Should I ask a priests' advice on secular problems?

ask fluther instead.

@Ltryptophan ; Come and visit us here, we can talk dirty and he can’t…

Some priests and nuns have had actual lives… if you trust the guy, give him a shot. I’ve known crappy priests and guys I have some respect for that have become priests. Do you mean Catholic Priests? (some languages, a ‘prest’ is also from protestant faiths)

Would you mind giving an example of what a secular problem is? In my mind it would depend on the type of person you are talking with more than what their vocation is.

I agree strongly with @cazzie – if you trust the guy and his judgment, ask for his help.
Priests are supposed to be wise and compassionate, not just rulebook-quoters. I get help sometimes from my friend George, an Anglican priest from South Africa. Our contexts are different but he understands human beings.

Until priests stand up and change the culture of abuse in the church I wouldn’t ask them the time.

Why not? Priests are also human beings and are generally good at helping people work through problems, regardless of whether they are secular or spiritual.

@Shae that reminds me of attending my first parties in New Zealand as an American and someone in the crowd would hear my accent and bail me up and start holding me responsible for every problem the USA had caused overseas.

leave him out of the loop.

@cazzie it is not the same. If you were a Congressman then it would be the similar. Priests are the leaders of their religion.

@Shae Well.. actually, they’re the dogs bodies. There’s a whole strange hierarchical system there where priests don’t have much of a say as to who leads them… it’s a Theocracy.. ruled from the top (god?) down. Not a democracy. It think the system is screwed.. don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think the baby should be thrown out with the bathwater. It just drives the problem more underground.

Sure, you can always choose to ignore the advice.

A priest is supposed to render aid to his lost sheep. Do you have a lost sheep?

If you feel you trust him, believe him to likely be insightful as to your dilemma, and think his advice worthy of consideration why not? It’s just advice, if you don’t like/agree with it, you can always ask someone else.

I would turn to anyone I trust that might help me in a dilemma. Why not?

Have him get an account on Fluther. We’ll turn him in no time.

@CyanoticWasp Bahahahah!!

My comment is no comment.

What @Rarebear said.

If you trust him and would like his perspective, I think you should. We at Fluther are always willing to help you, but his religious opinions may guide you in a better direction than us.

If you trust and respect him, sure. You’re always free to get a second opinion.

I would say yes, b/c it’s just insight from a different point of view, and it can’t hurt to have too much insight when dealing with a difficult issue.

Yes, if the priest is someone you are comfortable speaking with. Some priests are not pastoral care priests, but usually the parish priests are.

it’s always a good thing to get a second opinion. and sure a priest can be just that. :)

When I was still a Catholic, and the problems with my family were coming to a head, I didn’t want to “betray” them by “abandoning” them (I was always creating these huge scenarios of emotional self-flagellation and toxic, unnecessary guilt). I was so upset about it, I talked to Father Sean. And he listened. The advice he gave ended up being the exact same advice as my current counselor gave, which was to leave them be (he added that I bless them to God in my heart), but that Jesus didn’t mean for us to invite abuse into our lives like how I was doing.

Then again, like all people, everyone is going to have different advice, depending on their current emotional state, their past circumstances, their particular values. Another priest may have told me to carry their burdens, the way Christ might. Who knows? So if you feel like you can trust his opinion, ask him for it.

Good luck!

Absolutely. But no human should be the only source of advice.

I’m Mormon so I wouldn’t know, but I immagin a priest is somewhat, if not a lot like a bishop in my faith. I say don’t leave him out of the loop.

Never mind, I see this is an old Q I’ve already answered!