Pope Benedict won't be intimidated

Rabbi,

Your friends have a message for you. Click on the link in the first paragraph.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/david_wolpe/2010/04/brutal_and_foolish.html

I hope, this Passover, you come with us out of Egypt.

New York Times

New Torah For Modern Minds

By MICHAEL MASSING (NYT)

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E1EFE35540C7A8CDDAA0894DA404482

"Abraham, the Jewish patriarch, probably never existed. Nor did Moses. The entire Exodus story as recounted in the Bible probably never occurred. The same is true of the tumbling of the walls of Jericho. And David, far from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem into a mighty capital, was more likely a provincial leader whose reputation was later magnified to provide a rallying point for a fledgling nation.

The notion that the Bible is not literally true ''is more or less settled and understood among most Conservative rabbis,'' observed David Wolpe, a rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and a contributor to ''Etz Hayim.'' But some congregants, he said, ''may not like the stark airing of it.''

Last Passover, in a sermon to 2,200 congregants at his synagogue, Rabbi Wolpe frankly said that ''virtually every modern archaeologist'' agrees ''that the way the Bible describes the Exodus is not the way that it happened, if it happened at all.'' The rabbi offered what he called a ''litany of disillusion'' about the narrative, including contradictions, improbabilities, chronological lapses and the absence of corroborating evidence. In fact, he said, archaeologists digging in the Sinai have ''found no trace of the tribes of Israel -- not one shard of pottery.''

Rabbi,

Your friends have a message for you. Click on the link in the first paragraph.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/david_wolpe/2010/04/brutal_and_foolish.html

I hope, this Passover, you come with us out of Egypt.

Obviously ordination in any religion is not assurance of good behavior !!!!!

Neither is coronation!!! e.g. Henry VIII, King David.

Neither is being elected president of the US!!! e.g. Billy "Boy" Clinton.

Neither is being blessed with athletic skills!!! e.g. Tiger Woods, Wilt Chamberlin

Rabbi,

Your friends have a message for you. Click on the link in the first paragraph.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/david_wolpe/2010/04/brutal_and_foolish.html

I hope, this Passover, you come with us out of Egypt.

Julia Sweeney's monologue "Letting Go Of God" will be the final nail in the coffin of religious/evangelical belief and is and will continue to be more effective than any book or blog column on popes, atheism or secularism.

Toward the end of the show, Julia recommends that the Pope should have a news conference where he says: "Guys we made some mistakes such as in the resurrection, the diety of Jesus, original sin and the pedophilia coverup. Please forgive us."

Buy the DVD or watch it on Showtime. Check your cable listings.
from www.amazon.com
"Letting Go of God ~ Julia Sweeney (DVD - 2008)
Buy new: $19.99 $15.99

Well, Rabbi, read Yeal9's post. Arming antisemites, are we, Rabbi?

Not to worry. Yeal9 is CCNL1, kicked off the blog. He signed in again using a new moniker, but that also violates the rules of the blog.

He'll be gone soon enough. Perhaps, you will want to rethink you're current tactics, altogether.

In the meantime, Passover notwithstanding, I've been in touch with several people on the matters you raise. LIKE ME, if you know of Rabbis trying to shield child molesting colleagues, THEY WANT NAMES.

Let's get on it. JEWISH children are involved. If at this late date, rabbis are protecting pedophiles, print it in Jewish week, the New York Times, this blog.

No one seems to know what you are referring to. These are dangerous allegations, if false. If true, start acting or tell us exactly what you have done in terms that enable verification.

As per Rabbi Hirschfield:

"This is no different than when leading members of the Jewish community have attempted to silence those who were sexually abused by rabbis."

And how long has this been going on? Based on the OT/Torah time line, Judaism goes back 6000 years.

Rabbi,

I'm fascinated by this article pasted by CCNL, truly I am, for a number of reasons.

Just who are these Jews who are currently protecting child molesting rabbis? I ask because a mess of them are currently serving jail time, because there have been blogs and web sites for quite awhile now.

Now, the simple fact is that we are a small people. The numbers of Methodist child rapist clergy, alone far exceed those of their Jewish counterparts. Now, bring in all of Protestantism.

We are, of course, talking of thousands.

Then there are the endless imam child rapists world wide. The problem is endemic.

However, the differences between these horrors and that of the church are patently obvious, or should be. If not, see my comment on the main page.

But you do not mention Protestants or Muslims, do you? Your pseudo-universalizing amounts to bringing Jews into the picture. Now, just why is it that we don't see the same sort of thing in the essays of your Protestant and Muslim and Hindu colleagues? Read them, Rabbi. Learn something.

CCNL (Yeal9), who continually attacks both you and Judaism is shamelessly pasting this article all over the blog. I suspect he is in the employ of the Pope, but no matter. There are very few Catholics now living who will thank you for this rubbish, CCNL an exception, but he is mentally ill, at least in the opinion of all who blog here.

