This post is just about non-theological issues of why I am not and cannot be Catholic. In regard to the big controversies, I am not on the Church's side. I'll try to keep this brief...
Celibacy. Celibacy is unnatural and it is not divine law. Simple as that. How does it make any sense that an institution that preaches the prime importance of the family doesn't allow its main leaders (priests, bishops, cardinals, popes, monks, and nuns) to have families? Did G-d not say, "Be fruitful and multiply"? Celibacy didn't come into play until the twelfth century and should've been undone in the thirteenth. But here we are 11 centuries later and priests are still celibate (sort of...).
Abortion. My parents and I are very liberal. We are pro-choice. I really despise when people say I'm "for abortion." I am not in any way for abortion. I just believe a woman (and her partner) have the right to choose not to bring a child into this world, especially for medical reasons. I think it is OK to be pro-life. I just don't like when people try to make pro-life laws in secular societies. Being firm in your beliefs and allowing your faith to deeply influence your life is awesome; but you shouldn't force your beliefs or faith on others. The choices I make in my own life - I do not expect others to make those same choices.
Gay Marriage. This is an equal rights issue, people, and I'm in equal rights type of girl. My dad and I were both thrilled when New York finally got it together. I was not thrilled when I learned that the Catholic Church is now no longer accepting donations from any of the legislators who voted in favor of the bill. The bill doesn't force churches to perform same sex marriages, so this makes no sense to me.
Birth Control. I recently read a survey that said 98% of Catholic women have used or do use some kind of contraception. Kids are expensive. Responsible adults can use BC if they want. Obviously 98% of Catholics don't care about the Church's stance on this. Also, if non-religious teens and young adults are having sex, they should be using birth control. Bringing a child into this world before emotionally, intellectually, and financially ready is a great tragedy, for so many reasons.
The Secular Agenda. The Pope and a lot of Protestant leaders in the world like to throw punches at "the secular agenda." Of course there's a secular agenda in secular societies! And clearly, there are religious agendas in secular societies. It's OK to have a religious agenda but not a secular one? I love that America is a secular society. Basically, I love America. As Eboo Patel brilliantly stated in a recent article, America is sacred. And she's sacred because she's a secular society. We don't always live up to our core values of equality across all spectrums, but we work for it in every way in every day. It's freaking awesome.
The Sex Abuse Scandal. As my father said, the sex abuse scandal is maybe one of the worst things in the history of the Church. There are a few others, but this is really up there on the list. The worst part of it all wasn't finding out about the rampant abuse, it was finding out the way the Church covered it up and dealt with it. These priests should have been excommunicated on the spot. Sexually abusing a child is in no way consistent with the teachings of Jesus or of the Church. Instead they were kept safe by the Church's money and offered therapy. However, the Church only took 4 months to excommunicate Fr. Roy Bourgeois who ordained a female priest, ending his 36 year career.
Soo, I didn't keep it that brief... Sorry.
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