Open the books, tell the truth

I understand everyone's anger with Catholicism, but I stress the importance of recognizing that the actions of the church are emblematic of a larger issue: religion. It would not be hard to look at any of the Abrahamic religions and find barbarism and hypocrisy. If we looked at all religions as we look at fringe cults (they are only different in number of believers, not coherence in belief) then you might see an end to this sort of thing... not child abuse, but unconsequenced abuse

The Pope will never tell the truth.

On November 6, 1999 Pope John Paul II in his sermon at the Sacred Heart Cathedral of New Delhi, INDIA, openly stated, "Just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted on the soil of Europe, and in the second on that of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that in the third Christian millennium, a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and vital continent [Asia]"

This is a story from INDIA, where this - priests raping nuns and boys - disease is spreading like AIDS.

http://myexperimentsagainstprejudice.blogspot.com/2009/02/church-sex-and-scandals.html

Is this a serious question? This exemplifies perfectly the state of religious discord in the world. Only in the domain of theistic faith could such a question be asked in seriousness. Dan mentions that a scientist accused of fraud in a lab would be subject to investigation, and it is certainly the case that efforts to protect institutions and colleagues at the expense of an individual's integrity happen regularly. Let us be clear, though. We are not talking about the cover-up of data or fudging of facts... we are not even talking about minor crimes that were allegedly concealed. We are talking about child abuse. If the head of the boy scouts was accused of having actively concealed evidence of child molestation (I think there may even be something of this sort that just happened), you had better believe that we would not be wondering whether there would be an investigation -- we would be demanding it! What if a story of this sort had surfaced about our president? Would we say, "hmmmm, who here thinks there should be an investigation?" No! We would most likely insist that the individual step down from his position pending the outcome of the inevitable investigation. The only thing that is different here is that we are talking about a religious institution. Here, again, we find the power of peoples' unwillingness to insist that religion and its cohorts come down off of their privileged pedestal and meet some standard of moral/ethical integrity. I don't mean to just pick on Catholicism, either. Of course Catholicism is an easy target, but look at Ted Haggard and the always crazy evangelical community. He will be forgiven for his hypocrisy and (to the evangelical) heresy because he is a professed "man of god", but will John Edwards. I am not making a case for Edwards, but I am saying that Ted Haggard will have a congregation again because there is absolutely no moral standard within the confines of religious institutions in general. Let's look at this situation in this context and the questions should become more interesting.

Is this a serious question? This exemplifies perfectly the state of religious discord in the world. Only in the domain of theistic faith could such a question be asked in seriousness. Dan mentions that a scientist accused of fraud in a lab would be subject to investigation, and it is certainly the case that efforts to protect institutions and colleagues at the expense of an individual's integrity happen regularly. Let us be clear, though. We are not talking about the cover-up of data or fudging of facts... we are not even talking about minor crimes that were allegedly concealed. We are talking about child abuse. If the head of the boy scouts was accused of having actively concealed evidence of child molestation (I think there may even be something of this sort that just happened), you had better believe that we would not be wondering whether there would be an investigation -- we would be demanding it! What if a story of this sort had surfaced about our president? Would we say, "hmmmm, who here thinks there should be an investigation?" No! We would most likely insist that the individual step down from his position pending the outcome of the inevitable investigation. The only thing that is different here is that we are talking about a religious institution. Here, again, we find the power of peoples' unwillingness to insist that religion and its cohorts come down off of their privileged pedestal and meet some standard of moral/ethical integrity. I don't mean to just pick on Catholicism, either. Of course Catholicism is an easy target, but look at Ted Haggard and the always crazy evangelical community. He will be forgiven for his hypocrisy and (to the evangelical) heresy because he is a professed "man of god", but will John Edwards. I am not making a case for Edwards, but I am saying that Ted Haggard will have a congregation again because there is absolutely no moral standard within the confines of religious institutions in general. Let's look at this situation in this context and the questions should become more interesting.

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CONCEPTS + LOGIC = KNOWLEDGE, by Blacksun
MAN AND REASON, by Randall Duncan
RATZINGER’S VATICAN: SEX, LIES AND SECRETS, by Emily Helm.
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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.”

If the Catholic Church ended the practice of priest celibacy, would that put an end to the recent scandal? No, in fact even if the priests put an end to the practice of child rape and the systematic cover-up of such crimes that would still not end this scandal.

For a long time it has been known that the Catholic Church has been obstructing justice. They have moved criminal priests from city to city, country to country so that they could avoid prosecution for their crimes.

You can read the rest of my response to this topic:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-8928-Philadelphia-Atheism-Examiner~y2010m3d30-On-Faith-Is-the-Pope-above-the-law
I will be responding to every issue posted in the 'On Faith' section. If you would like to be notified when my new response is up, please subscribe.