Among Fundamentalists’ most common complaints against the Catholic faith is this: “You Catholics violate Scripture when you call your priests `Father.’ After all, Scripture says, ‘Call no man your father on earth’ (Matt. 23:9).”
You might point out to Fundamentalists that not only are we told not to call any man “father,” we’re told not to call any man “rabbi” (Matt. 23:8), which means “teacher” (John 1:38). This restriction must apply also to the word “doctor,” which comes from the Latin for “teacher.”
Yet your Fundamentalist friends commonly refer to their pastor as “Dr. Such-and-So.” Are they violating the command they accuse Catholics of violating, or is there a basic confusion at play?
Note that in some passages a person is referred to as another’s spiritual son, implying the other person is the spiritual father.
“All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel. And the high priest said, `Is this so?’ And Stephen said, `My brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia'” (Acts 6:14, 7:1-2).
“Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people; when all was quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew, `My brothers and fathers, listen to what I am about to say to you in my defense'” (Acts 21:40, 22:1).
“It depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants–not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all, as it is written, `I have made you the father of many nations'” (Rom. 4:16-17).
“I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 4:14-15).
“You know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (1Thess. 2:11-12).
“God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” (Heb. 12:7-9).
“This charge I commit to you, Timothy, my son” (1 Tim. 1:18).
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:1).
“I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment” (Philem. 10).
“I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. . . . I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning” (1 John 2:13).