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BURBANK, California, June 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Last night on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," comedian Robin Williams plugged his upcoming movie, "License to Wed." In the film, Williams plays a Protestant minister who forces an engaged couple to go through a grueling marriage preparatory course. But last night Williams went off on Catholic priests, painting them as pedophiles.
Williams pretended to be playing a game where the pedophile is hidden under a cup, suggesting that this was an image of the Church's attitude towards dealing with "pedophile" priests. "Here we go. Find the priest, find the pedophile. Find the priest, find the pedophile. Here you go right now. Move 'em around, move 'em around. Oh, you found the pedophile."
BURBANK, California, June 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Last night on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," comedian Robin Williams plugged his upcoming movie, "License to Wed." In the film, Williams plays a Protestant minister who forces an engaged couple to go through a grueling marriage preparatory course. But last night Williams went off on Catholic priests, painting them as pedophiles.
Williams pretended to be playing a game where the pedophile is hidden under a cup, suggesting that this was an image of the Church's attitude towards dealing with "pedophile" priests. "Here we go. Find the priest, find the pedophile. Find the priest, find the pedophile. Here you go right now. Move 'em around, move 'em around. Oh, you found the pedophile."
Hate to say it but this is kind of what the Catholic church has done.
I could post many links to that debacle, they have set themselves up for ridicule. It was not handled right, most Catholics I know are sickened as to how it was dealt with. Very sad the whole mess.
MBG
Hate to say it but this is kind of what the Catholic church has done.
I could post many links to that debacle, they have set themselves up for ridicule. It was not handled right, most Catholics I know are sickened as to how it was dealt with. Very sad the whole mess.
MBG
Absolutely right most Catholics are just as upset as the rest of the world. As for Robin Williams I can just see him doing his bit...too funny. In his defense I've seen him make fun of all religions at one point or another...so he's really just out to get a good laugh and make a social point...I don't see any reason to be upset with him.
The Catholic Church has dealt with the situation and restructured their approach to dealing with accusations. So for people not making light hearted jest to continue to ridicule the church for this reason however is uncalled for. It's just another way for people to put down that church. They have paid in many ways already for it. Sick people in postitions to come in contant with children are not unique to the priesthood, you can unfortunately find them in many places. As Christians aren't we called to forgive? Just a thought.
With various diocese having to shell out well upward of $100 MILLION DOLLARS to settle these lawsuits, I think that the catholic church in America is getting off easy for its hideously short-sighted handling of so many of these situations with some public ridicule on TV.
I haven't seen a comedian yet that doesn't make fun of something that has been the middle of controversy. Is it sad? Yes, very! He could have very easily done the same thing with our politicians .
A comedian's job is to make people laugh...I'm sure there are as many people laughing with Robin Williams (if not more) as there is upset by it
No...seriously. Robin Williams is a comedian. He did what comedians do, and I might add, he's certainly not the first comic to poke fun at the Catholic Church.
I can totally understand where Robin Williams is coming from...and as I posted in another forum...I find nothing funny about this subject..."we laugh at what we should deem immoral and corrupt". As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, if I were catholic, I'd take a stand and demand something be done about these priests legally, to get them away from society...otherwise, I would not step foot in a Catholic Church again. Besides...it's time people face reality...we are not in the stone age...and men cannot be painted as devine human beings...they cannot, and they cannot be expected to remain abstenent....men, have to stop equating themselves with some divine grace. First and foremost...who gave "them" the right to say...."your sins are forgiven"? Who gave them the right to say, if you haven't confessed, you cannot take communion...and who gave them the right to say, you are not divorced in the eyes of the church, until you pay the church to have a divorce?????????
I think it's time people get jiggy with it...and although I find nothing funny about what Robin Williams did, I'm glad someone is advocating the fact that it is most certainly wrong to allow our children to be attacked and molested by adults.
If we cannot keep our children safe from harm...and put these people away and off the streets, where are our morals, and our respect and responsiblity to not only ourselves, but to our community. We are not working Christains to allow this to continue.
Again I say, child molesters are just that, there are very few that can be rehabilitated...and they need to be seperated from society....period.
Thank you kindly for this thread and for the awareness....I hope and wish and pray, it shakes people up good...
Don't you think Robin Williams was trying to make a point, perhaps mocking society, for allowing this business of child abuse to go on. Or should I say, for allowing child sex offenders to be repeated offenders?
Sorry, just my take????
Last edited by cremebrulee; 06-20-2007 at 05:18 AM..
With various diocese having to shell out well upward of $100 MILLION DOLLARS to settle these lawsuits, I think that the catholic church in America is getting off easy for its hideously short-sighted handling of so many of these situations with some public ridicule on TV.
From where I view it, it seems that there was complicity and tolerance for this kind of behavior from the standpoint of how the hierarchy failed to purge their ranks of these abusers, and instead relocate them without notice to the new parishes. It goes beyond short-sightedness, because I believe they were aware of the long-term risks to their followers and their communities, and did it anyway. To be short-sighted, these risks would have had to have been stunning and unpredictable. They aren't. Centralized churches are in many ways similar to centralized governments, and this would be similar to a situation where instead of putting an abuser in prison, the government just relocates the abuser to another community.
I am going to take a wait and see attitude regarding the changes in the church. Churches and governments in the past have claimed to have changed. Not all of them have been both sincere and effective.
W/ regard to Williams, I don't find him as funny as other comedians, but he does what he does, and his routines run the gamut. No one has been off limits to him, so I don't think anyone has much reason to feel particularly affronted. Yeah, he could've done politicians, but everyone does it, and he's done it before too. It's been done, and it will be done again.
From where I view it, it seems that there was complicity and tolerance for this kind of behavior from the standpoint of how the hierarchy failed to purge their ranks of these abusers, and instead relocate them without notice to the new parishes. It goes beyond short-sightedness, because I believe they were aware of the long-term risks to their followers and their communities, and did it anyway. To be short-sighted, these risks would have had to have been stunning and unpredictable. They aren't. Centralized churches are in many ways similar to centralized governments, and this would be similar to a situation where instead of putting an abuser in prison, the government just relocates the abuser to another community.
and I add, lest we forget, these were criminal acts....not offensive ones, but criminal acts against children...that should be infuriating, rather then simply short-sightedness....and granted you did say, it goes beyond short-sightendness...yeah....it is indeed sick when you take advantage of little children sexually....sick, sick, sick!!!!!
and I mean no insult to anyone, I am just intollerant of anyone who doesn't find this humiliating and an injustice....a life destroyed. And whose child is being sexually abused right now, at this very minute, b/c someone didn't care enough to put that person away. I mean, did anyone hear about the string of 700 people they arrested. Repeat after me....700 people....child abusers....sick people affecting society...in a very negative way...no wait...let me be more blunt
just suppose for a moment, it was your child, your grand child, picture it in your mind...and then turn away and do no thing.
Sorry, I just think the American public is sorely asleep.
Where are the churches when you need em? Where is the congregations...I mean they are so against abortions????? Why don't they really raise the roof on this one....?????? I apologize for my passion and lack of diplomacy here, I just really get charged up about this b/c I don't understand the logic of people sometime?
Why oh why don't we energize our voice and shout out to the highest of highs, we want our children protected?
Thanks for listening...I'll get off my soap box now...
IMO , absolutely nothing is funny about pedaphilesor where they are hiding
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