tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560483615460834385.post5129999161429689992..comments2024-03-22T05:53:17.342-04:00Comments on On This Rock: A Response to a Friend about Questions on The ChurchFather John Hollowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12850864104003705536noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560483615460834385.post-62629731141468432462012-12-09T08:45:19.193-05:002012-12-09T08:45:19.193-05:00"Yes, but is it as good as a moral compass th..."Yes, but is it as good as a moral compass that is guided by the Holy Spirit and the experience of 2,000 years worth of human beings that have lived before us."<br /><br />It's obvious to the rest of the world that the Catholic church does not have any special advantage when it comes to morals. Heck, even the head of the Church, who supposedly talk to his god now and then, seems pretty oblivious to the fact that pedophilia is wrong. The Catholic church has a long history of being just as bad as everyone else (if not more so) which is pretty indicative that there's no guidance from above, that popes are just winging it, or that the Catholic god is quite inadequate to say the least.<br /><br />But hey, at least you managed to say "we're more moral than you are" in a nice way.Korinthianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10876658079597853473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560483615460834385.post-26337814379462408432010-12-04T08:14:00.311-05:002010-12-04T08:14:00.311-05:00I think most people miss the point overall here, w...I think most people miss the point overall here, which is most likely related to the fact that the Catholic Church does not feel it has the right to change what has been a constant for 2000 years based on Christ's original actions.Stonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15509337942192519188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560483615460834385.post-32535467141610969362010-12-01T07:40:27.207-05:002010-12-01T07:40:27.207-05:00As to the Apostles being Jewish, and that being a ...As to the Apostles being Jewish, and that being a constituent in becoming a priest -<br /><br />"According to this objection [that priesthood should only be open to Jews] Jesus' sex has no theological value; it was only one of several "historical particularities" that characterized him and should not be used to determine admission to ordination.<br /> This question, which may seem naive or facetious, in fact highlights a key element in the magisterium's position, namely, that the Church came to discover the importance of Jesus' way of acting only in the course of responding to innovations in practice that deviated from his example. Theologians, pastors, and Popes denounced the admission of women to priestly functions and ordination whenever this occurred. There is no record of any similar controversy over the admission of non-Jews to the apostolic ministry. Once the conditions had been determined for admitting Gentiles to Baptism and participation in the community (see Acts 15:19-20), any such possible controversy had been precluded. Jewish men, fittingly, had been called to represent the 12 patriarchs in the constitution of the New Covenant, but the Fathers of the Church never thought it necessary to subject the Jewish identity of the Twelve to theological reflection in connection with the Christian priesthood. They did, however, reflect on the theological implications of the call of the Twelve to represent Christ, and on the vocation of their successors, the bishops, to represent both Christ and the Twelve in the midst of the Church."<br /><br />As for there only being 12 priests in the world, I hope the above quotations also point out the problems with that assertion as well.Father John Hollowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12850864104003705536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560483615460834385.post-62480903628445197392010-12-01T07:31:10.004-05:002010-12-01T07:31:10.004-05:00Sr. Sara Butler addresses the issue of "shoe ...Sr. Sara Butler addresses the issue of "shoe size vs. genatalia" way better than I could:<br /><br />"The Word could not assume a genuine human nature without being either a male or a female. Humanity comes in a "double issue." Although man and woman are equal as persons, they are not identical; according to God's plan, there are two different bodily ways of being human. Considered in their sexual difference, man and woman are ordered to one another. Human sexuality is directly ordained both for the communion of persons and for the generation of human beings.<br /> The meaning of sexual difference cannot be reduced to a function or to a matter of "reproductive role specialization." It includes that, of course, but the fundamental capacity to generate new life also shapes the way a person is inserted into the world and related to others. Only a man can be a husband and a father; only a woman can be a wife and a mother. These non-interchangeable components of sexual complementarity mark our humanity deeply; they refer to the fundamental vocation of a man or woman, as a person, to make the fit of self to God and to others...One cannot deny that being a male rather than a female was as significant for Jesus as it would be for any of us without calling into question his true humanity."Father John Hollowellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12850864104003705536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560483615460834385.post-28963894770578168932010-11-30T19:48:08.782-05:002010-11-30T19:48:08.782-05:00I don't think that limiting the priesthood to ...I don't think that limiting the priesthood to only males because Jesus selected only men as his 12 apostles is a good argument. They were also all Jewish. Should only Jewish converts be priests? They were all middle-eastern. Should all priest be from the middle-east or as a minimum of middle-eastern decent? Jesus only selected 12. Should there only be 12 priests at a time? Their names were Peter, Paul, etc...Should a Steve not be allowed? <br /><br />Is there more to the church's argument? It seems silly to randomly pick and choose which stats about the original 12 are followed and which are not.<br /><br />Perhaps each of the 12 had exactly the same size feet? Seems just as reasonable to base ability to be a priest on feet as genitalia. Wouldn't it be funny if I was right about the foot size being the thing that mattered and now since humans are so much bigger than they were, it is mostly women who have the right sized foot.mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01490148851931012358noreply@blogger.com