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Did anyone here ever consider becoming a Priest?

DEFTLEFTHAND

I've an uncle who is a Priest. lovely fella who was very instrumental in my upbrining.

At 17 I thought I had a calling. My mother was appalled but my Dad and his bro the Padre encouraged it.

I was brought up to Maynooth and given a tour of the Seminary and met all sorts of Church officials.

In the end after a lot of reflection and prayer I decided that it wasn't for me.

I ended up going a very different way in life.

Would still consider myself to be a strong Catholic though.

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Hermy

Deleted User wrote: »

I do and I´m atheist. I imagine that if you have very strong faith, maybe overwhelming at times then it makes sense that you´d want to follow that faith further.

Faith in what though? Essentially faith in make-believe.

[Deleted User]

Hermy wrote: »

Faith in what though? Essentially faith in make-believe.

That's how you see it and that's fair enough. I see it a bit differently. There are those who don't feel it's make believe. I respect that.

Chaos Tourist

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

But they're not miserable.

It's about reaching a higher plain of thinking.

I know a few Cistercian Monks and I'm really jealous of them. They're so happy but yet they have nothing in a material sense.

I want to reach that plain one day, nirvana, as the buddists say. Peace of mind.

Do they still have to fall in line with the hierarchy though? A local one or one further away in Rome.

Not being tied up worrying about that hot new finance deal on Suzuki Jeeps or keeping up appearances must be nice though. For them you seemingly have to avoid society generally to obtain this piece of mind. Which tells you what they must really think about how most people live.

EPAndlee

I'd rather start my own cult instead of joining someone elses

Hermy

Deleted User wrote: »

That's how you see it and that's fair enough. I see it a bit differently. There are those who don't feel it's make believe. I respect that.

They may 'feel' it's not make-believe but surely without evidence to the contrary it's hard to see it as anything else.

Giraffe Box

Hermy wrote: »

They may 'feel' it's not make-believe but surely without evidence to the contrary it's hard to see it as anything else.

Agreed.
Christopher Hitchens: ''What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.''

[Deleted User]

Hermy wrote: »

They may 'feel' it's not make-believe but surely without evidence to the contrary it's hard to see it as anything else.

Evidence is not always needed when it comes to faith. In fact it's not always needed for a whole host of things. Have you unfairly compared yourself to others or assumed something that had no basis in reality? For example I could say "I wish I was as happy as them" or "nobody understands". Yet what evidence is there for such thoughts? None.

Life and how we view it and how we live it is never black and white. I slept with the light on last night because I was spooked for no real reason whatsover. There was zero evidence for me to feel that way but I did.

[Deleted User]

Hermy wrote: »

They may 'feel' it's not make-believe but surely without evidence to the contrary it's hard to see it as anything else.

Ahh... so you're the guy that loves telling children that Santa and the Easter Bunny don't exist...

Their faith doesn't affect you. So, why piss on their parade?

Star Bingo

I enjoy more quiet and solitude into older age and definitely need a stricter regimen but will always be too much of a boyish scamp to be taken seriously in any role. In the right light more like a choirboy more typically a wicked imp but never a priest.....

just don’t fit the profile! Bane of my life really; oh well what can you do but laugh n be a rock n rolla. And better yourself in your own time

Taytoland

I'm not a papist, so no of course not.

Thoughtform

Taytoland wrote: »

I'm not a papist, so no of course not.

I'm not a man, so no of course not. Pretty self explanatory that "papist" - also known as "catholic" - men were the ones being addressed.

suicide_circus

Taytoland

Thoughtform wrote: »

Taytoland wrote: »

I'm not a papist, so no of course not.

I'm not a man, so no of course not. Pretty self explanatory that "papist" - also known as "catholic" - men were the ones being addressed.

The OP assumed too much then.

StereoSound

Some people have a calling to be a man of God, they still have a calling in their pants to though. They should be allowed marry probably.

