Didn’t read the article but was waiting for the Catholic subject to be brought up. People need to be in jail.

Give Catholics two choices.

1. Everything going on gets fully investigated with any guilty perpetrators being fully prosecuted with none of their secrecy, failure to remove offenders, only removing them to place them somewhere else under the church's eye and so on.

2. No more tax-exempt status. Give them the same status as any other "den of vice" in a community would receive.

just let these guys marry and have a wife to rub on.  THe whole priesthood thing is weird as hell.  JC had a women...hell one of the 10 commandments mentions a wife but if you want to run a catholic church you have to go against biology, human nature and your own religion.

posted by Spock

just let these guys marry and have a wife to rub on.  THe whole priesthood thing is weird as hell.  JC had a women...hell one of the 10 commandments mentions a wife but if you want to run a catholic church you have to go against biology, human nature and your own religion.

2 things here... 

I have a friend from high school who became a priest, and according to him, priests not being allowed to marry is not due to an ancient belief that jesus didn't want them to or anything.. it's from the fact the priests don't have time for families. Their congregation is their family and there's not a lot of free time during any hour of the day when you're a priest. You're always making 3 am runs to the hospital to anoint people before they die and such. It wouldn't be fair to your family.

And secondly... I doubt marrying a woman is going to suppress pedophilia. It doesn't in any other segment of life, so I'm not sure why it would for priests. I believe pedophiles are drawn to priesthood and other professions that give them access and authority over kids. Add in the fact it seems the church is willing to protect you, well... hell, you might as well have a sign up at the seminary saying "Pedo's sign up here."

I don't know how anyone could trust to leave their children with any priest.   I don't even know how I could trust to leave my hypothetical kids with anyone outside of family and very close friends.

OMG!!!!   property taxes!!?!??!!

but, yeah....pervert priests can go to hell

posted by gut

 

 

but, yeah....pervert priests can go to hell

but, yeah....if you believe in God and that He has a plan, I'd have to say this would be part of it

posted by gut

OMG!!!!   property taxes!!?!??!!

 

but, yeah....pervert priests can go to hell

Meh, it'll hit them in the wallet and that's the only thing churches really care about. When the whole "tithing is now mandatory" and "we're really cutting back on soup kitchens and any other useful charitable functions" mandates come down, the places will be ghost towns except for the most delusional/devout types.

Besides, living in a rural area, it seems like there is a church for every 20 people in this county. I've long thought it'd be a fun experiment to see how many there'd be if they were treated like any other business, so "take away the tax exempt status" is my go-to whenever anything controversial or flat-out wrong comes up involving religious types.

posted by kizer permanente

I have a friend from high school who became a priest, and according to him, priests not being allowed to marry is not due to an ancient belief that jesus didn't want them to or anything.. it's from the fact the priests don't have time for families. Their congregation is their family and there's not a lot of free time during any hour of the day when you're a priest. You're always making 3 am runs to the hospital to anoint people before they die and such. It wouldn't be fair to your family.

How do non-catholic pastors do it? 

posted by iclfan2

How do non-catholic pastors do it? 

They don't have daily mass or all the sacraments as the Catholic Church I'd imagine?

posted by iclfan2

How do non-catholic pastors do it? 

Yeah, my mom is a trustee at a Methodist church and the pastor there has a wife, some adopted or foster kids and other interests such as sports and shit. And still magically seems to find time to do church stuff, since my mom doesn't bitch about him like she did the last guy.

posted by kizer permanente

2 things here... 

I have a friend from high school who became a priest, and according to him, priests not being allowed to marry is not due to an ancient belief that jesus didn't want them to or anything.. it's from the fact the priests don't have time for families. Their congregation is their family and there's not a lot of free time during any hour of the day when you're a priest. You're always making 3 am runs to the hospital to anoint people before they die and such. It wouldn't be fair to your family.
 

The ancient belief actually makes more sense than this does. "There's no way you could balance the life of a priest while having a family. It's impossible. In fact, we don't even want you to attempt it." 

I think the no marriage  thing has more to to do with property rights when the priest dies. You cant have a wife or kids getting what should be church property. 

And what the the hell would they do about divorce?

I had heard that before about the church property not being passed along to heirs and did some Googling the other day when this thread came up. It appears as though that is not the reason for the no marrying. 

I watched a video where a priest explained that his flock was his family and his job was to prepare husband and wife for eternal life with God/Jesus since husband and wife will no longer be husband and wife. 

posted by Devils Advocate

I think the no marriage  thing has more to to do with property rights when the priest dies. You cant have a wife or kids getting what should be church property. 

 

And what the the hell would they do about divorce?

From my mom's Methodist church, they have is a parsonage house set up for whomever the preacher is at any time. While he's at the church, he and his family live there and when/if they get transferred to another church or retire, they move out for the next guy in line. I don't know if that's standard procedure for all non-fucked-up-by-default branches of christianity, but I'd think that as long as you have volunteers to help with upkeep and in getting it ready for the next preacher coming in, it'd be a logical way of handling things. At least more logical than telling them "NO WOMEN OR URGES ALLOWED!!!!" and then pretending that your group doesn't house a horrifyingly large number of sexual offenders.

posted by friendfromlowry

The ancient belief actually makes more sense than this does. "There's no way you could balance the life of a priest while having a family. It's impossible. In fact, we don't even want you to attempt it." 

I’d say there’s more professions than just priests who probably shouldn’t marry because it’s not fair to your spouse/kids. Doesn’t seem too far fetched to me? 

posted by kizer permanente

I’d say there’s more professions than just priests who probably shouldn’t marry because it’s not fair to your spouse/kids. Doesn’t seem too far fetched to me? 

Agreed that there are a ton of jobs out there that make it tough on having a family. I wouldn't go as far to say they shouldn't have a spouse/kids, though. How about leave that up to the individual.