Is curiosity a vice for women only and how is that different from reading and studying about the Faith?

[mary15]

If curiosity is a vice, how is that wrong, and furthermore, is it wrong to hunger and thirst for knowledge and then to study it, if one is a Catholic Woman?

Should curious female Catholics, save all striving for knowledge on the faith for their male counterparts?

I am not sure why curiosity is a vice if one is simply seeking His face and to be edified.

I am wondering if I should just give up trying to read all of my books on the faith, and trust with childlike faith in my male leaders to know what to do in all things regarding the faith?

My life would be a lot less stressful if I could just let go and trust that the men will do all the thinking for me, and why risk having a curious mind if it will lead me into sin?

Why do priests go to seminary for 8 years to study?

Should I just donate all my new books on the faith and give up?

 

[Irishmom2]

Who said curiosity is a vice?

“ I am wondering if I should just give up trying to read all of my books on the faith, and trust with childlike faith in my male leaders to know what to do in all things regarding the faith?”

I am not sure where this is coming from either.

 

[mary15]

@Irishmom2 a fellow Catholic man told me recently that curiosity is a vice.

Yikes, my head is spinning.

This is all new to me.

 

[Irishmom2]

And you are going to trust him with childlike faith?

 

[do_justly_love_mercy]

If curiosity is a vice, how is that wrong

Curiosity is generally a good thing, unless you are trying to obtain information you have no business having access to.

is it wrong to hunger and thirst for knowledge and then to study it, if one is a Catholic Woman?

No, having access to knowledge is a good thing for people of both sexes.

Should curious female Catholics, save all striving for knowledge on the faith for their male counterparts?

No, that is a strange idea that is popular among certain fundamentalist evangelical groups. There are many Catholic women who are experts in theology. A lot of nuns and sisters are highly educated theologians.

I am not sure why curiosity is a vice if one is simply seeking His face and to be edified.

I don’t know where you are getting this idea from.

I am wondering if I should just give up trying to read all of my books on the faith, and trust with childlike faith in my male leaders to know what to do in all things regarding the faith?

No, we are Catholics. The idea that women should be ignorant and should only learn from their husbands or other men had nothing to do with Catholicism. As I said above, it’s a fundamentalist evangelical notion. It’s good to be independently educated about these matters.

Why do priests go to seminary for 8 years to study?

I think many go for 4-6 years depending on their age and previous education and experience. It takes a lot of years to train as a priest because they study a lot of philosophy and theology and often Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, sometimes with additional studies in canon law. They also have to learn about liturgy and pastoral care.

Should I just donate all my new books on the faith and give up?

No, you should read them!

My life would be a lot less stressful if I could just let go and trust that the men will do all the thinking for me

Women have brains that are just as good as men’s. You should use yours to the best of your ability!

 

[Lou2U]

Please don’t assume that because someone is a Catholic man, they are automatically wiser and always correct. The man you spoke to sounds very condescending, to put it politely.

It is not wrong to study your faith. I think you should talk over your confusion here with your Priest.

 

[1ke]

If curiosity is a vice,

no.

is it wrong to hunger and thirst for knowledge and then to study it, if one is a Catholic Woman?

Why would it be?

Should curious female Catholics, save all striving for knowledge on the faith for their male counterparts?

Huh? Where are you getting these ideas?

My life would be a lot less stressful if I could just let go and trust that the men will do all the thinking for me, and why risk having a curious mind if it will lead me into sin?

Um. Is this a serious post or are you trolling?

 

[do_justly_love_mercy]

a fellow Catholic man told me recently that curiosity is a vice.

It sounds to me like he is either very stupid or he is trying to abuse you emotionally by convincing you that women are intellectually inferior and need to be mentally controlled. Knowledge is power. Make sure you’re not kept in ignorance.

 

[Usagi]

I’m sure there’s a way in which inordinate curiosity (snooping after others’ secrets and whatnot) could be a vice, but curiosity about God and the world is certainly not one. And while I can imagine some old-timey Catholic writers emphasizing that women should let men do the learning, that is not a teaching of the Church and AFAIK never has been. (Okay, St. Paul has those infamous bits about women teaching or even asking questions in church – he’s agin’ it – but even if applied strictly those don’t forbid reading and learning as long as you’re not raising your hand like Hermione Granger during Mass itself.)

Also, did you maybe mean “fellow Catholic woman”? Is Irishmom2, who has “mom” in their username, a man?

 

[Nik]

This might help. Although it addresses curiosity in general not just for women.

 

[Irishmom2]

” Is Irishmom2, who has “mom” in their username, a man?

I most definitely am not a man!

I was sort of wondering what that meant myself.

 

[mary15]

No, not a troll at all, just very confused as to why a very highly esteemed and learned man in the church recently told to me that I should remember that curiosity is a vice.

I am totally confused.

I showed to him my new book The Imitation of Christ and he did not seem happy for me, but I cannot really tell. He didnt smile or say that is a great book either, so I am somewhat glum in my spirit today.

 

[Lou2U]

He may be esteemed and learned, but that does not make him right in this instance.

Honestly, don’t give him so much headspace. If his opinion of you means that you are glum when he disagrees and desire to listen to men over deciding for yourself, then I suggest you are giving him far too much power over you.

 

[Usagi]

Oh, I see, she was responding to you. I thought she meant you were the “fellow Catholic man” who had told her that weirdness about curiosity.

 

[mary15]

@LumineDiei Thank you so much. Do you happen to have the link or title to FrRippergers video on that?

I got frightened when he told me that curiosity is a vice, I suppose because he is a man, and in a high position, so I thought that it was possibly a rebuke to me for trying to learn.

I could be wrong.

I just never heard of this before.

Please pray for me, to have knowledge and wisdom on these matters and to find some peace.

God bless you

 

[1ke]

just very confused as to why a very highly esteemed and learned man in the church recently told to me that I should remember that curiosity is a vice.

Honestly no one but he can tell you that. Why don’t you ask him? And ask him to provide you with some sort of Church document that teaches this idea.

Also, did he say all of that about women, or just a random comment about curiosity?

I showed to him my new book The Imitation of Christ and he did not seem happy for me, but I cannot really tell.

Why does it matter what he thinks?

 

[mary15]

@LumineDiei, wow! that is an incredible amount of masterful work he created there. I do appreciate this link and I will take my time studying it.

I am sad in general as well that there are no women’s bible studies at all in my area.

But the men continue onwards, through the pandemic, being edified and supported with online bible studies.

I guess I should stay at home and make dinner? I seriously do not understand why we women could not join in the bible study too!

 

[Mrchatsworth]

Curiosity could be a vice if one dabbled in the occult or deviated sexually. How in the world you drew the conclusion that study is a vice or that there is a gender component here is beyond me. And quite odd!

 

[mary15]

@LumineDiei I cannot know what he was thinking, but most of us give nonverbals, don’t we?

He did not look happy at my book, the imitation of Christ, and did not even say that’s a great book or good for you or something…

idk what I was looking for

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

In the olden day’s “curiosity” was more like being a busybody.

Eavesdropping , reading other people’s private correspondence, etc