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Catholicism, pedophilia and abstinence

jamesrage

jamesrage

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It seems that every time some sicko gets caught molesting children or there is some big scandal of a cover up there is usually some people saying "they should just let those priest have sex or get married". I find such statements to be idiotic for a couple of reasons. One it assumes all the priest are molesting children, two it ignores the fact the pedophiles try to get jobs that place them near children and and three it assumes that somehow marriage to an adult woman is going to suppress a pedophiles sexual attraction to children. Most priest are not molesting children and as far as we know these guys are not making a trip to the brothels or street corners to pick up hookers. So most of these priest demonstrate that they have self control. Pedophiles do not have sex with children just because they can't get an adult to have sex with them. They have sex with children because that is they are sexually attracted to children, not because of the lack of ability to find an adult prostitute or pick a chick up at bar.

I am not sure how Catholics can weed out the pedophiles other than criminal back ground check. Because its not like some pedophile is going to answer honestly on application. Nor is the catholic church going to hook up an applicant to sensors and show them flash cards or card board cuts of women,men and children to see which gives the applicant gets an erection. So the only the thing catholic church can really do in this matter other than criminal back ground checks is to report the matter to the police when such incidences occur instead of worrying about their public image by trying to hide such incidences. Perhaps all this blaming the Catholic priest abstinence requirements is catholic bashing or just merely ignorance of the individals.
 
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Where have you been? The Catholic church has not only not looked for paedophiles among the priesthood, from the Pope down, it has conspired to cover up for the activities of paedophile priests, and sworn the victims to secrecy!
 
jamesrage said:
It seems that every time some sicko gets caught molesting children or there is some big scandal of a cover up there is usually some people saying "they should just let those priest have sex or get married". I find such statements to be idiotic for a couple of reasons. One it assumes all the priest are molesting children, two it ignores the fact the pedophiles try to get jobs that place them near children and and three it assumes that somehow marriage to an adult woman is going to suppress a pedophiles sexual attraction to children. Most priest are not molesting children and as far as we know these guys are not making a trip to the brothels or street corners to pick up hookers. So most of these priest demonstrate that they have self control. Pedophiles do not have sex with children just because they can't get an adult to have sex with them. They have sex with children because that is they are sexually attracted to children, not because of the lack of ability to find an adult prostitute or pick a chick up at bar.

I am not sure how Catholics can weed out the pedophiles other than criminal back ground check. Because its not like some pedophile is going to answer honestly on application. Nor is the catholic church going to hook up an applicant to sensors and show them flash cards or card board cuts of women,men and children to see which gives the applicant gets an erection. So the only the thing catholic church can really do in this matter other than criminal back ground checks is to report the matter to the police when such incidences occur instead of worrying about their public image by trying to hide such incidences. Perhaps all this blaming the Catholic priest abstinence requirements is catholic bashing or just merely ignorance of the individals.
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For someone who has personally gone through the formation process that is involved in Catholic priesthood I can corroborate that there have been major changes in the past 20 years in nearly every seminary program. Now I am no priest, but I know many of those who have become priests of the Catholic Church.

Background checks and a battery of psychological testing, in addition to greater emphasis on community living in the celibate life and prayer life with God, usually weed out the weirdos that have problems.

It is I think a useful set of information to look at the time distance between these Abuse cases, and recent cases. Most of the incidents reported happened 30 years or more ago, at least in the US. Additionally, all personnel that are around Children, or work with Children in any Catholic institution are required to undergo background checks, and a "virtus" training meant to help them identify and report coworker staff that are abusing minors, or that have issues which should prevent them from working with Kids.

I know I would have a big problem if I knew a co-worker was looking at kiddy porn, or pornography in general. I wouldn't want such individuals around my kids.
 
The reality is, there are probably very few pedophiles in the Catholic clergy. It's a crime of availability, not of preference. There's tons of gay sex in prison, you don't seriously think that all of the prisoners are gay, do you? They satisfy their natural biological urges where they can get it. Catholic priests do the same. They have free and easy access to altar boys, therefore they use that resource, especially since they're seen as an authority figure and can often shame the kids into keeping their mouths shut.

Catholic priests have been caught doing all kinds of sick and disgusting things. One was found raping an elderly woman on her deathbed. Male or female, young or old, it doesn't really matter when you take a group of men, deny them their natural biological urges and then let them loose on an innocent population.
 
The reason that the church is getting hammered is more because of their cover-up than the crime itself. When the man who is currently pope sends a letter saying "don't kick out the child molestor yet because it might make us look bad" it is pretty clear that protecting children doesn't mean crap to the men in charge. While getting rid of celibacy for priests may have practical results, its not the real issue.
 
