I think that article is absolutely correct. I have read most of Fr. Rohr’s books and tapes and even re-read them when I was in University. The result was I was spiritually misguided by his teachings. His ideas are influenced by New Age philosophy and thinking. He sounds very original and authoritative, and has a gentle and talented speaking voice, which helps his message spread.
He intentionally makes himself look like an (objective) outsider to the Church. He paints a picture of him versus the structure of the Church, of which he claims Jesus Himself would oppose. The main problem with Father Richard Rohr is the way he uses language, and doesn’t express himself clearly. He has said many things which can be taken many different ways, and it is not clear which way he means. His language is unclear, at times illogical and contradictory.
For example, he often says that Jesus dying on the cross was not neccesary, he tries to explain why, but the fact is that from any perspective is false according to the Catholic faith.
I just watched a youtube sermon of Fr. Rohr and he said a few times, “God is Mother”.
This is not the faith we got from the apostles, and it certainly isn’t in the scriptures. He is inventing new things and since no one opposes Him, he simply gets away with making up things about God and the Church which are not in accord with God or the Church.
His teaching on sexuality is also dangerous, he claims that God doesn’t care so much about sexual sin. Fr. Rohr’s downplaying of the gravity of sexual sins is scandalous to weak souls.
He also downplays the distinction between man and woman, which is natural considering he calls God “mother”. He supports people who condemn calling homosexual activity a sin. He claims that the church as a whole has “excluded” and “judged” homosexuals, as if it were Church policy to do so, rather than individuals who did so. Therein lies another fault, he piles together the failures of individuals to the Church as a whole. He dislikes the clarity of Church documents and say they are ineffective and don’t convert anyone because they are “too clear”. He believes vague and unclear things are more effective to convert and produce good effects.
One of the things to understand about Fr. Rohr is his positions don’t make logical sense, but he tries to excuse the fact that they don’t. He calls his exceptions to the rules of logic and reason the “tension of opposites” or the “dualistic mind”. There is no clear right and wrong with Fr. Rohr, it is all about the emotions and the will. To him, being absolutely clear on what is right and wrong is wrong. To think there is a clear right and wrong is wrong.
He prides himself though on being learned and reading many books, but somehow missed the fact that something cannot be true and false at the same time.
He seems to claim that he is speaking from his own experience and “inner authority” but actually his authority comes from eastern religions, and new age spirituality/ the occult “the enneagram” . He talks like he is Jesus himself, saying he is a radical, a reformer, an outsider persecuted, but how prideful is that? Is that holiness or pride that labels oneself in such a way?
One of the most devasting things spiritually for me personally was his introducing me to the enneagram.
I became addicted to studying it and thought I knew everything about everyone I knew, all about why they do the things they do etc. But it was all false, there is no scientific proof for it. The enneagram is indeed like all too many of the ideas Fr. Rohr advocates, either made up or simply wrong.
Don’t get sucked in to his books or teachings, they seem to have solid Catholic teaching, as well as ideas that make you feel good and seem rather esoteric, like a secret spirituality and way of thinking that the Church somehow left out, but it’s nothing but new age spirituality mixed with other heresies, sprinkled here and there with truths about Christ and the Church. Father Rohr will initiate you into a world not of the true Church, not of God, while seeming Catholic and good.
Let us pray for Fr. Rohr, and pray that he gets some good sense to give up all that nonsense and come back to reason, and for all he has misguided through his preaching.
