Guys I'm upset: My cousin pastor wrote a HARSH piece on the Catholic Church (sex abuse)

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Predator Priests: The Church's Great Sin Of Patriarchy

Any religious doctrine that upholds the authority of men over women is setting itself up to be an accessory to abuse. If you say that women can't preach, you are essentially saying that women are not equal to men. When you say that women are not equal to men, then you create space for men to...
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AND I’m so angry and have so many emotions 😦

I usually get along with her, and I usually agree with much of what she has to say. But now I feel sick to my stomach. This on top of all the scandals lately has really got me down…

How do I proceed so I don’t overreact???
 
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  1. She is obviously not Catholic.
  2. She obviously doesn’t understand much about Catholicism.
  3. She speaks out of ignorance.
  4. Is she attempting to say that if women were in power that these things wouldn’t have happened? What about all those countless women who stood by and supported their husbands even while knowing they were abusing children??? Does she seriously think women don’t abuse and/or support abusers?
  5. Pray for her.
 
This system doesn’t value the voice of women, nor does it value women’s bodies. Let’s talk about the teaching of “natural family planning” for one thing, and how that essentially takes all the fun out of sex for women. That is just one way that the Church attempts to control women’s bodies and sexuality. In demanding celibacy from its priests, Catholic doctrine further devalues the body and its needs. Putting so much shame around sexual desire, and the body itself, is bound to lead to all kinds of repression.
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It’s just, she has a lot of influence in the Patheos blog community — she is a progressive Disciples of Christ pastor.

And I love her, and I agree with a lot of what she stands for, but… I just don’t get why people think they have the competence to speak for OTHER religious traditions…
 
NFP doesn’t just affect women. And it actually gives women COMPLETE control of their bodies. She’s just misinformed and wrong. Period.
 
catholic1seeks said:
I just don’t get why people think they have the competence to speak for OTHER religious traditions…
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Well, if she believes that the Disciples of Christ church contains the fullness of truth, then truth takes precedence over religious traditions based on error. If they’re right, priestly celibacy is wrong, regardless of our feelings on the subject, and regardless of Catholicism not being her religion.
 
I wouldn’t do anything while you’re still angry.

I’m not sure whether writing a response to that article would be fruitful, though. People who buy into progressive talking points are not really that interested in reasonable discussion/debate. But, considering her audience, it may help someone else. After all, debates are more for the people listening than convincing the other person.
 
We all need prayers. The hurt is not going to stop any time soon, and the Church will be criticized. All we can say is “yes, it is abhorrently sinful and wrong.” There is no defending this behavior.I imagine it will get much worse before it gets better. We pray for each other and know that Christ told us the Church will be victorious. I can’t begin to imagine the pain Christ bore when he died for sin, past, present, and future - for this.
 
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My comments are in red.

Any thing else I can say — in a kind way?
 
Modernist Leftist polemics completely opposed to Apostolic Christianity. You “agree with much of what she has to say”? Is the problem her lack of orthodoxy or yours?
 
Saying celibacy causes sexual abuse is saying that men who cannot have sex will rape children. It’s unfair, untrue and just gross sexism.
 
Nothing to do with doctrinal orthodoxy – rather our common concern for several social issues, seeing the greater need for inclusivity, and similar though not equivalent political views.
 
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I honestly think you’re handling this well so far. Finding common ground, pointing out areas that are of concern in her errors. It’s a good way to keep discussion open.
 
LOL! Haven’t tried it yet! But I think if it makes sex less fun you’re doing something wrong. HAHAHAHAAH
 
Helpful…

Having been an over zealous Catholic who would get way too angry in my responses I totally understand why someone would ask for advice.
 
It might be a fault in my personality, but I am VERY sensitive when it comes to how other people perceive the Catholic Church. This is why seeing something on social media from a family member/friend, who is a very influential pastor, was kind of a slap in the face.
 
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I’ve been there. I think it’s also just a sign of a zealous Catholic. The good news is, it might calm down as you get older. The bad news is, it’s a hard cross to bear.

<3 You’ve got this though. Just remind yourself that they don’t know what they’re doing.
 
Not saying the opposite of meekness is anger, but I do want to be clear that I’m usually not “angry” in these moments – at least not in a confrontational sense.

But then again, always be prepared to give a defense, as Peter says! I don’t defend the horror of sexual abuse. But I WILL defend the Church’s fundamental structure, its discipline of celibacy, and its alleged “patriarchy” (in the sense of male bishops and priests).
 
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