Either start going after these Jewish clergy who are currently attempting to shield pedophiles or stop bloviating. In other words, stop your naive self-serving silliness. Children are involved. If there are rabbis covering up the abuse of their colleagues, LET"s HAVE THEIR NAMES.

In the meantime, I refer you to my earlier post.

Awaiting your comments on the following:

The Yemeni Jews

The Murder of Johanna Justin Jinich

The Law suit against Vatican Bank by victims of 200 Nazi Utashe clergy

Contemporary fascist and nazi RCC priests.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am for myself alone, what am I?

Brad Hirschfield: When Priests And Rabbis Commit Sexual Abuse

Mar 29, 2010 ......

www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi.../when-priests-and-rabbis-c_b_516386.html

“The words used by Pope Benedict and others in responding to the Church's ever-deepening sexual abuse crises reflect a sickness that is not unique to the Catholic community. In fact, that sickness creeps into all religious communities of which I know, and leaves a trail of victims in its wake every time. I refer to the way in which religious leaders and the communities which they lead wear the mantle of victimhood to cover their naked moral failings.

In the past days I have heard Catholics tell me again and again that "the Church is under assault." Under assault by whom? Is this "assault" the real problem? Or is it a deflection from the horrors of child abuse committed by the religious?
In his Palm Sunday address, Pope Benedict spoke about allowing neither himself nor the Church to be "intimidated by petty gossip". "Petty gossip"? Is that how the Holy Father understands the outcry against the evil acts which members of the Church have committed? Is it really his view that the Church is a victim of gossip mongers more than the thousands of children have been victims of the Church?

It's not that I don't appreciate how Catholic-bashers and Church-haters, from certain comedians to some members of the punditocracy, are having a field day with this tragedy. I do. And frankly, they should be ashamed of themselves. Their "I told you so" ranting about the Church serves no good, except to their own careers."

continued below:

"But however ugly such ranting is, it hardly compares to the ugliness of what happened to the victims in these cases, and the sluggish response, if not full out cover-up, by the Church. For the Church or its leaders to portray themselves as the victims at this moment, is beyond reprehensible, it actually lays the groundwork for further abuse.

This is no different than when leading members of the Jewish community have attempted to silence those who were sexually abused by rabbis. The arguments in defense of such behavior are the same as those made by many in the church, including, it now seems, by the Pope. "It's not as bad as they say", "the charges are motivated by anti-Semitism/anti-Catholicism", "we can handle this ourselves", and "if we don't keep it in the community, we will all undermine our community/church." It doesn't matter where those arguments are made, they are all grotesque.

Faithfulness is not proved with silence, raising a voice of moral conscience is not betrayal, admitting horrific abuses is not defeat, and public accountability is not gossip. Frankly, any religious community which doesn't know these things is neither genuinely religious or truly a community.
I don't know what the Pope should do, but I know that hiding behind the mantle of victimhood at moments such as these is what brings down communities and their sacred institutions. As well it should.
The "rock upon which the Church is built" could crumble if the Vatican doesn't figure that out soon, and so will those Jewish institutions which fall prey to the same ugly institutional protectionism which abets protecting abusive rabbis instead of their young victims."

As noted previously, ordination in any religion is not assurance of good behavior !!!!!

Let me come at the problem another way.

Why did we read nothing from you on the Yemeni Jews?

On the murder of Johanna Justin Jinich?

On the US Court of Appeals decision against the plaintiffs--Serbian Orthodox, Jewish, Roma victims and victims' heirs of 200 nazi Franciscan priests--attempting to sue the Vatican? The decision, as you probably know, was that the Vatican, as a "sovereign nation" is immune to lawsuits initiated by Americans.

What these priests did, I mention in an earlier post. Now, the case against the Franciscan Order continues, and there is additional good news.

In a couple of states, victims of pedophile priests are suing the Vatican. If the Supreme Court does not take up the Vatican Appeal, the lawyers for the victims of the nazi Franciscans may be able to appeal further.

But, Rabbi, we heard nothing from you on this lawsuit.

When, Rabbi, do you think we might hear your views on the Vatican's refusal to release its Holocaust era archives?

For myself FIRST, rabbi. Then, for others.

I agree with ColoradoDog. I can fathom what you have in mind here, your recent strategy, of late, as it were.

However, although this may be the way to win some friends and influence some people, they are not those you want.

The foundation of Judaism is Justice. Acceptance does not come from pandering. It comes from fighting.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am for myself alone, what am I?

We should have been seeing more from you about "ourselves" of late. Then you would be in a better position to see things through Dog's eyes.

I do.
----------------------------
Some time ago, you wrote an essay about how antisemitism had hurt your family. It was met with hate, as you should have expected.

The haters have died down lately. But, note, they died down BEFORE you adopted your new strategy.

Justice. Truth. For myself, but not for myself alone.

"Whether or not, or to what extent, the Pope should be held accountable for the seemingly endless cases of sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic priests, and the Church's response to them, is up to Catholics."

This is just plain wrong. Violations of civil law aren't just up to the religious who violate them. Civil law in the US trumps Catholic Cannon law.

I am surprised the Rabbi gives a "get out of jail card" to Catholics in regard to these atrocities - that it is their business, their children and it is simply up to them. Are you also saying, Rabbi, that religious declarations are higher than civil laws? I expected more but it is apparent religious arrogance is not limited to one faith (I know, comes now Farnaz rabidly and blindly defending her beloved Rabbi)

Americans need to take back America from all the theocratic agendas that threaten its freedoms regardless of faith. These freedoms include the right to grow up without being buggered by a member of anyone's clergy.

Believe me, my "ugly ranting", as you call it Rabbi, is nothing compared to the physical, psychological and emotional pain I have experienced and continue to have for other victims of child abuse who will never see justice either until Catholic and others stop claiming they are the victims and stop make sniveling excuses for their crimes against God, law and man.

Catholics, who apparently think these crimes are simply a part of their boys growing up in their church, are severed notice that every time they moralize to the rest of us about gays, abortion or whatever, the main issue will be their criminal racketeering in hiding their perverted clergy members.

With all due respect to your Rabbiness, your column claiming that it is "up to Catholics" makes you complicit in aiding their continued dishonest propaganda.

By the way, Ratzinger, contra VaticaNazi claims, could not have been forced to join the Hitler Youth in 1939, when he was ten years old.

http://books.google.com/books?id=3XbU1HEyfFkC&pg=PA123&lpg=PA123&dq=hitler+youth+conscription&source=bl&ots=9UIjlg7Xv_&sig=t79Be_RoojT_oz26zC2fZn00gGg&hl=en&ei=9pOyS7OiGML88AaNqIHLAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CDMQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=hitler%20youth%20conscription&f=false

Conscription of ten-year-olds did not begin until 1941.

What can one expect, after all, of an organization with the likes of Pius XII, founder of Vatican Bank, as a repository for Nazi loot.

An abomination

In centering attention on the current pope, the Vatican and WaPo are deflecting attention from the entire rotten edifice. It is that, the Vatican, which needs to be investigated, along with the unique power it holds in this country. Moreover, those crimes extend well beyond worldwide child rape (of tens of thousands, perhaps more, in recent decades, alone).

1. With respect to child rape, it will be necessary, in many states, to change the laws in order for them to prosecute pedophile priests. That is, the Vatican has been exempt from prosecution for crimes against humanity in the United States.

2. The Vatican's status as a "sovereign nation" was recently affirmed in an Appeals Court decision against the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Vatican Bank.

Vatican Bank was established by Pope Pius XII as a repository for Nazi loot. 200 Utashe Franciscan priests owned and managed concentration camps in which they cut living people to ribbons with scissors and watched them bleed to death. They impaled them in a lake and watched them drown. They then took what they had and deposited it in Vatican Bank.

The plaintiffs, in the above mentioned case, were SErbian Orthodox, Jewish, and Roma victims, along with their heirs, of these nazi Franciscan priests.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/29/world/main6036103.shtml

3. At the same time that the RCC has been declared a "sovereign nation" and immune to prosecution for crimes against humanity, in this case pedophilia, it has been deemed an American institution, entitled to tax exempt status.

In other words, our tax dollars, have legally been used to shield pedophiles and prevent their prosecution.

4. Neither WaPo nor any major US media corporation has reported on the current Italian investigation of Vatican Bank for money-laundering 200,000,000 mafia dollars. That would be the Mafia that routinely assassinates elected Italian officials, who try to stem the flow of organized crime, over-running Italy.

Continues below

Continues

According to the London Telegraph, Vatican Bank is the eighth most popular destination for money-laundering, ahead of Switzerland, the Bahamas, and Lichtenstein.

The investigation is ongoing. Yet, Wapo has not reported on it. (Why is that?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EnGD6DT2gM&feature=youtube_gdata

This illegal entity also interferes with US legislation at the Federal level in other ways. Note the current Stupak, Ben Nelson fiascos, said representatives having publicly announced that they would not sign on to any legislation, not supported by the "bishops."

They later gave their non-support, for which taxpayers shelled out more than one hundred million dollars (to the two).
--------------------
Finally, let us count.

Let us count. Recently, three localities decided to tax some Church properties. For three buildings, the taxes will come to more than three hundred dollars.

Let us count. Let us count up the wealth of Vatican Nation. Let us, the world, insist that its Vatican Bank assets be made public, all the billions in gifts its received from foreign nations, etc.

