Why do so many users answer questions by saying, "You should ask your spiritual director"?

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Exactly my thought many times. But I am not Catholic so my opinion would probably be irrelevant (Even when I can quote the Catechism).
 
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Most questions aren’t ones of broad insight but of personal reflection.

It would be as irresponsible not mention spiritual direction as it would be to not mention a doctor is needed when someone saying that they are constantly thirsty and losing weight (a precurer for diabetes).
 
Mavzylor said:
Isn’t the Apologetics sub forum a great place to get broad insight?
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Many people with scrupulosity seek out forums such as this. Scruples need professional counsel. It’s a serious condition related to OCD and often accompanied by anxiety, compulsions, and intrusive thoughts.

When a post appears to stem from irrational fear, compulsion, or other scrupulous thoughts, it is best that the person seek counsel from a competent spiritual director or their pastor. The malformed conscience and irrational mental situation underlying the condition are not seeking “broad perspective” they are seeking relief for the relentless compulsion in their head— and replies from well meaning folks here don’t actually supply that relief.

Those of us with many years of experience here in CAF know many of the tell tale signs of scruples in posting behavior, particularly repeat posters.
 
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There is no substitute for one on one question and answers in person. They know you; we dont.

So yes, you can get broad response from faceless bits on a computer screen. Some of those likely will be accurate and insightful. Some will be helpful.

Other responses my try to force their will on to you. Others may try to trick you in a sinister way. Didn’t St. Paul advise us to test all spirits, because not all are working towards your good?

Some people will recognize that the nature of your question cannot accurately be answered without personally knowing you. Thus, the talk to your spiritual director.

Blessings,
Stephie
 
Thank you for the replies. That makes sense. I always just thought why limit someone to one they have met in person and deter them from a whole site of people (many spiritual directors) that might be more educated on a given subject than somebody you would meet in person.
 
Mavzylor said:
Thank you for the replies. That makes sense. I always just thought why limit someone to one they have met in person and deter them from a whole site of people (many spiritual directors) that might be more educated on a given subject than somebody you would meet in person.
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Not really, someone who comes to know a person deeper and has the adequate training is more likely to offer good advice that even a more-educated outsider. My friend is a good example. I offered advice and then told her to seek professional guidance. The professional assessed and agreed with me. However, sometime later she met a knowledgeable priest and asked him. His advice was rather poor because he didn’t understand that her ex was abusive. Someone who knew her well, like me, and someone who had time to sit down and examine the situation fully, like the professional, had time address the situation.

In some things, one-time advice can be good, but life is complicated and time is the greatest asset to professionals.
 
Good analogy. I still think I’d rather ask Trent Horn all of my questions than anyone I know personally haha.
 
Mavzylor said:
Good analogy. I still think I’d rather ask Trent Horn all of my questions than anyone I know personally haha.
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It’s nice to admire people but there is trouble with waiting on “superstar” professional. I knew there was something wrong with my friend’s daughter by the time she was 4. Gut instinct. I am not a childhood professional, but I work with adults with disabilities and am trained on that. My friend kept trusting her teachers and even the principal. Everyone told her she was just her that her daughter was a late bloomer or had “emotional” issues and not to worry.

But I KNEW something was wrong. My friend trusted me, but she also was blinded by the idea that the Principle (who was also a nun) could possibly be wrong. Fast forward to years later when school meant tears and tantrums in a 10yo my friend sought out a separate professional, feeling like she must be a failure as a parent.

Turns out, as I had suspected, her child had several processing disorders.

6 YEARS of her child’s life was wasted and, quite frankly, made miserable because she believed that a principal could not be wrong. The experts said that based off school reports had she had therapy at 4, she would of needed 2-4 years. At the age of 10 she will likely need therapy into adulthood. One should never put too much stock in one professional.
 
I completely agree, and have experienced similar scenarios in my own life, but on a much smaller scale. I guess I just have a particular type of questions in mind that I have asked or have seen asked that aren’t really personal and yet still get this response.
 
I’ve seen this before. Not being Catholic, my question is what exactly is a “spiritual director”? Is it a formal position?
 
Not from what I’ve heard. I’ve been told it’s just whoever you trust regarding matters of your faith. As far as I understand, it could be your priest, it could be your godparent, your confirmation sponsor…
 
Sometimes asking on CAF can be the worst place for a poster to go.
 
Eh, I guess it’s all a matter of who sees your questions. I’ve gotten amazing answers that I’m quite confident I wouldn’t have gotten from anyone I know personally. I’ve also gotten attacked to the point that mods removed my topic and the user was suspended… I definitely agree that there are some questions best answered by someone you know personally, but I also think there are truly profound people out their gifted in their speech, so I like to give my questions the best shot they by asking everyone.
 
When someone is talking about a “spiritual director,” they’re usually talking about someone who has had specific training, a degree, or some kind of a background in that kind of area, who can help a person who needs that kind of spiritual help and guidance in their life.

I have gone for and benefitted from spiritual direction in my life.

When I have needed it, I have gone to people who have had advanced degrees in Theology, of some type. Some had Masters Degrees, and one had a Doctoral Degree in Divinity and training in Spiritual Direction.

So it can be a specialized area that someone studies.
 
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Because people ask questions relating to the state of their soul. “Is this a sin in my case; am I in a state of mortal sin” are often difficult to answer on the internet because the person asking usually has a confused conscience.

Also, there’s a lot of people who post this stuff on-line who suffer from a whole host of mental problems and frankly it’s often very unhelpful if they keep coming on here and asking questions.

A lot of people on here are also not qualified to be doing that kind of work, and besides, they often get a bunch of different opinions and then people start arguing with each other what is best. So they’re not going to get a straight answer.

A spiritual director provides definitive guidance.
 
SuperLuigi said:
A lot of people on here are also not qualified to be doing that kind of work, and besides, they often get a bunch of different opinions and then people start arguing with each other what is best. So they’re not going to get a straight answer.
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There’s also the problem of scrupulous/OCD people “shopping” for the answer they want to hear. So, they’ll get a bunch of answers, but zero in on the one they were looking for.
 
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