Misconceptions and Stereotypes of Religious Life?

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One that I absolutely HATE is that nuns are nuns because they couldn’t find a husband or their love life failed in some way.

I also cannot tolerate those who think that contemplative nuns are somehow “running away” from the world, life, their parents, etc.

Those are the two BIGGEST misconceptions. Plus, you also have those who think that a band of women living together are lesbians. :mad:
 
That our beloved Priests are creepy pedophiles. :eek::eek::eek:

And that nuns are wasting their life hiding in a convent:eek::eek:
 
Growing up Catholic with nuns all around, many people assumed that nuns beat themselves till they were bloody. Now I know what self mortification is as an adult, but as a child I had no idea. I heard folks(catholic and non-cathiolic) make some pretty bad remarks about this. I also heard growing up that priestS had sex with the nuns. GROSS!

I grew up in the 60’s and the convent was still a strange and hiddenplace. Nuns wore habits and got called many names (penguins etc). I lived in a orphange for a few years that was run by nuns. This is where I learned the truths about them.

Ignorant people make ignorant comments!

God Bless!
 
thevickinator16 said:
I also heard growing up that priestS had sex with the nuns. GROSS!
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If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I’d have trouble believing that people STILL bandy this one about; of all the stupid, stupid…

Here’s another aspect of the nuns-as-harem theory that will either make you laugh or beat your head against a brick wall, sourced from a link on the Jesus-is-Lord website (where else?):
It is not generally known to Americans, that the crime of procuring abortion, a crime which our laws pronounce to be felony, is a common every day crime in Popish nunneries. It is not known to Americans, but let it henceforth be known to them, that strangling and putting to death infants is common in nunneries throughout this country.
jesus-is-lord.com/hogan.htm
I’d love to see somebody try to sell this line to the Sisters of Life…

On the other hand, there’s a stereotype that makes life difficult for the opposite reason: that priests and religious are naturally holier (as opposed to mastering such skills after years of discipline), “better” people than everyone else, so of course, the ordinary young person who has a messy room and occasionally loses his/her temper is just not the right sort of person to be called. Has anyone else run into this one?
 
😦 I hate that people have higher standards for religious people than they have for themselves. Somebody makes a mistake, they say “well I’m only human.” A religious person makes a mistake :eek: that same person says “oh my gosh how could some who is supposedly a person of God, do something like that.” They forget that those in religious life are just normal people trying to become more united with God. Yes mistakes will be made and I wish they would stop thinking that those in religious life MUST be PERFECT!!! :rolleyes:
 
Not as bad as other misconceptions in this thread (:eek: I wasn’t expecting those kinds of stereotypes…), but before I become Catholic, I thought that all nuns (every single nun in the world - and I didn’t even know about cloistered/semi-cloistered/apostalic) looked like a Benedictine Nun -

http://www.abbeyofreginalaudis.com/sitelive/community/procession.jpg
(With a crucifix hanging below the white curved thing, and crown with the habit laying flat over it) or this one -

http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/images/Nun Dolls/sister of saint joseph.jpg

:o
 
Spiritu said:
If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I’d have trouble believing that people STILL bandy this one about; of all the stupid, stupid…

Here’s another aspect of the nuns-as-harem theory that will either make you laugh or beat your head against a brick wall, sourced from a link on the Jesus-is-Lord website (where else?):
It is not generally known to Americans, that the crime of procuring abortion, a crime which our laws pronounce to be felony, is a common every day crime in Popish nunneries. It is not known to Americans, but let it henceforth be known to them, that strangling and putting to death infants is common in nunneries throughout this country.
QUOTE]

Now THAT’S what I call DISGUSTING
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Hey there!

I also grew up thinking that nuns were mean to kids. I went to a Catholic grade school and the “ruler on the knuckles” thing was always a popular disciple. I only met a few nuns that actually did this. Only I heard about it from all fellow Catholics growing up in catholic grade schools. Disciple was always talked about.

Hey I guess I miss those old habits they used to wear. It did help identify a nun for what she was. I went to a reunion of the orphanhage I was in last month and talked to a woman for about 5 minutes before she told me she was a nun. I would have died from embarrassment if I has said anything to her I wouldn’t say to a nun. I have told my fair share of off color jokes in the past.

Still the nuns sure get a bad name when it comes to disciplining in school.

God Bless!
 
Just the other day, I heard someone talking about nuns and them getting pregnant, and I had no idea there was that horrible website and that’s probably where they heard it from…The nuns I have known in my life have been wonderful,and it makes me so angry when people degrade them…I would be thrilled if my daughter came to me and said she wanted to be a nun…
 
miniquedoes said:
😦 I hate that people have higher standards for religious people than they have for themselves. Somebody makes a mistake, they say “well I’m only human.” A religious person makes a mistake :eek: that same person says “oh my gosh how could some who is supposedly a person of God, do something like that.” They forget that those in religious life are just normal people trying to become more united with God. Yes mistakes will be made and I wish they would stop thinking that those in religious life MUST be PERFECT!!! :rolleyes:
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My Aunt who was a Franciscan Sister always had a chuckle when she remembered one of the people in her parish telling her “Sister I remember you from when you were still a human being”.😃
 
My mom once told me that when she was little she didn’t even think nuns had female parts because she thought they were superhuman beings. :rotfl:
 
→ The thought that nuns are these old, stern women that never laugh or have fun. Well, let me tell you…my aunt is a Benedictine Sister of Perpetual Adoration, and they have lots of fun! 😛
One that I absolutely HATE is that nuns are nuns because they couldn’t find a husband or their love life failed in some way.
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I happen to know a nun and a seminarian who both almost got married (not to each other, I might add :o). I agree with you here…it’s not because it was stupid or a failure. :rolleyes:
 
I get really mad when my CATHOLIC friends say that the parish priests who live in the same house are gay. I get SOOO mad.
 
littletherese3 said:
That our beloved Priests are creepy pedophiles. :eek::eek::eek:

And that nuns are wasting their life hiding in a convent:eek::eek:
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Yes that is sad and that is what many think. I even know a lapsed Catholic who makes fun of Catholic priests in exactly that manner.

