what is with some Catholic beliefs (just wondering no rude answers please)?

Question

I am a Christian now although I was brought up Catholic
well..more like forced
anyhow
why can't catholic priests get married? it wasn't like that before was it?
And why do I have to go to confession when it's not like the priests are any better than me. I thought it said that everyone was a sinner so what gives the priest the right to be trusted? And why are there altars people keep telling me that I have to worship this big statue of Jesus and Virgin Mary

Answer 1

Ok let me try to answer you one question at a time.

Priests can't get married (except in the Eastern rite) because there is a passage in Matthew ( I think Matt 20) where Jesus says it is better for some to except celibacy for the sake of the kingdom. Read Theology of the Body by John Paul II or Christopher West - "The Good News About Sex and Marriage."

When going to confession the preist acts as Jesus. It is God working through the priest. God gave the power to the priest. When we tell our sins we are telling them to God and are trully sorry to God for them.

We do not worship statues but we venerate the saints and Mary. When we approach a statue and touch it and pray, we are saying a prayer to the specific Saint or Mary not to the statue itself.

I hope this helps and may God Bless you on your journey!

Answer 2

*sigh*...

Catholics ARE Christians. Only certain groups of fundamental Protestants insist otherwise.

Catholic priests don't get married because priests, brothers, and others of the clergy who devote their lives to God take a vow of celibacy; there's a lot of symbolism to it, but much of it has to do with keeping their lives focused on their faith and ministry. And yes, it's been like that for centuries.

Catholics believe in using a priest as an intercessor for confession and mass because the priest is meant to be Christ's representative. Also, confessing to a priest is a very different thing than confessing in your head to God... there's a bit more accountability and guilt if you tell another living person a foot away from you all the bad stuff you've done... it's kinda meant to spur you into not wanting to do those things again. That, and the priest acts as a counselor of sorts--depending on the problem, he can give you some spiritual guidance.

Catholics don't worship statues. The statues are merely likenesses of those they represent; they're meant to help you reflect on that person's life and example.

These questions get asked all the time, hence the sigh.

Answer 3

Catholic Priests have never been allowed to get married....in the Bible when Jesus told the Apostles to leave everything and follow him....Catholics interpret that to mean....no families

Catholics believe the Priest is like a "go between" them and God.....so when they confess their sins not to the Priest but to God through the Priest.

You don't worship the statues....again a lot of Catholicism is outward signs & symbolism....you don't worship the pictures of your children you have in your wallet or hang on your wall....the statues are just to help visualize Jesus.

I don't think you ever really understood Catholicism so it's probably good that you are no longer a Catholic.

Just a note...Catholics are Christians....a Christian is someone who believes in and follows the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Answer 4

I dont know every answer to your question but I'll try anyways.

The reason priests cant get married is because years ago when Catholisim was starting out priests were allowed to be married, but when the priests would die all of their property would go to their wife and family instead of the church. So they made it so that priests couldnt get married so that wau the church would get everything after their death.

Also, the Catholic church had a female pope her name was Pope Joan, but they decided to make it an all male ranned church for obvious reasons.

Priests, I believe, as seen an intermediaries between God and the people, kind of like Jesus is in many of the other denominations. Other denominations, your "confessing" to Jesus when you pray, but in Catholiscm you confess to a live priest. They still make you say prayers to be forgiven, but in essence the priest has the power to forgive you for your sins. I dont know if this make much sense.

I have no idea about the Idols people worship.

I hope this helps!

Answer 5

Here's your answers:

1) Preists devote themselves entirely to the Church. They are on call 24 hours as mediators and counselors and other things, meaning wives only get in the way.
2) One of the many reasons Catholics go to confession is that the Bible states we are to confess our sins to "men." Not MAN singular which would mean obviously only Jesus / God, but MEN 'M-E-N'. Meaning obviously more than one. Preists as successors of Jesus and Peter, are given this job.
3) No one ever in the History of the Catholic Church has ever said to worship a statue of Jesus or Mary.

Perception is one thing- finding out the truth before believing popular opinion would be common sense.

Catholic 24+ years, never missed a mass.

Answer 6

The catholic church believes that it christianity should be a living theology. They feel that the pope and curia can be inspired to create new dogma. While this has something to recommend it versus the dead theology of some fundamentalists, who believe nobody has been inspired since the writer of Revelations died, it does lead to decisions which might have made sense at the time but now seem weird.

