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If you're talking about cherries as people, or people's actions, then I agree with you....
Ah yes, the it’s always the believers fault and not his religion (or church).
The problem with this line of thinking is that much needed changes will never occur, because it’s man’s fault and not the church’s.
And God knows we cannot change man, right? So why bother trying?
The fact that someone as a father John Geoghan could sexually molest young boys for over three decades with the full knowledge of the Archdiocese of Boston is a direct result of this line of thinking.
What I find the gravest sin here is not those ‘priests’ who strayed and committed sex crimes, but that the church did nothing else but relocate the sex offender and put him back to work in another parish.
I guess that the church just can’t admit it mistakes. God forbid they ever had to answer the question how God could ever permit paedophiles, rapist and other sex offenders to become priests who abuse their position of trust?
Quote:
Abuse by trusted clergy is believed even more traumatic than molestation usually is. Like an incestuous molester, a priest is someone especially trusted and respected. Mary Grant, who alleges that a priest molested her and settled a suit against him, said, ''When you are abused by your priest, the trauma is tenfold.'' Molested by men who were supposed to be servants of God, victims see themselves as especially – even divinely – abandoned. They sometimes believe that the Lord saw them as so low they deserved to be abused. The self-esteem problems resulting from such irrational but very real feelings can devastate their lives. Denise Noe, Pedophile Priest: The Crimes of Father Geoghan
I guess the church did nothing else but turn the other cheek whenever a ‘priest’ slapped them in the face with commiting another sex crime. Or maybe the church kept hoping that God would intervene on their part and make the problem disappear so the church did not have to deal with this problem?
The problem is that not all cherries are good. They may look good but some will taste bad. Most people who do not like the taste will keep their mouth shut because they're mostly afraid of upsetting the harmony of their group. So they often choose not to be seen as questioning or subversive.
Tricky, I was agreeing with you that this happens, not that it should happen. I am in total agreement with you that a church that does nothing while harboring vile sinners, is more concerned about the "church" than the actual truth, and this is extremely sinful in God's eyes IMO. God hates hypocricy.
Be that as it may, the point I'm trying to make is that I am not against religion or against God. My problem is that believers are led to believe that the church is perfect because it is part of the Body of Christ.
In a way I can understand the church because they often act like families who have to deal with incest or child/spousal abuse. More often than not these families ignore the tragedy of what has happened; they cannot deal with it so they simply ignore it. But because the church aspires to be a role model to society there should be a 0 tolerance policy regarding priests who commit sex crimes.
I know that families who have to deal with tragedies like incest and abuse often choose not to seek professional help because it is hard for a family member to be objective towards another family member who is also a sex offender, but the church is not a family. A church is more a (business) organisation than a family and should be treated as such. The interpersonal relationships between clergy are not as emotionally deep as between family members, so it should be easier for the church to seek (professional) outside help when they have to deal with such cases as abuse. The church also has more resources than most families, so money could not be an excuse either.
As I said before, just because Jesus or God is perfect believers are led to believe that the church also is perfect, which simply is not the case. It is my opinion that pretending that the church is perfect can only be counterproductive. Every time a priest commits a sex crime the church is ‘forced’ to sweep it under the rug. Otherwise people might get the impression that the church is indeed not as perfect as they would like to believe.
Another problem is that the church as a religious institution does not accept a higher authority but their pope (whom they believe to be infallible). Maybe Jesus is indeed perfect, but the popes never were and probably never will be. The only course of action to keep the illusion that a pope is infallible is to not let him make any important decisions. If he does nothing he cannot be accused of doing anything wrong. The problem with doing nothing is that he will never do something good either.
Until 2002 the Roman church completely disregarded civil law when it comes to 1 of their own committing a sex crime. The church is an old institution with rules from the middle ages and as such is unable to adapt quickly to changes in time, which is regrettable.
Be that as it may, the point I'm trying to make is that I am not against religion or against God. My problem is that believers are led to believe that the church is perfect because it is part of the Body of Christ.
In a way I can understand the church because they often act like families who have to deal with incest or child/spousal abuse. More often than not these families ignore the tragedy of what has happened; they cannot deal with it so they simply ignore it. But because the church aspires to be a role model to society there should be a 0 tolerance policy regarding priests who commit sex crimes.
I know that families who have to deal with tragedies like incest and abuse often choose not to seek professional help because it is hard for a family member to be objective towards another family member who is also a sex offender, but the church is not a family. A church is more a (business) organisation than a family and should be treated as such. The interpersonal relationships between clergy are not as emotionally deep as between family members, so it should be easier for the church to seek (professional) outside help when they have to deal with such cases as abuse. The church also has more resources than most families, so money could not be an excuse either.
As I said before, just because Jesus or God is perfect believers are led to believe that the church also is perfect, which simply is not the case. It is my opinion that pretending that the church is perfect can only be counterproductive. Every time a priest commits a sex crime the church is ‘forced’ to sweep it under the rug. Otherwise people might get the impression that the church is indeed not as perfect as they would like to believe.
Another problem is that the church as a religious institution does not accept a higher authority but their pope (whom they believe to be infallible). Maybe Jesus is indeed perfect, but the popes never were and probably never will be. The only course of action to keep the illusion that a pope is infallible is to not let him make any important decisions. If he does nothing he cannot be accused of doing anything wrong. The problem with doing nothing is that he will never do something good either.
Until 2002 the Roman church completely disregarded civil law when it comes to 1 of their own committing a sex crime. The church is an old institution with rules from the middle ages and as such is unable to adapt quickly to changes in time, which is regrettable.
I totally agree with what you are saying. A body of believers is only as perfect as its members.
Scientist and Non-believers say that everything started from the "Big Bang", so who made it go Bang!!!
The same force of nature that makes hypernovas and supernovas go bang and emit extremely large Gamma Ray Bursts throughout all of the cosmos. But, I'm sure you're well versed in all that. In fact, did you know that when a supernova explodes it has the energy of every star in the universe combined in that explosion?
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So why bother trying?
Something that makes you go hmmm....