No I never considered being a priest, I'm sure its lovely but nah lol.

endacl

Work every Sunday?

Ask me hole...

Hermy

Deleted User wrote: »

Ahh... so you're the guy that loves telling children that Santa and the Easter Bunny don't exist...

Their faith doesn't affect you. So, why piss on their parade?

Well there's a great example of somebody not needing evidence.
What makes you think I'd do something like that?
Of course I don't tell children that Santa doesn't exist.
Why would anyone do such a cruel thing?
I'm talking about children who in good time make up their own minds about Santa, just as many of us in good time recognise religion for the fiction that is is.

Deleted User wrote: »

Evidence is not always needed when it comes to faith. In fact it's not always needed for a whole host of things. Have you unfairly compared yourself to others or assumed something that had no basis in reality? For example I could say "I wish I was as happy as them" or "nobody understands". Yet what evidence is there for such thoughts? None.

Life and how we view it and how we live it is never black and white. I slept with the light on last night because I was spooked for no real reason whatsover. There was zero evidence for me to feel that way but I did.

But faith itself is part of that make-believe.
And the lack of evidence is almost a necessity for any religion.
Without the mystery there's no show.

As to wanting to sleep with the light on I'm sure there's some electrochemical activity in the brain to account for that.

[Deleted User]

Hermy wrote: »

Well there's a great example of somebody not needing evidence.
What makes you think I'd do something like that?
Of course I don't tell children that Santa doesn't exist.
Why would anyone do such a cruel thing?
I'm talking about children who in good time make up their own minds about Santa, just as many of us in good time recognise religion for the fiction that is is.

But faith itself is part of that make-believe.
And the lack of evidence is almost a necessity for any religion.
Without the mystery there's no show.

As to wanting to sleep with the light on I'm sure there's some electrochemical activity in the brain to account for that.

What? It's a fear of the dark I've had because of past things. We will have to agree to disagree because I see the human condition as being so much more than a bunch of synapses firing and don't always need evidence to feel what I feel and do what I do.

[Deleted User]

My mothers brother spent two years in the seminary in Ireland. In the end he left as the reality of a life without a partner and children became more stark, and he emigrated to the US where he taught theology until his recent retirement. He was married for decades until my aunts death, had kids, and remains one of the nicest, cleverest, sweetest human beings I'm likely to ever meet.

My gran was relieved when he left the seminary as she wanted a more 'normal' life for him, but she was expected to be disappointed as having a priest in the family bestowed a great deal of status in those days.

[Deleted User]

Hermy wrote: »

Well there's a great example of somebody not needing evidence.
What makes you think I'd do something like that?
Of course I don't tell children that Santa doesn't exist.
Why would anyone do such a cruel thing?
I'm talking about children who in good time make up their own minds about Santa, just as many of us in good time recognise religion for the fiction that is is.

Evidence? Your attitude both previously and contained within the above paragraph is evidence enough.

And TBF when it comes to religion, perhaps you should be proving that it is fiction, rather than them having to prove that it does... after all, religion came first by a long shot. They've always said that religion is based on faith rather than temporal attributes, except where the Church dabbled with politics.

Don't get me wrong. I'm Agnostic. I don't like religion myself, although I do believe in the possibility of God. Still... I don't really understand this need by people to cast stones when they, themselves, can't prove anything.

[Deleted User]

Hermy wrote: »

And the lack of evidence is almost a necessity for any religion.
Without the mystery there's no show.

If you had evidence you wouldn't need faith. That's why it's called faith.

I'm a strong agnostic myself but I don't think anyone of faith is stupid either, which is the self aggrandizing insinuation when someone starts talking about make believe and fairies or whatever.

Graces7

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

and be miserable for the rest of my life? no thanks.

Way off beam. I know priests and religious who are far happier and more balanced than any person I have met in a long life.

So many miserable non-priests...

Yer Da sells Avon

Giraffe Box wrote: »

Agreed.
Christopher Hitchens: ''What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.''

