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  • Posted Dec. 19, 2012 11:25 a.m.
  • Do Not Remove the Cornerstone, or the Church May Crumble at Your Feet!


  •  (The first of a two part series created for my Composition Class as a pro/con persuasive essay assignment.)

    The Roman Catholic Church historically has weathered many storms to stay strong
    and remain a stable religion. Over the years the church has faced many changes and
    have come through better than before the changes were made. The church has
    constantly made decisions based on what's best for their future. Once again the Roman
    Catholic Church is faced with a decision. The church has stayed strong with their
    answer to this decision. Women should not be allowed to become ordained priests.
    Although the absence of equality has been questioned, men, as they have traditionally
    been, are the only gender able to be ordained priests in the Roman Catholic Church,
    because it is theologically based and has been the standard for the success of the
    church.

    The world today has based many new decisions on equality of the sexes. Rightly so,
    women should have as many opportunities as a man. If the woman shows the same
    leadership characteristics as a man there should be no reason for preventing them from
    being ordained. In the long run, with the shortage of priests, ordaining women is the
    obvious answer for survival. Or is it?

    The Catholic church is based on men in roles of leadership. Starting with God
    himself, a man, who created man then woman to walk the earth. Man was the leader of
    the man/woman relationship in that man was created first. Adam and Eve were created
    to reproduce through love and marriage. Simply, the woman was created to give birth
    and raise children. God then sent his son, Jesus, to earth in physical form to teach us
    about God, his father, and how to be closer to him. While Jesus was walking earth, he
    honored 12 men to become his followers even after Jesus' death. Thus started men in
    leadership roles in religion.

    The church continues to use men in this capacity because it is what we have based
    our whole church on. If shortage of priests is an issue in the church today the church
    has many other options. The church has managed the situation by combining parishes
    and assigning one priest to more than one parish. Is this an ideal or perfect answer?
    Maybe no, but the church is trying to maintain the standards by which they have always
    survived. Priests from other countries are taking parish positions here in the states. A
    wonderful way of keeping parishes alive and adding international unity as well. The last
    big push by the church is actively recruiting young men to the priesthood. These next
    few years will hopefully show an increase in that area.

    The Roman Catholic church has always based their strong religion on standards that
    have been traditionally honored for years. Yes, changes have been made throughout
    history but mainly in the presentation of mass and in the liturgy. However, the basic
    principles of the church remain steadfast and strong. It has been proven when religions
    allow women to become ministers, that the church's congregation declines in numbers.
    The Roman Catholic Church has a responsibility to its people to make the best
    decisions that allows them to remain strong.

    The church has historically grown and changed and remained strong and consistent.
    The decision to deny women to become ordained priests has not been taken lightly.
    Through much deliberation the church remains firm on their decision. The male priest
    represents Christ during the Eucharistic part of the mass. Changing that very important
    part of the mass could very well rock the foundation of the Catholic church. Therefore
    staying strong and consistent has worked in the past and will continue to work in the
    future. Women have a vital role in the church and that should not change, but changing
    the very core of the Roman Catholic religion could be damaging beyond repair. Do not
    remove the cornerstone or the church my crumble at your feet. We must keep the
    foundation strong with conviction and faith and the church will continue to thrive.

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