- Catholic guilt
Unreferenced|date=May 2008
Catholic guilt is the feeling of
remorse , self-doubt, or personal responsibility that results when aCatholic orLapsed Catholic engages in sinful acts. Habitual obsessive guilt over trivial or imagined sins is the error ofscrupulosity . [cite encyclopedia
url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13640a.htm
title = Scruple | encyclopedia = Catholic Encyclopedia | year = 1917 | accessdate = 2008-08-24]It must be noted that the term Catholic Guilt is controversial: for some Catholics, lapsed Catholics and even non-Catholics, the term is used to express a sense of "liberation" from what they see as a misguided, outdated, or misinterpreted moralism; for others, it connotes a dismissive or belittling attitude toward traditional Catholic moral teachings, or an attempt to "psychologize" or "secularize" what they see as authentic spirituality. The term is often seen, therefore, as either a disparagement of traditional Catholicism or as a statement of psychological maturity.
Catholic guilt in context
Catholic guilt may be particularly acute where there is an especially stark juxtaposition of widespread cultural acceptance and Catholic condemnation of a particular sin. The following is a list of such 'hot topic' issues.
* "
Abortion :" The shame and guilt surrounding this perceivedsin is sometimes blamed on Catholic morality. (The implication being that such feelings are irrational and are in fact Catholic guilt). [cite web
url = http://cockamamieideasinc.blogspot.com/2005/10/i-too-want-to-be-excommunicated.html
title = I, too, want to be excommunicated | work = The Disenchanted Forest | date = 2005-10-04] Many however argue that 'abortion guilt' is not distinctly Catholic but universal and under reported. [cite web
url = http://www.afterabortion.info/Resources/FGflyer.htm
first = Theresa | last = Burke | coauthors = David C. Reardon
title = Forbidden Grief | year = 2000 | publisher = Elliot Institute]* "
Birth control :" Catholic hospitals and health care professionals are forbidden to dispense contraception and abortofacients. This inconvenience is sometimes derided as an attempt to inflict Catholic Guilt on others and to see these things criminalized. [cite news
url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/09/romney_says_no_hospitals_are_exempt_from_pill_law/
title = Romney says no hospitals are exempt from pill law
first = Scott | last = Helman | date = 2005-12-09 | work = The Boston Globe]* "
Divorce :" Catholicism generally forbids divorce (as well as remarriage) without an official annulment. [cite web
url = http://astro.temple.edu/~arcc/marriage.htm
title = Remarriage in the Church: Pastoral Solution
work = Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church
date = 2008-08-04]* "
LGBT :"Lesbian ,Gay , Bisexual andTransgender ed people who are raised Catholic or Protestant can view Catholic Guilt as an obstacle. [cite web
url = http://home.mira.net/~janie/essays/tg-self-esteem20128.html
title = Self-esteem, the Transgender Catch 22
first = Julie | last = Peters | date = 2002-01-28]* "
Interfaith marriage :" Catholicism requires permission for mixed marriages, though priests are allowed to grant licenses to baptized non-Catholics.* "
Masturbation "* "
Original sin "* "
Pornography "* "
Premarital sex "References
See also
*
Lapsed Catholic
*Scrupulosity
*Religion and sexuality Other Reading
*cite journal
last =Sheldon
first =Kennon M.
coauthors =University of Missouri-Columbia
title =RESEARCH: Catholic Guilt? Comparing Catholics' and Protestants' Religious Motivations
journal = International Journal for the Psychology of Religion
volume = Vol. 16
issue = No. 3
pages = 209–223
publisher = Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
date = 2006
doi = 10.1207/s15327582ijpr1603_5
*cite news
last =Mallon
first =John
title =The Primacy of Jesus, the Primacy of Love
publisher =Inside the Vatican
date =2006-04
url =http://www.insidethevatican.com/articles/status-ecclesiae/status-ecclesiae-apr-2006.htm
accessdate =2006-11-01
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