I don't think the issue is celibacy at all. Even if they were allowed to have sex, doing it with a child would still be illegal.

It would be more practical to make church policy where priests are not alone with boys unless it's through a confessional. Altar boys make up a big chunk of those who were molested and they were alone with the priests a lot of the time.

When they're isolated they have opportunity.
 
The Catholic Church feeds, clothes, and shelters the poor. That makes it alright for them to occasionally cover up child molestations that occur among their own ranks. That just happens to be the price of doing their Godly business.
 
CriticalThought said:
The Catholic Church feeds, clothes, and shelters the poor. That makes it alright for them to occasionally cover up child molestations that occur among their own ranks. That just happens to be the price of doing their Godly business.
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i'm hoping that was sarcasm
 
Cephus said:
The reality is, there are probably very few pedophiles in the Catholic clergy. It's a crime of availability, not of preference.
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I disagree. Would you have sex with someone of the same sex or even a 90 year old woman?

There's tons of gay sex in prison, you don't seriously think that all of the prisoners are gay, do you?
They satisfy their natural biological urges where they can get it.
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Yes, most of them who engage in homosexual behavior do so because they have homosexual or bisexual desires.Prison is just a convenient excuse.

Catholic priests do the same.
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Catholic priest are not locked in and surrounded by guards. And besides why isn't every catholic priest a pedophile if celibacy is too hard it has nothing to do with preference?

They have free and easy access to altar boys, therefore they use that resource, especially since they're seen as an authority figure and can often shame the kids into keeping their mouths shut.
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You are aware that pedophiles do intentionally get jobs that place them near children.
 
jamesrage said:
Yes, most of them who engage in homosexual behavior do so because they have homosexual or bisexual desires.Prison is just a convenient excuse.
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This has actually been proven not to be true, but I would like to see what evidence you can present to support this assertion.
 
rathi said:
The reason that the church is getting hammered is more because of their cover-up than the crime itself. When the man who is currently pope sends a letter saying "don't kick out the child molestor yet because it might make us look bad" it is pretty clear that protecting children doesn't mean crap to the men in charge.
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When they worry about their image over the safety and welfare of their congregation they deserve to be labeled a pedophile sanctuary and have all kinds of jokes about them harboring pedophiles made about them and scorn.
 
CriticalThought said:
This has actually been proven not to be true, but I would like to see what evidence you can present to support this assertion.
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Are you saying you would engage in anal sex and salad tossing if you were in prison.
 
jamesrage said:
Are you saying you would engage in anal sex and salad tossing if you were in prison.
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As I thought. You spoke based on your own assumptions and without any legitimate authority. I don't need to waste anymore time with you.
 
jamesrage said:
Are you saying you would engage in anal sex and salad tossing if you were in prison.
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Are you assuming he would have a choice in the matter?

"Sorry sir I must decline, while you are a very large man I personally am not a homosexual... wait... what are you doing?...."
 
jamesrage said:
I disagree. Would you have sex with someone of the same sex or even a 90 year old woman?
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Well, if and when my wife is 90 and assuming we're both still alive and physically capable, sure, why not? What you refuse to acknowledge is that extreme circumstances ellicit extreme responses. I'm sure if you asked the vast majority of men who engage in gay sex in prison if they would do so before they went in, they'd have told you no. Changing circumstances changes responses.

Yes, most of them who engage in homosexual behavior do so because they have homosexual or bisexual desires.Prison is just a convenient excuse.
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And who told you that? Where are your studies? Or did you just make it up.

Catholic priest are not locked in and surrounded by guards. And besides why isn't every catholic priest a pedophile if celibacy is too hard it has nothing to do with preference?
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You are aware that priests are also guilty of molesting young girls and adults, right? Sure, the altar boys get the most media attention, but there are TONS of cases of them molesting pretty much every age and sex there is.

You are aware that pedophiles do intentionally get jobs that place them near children.
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Sure, but where is your evidence that's happening in this case? There are much faster, easier jobs to get that would put them into even closer, more intimate contact with children than being a priest. It certainly may be the case for some but it's highly unlikely to be the case for more than a small minority. Of course, you're just reacting purely emotionally, not logically.
 
jamesrage said:
When they worry about their image over the safety and welfare of their congregation they deserve to be labeled a pedophile sanctuary and have all kinds of jokes about them harboring pedophiles made about them and scorn.
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You're aware that there are tons of protestant clergy that are molesting kids too, right? There are cases of Jewish rabbis doing it, in fact there probably isn't a single religion anywhere on the planet who is innocent.

So instead of pointing your fingers irrationally at the Catholics, maybe we ought to blame the true culprit, religion itself?
 
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