Married priests was an economic decision. It's cheaper to house and feed single men (who can live on pizza and beer) than married couples. Once the priesthood became a profession rather than a volunteer calling, the church started to make rules.

Confession gave the church political and economic power. Political because they could control their subjects. Economic because penance often involved contributions to the church and indulgences (prepaid penances) were a lucrative business.

Mary became big business because the male hierarchy wanted to force women out of positions of power but retain them as members of the flock. The Virgin Mary (as opposed to the Disciple and possible companion of Jesus, Mary Magdalene) became the model for women.

Answer 7

humm.. sorry you feel forced.

I'm shure your parents allready gave you all their reasons when you left the church. So why go into it again.

About confession, the priest is just a screen. it's Jesus himself who works in people's soul, The person of the priest is not important, he goes to confesioon too.

But if he were ever to talk about your sins, like point you out in a crowd, he would be automatically excommunicated from the church, becasue they have a vow to secrecy.

The Church isn't just dogma and pointless rules, remember the Divine Mercy message to all humanity, that God is Mercy and Compassion itself, and "the greater the sinner the more right he has to Mercy". And remember how Pope Pius XII entrusted all humanity to the Sacred Heart of Jesus during WWII, and then later John Paul entrusted all to the Sacred heart of Mary, who converts all praise of her into a praise of God.... well I guess it doesn't matter now, but my point is that we Catholics actually care about all humanity, wether Catholic or not, becasue that's what Jesus wants.

Answer 8

I am not a *Christian* but I would respect a statue of Mary and Jesus, because Mary and Jesus are Sadhus or Saints.
I wouldnt mind confessing to someone if they would be so kind as to hear me out. I think it is a wonderful service to mankind to hear someone out without judging them.

Being a monk means dedicating all your energy to God and mankind without any distraction.It is a penance I agree, but it is a small sacrifice for humanity.
I dont know the Catholic church, but anyone who is trying to serve God with sincerity I respect you.

Answer 9

Christianity is based on the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ and his teachings. Therefore a christian's beliefs and teachings must be in harmony with the Bible or else they no longer represent God and Christ but MISREPRESENT them. Never should that be so! Interestingly it is of note what Pope Paul, in his encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus (Priestly Celibacy, 1967), endorsed celibacy as a requirement for the clergy, but he admitted that "the New Testament which preserves the teaching of Christ and the Apostles....does not openly demand celibacy of sacred ministers....Jesus Himself did not make it a prerequisite in His choice of the Twelve, nor did the Apostles for those who presided over the first Christian communities." - The Papal Encyclicals 1958-1981 (Fakk Church, Va.; 1981), p.204 If The Pope recognised this why did he put himself above God and Christ by demanding such rigourous and unnatural standards for the clergy, it helps you to understand just why there could be so many sexual crimes within the priesthood. Further Confession - the traditional formula, still often used, is: "Bless me, FATHER, for I have sinned. It has been (length of time-so long) since my last Confession." Whereas Matthew 23:1,9 in the Catholic Jerusalem Bible says "Jesus said,..."you must call no one on earth your father, since you have only on Father, and he is in heaven." Jesus meant this in religious terms as the term father means life giver so its ok to call our own father, father; or God father as they are both life givers. Nowhere in the bible are confess our sins to anyone but our father, because as you said "they are no better than us" they were born in sin and imperfect just as we are. Matthew 6:9-12 say in part, and this is Jesus words NOT a Priest "You should pray like this: "Our Father in the heaven,....forgive us our debts." As far as worshiping images or statues The Catholic Jerusalem Bible says in Exodus 20:4,5 (By the way this is actually among the ten commandments!) "You must not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them For I, Yahweh ,(that's how Jehovah's name is pronounced in Hebrew) your God, am a jealous God." There are many other scriptures to support these thoughts please contact me if you would like to know further.

Answer 10

I also grew up Catholic (I am now an atheist), but I didnt understand everything. They made such a big deal over "the first communion", and we were practically worshipping the Virgin Mary. My mom made me go to the confessional every week so I could "cleanse" myself, but even after I confessed my sins to the priest I didnt feel better. The moment I went to college I swore to myself that I would never go to mass again. I just hated it.