exchemist
Veteran Member
There are good and bad clergymen, just as there are good and bad doctors.It's individual. I had a priest yell at me once. That's not in catholic doctrine. Christianity has a terrible history. Though, none would be considered christian theology to christians. Parents do coerce their children to believe. Smaller churches can be more influential than larger more liberal ones. I mean. When I went to confession in a more "traditional" church (I guess), the priest fussed at me and said "the devil made you do it!" Now. I'm glad I wasn't raised in that environment, but can you imagine children growing up with that type of mentality?
It's not like some baptist churches where, in my experience, they will literally tell gay people they will go to hell and people screaming they are glad they aren't catholic. I mean, in Mass years ago, I had a lot of respect for the priest who did not focus on same-sex unions, legal unions, nor said any word. He just talked about marriage according to the church. Of course the underlying message was marriage was between male and female, but he never singled it out as "we're right and 'they' are wrong."
It really does depend. But the Church is not the victim in all of this. They have beautiful teachings but not all people around the world experience them as I and many others have.
In my experience, people often shop around a bit for a local church they find congenial, which is often one where the local clergyman seems to them sympathetic and reasonable.