Cephus
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2007
- Messages
- 31,034
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- Location
- CA
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Slightly Conservative
Re: Do you believe in God?
Oh, I'm not, not in the short-term anyhow. Eventually, they're going to have to cave as they receive more pressure from congregants. Of course, what I'm really arguing for is doing away with priest celibacy. Doing that alone will cut down dramatically on sexual abuse of all kinds, simply because these men won't be denying their basic human biological needs.
Absolutely they are, but some people assume that the RCC is the only one with a problem and they simply are not. Lots of religious leaders are using their positions of power to engage in illegal sexual activity with their parishioners of any age. It's not just young boys, there are plenty of cases of adult rape in the RCC as well. However, we do know specifically in the RCC that they have had an official position, a position written by the current Pope, to hide pedophile priests and to resist police investigations. They have actively hidden pedophile priests, shuffled them around to new churches and exposed thousands of children to danger, simply because they didn't want the bad publicity. That's not a problem, as you note, in most independent churches where they don't have that kind of command structure.
You make a compelling argument for women priests. Don't hold your breath, however.
Oh, I'm not, not in the short-term anyhow. Eventually, they're going to have to cave as they receive more pressure from congregants. Of course, what I'm really arguing for is doing away with priest celibacy. Doing that alone will cut down dramatically on sexual abuse of all kinds, simply because these men won't be denying their basic human biological needs.
I don't disagree with the research you've posted, but I would say that it incorrect to compare pedophile data between the Roman Catholic Church and most or perhaps any Protestant denomination. The RC Church has a hierarchy that is quiet different from Southern Baptists, for example. By comparison the Southern Baptist clergy don't have much of an institutional hierarchy. As such there is no comparative reporting structure. A Youth Minister at the 1st Baptist Church in Dirt Squat, Kansas who is discovered to have sexually assaulted young boys will be dealt with locally. There is no institutional reporting structure compared to the Roman Catholic Church in Dirt Squat, Kansas.
Absolutely they are, but some people assume that the RCC is the only one with a problem and they simply are not. Lots of religious leaders are using their positions of power to engage in illegal sexual activity with their parishioners of any age. It's not just young boys, there are plenty of cases of adult rape in the RCC as well. However, we do know specifically in the RCC that they have had an official position, a position written by the current Pope, to hide pedophile priests and to resist police investigations. They have actively hidden pedophile priests, shuffled them around to new churches and exposed thousands of children to danger, simply because they didn't want the bad publicity. That's not a problem, as you note, in most independent churches where they don't have that kind of command structure.