Category: Spirituality
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Postmodern Buchanan
Deal W. Hudson Two books read together can unexpectedly illuminate one another. That was my experience reading Pat Buchanan’s The Death of the West and a scholarly book written for public consumption-The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics, by Mark Lilla of the University of Chicago. There’s much in the Buchanan book I agree with, especially…
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Government Cannot Love
Deal W. Hudson In the midst of Valentine’s Day sentiment, it’s refreshing to hear someone who speaks plainly about love. At a White House briefing on February 6, Jim Towey, the new Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives, said something that ought to be heard–“government cannot love.” Towey, who is…
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It’s Not About Celibacy
Deal W. Hudson The recent pedophile problems in various U.S. Catholic dioceses, especially Boston, have led – predictably – to a new wave of questions about priestly celibacy. Let us be clear: There is no relation between the vow of priestly celibacy and the incidence of pedophilia among Catholic priests. How do I know this?…
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Harvard’s Catholic Voice
Deal W. Hudson I thought I knew something about Catholicism in Ivy League schools such as the venerable Harvard University. For example, if you wanted a Harvard professor outspoken about the Catholic faith you called Dr. Mary Ann Glendon of the Harvard Law School, or for the social justice perspective, Fr. J. Bryan Hehir, now…
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A Time for Caution
Deal W. Hudson Passions are running high in response to the daily revelations of sexual misconduct by Catholic priests. I purposely avoid the word “pedophilia” because-in the rush to judgment-most of the instances of “sexual abuse” are being reported incorrectly as pedophilia. Pedophilia is sexual contact with a child who has not yet reached puberty,…
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10 Myths About Priestly Pedophilia
Deal W. Hudson Myth #1 – Catholic priests are more likely to be pedophiles than other groups of men. This is just plain false. There’s absolutely no evidence that priests are more likely to abuse children than are other groups of men. The use and abuse of children as objects for the sexual gratification of…
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Liberals Planning for Vatican III?
Deal W. Hudson I guess it was just a matter of time. As you and I both know, critics of the Church are taking advantage of the sex scandal to push forward their own agendas. We’ve seen it time and again in newspaper editorials, radio call-in shows, and TV interview programs. And now, to the…
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How to Refute Arguments Against Priestly Celibacy
Deal W. Hudson 5 Arguments Against Priestly Celibacy and How to Refute Them 1. Allowing priests to marry would end pedophilia. It is completely untrue that celibate priests are more likely to be pedophiles than any other group of men, married or not. Pedophilia affects only 0.3 percent of the population of Catholic clergy, and…
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After Dallas – Disappointment and Hope
Deal W. Hudson After months of buildup to the bishops’ conference, it seems strange that it has already come and gone so quickly. The best that can be said of the Dallas meeting is that it was the first step. Zero tolerance is a tough policy, and it was adopted against the counsel of no…
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How To Make Sure “Catholic” Colleges Really Are
Deal W. Hudson As you may know, I have a daughter who’ll be heading off to college in a few years. Like any faithful parent, if she goes to a Catholic school, I want to make sure she’s being taught authentic Catholicism. None of that watered-down nonsense, thank you very much. In fact, you yourself…
Deal W. Hudson 