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Rang true to me

Revisado: 11-21-23

I was a Catholic seminarian in Rome. In no way was my experience as harsh as hers. Being a religious, much less an MC, is a much higher calling. I was with a diocese. But to the point, someone once asked me why I stayed for four years in the seminary if I didn’t like where my life was heading. I didn’t know how to answer that question. This book, however, answers it well. The author presents in detail the rationalizations that made her stay. This book dug up some old memories because I made the same rationalizations when I was a seminarian in formation for the priesthood. Her descriptions of her thoughts are demonstrative of her excellent storytelling skills. But most importantly, this book is a good reminder that I wasn’t crazy or wrong for leaving and we must lighten up on ourselves.

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Bad audio

Revisado: 06-24-21

These are professionally performed and done well, but it sounds like it was recorded on stage instead of the studio. It’s hard to understand half of what they say. It’s better to read the plays.

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esto le resultó útil a 9 personas

Gay agenda seeking in the end, but well researched

Revisado: 05-08-19

It is apparent in this book that Frederic Martel believes the Roman Catholic Church should abide by the postmodern standards of himself and many others. The Church, for example, should adopt a more open position toward queer, radically feminist, or liberation theologies and not be stuck in a past that, for Martel, would be riddled with errors. Martel is under the impression that teachings from the past are always in error because they are from the past and don't pass muster with his postmodern ideals. Martel doesn't realize that homosexual priests, religious, and laymen didn't sign up for a doctrine that accepts homosexual intercourse, but, for Martel, they should be allowed into dialogue with the Church in the end to change the Church's teaching on sexuality. Martel heavily criticizes popes prior to Francis who have asserted their authority in combatting the demoralizing sexual lapses of western culture since the past century. They were doing their job. Martel, as a journalist with postmodernist ideals, doesn't understand that the Church is not a democracy. Popes, bishops, and priests teach the faith as it is. The people, especially in the postmodern age, are given the choice to accept or reject the Gospel.
Like almost all journalists, Martel doesn't acknowledge the difference between the molestation of those too young to sexually respond (pedophilia) and the molestation of those barely old enough to sexually respond (ephebophilia). Martel liberally distributes the word pedophilia throughout his book when many cases in the Church dealt with an ephebophilia of a homosexual nature. This indicates the Church has an active homosexual problem more so than a pedophilia problem.
On the other hand, as popes, bishops, and priests teach the faith, they should live up to their standards, as Martel asserts, on what sexuality should be for Catholics. They haven't lived up to these standards, as Martel demonstrates. If not molesting young people themselves, clergy, especially in the episcopate, are covering up for clergy guilty of crimes. They preach against homosexual intercourse, encouraging homosexuals to live chaste lives, but their hypocrisy is blatant.
This is a discouraging work for faithful Catholics to read although they may not agree with Martel's commentary on the alleged facts. Martel exposes the active homosexuality in the Church and especially in the Vatican. It is a discouraging book as well for heterosexual men who wish to enter the priesthood. Heterosexual candidates for the priesthood may not experience active homosexuality in the seminary or amongst their priestly superiors whether they be in the faculty, administration, or at the home parish. But they will definitely come across a homophilia apparent throughout the clergy and the seminaries, as Martel aptly shows. I can attest to this as a former Roman Catholic seminarian.
I gave the book four out of five stars because I thought it was well-researched and well-written. It lacks one star due to the aggressive gay agenda for advocacy of doctrinal changes. Martel is a journalist with democratically journalistic ideals, but he is not a theologian.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas