Women and the Catholic church

Two years? I would say it probably willl take longer.

If the Catholic Church does it on a large scale, it might make it harder for the LDS Church to do it, ironically. Perceptions among the orthodoxy are important.

I like to read the comments on some news articles (almost always on church related articles in Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune). I did read some comments on an article about married priests and women as deacons and I’d have to say the comments were more Tribune-like than DN-like. That is, the comments were mostly negative about the pope and about the church itself. Those comments are by no means representative, but they do indicate that not everyone is in agreement. Personally I like the pope a lot, but I’m not really Catholic (I was nominally Catholic prior to joining the church, and there are things about Catholicism I like).

To Curt’s point, as far as conservative theological orthodoxy goes we match the Catholics on things like marriage (sans polygamy) and particularly gay marriage. We match the Evangelicals on this as well. That doesn’t make us friends, although I think it is sometimes portrayed that way to further certain causes. One group jumping ship (especially the largest group) hurts the others and makes us “less” friends.

I do see the Catholics allowing married priests (already allowed under very limited circumstances) at some point in the very near future because the need for more priests exists. But lack of priests is also only one reason they have been consolidating congregations, there are other cost saving considerations as well. I can also see perhaps allowing women to be Catholic deacons but probably not as close in the future, partly because I don’t think there is a shortage of deacons (and they could always ordain 11-year-old boys just like the church that existed in Jesus’s time 😈 ). I honestly don’t think either of those things (boy deacons aside) will sway the CoJCoLDS and for some it might just be greater evidence of the great apostasy on the part of the Great and Abominable Church. (NOTE: YES, I do know church leaders don’t say that about the Catholic Church any more, but I also know members who still believe it whether or not they realize church leaders don’t say it any more.)

When the allowed women to have the priesthood they lost so many congregants.

I guess that is when it gets to what the agenda is for these men…are they trying to “win” against other religions, or build their own legacy…

…or are they trying to do the right thing.

…or are they trying to do the right thing.

I found it insightful to hear President Packer (I think) decry CES employees – amateur historians that wanted to share all these less flattering or less faith promoting details about church leaders and history.

To hear President Packer tell it, to work for the church is similar to being a defense lawyer (at least that is the takewayay that came to my mind). The Lawyer might be privy to all sorts of information about his or her client. However, it would be inappropriate for the lawyer to release any details that would not be thought to help in the defense.

If we can extrapolate that viewpoint to most of church leadership then I believe that they see protecting the church and advancing its cause as synonymous with doing the “right thing.”