How does a Catholic priest think he can give marriage counseling, child-rearing, and sex advice to couples?

A case can be made that an unmarried, celibate priest, completely dedicated to God, is better positioned to give objective advice on these matters than a married man.





Counseling advice must be based on study, not personal experience. For example, a drug counselor would certainly not be a better counselor for having taken drugs. His expertise would be in knowledge of the facts and ability to give expert counsel.





Cheers,


BruceHow does a Catholic priest think he can give marriage counseling, child-rearing, and sex advice to couples?
Yeah, that would be like a ';financial adviser'; giving monetary advice to a billionaire. How dumb would that be?How does a Catholic priest think he can give marriage counseling, child-rearing, and sex advice to couples?
THANK YOU MY BROTHER!!!





HE CAN'T!!





And explain to me, how in the... Aaron had two sons without sin if he weren't married





It even tells you in Lev 21: 14 that the priest is supposed to MARRY A VIRGIN NOT BE ONE.
Priests graduate form the theological seminary with the equivalent of a doctorate in these matters.





Priests also typically come from normal, everyday families.





Priest are also fully trained in explaining the church doctrine on matters of marriage, sexuality, and child rearing.





Priests are also assisted by Catholic married couples, who do most of the actual training.
Because this is part of his training at the seminary.
If you believe in Christianity, then you believe that the priest is channeling [G]od, and [G]od is supposed to be right about everything.
Education and experience in counseling.





An experienced and understanding priest can have thousands of hours of marriage counseling under his belt. He probably has heard every story several times. He knows what to say and how to say it. He will know more about real life marriage than most (not all) married couples.





Even young priests have taken counseling and psychology classes in their (at least) eight years of college.





With love in Christ.
The misuse and/or abuse of a Holy Sacrament is easily identifiable to the likes of a priest. This gives him the moral right provide whatever counseling a married couple seeks from the Clergy.
He gives advice on things related to moral values and spirituality. For sex therapy a couple goes to a sex therapist.
In the same way that a Quadriplegic can give good advise to a Marathon runner!
Because he has certain principles that he believes in, and believes others would live better lives by adhering to them, and is advising them on how to adhere to them. Unlike many of the ';pop culture'; psychologists or ';life coaches';, a priest usually (ideally, but I suppose 'not always') takes the time to get to know the people, and understands where they are, and gives them advice based on that.





It doesn't take having been married to give marriage advice. What it takes is an understanding of the nature of the institution, and a thorough understanding of the parties involved. One need not experience something personally to understand it, otherwise only people who had suffered cancer could become oncologists.





Child-rearing advice is even easier. Priests were children once, and as religious institutions are all very much involved in knitting families into a cohesive community, they know something about child-parent relationships, and can offer a somewhat detached perspective on it, which is what parents usually need to fix the problems they have created.





One of the most common problems couples have with sexual matters is a failure to consider their partner's needs. How much personal experience does one need when that's all it takes to fix 95% of the problems people bring to you?





I went to a Catholic school when I was younger. I'm not even a Christian, but I do have respect for the counseling abilities of priests. I have a little less confidence in people's ability to listen to them, but the priests are competent.
I wouldn't trust my family to anyone who I don't know!
It is strange - they are taught in the ways to counsel people, though. And there are female psychiatrists who see male patients and straight psychiatrists who see gay or lesbian patients - how does that work out? It usually does.


But I think the marriage counseling is a little odd. They can deliver the usual answers or point out what the Bible has to offer, but their knowledge is entirely clinical - I would prefer to use a married marriage counselor and a child-rearing advisor who has had children, of course!
because people seek his advice.
He can't! Practical advice in these matters can only come from experience, or from someone with proper training. I respect that some people get their spiritual advice from the Bible, but let's face it, the bible is over 1000 yrs old! However, one of the most important elements of counseling is just having someone to talk to. On that face, a priest can be just as helpful as a friend or a counselor. Some people are looking for advice from a spiritual standpoint though. It comes down to personal choice.
By the power of the Holy Spirit. He also spends years in study. Peace
He advises couples on what the Church teaches in such matters; on this, he is (usually) very knowledgable. What the couple does with that information is their responsibility.
Because he's a human being for starters. Additionally, he knows theology and the teaching of the Church. You do not always need personal experience with everything in order to understand it.





Women go to male obstetricians all the time. These men have never given birth, had a menstrual cycle, had post-partum depression...and yet the give advice and counsel women all the time.





My point is, a priest can understand, as a human being all the things that we face as human beings. Even if he has never experienced it. He cannot give advice using his own practical experience, but that is not necessary. He can give advice on what the Church teaches and what God has asked of each of us.
You mean how can European Catholic priests teach that all sex is evil even between legally married husbands and wives?