Imagine how silly he feels now.

Graces7

Cabaal wrote: »

I had a relation that became a priest.

After a few years he decided it wasn't for him and wanted out, he succeeded with a lot of work! .

But in doing so he was told by the Bishop he could never return to where he first said mass (his home town) and the local priest visited his mother and told her to burn every photo of him (she didn't).

As he couldn't make a life in Ireland he went to the UK. There he met a woman and started a family.

He did eventually revisit his home town but it was decades later and even then some people didn't want him coming in their front door for the shame of interacting with a man who left the priesthood.

Dark, dark times in this country.

Far from dark times. Breaking sacred life vows is a very very serious matter indeed. It is a betrayal, a shameful thing to do. They have 8-9 years in formation/ training so should be mature enough by then

Hermy

Deleted User wrote: »

Evidence? Your attitude both previously and contained within the above paragraph is evidence enough.

And TBF when it comes to religion, perhaps you should be proving that it is fiction, rather than them having to prove that it does... after all, religion came first by a long shot. They've always said that religion is based on faith rather than temporal attributes, except where the Church dabbled with politics.

Don't get me wrong. I'm Agnostic. I don't like religion myself, although I do believe in the possibility of God. Still... I don't really understand this need by people to cast stones when they, themselves, can't prove anything.

It's not for me to disprove the claims made about religions.
The onus is on those making the claims about their respective religions to substantiate those claims.

As to the existing of a god, that's a whole other kettle of fish which has very little to do with the narrow view of creation taken by many religious types.

igCorcaigh

No.

But the idea of monkhood does carry a certain appeal.

Hermy

Candie wrote: »

If you had evidence you wouldn't need faith. That's why it's called faith.

I'm a strong agnostic myself but I don't think anyone of faith is stupid either, which is the self aggrandizing insinuation when someone starts talking about make believe and fairies or whatever.

Why isn't their evidence?

And I'm not labeling people of faith stupid - I'm labeling their beliefs stupid because those beliefs are based on nothing other than make-believe.

[Deleted User]

Hapax Legomenon wrote: »

Imagine how silly he feels now.

As any scientist will tell you, absence of evidence can rarely be taken as evidence of absence.

Graces7 wrote: »

Far from dark times. Breaking sacred life vows is a very very serious matter indeed. It is a betrayal, a shameful thing to do. They have 8-9 years in formation/ training so should be mature enough by then

It's not shameful to be human, to make mistakes. It is shameful to visit stigma on a persons family or to consider them shameful themselves for refusing to live their only life half-heartedly upholding vows they no longer value. There's nothing Godly about a lack of forgiveness or understanding.

Pelvis

Nope, never would have considered it.

No issues with priests, the non-pedo ones anyway. But have to say it doesn't sit well with me that they willingly endorse and directly support an entity that's responsible for so much pain and suffering. Personally, if I worked for a company and discovered that a large portion of my colleagues all over the world were raping children and being protected and even enabled by those at the top, I would hope I'd have the moral conviction and fortitude to quit.

[Deleted User]

Graces7 wrote: »

Far from dark times. Breaking sacred life vows is a very very serious matter indeed. It is a betrayal, a shameful thing to do. They have 8-9 years in formation/ training so should be mature enough by then

People change, and getting out of the Church used to be far harder than it is today. The attitude of the Church regarding those who sought to leave was far more shameful...

I have a few relations who used to be priests, and who left the Church at various stages. They're good people with strong faith, but didn't want the hypocrisy that went with many of the holy orders.

[Deleted User]

Hermy wrote: »

Why isn't their evidence?

And I'm not labeling people of faith stupid - I'm labeling their beliefs stupid because those beliefs are based on nothing other than make-believe.

As there is no evidence of a god or gods, so there is also no evidence of a lack of god or gods. As I said above, absence of evidence doesn't mean evidence of absence.