Not so fsat!

Submitted by Sword of Islam & The Babies of Beslan (United Kingdom), Jul 13, 2006 at 21:49

Submitted by LDC, Jul 12, 2006 at 19:35

Unfortunately, most of the news about the RCC over the last few years in the US has profiled it as a haven for ordained child molesters. And ,it has not been the Western media (for whom my respect declines daily) that has paid, the last time I heard a number a couple of years ago, over one half billion dollars in out-of-court settlements to the victims.

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- Agreed. The sacrifice of a 'married life' as just one of the 'sacrifices' that the typical RC priest makes to achieve greater communion with God must require a mental and physical discipline that few of us can imagine. A far cry from the typical 'reverend' whom I generally place on the same level as a 'psychotherapist' with frustrated theatrical ambitions. Very little evidence of sacrifice there. But that's a naughty metaphor. Somebody not properly understanding, or choosing to misapply, the phrase ad hominem might choose to label it as such.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem

But I digress. Such sacrifice or suppression on the part of the Ctholic priest is, of course, completely unnatural; as is, by definition, any 'sacrifice'; and the fact that such suppression occasionally manifests itself in far more unhealthy ways serves to show what a 'sacrifice' such a lifestyle truly represents. It is little surprise, though certainly not a justification, that some people will 'break' in the same manner that ostensibly 'normal' people might 'break' and turn rapist in a moment of madness. These impulses will always find a way to the surface. The only question is whether it will do so in a positive or negative manner. These stories of abuse are genuinely terrible as they represent a violation of trust, physical abuse of the vulnerable, and a betrayal of the sanctity of a relationship that should be the safest one of all given that the priest(s) in concern are 'intermediaries' for God. They are made even worse when attempts are made by the 'pwers that be' to conceal them as this protection can be twisted in such a way so as to imply official endorsement and ultimately cost the billions that could be far better spend. The following comparision may not translate effectively, but here in the UK we have 'free' healthcare. As with any endeavour involving human beings mistakes and abuses will occasionally occur. The NHS (the 'provider' of this care) will then end up being sued for millions. They'll lose the law suit but it doesnt make the entire institution unworthy now, does it? Everybody hates the big corporations but being a bigger target doesn't make one a better target. My biggest concern is the 'little guys' who have to try that little bit harder to make a name for themselves.

My biggest concern, from a UK perspective, is that the greatest champion that Islam could possibly have is presently the Anglican church whose chief representative, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, seems more pre-occupied with promoting the 'peaceful nature of Islam' than he is with his own dominion. But then, you've probably never even heard of the guy (why should you as he is more a 'local' issue) and when I witness the continual muddying of the political waters by such figures, who are so firmly entrenched as role models by our Establishment, and the steady stream of banal cliches that emerge from people who seem more concerned with the promotion of their own image and public profile I trust that you will forgive my impatience at the continual sniping at the Catholic Church that is presently so in vogue. But then again, the landscape in the US is completely different so it is little wonder that our respective viewpoints are almost incomprehensible to each other. I'm not even a practising Catholic! Just a big enemy of hypocrisy.

There are far better targets out there for our disapproval.

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