the inspired Word of God. Consequently, the discipline of celibacy is consistent with the teachings of scripture. Is it your opinion that the Catholic Church is being inconsistent in any way?
If not, are there any other objections you have to priestly celibacy freely accepted as a gift by those to whom it is given?
I didn't mean it was contradicting the scripture, but thanks for clarifying that.
The problems I see with celibacy:
~it is applied to people who are supposed to be an authority in terms of marriage and family.
It seems to me that priests aren't qualified to speak as an authority on people's personal lives if they haven't got the experience needed to give advice.
I know you will say that they derive what they teach from the bible-fair enough. But there are still matters which aren't addressed in the bible, as they became problematic with changes in society. I don't think that what applied to Bronze Age Jews can be applied to today's families and marriages.
For instance, there's a lot about striking your son with a rod. Metaphorical? I'd believe it, if it wasn't mentioned so many times.
I think there are a lot of issues married couples and parents might have that priests can't comment on.
Does a physician need to have experienced a heart attack himself in order to give advice about diet and exercise as it relates to lowering your cholesterol? Does a counselor need to have been a heroin addict herself in order to advise a junkie about the dangers of unclean hypodermic needles?
I'm not trying to make light of this objection...I have heard it before from Protestants who also object to the celibacy of Catholic priests...I'm simply saying that the clinical psychiatrist with a PhD in family counseling might never have experienced ALL of the problems that his patients may discuss in his office, but that doesn't mean he's not able to effectively provide solutions to those who are hurting...even if he IS wearing a collar.
Quote:~it's unhealthy
I am certainly not denying there are people who would gladly be celibate and feel no ill effects of it. But overall, to many it may be damaging.
Those who abstain (wilfully, might I add) from sex have a death rate twice as high as those who don't. Having sex reduces risk if heart disease, depression and improves the immune system.
Repression of sexual urges, even wilful, leads to higher risk of aggression and crime. There is a link between it and insensitivity.
Well, these things might be true, I suppose, under normal circumstances. But we're talking about men whom, it may be presumed, are responding to a call from GOD. And if God calls, He also grants the grace.
Quote:~it attracts the wrong kind of people
To a sexually repressed individual, celibacy appears tempting. Many who become priests are already involuntarily sexually repressed. This may lead to incidents such as sexual harassment or even child abuse in the case of sexually repressed pedophiles. Of course this in no way applies to all celibate priests, but it is an issue.
You will get no argument from me here. I was a candidate at a Trappist monastery for five years, and I did meet with the vocation director of the Archdiocese of Atlanta when I was a student there. So, I had a little insight into what was required for entrance into the religious life or priesthood. Let me just say that psychological profiling is an important component of candidate evaluation and - in light of all that has gone on with regard to the pedophile priest scandal - an even more significant factor today than in the past.
I can assure you that seminaries and monasteries do NOT want men who are anything less than 100% healthy, happy and well-adjusted because religious life is no escape. If anything, it is a pressure cooker that turns UP the heat...not down.
Quote:That's all I can think of right now, off the top of my head.
Great. Let me know if you have any further thoughts on this post.