Isn’t this “anything goes” Protestantism? This spiritual abuse thing sounds to me as the general tendency to laxitude of our days, where everything that sounds judgmental is unacceptable to our pampered egos. E.g., a priest says that something is evil and sinful in a homily. People just get furious, they can’t accept that, they feel “traumatized”. How often do we hear that? So color me skeptical about this “spiritual abuse” thing. I think we’re drifting to the Protestant therapeutic tendency of “sola fide”.
I don't understand the concept of spiritual abuse. There might be different pastoral styles but, as JPII underlined, a great sin of our age is the loss of the sense of sin, and one the elements of such loss is the transition from "sin", that requires reconciliation with God, to "sense of guilt", which is a psychological ailment, to be removed through therapy. It seems that 70% of US Catholics consider going to confession as superflous, since they believe that forgiveness is in their personal relation with God.
This is a very Protestant attitude, a seeping of Protestant justification doctrine into Catholicism. Many Catholics have replaced confession with psychology. Since "sense of guilt" is a pathology to be removed through therapy, anything that makes people feeling guility is seen as harmful and as an abuse, causing them an ailment, rather than an invitation to look at one's sins and seek reconciliation.
Spiritual abuse is someone using their spiritual authority to coerce others. A fundamental belief of Catholicism is that God is not coercive, that he radically respects human freedom. So I'm still struggling to connect the dots between spiritual abuse and anything goes Protestantism?
It depends upon the definition. Let's say that a priest says to the congregation: "I notice a laxity in Sunday attendance in the congregation. I remember those of you who think that this is a trifling matter, that it is a mortal sin, which, without repentance and absolution trough confession, leads to eternal damnation." Is this spiritual abuse?
And you're absolutely right, there is very intentional and malicious abuse of spiritual authority. I do think it's the minority, but it most certainly exists, and it causes very real and tremendous harm.
Isn’t this “anything goes” Protestantism? This spiritual abuse thing sounds to me as the general tendency to laxitude of our days, where everything that sounds judgmental is unacceptable to our pampered egos. E.g., a priest says that something is evil and sinful in a homily. People just get furious, they can’t accept that, they feel “traumatized”. How often do we hear that? So color me skeptical about this “spiritual abuse” thing. I think we’re drifting to the Protestant therapeutic tendency of “sola fide”.
Could you say more how this brings to mind anything goes Protestantism for you? I’m not seeing the connection
I don't understand the concept of spiritual abuse. There might be different pastoral styles but, as JPII underlined, a great sin of our age is the loss of the sense of sin, and one the elements of such loss is the transition from "sin", that requires reconciliation with God, to "sense of guilt", which is a psychological ailment, to be removed through therapy. It seems that 70% of US Catholics consider going to confession as superflous, since they believe that forgiveness is in their personal relation with God.
This is a very Protestant attitude, a seeping of Protestant justification doctrine into Catholicism. Many Catholics have replaced confession with psychology. Since "sense of guilt" is a pathology to be removed through therapy, anything that makes people feeling guility is seen as harmful and as an abuse, causing them an ailment, rather than an invitation to look at one's sins and seek reconciliation.
Spiritual abuse is someone using their spiritual authority to coerce others. A fundamental belief of Catholicism is that God is not coercive, that he radically respects human freedom. So I'm still struggling to connect the dots between spiritual abuse and anything goes Protestantism?
It depends upon the definition. Let's say that a priest says to the congregation: "I notice a laxity in Sunday attendance in the congregation. I remember those of you who think that this is a trifling matter, that it is a mortal sin, which, without repentance and absolution trough confession, leads to eternal damnation." Is this spiritual abuse?
Thank you for sharing this.
And you're absolutely right, there is very intentional and malicious abuse of spiritual authority. I do think it's the minority, but it most certainly exists, and it causes very real and tremendous harm.