An Excerpt from A Philosophical Inquiry into Five Catholic Controversial Issues

A forthcoming article I am writing. Here is a section:

While perhaps not the most controversial issue inherent in the Catholic Church, priestly celibacy is nonetheless an issue that will provide a theological horizon in which further discussion of more controversial topics will benefit. Such an examination will expose both a particular complexity within the understanding of priestly celibacy, but also expose the broader complexity inherent to any and all Catholic belief and tradition. Within the nexus of the ‘tradition of priestly celibacy’ there combines several vital components that in and of themselves reveal the complexity of its own nature. On the surface, the tradition of priestly celibacy seems merely theological, that is seemingly uprooted from philosophical inquiry. The passerby of theological inquiry will unsurprisingly notice the constant correlation assumed and overtly articulated between priestly celibacy and scripture, sacred and ecclesial tradition and systematic theology. These are vital correlations, and we will indeed expand them in their entirety further on. Yet, it should not escape the reader that all the aforementioned ‘theological’ positions have an equally important philosophical counterpart. A mature theological position is informed by philosophical examination. But at the moment, it is important to lay the foundation of what informs such a position as priestly celibacy, the patchwork of many times convoluted systems of argumentation, methodology, and inquiry that form the broader “argument for priestly celibacy.”
However, as we will demonstrate, to even speak in terms of an “argument for priestly celibacy” is a bit misleading. Describing a particular tradition of the Catholic Church as an “argument” too easily characterizes the tradition as ‘merely dogmatic,’ and ceases to recognize the depth that such a historical tradition carries within its very existence and constant adherence. While the tradition of priestly celibacy most certainly has ‘dogmatic’ qualities that become responsible to the rigors of logic and the tests of reason, it cannot be reduced to the equivalence of a test tube in the scientist’s laboratory, or in this case the scrutiny of mere philosophical analysis. To reduce a living tradition to mere syllogism and debatable formulation denies the subjective qualities of a tradition that lives and breathes in those who subsist in it, abide by it, and faithfully trust in it. Such a warning is meant to guard against a total abstraction of a living tradition into mere data, when what is being abstracted has existential relationships that are made up of personal subjective qualities that no datum could capture. So while we will delve into the particular forms and nuance of theological and philosophical ‘argumentation,’ it is imperative that we (as author and reader) always be cognizant of the horizon of that which we are arguing about, a horizon not of abstract concepts and presuppositions, but of the real life of the millions who devote themselves in this manner to the Church and to Christ.

The Ontology of Tradition
Any investigation into a theological matter will almost always reference the umbrella term tradition. Indeed, there are not many more frequently used words in Christianity, nor more misunderstood concepts. Although we can only briefly touch upon what tradition is composed of as well as the depth of its being, our brief examination will still prove vital for our discussion of priestly celibacy, and will be a referential point for future issues...