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By the way, let's be clear. It's just the JWs and the Catholics who have the problems. It's the Fundies, too. Here are two nuggets, one of which broke today.
To me, it boils down a very simple principle. When you have organizations with centralized power run by people convinced of their own righteousness, you get the recipe for evil. Not only that, but you have people who are willing to warp Christian teachings in order to abet evil. And people are too brainwashed to not recognize it.
Let's be clear. Churches are human institutions, run by fallible people. Individuals will misbehave. It is up to the institutions to put a halt to that misconduct, not sweep it under the rug. Doing anything less is a betrayal of Christ's teachings, no matter how many Bible verses you gin up to justify repulsive behavior.
That's a straw man argument. For the very large part, if a schoolteacher in any industrialized country is caught sexually harassing or assaulting a student, he or she is arrested and goes to trial. If a Catholic priest is caught, the family gets paid hush money and the priest gets shipped off to another diocese after a stern talking-to. Still happens.
That's a straw man argument. For the very large part, if a schoolteacher in any industrialized country is caught sexually harassing or assaulting a student, he or she is arrested and goes to trial. If a Catholic priest is caught, the family gets paid hush money and the priest gets shipped off to another diocese after a stern talking-to. Still happens.
Yep. When the American council of bishops tried to take up meaningful reform on this subject in 2018, the Vatican stopped it in its tracks. And elsewhere, the slow-motion campaign to delay and obfuscate meaningful investigation continues.
Wait. Why am I having to educate you on the laggard response of the Catholic church? Do your own search on Google for news articles around the globe, and you'll realize that the church leadership is far more concerned with optics than actually doing what's right.
The takeaway for me is that it is not just churches, and it is part of a much broader societal and organizational problem
But the presumptive spiritual righteousness inherent in the religions presents a particular egregiousness to the payoffs and coverups essentially pimping out the parents of the victims and shielding the perpetrators from societal and legal consequences.
Yep. When the American council of bishops tried to take up meaningful reform on this subject in 2018, the Vatican stopped it in its tracks. And elsewhere, the slow-motion campaign to delay and obfuscate meaningful investigation continues. ///.
That's blatantly false.
There has been ongoing reform for decades:
"Starting in 2002, the U.S. Catholic Church directed every diocese to implement Safe Environment programs to keep children safe from sexual abuse. These were mandated in the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” which was a response to the revelations of sexual abuse by priests and other clergy." - https://www.usccb.org/offices/child-...d-young-people
That's blatantly false.
There has been ongoing reform for decades:
"Starting in 2002, the U.S. Catholic Church directed every diocese to implement Safe Environment programs to keep children safe from sexual abuse. These were mandated in the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” which was a response to the revelations of sexual abuse by priests and other clergy." - https://www.usccb.org/offices/child-...d-young-people
I agree that every perpetrator rightly convicted, regardless of religion or public school offender, should be sent to prison to rot there.
Publication of reforms have no meaning if there are not significant actual changes in the consequences faced by perpetrators. In America alone there have been over 4000+ priests accused of sexual abuse but only 150 have ever received any legal or other consequences. Imagine how many undiscovered still exist worldwide with such an impotent response here. How can retention in the priesthood of ANY of them be justified???
Publication of reforms have no meaning if there are not significant actual changes in the consequences faced by perpetrators. In America alone there have been over 4000+ priests accused of sexual abuse but only 150 have ever received any legal or other consequences. Imagine how many undiscovered still exist worldwide with such an impotent response here. How can retention in the priesthood of ANY of them be justified???
I agree that convicted perpetrators should serve prison time . The state of New York lifted the statute of limitations I believe on this crime - that should apply across the board whether religious or otherwise. Other states should too. The numbers are far bigger than just priests - this is a societal issue; but this is a crime, so none should get special treatment and neither priesthood nor any ministerial, religious, public, or political office position should exempt one from civil/criminal justice.
The published and implemented reforms within the USA catholic church do have meaning, because they include substantial implementations that prevent future occurrences from happening, as well as directives for Cooperating with civil authorities & Disciplining offenders.
Meerkat 2 Have you ever been to prison or been a criminal defendant ? ( Its ok to admit it here) If not you'd be perfectly suited to serve some time. Every criminal at one time or the other says "They do it too!" "I'm not the only one" Guess what it doesn't work! GASP! I prosecuted bunches of them who sounded just like you.
Here you have a church with well over 4000 documented cases- "yes yes but didnt a methodist do this too once"
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But the presumptive spiritual righteousness inherent in the religions presents a particular egregiousness to the payoffs and coverups essentially pimping out the parents of the victims and shielding the perpetrators from societal and legal consequences.