The latest sensationalist headlines out of Ireland add fuel to the fire “Thousands beaten, raped in Ireland’s Catholic run schools” cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=13573619&ch=4226714&src=news

This on top of tele evangelists, Ted Haggard and on and on give Christianity a black eye. We know it is not of Christ and actually quite the opposite. Sad.

Without doubt the Catholic church dropped the ball and brought much on itself. However, as Benedict Groeschel points out the incidence of pedophilia among Catholic priests is no higher than the population at large (unfair stereotype). On top of that many fine Priests and Nuns have sacrificed to bring quality education to areas of the United States over the last couple of hundred years…NOT TO MENTION medical care. Many communities would have suffered greatly without dedicated nursing sisters. Today many Priests work tirelessly long hours for low wages and little pensions.

I feel badly for the dedicated Catholic Priests who have gotten a black eye because of the sinful behavior of a few.

Hopefully, Benedict XVI’s firm hand will continue to reform and guide the church. He needs to continue to ensure that Bishops, Priests, religious orders, and Catholic schools are loyal to the Church and her teachings. Some of the orders and schools need reining in. If I recall he reminded the Jesuits of their loyalty requirement. The Church is not a democracy.

The Catholic Church is a beacon to many from other Christian expressions and her leadership on moral and theological issues is important.
 
As sad and aggravating as it can be you have to realize a lot of what people say had some truth, but they greatly exagerated it. Priests and nuns aren’t perfect as stated. Some schools did have very mean nuns, maybe as some nuns have said, they weren’t cut out to be teachers but were “stuck” in that order at the time. Mother Angelica knew so many mean ones as a child, she swore she would NEVER become one…and look at God’s sense of humor!🙂 I’ve known adults that were traumatized as youth, made to feel like less of human beings because they weren’t smart or had a learning disability (not known, but where was the kindness?) They were hung on coat hooks, put in trash pails (this happened to my daughters friiend just 7 years ago) His mother partially blames his Catholic school upbringing for making him hate being Catholic. I watched a nun make a child cry on Ash Wednesday in church for something so minor, it almost made me want to walk out of church…I wondered how this young lady will think of nuns in the future.
I watched a beautiful group of Domincan nuns on EWTN lst year, that were starting a grade school and they emphasized the “no corporal punishment” aspect.They had to repeat it to the host…I had a feeling he didn’t have the same treatment as a child. I wish I had them as a child, they were radiant and so full of love of the Lord.
Nuns have gotten pregnant, by priests or other men and some left, some didn’t. Priests fail as we know, just like the rest of us. The problem is the ones that aren’t like that, that don’t sin in the same way, aren’t given any kudo’s, they are “silent warriors” and I pray for them too. The way to approach it for me isn’t saying “That’s not true”, but putting it in perspective and saying that although the sisters and priests carry the sins of their sisters and brothers on their shoulders, they also stand alone and should be respected and judged that way.
 
I don’t like to hear stereotypes of anyone, but it really gets me when people say “beloved priests” and other “holier than thou” stereotypes. I’ve met some mean, bad religious people, who don’t think twice about giving the cold shoulder or turning a blind eye to pain/suffering. Give me a break. When our nun consistently leaves mass early or walks out of opening of exposition, you know you have problems.
 
RevDrNorth said:
Yes that is sad and that is what many think. I even know a lapsed Catholic who makes fun of Catholic priests in exactly that manner.

The latest sensationalist headlines out of Ireland add fuel to the fire “Thousands beaten, raped in Ireland’s Catholic run schools” cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=13573619&ch=4226714&src=news

This on top of tele evangelists, Ted Haggard and on and on give Christianity a black eye. We know it is not of Christ and actually quite the opposite. Sad.

Without doubt the Catholic church dropped the ball and brought much on itself. However, as Benedict Groeschel points out the incidence of pedophilia among Catholic priests is no higher than the population at large (unfair stereotype). On top of that many fine Priests and Nuns have sacrificed to bring quality education to areas of the United States over the last couple of hundred years…NOT TO MENTION medical care. Many communities would have suffered greatly without dedicated nursing sisters. Today many Priests work tirelessly long hours for low wages and little pensions.

I feel badly for the dedicated Catholic Priests who have gotten a black eye because of the sinful behavior of a few.

Hopefully, Benedict XVI’s firm hand will continue to reform and guide the church. He needs to continue to ensure that Bishops, Priests, religious orders, and Catholic schools are loyal to the Church and her teachings. Some of the orders and schools need reining in. If I recall he reminded the Jesuits of their loyalty requirement. The Church is not a democracy.

The Catholic Church is a beacon to many from other Christian expressions and her leadership on moral and theological issues is important.
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I just got finished reading the Inquiry in Child Abuse charges-it was so sad, frankly heart wrenching and NOT sensationalized.
 
I had many misconceptions about religious life before becoming Cathoic because I simply had no exposure to it.

What I knew of nuns was what I saw from Mother Teresa or Sister Act. I thought they all wore habits, hid in convents all day or taught school, etc. Imagine my surprise when working at Disney World and a group of nuns came through my ride!

I don’t know if I had any ideas of priests whatsoever. I never realized until I started researching the Church that Priests could not be married. Being Southern Baptist it was perfeclty natural to me for a pastor to be married with a family and this has very much taken some getting used to.
 
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