Let us assess the value of the church's real estate and profits it has made from sale of same, eg., the buildings and blocks it sold in the pricey Lincoln Center area of Manhattan.

Let us count. Let us count the cost in investigations, time taken in DAs' offices, lawsuits, etc., deals made in Congress, etc.

Let us count.

Health care, anyone?
--------------------
The issue, then, is not one pope. It is the entire enterprise that must be investigated from top to bottom, worldwide.

"Why did today's prelates, preachers and rabbis, so focused on society's sexual sins, lose sight of clerical sexual sins?
"
FEAR, SHAME and GUILT and COVER IT ALL UP!!!

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_and_child_sex_abuse

“As with other religious organizations, Jehovah's Witnesses have been obliged in recent years to develop child protection policies to deal with cases of child abuse in their congregations. Details of the policy have been published in Jehovah's Witnesses' publications and press releases issued by their Office of Public Information.[1][2] Some details are found only in letters to elders which, while solely for internal use, have been made available on the Internet.”

From: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1855948_1861760_1862212,00.html#ixzz0jg0lEyZj

“Facing calls to curb child sex abuse within its churches, in June the Southern Baptist Convention — the largest U.S. religious body after the Catholic Church — urged local hiring committees to conduct federal background checks but rejected a proposal to create a central database of staff and clergy who have been either convicted of or indicted on charges of molesting minors. The SBC decided against such a database in part because its principle of local autonomy means it cannot compel individual churches to report any information. And while the headlines regarding churches and pedophilia remain largely focused on Catholic parishes, the lack of hierarchical structure and systematized record-keeping in most Protestant churches makes it harder not only for church leaders to impose standards, but for interested parties to track allegations of abuse.

continued below:

From: www.eutimes.net/category/criticism/pedophilia/ -

"Yet another prominent Orthodox rabbi has been charged with sexual abuse. This time it is Rabbi Mordechai Elon, one of the foremost rabbinic leaders of the Israeli Orthodox movement and former rosh yeshiva at the flagship Yeshivat HaRav, where last year a Palestinian mounted an assault which left several students dead. The result was that students of the yeshiva and other far right Jews went on a rampage and tried to burn down the home of the family of the perpetrator of the attack. Elon’s brother is Benny, a former MK for a far-right pro-settler party.

At one time the rabbi was so renowned he’d hoped to be named chief rabbi. Alas, that hope is all but dashed as he was charged several years ago with abusing boys at his yeshiva:

Takana, a rabbinic forum established in 2003 to clamp down on sexual misconduct by Orthodox educators, went public February 15 with allegations that Mordechai “Moti” Elon had taken advantage of his influence over male students and performed “acts at odds with sacred and moral values.”

The panel later said that two people, whose complaints alleged acts from about 25 years ago, had been under 18 at the time. More recent alleged acts involved students of Elon who were 18 or older. Since its initial disclosure, the panel reports having received one more complaint of an alleged underage encounter…

What is unusual about this case is that a splinter group of the Orthodox community is taking the position that the entire prosecution is an attempt to destroy rabbinic authority and the Orthodox movement. It calls for refusal to cooperate with state authorities (or to deal with the charge through a beyt din)."

Obviously ordination in any religion is not assurance of good behavior !!!!!

YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A NEW BLOG…

…that tackles Church abuse, separation of Church and State, Atheism, Buddhism, Existentialism….

Just posted:

CONCEPTS + LOGIC = KNOWLEDGE, by Blacksun
MAN AND REASON, by Randall Duncan
RATZINGER’S VATICAN: SEX, LIES AND SECRETS, by Emily Helm.
THE NEW BUDDHIST ATHEISM, by Mark Vernon

http://theexistentialatheist.blogspot.com/

“The only way to cure the cancer of Catholicism, and stop the pedophilia, is to begin each ceremony of ordination to the deaconate with castration.”

Rabbi: One of the things that most upsets me in reading the media on these matters is how ill-informed reporters and commentators are. To say that the Pope is playing the victim negates the fact that he was the only one in the Church to stand up in 2001 and say this problem had to be handled openly and honestly with real penalties. Just a little research would show doubters how true this is. I point you to John Allen's commentary and George Weigel's as well. Also, just check the facts of all the cases sited to smack the Pope. A close reading will not allow one to release such rage upon him as has been done. Much of the outrage is clearly anti-Catholic. The Washington Post had as their chief commentator over the weekend Sinead O'Connor--come on!--what kind of tripe is that? Her one claim to fame--tearing up a picture of the Pope in 1992 hardly qualifies her as an expert on sexual abuse. And Christopher Hitchens, our favorite cussing, vituperative iconoclast? And Richard Dawkins, our beloved atheist? These are the Pope's critics in the media? Gosh--sounds like petty gossip to me.

One case of sexual abuse is one too many, but let's not slander the one man who is really reforming the Church--why not support his efforts instead?