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Unless you’re asexual, celibacy absolutely is sexual repression. Repression isn’t inherently bad. I’m currently on Weight Watchers, so I sometimes need to suppress my cravings for sweets and other simple carbs in order to get to my goal weight.
Certainly, complete abstention from sexual activity is a choice that people have the right to make as much as any other. The issue with the Roman Catholic priesthood is that between being a natural haven for people with deviant sexual urges (read: pedophiles), for generations the Church made no effort to hold priests accountable for sexual assault and rape but thought it best to sweep credible accusations under the rug where said priests would have a fresh new crop of unsuspecting victims to choose from.
Of course, atheists can be pedophiles. But atheists never had groups like the priesthood or the Roman Catholic Church to cloak and covertly channel their pedophilic desires. Likewise, religious leaders from other sects and faiths certainly can and do use their power to commit sex crimes. But the ability (and often expectation) to marry and have a normal family life precludes the likelihood of a pedophilic pandemic. Even my wife’s paternal grandfather, who was a fairly observant Catholic, said the priesthood’s celibacy requirement “is just not natural.”
Most people do not have some kind of institutional cover for their criminal activities, not just atheists.
Sexual abusers of children come from all walks of life, married, unmarried, women, men, black white, all kinds of sexual orientation. Religion has no part in it.
If the Church gave cover for sexual abuse, and there is enough evidence for that, sue the church. Jail the pope if there is evidence that he covered it up. Priests found guilty have been sued and sent to jail. All acts are done by people and people are responsible for their acts.
Most people do not have some kind of institutional cover for their criminal activities, not just atheists.
Sexual abusers of children come from all walks of life, married, unmarried, women, men, black white, all kinds of sexual orientation. Religion has no part in it.
If the Church gave cover for sexual abuse, and there is enough evidence for that, sue the church. Jail the pope if there is evidence that he covered it up. Priests found guilty have been sued and sent to jail. All acts are done by people and people are responsible for their acts.
Your need to argue with atheists is so strong that you’ll deny the unique and extreme nature of the Roman Catholic sexual abuse scandals? Interesting. You also forget (perhaps purposefully) that it wasn’t just the pedophilic priests but leaders higher up in the Church hierarchy who knew what the priests were doing was wrong but enabled them anyway.
Interesting, too, that you think the Pope can just be “sent to jail,” although it’s really a phenomenon that was enabled on the Archdiocese level. Still, perhaps you should read up on The Hague Convention sometime (pro-tip: the Vatican City is a sovereign nation). But be careful: you might actually have to let go of your ego and learn something.
Last edited by ElijahAstin; 04-05-2023 at 12:53 PM..
I know you (obviously) don’t; that’s the problem relative to dogmatic thinking on both sides of the fence. You’re fixated on your belief religion, in and of itself, is harmful in the same way some religious folks are focused on the belief it is harmful for us not to believe in a god.
Your need to argue with atheists is so strong that you’ll deny the unique and extreme nature of the Roman Catholic sexual abuse scandals? Interesting. Interesting, too, that you think the Pope can just be “sent to jail,” although it’s really a phenomenon that was enabled on the Archdiocese level. Still, perhaps you should read up on The Hague Convention sometime (pro-tip: the Vatican City is a sovereign nation). But be careful: you might actually have to let go of your ego and learn something.
It is not any need to argue with atheists, just total incredulity that such arguments can even be made. The fear of religion seems to remove rationality on both sides of the same coin.
It is not any need to argue with atheists, just total incredulity that such arguments can even be made. The fear of religion seems to remove rationality on both sides of the same coin.
I have no inherent “fear of religion,” so you must be confusing me with someone else. I do recognize the unique harm that religion can do, especially well-oiled hierarchical machines like the RCC.
It is not any need to argue with atheists, just total incredulity that such arguments can even be made. The fear of religion seems to remove rationality on both sides of the same coin.
I think it's interesting that many religionists have such a fear of atheists.
Steven Weinberg, who said "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion.”
It is not any need to argue with atheists, just total incredulity that such arguments can even be made. The fear of religion seems to remove rationality on both sides of the same coin.
So if someone says they disapprove of something that religion is doing in the world, you will then phrase it as "fear of religion". Because I guess you want to deliberately misrepresent the things people say.
I'm not religion-phobic, just because I have viewpoints that aren't favorable with regards to religion. Again, it's not the personal belief stuff- all that's not harming anyone. It's the organized fundamentalism.
Yes, church-protected people, including leaders, do bad stuff. And some of them use the power of their position to get away with it.
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