Podcast: Catholicism and Purity Culture with Sunday School Dropouts
From harmful theology and coercive control to liberation and revived desire
On the Sunday School Dropouts podcast, I got to chat about how unaffirming Roman Catholic teachings can cause trauma and dysfunction.
In this episode, we talk about the theological social constructs that can lead to coercive control within Catholicism. From ethically-anemic Thomism, to the scrupulosity of mortal sin, to “rules for thee, but not for thee” clericalism, we break down why the Catholic Church has worked so hard to fight against LGBTQ+ people and sexual freedom — and see how abuse-crisis-culture and the constructs of patriarchy benefit from keeping sexual and gender minorities under a theological thumb.
We also talk about the effects of “Catholic guilt” on relationship dynamics and trauma, and how breaking free from a domineering faith can be an open door to a “revived desire.” This kind of internal and intrinsic desire — and not a fear of hell —can provide the motivation to transform ourselves, our communities, and our world.