Dr. Leon Podles, in his book entitled "The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity," notes that, "Many Catholic dioceses actively discourage vocations to the priesthood, in a transparent attempt to put pressure on Rome to allow the ordination of women, or at least of married men...Because Christianity is now seen as a part of the sphere of life proper to women rather than to men, it sometimes attracts men whose own masculinity is somewhat doubtful. By this I do not mean homosexuals,
although a certain type of homosexual is included. Rather religion is seen as a safe field, a refuge from the challenges of life, and therefore attracts men who are fearful of making the break with the secure world of childhood dominated by women. These are men who have problems following the path of masculine development..." (p. XIV).
Dr. Podles cites a study by Lewis M. Terman and Catherine Cox Miles, which included a Masculinity-Femininity test, writing, "Terman and Miles gathered data from three groups: Catholic seminarians, Protestant seminarians, and Protestant ministers. As one might expect, men attracted to the religious life differed strikingly in their masculinity from the general male population: 'The Catholic student priests score at a point far less masculine than any other male group of their age; in their early twenties they are more feminine than the general male population at middle life. The Protestant theological students in their middle tewnties are, however, more feminine than they and exceed in femininity the sixty-year-old man of equal education. The adult ministerial group is barely more masculine than the Protestant theological students and less so than the student priests. They exceed in femininity the college men of the seventh decade.' Terman and Miles concluded that 'some dominant factors must be present in all three groups to make them, without regard to age, conspicuously and almost equally lacking in mental masculinity.' Interestingly enough, the similarities between the Protestant and Catholic groups and the Catholic group's slightly higher scores ruled out celibacy as a major factor in a lack of masculinity..." (P. 9).
Effeminacy (and here we are not necessarily speaking of homosexuality), has become
the forgotten vice in seminary formation.
This as many masculine men continue to be excluded from pursuing priestly vocations and masculinity itself is banished to the margins of the Church.
Related reading
here.
This is a great blog, but I really don't understand the last two sentences. Why are masculine men being excluded now and how are they on the margins of Christianity?
ReplyDeleteNormal heterosexual men often find (see Michael S. Rose's book Goodbye, Good Men) that they are not welcome to pursue a vocation within their diocese. I wrote my Bishop expressing interest in pursuing a priestly vocation and received absolutely no response whatsoever. I am viewed with such contempt at my parish that the priest cannot even look at me. No doubt due to the fact that I oppose the homosexual agenda and because I am masculine.
ReplyDeleteIn most parishes, nearly everything has been feminized: liturgy, spirituality and so forth. Masculine men are relegated to the margins. This is why Dr. Podles writes, "If the feminization of the Church continues, men will continue to seek their spiritual sustenance outside the churches, in false or inadequate religions, with highly damaging consequences for the church and society...The inner life of the Church will also be weakened.." (The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity, p. 137).
Steve -
ReplyDeleteThis explains phase one of the attack.
http://www.catholiccitizens.org/platform/platformview.asp?c=7347
Phase two was to nominate as many effeminates to the seminary as possible. Some may have turned out to be good priests ... but some became monsters. Many are now Bishops.
This tactic was used to great effect by the Soviets and their agents all over Europe.
The stories from inside the seminaries are harrowing. Paul, consider yourself lucky that you never got in.
Father John Trujillo of PA, of EWTN fame, documented his experiences of harassment at the hands of the velvet mafia.
A famous seminary in Baltimore was known as the "Pink Palace."