Are you catholic?

Sarah Lee · #1 04-11-2002, 11:54 PM

Are you catholic? how do you feel about the scandal surrounding the catholic church? i was brought up as a catholic, of course im not even a easter or christmas catholic now.I just wander how many more John Geoghan will be charge? how will it affect catholics?

Theresa · #2 04-12-2002, 09:53 AM

I am Catholic, had to go to catholic school for 12 years, Dad was about to be a priest before Mom talked him out of it. I view myself as a liberal catholic since I can't agree with there views on certain topics like abortion and celebacy. I think there needs to be some major changes in the church. There will always be a minority of priest molesting children, since there are always a few bad eggs in the bunch.

For one, I believe priests should be allowed to be married. I am betting with the next Pope this will happen. Although marriage will not divert bad ones from doing what they do, at least it is some start for the good ones. On an interesting note, the pastor of my parents church is married. He was Episcopal, and a married priest, then converted to Catholicism, now that is a way to get around that rule. 60 minutes interviewed im last week and he will be on the show soon. Sometime I'll have to do my "Father Nelson" joke, it's a crowd pleaser for sure.

Hillbilly · #3 04-12-2002, 10:10 AM

This is not just like what happened in the late 1400s and early 1500s. Now that was raunchy...and corrupt on another level.

It is not the theology that is under attack, but rather the people in charge of guiding their flocks. Human frailties. Since the Church is so large, there are bound to be a goodly number of perverts, and what seems to be most upsetting is the fact that, in spite of having solid evidence of this behaviour, the Boston Archdiocese(?) just passed him off with a clean sheet. To me, that is criminal. And it happens in all of the religions, just look in the papers. However the Catholic priest has always been held to a higher standard than other religious leaders, and in this sense, these episodes have been extremely damaging

In fact, this might be the coming of a second Reformation for the Church. I don't think that the doctrines of celibacy will be overturned, but certainly some new thinking will take place.

Yet, you have to remember that the basic Credo is still the same, and hasn't changed in over 16 centuries.

HB

Just as a follow up, marriage will not get rid of the pederasts, the homosexual predators, or the child molestors. It may avoid affairs between priests and willing, consenting adult females, but little more. I think marriage would give the priest a better outlook on life in the 21st century, and the problems of raising a family in a christian or Catholic manner.

mainer · #4 04-12-2002, 10:28 AM

A couple of these priests were located in Northern Maine. One nearly baptized my daughter (we moved). The diocese stated that these priests went through extensive counseling and were thought by professionals (psychologists?) to be of no danger to the community. Certain persons in the parish were told of the priests' pasts and the priests were forbidden from being in any sort of youth leadership. They could in no way be left alone with children. With the outcry in Boston, these priests (2 of them) have been removed from their parishes permanently.
There is an extreme shortage of priests (probably due to the celibacy thing), so the church has tried to keep as many as possible.

Incidentally, we have left the Catholic church to attend a different Christian church. It had nothing to do with the perverts, just the different philosophies.
mainer

x_man · #5 04-12-2002, 10:35 AM

I agree this molestation thing runns thru all of society,but the sexual frustrations of those priests probably aggravates the problem.
I was raised catholic too but have dropped this boat anchor for good
since my reservations run much deeper.
This whole religion is not good for the advancement of the human race.
(original sin,love your enemy,god on the cross,poisened sex) just to name
a few obvious things,but this is only the beginning.

I much prefer to study the buddhist writings,but here too:
stay out of of churches!!

Regards X

Tony C · #6 04-12-2002, 11:44 AM

I went to Catholic school from K-12. I was even an Altar Boy for a few years. I can tell you horror stories about the "Penguins" and the Padres! I was lucky the parish pedophile preferred blonde boys over Latins so I was spared but I saw many things!
My Ex-parish just recently completed and dedicated a new $10.5 million cathedral. Good to see that the money they collect is going to a good cause instead of helping the poor or infirmed!

Tony C.

Jim Hinsch · #7 04-12-2002, 01:24 PM

Follow the rules and you get to go to heaven when you die. I was told you have to really believe or it won't work. The alternative is to burn in hell forever, even if you don't believe it! Sinners (rule breakers), repent or suffer the wrath of God. Give generously to the church. After all, it is the house of God. Recent scandals will not change what I think.

Pib · #8 04-12-2002, 01:47 PM

The sins of a few...

The church will survive. In the CNN era one find this to be a big deal (and I think it is) but the church has failed its creed in even bigger ways. For some people who only paid attention to the Catholic church now because of these scandals this might seem like a biggie. Not for us who know of the churches more serious sins: the Borgias, the Inquisition, not comdening the massacre of native Americans (and justifying it for a long time), its relationship with the muslims and jews, and the silent during the holocaust. The list goes on. This "new" scandal is only big in the USA and a few other countries, I would bet that in Latin America for example people haven't paid much attention to this.

I think that being a paedophile doesn't have anything to do with being single or celibate. Actually many a pederast is "happily" married and have a family of their own. And ending celibacy in the priesthood is out of the question... for now.

Isaac Green · #9 04-12-2002, 02:22 PM

Well one thing is certain and that is 2 things
no matter what comes at them will survive
1.The Catholic Church and 2.That Euro-Trash in
England the Royals. Why this is I have no idea
however both have seemed to not only endure
scandal but also seem to grow stronger from it.

Next point how interesting it is that we can have
a calm,collected and polite discussion about the
Catholic religion and its short-comings in the
Church but let the topic turn to another religion
let's say voodoo and all you fine upstanding types
dive for the gutter and begin throwing accusations
of evil at work and etc.

SOME OF YOU HERE ARE REAL HYPOCRITES TO THE HIGHEST ORDER.

And this time I don't give a damn about someone's
feelings getting hurt so if you want to be a baby about and not converse with me because you do
not like my brand of free speech I could care less. Reading posts like the above makes me sick,
and by the way look at the names of the ones that
have offered opinions on the Catholic Church than
research the archives and you'll see what the same
OLD FARTS had a change of heart when it comes to
voodoo or something that is out of there little
world of what they know.

This is why we have so many problems in the world
because of the double standard that exists by some
of the OLD FARTS above that have posted.

Not once have I heard one of you two-faced OLD FARTS say that the Church was evil oh no au contrar we can't say that but you can sure part
your lips to accuse practitioners of voodoo as being evil shame on you!!!!!

1.FIRST OF ALL BEFORE THE OLD NINNIES GET OUT OF SHAPE I DID NOT SAY THAT EVERY WHO HAD POSTED
ABOVE ON THIS THREAD IS A OLD FART TO A FEW AND THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE JUST CHECK THE ARCHIVES.

2.IF YOUR FEELINGS GOT HURT BEHIND THIS ONE TOUGH
DEAL WITH IT YOU'LL GET OVER IT. DON'T EXPECT ME
TO APOLOGIZE BECAUSE ON THIS ONE IT AIN'T COMING.

AND IF YOU DECIDE THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK TO ME ANY MORE SO WHAT "GOODBYE TO BAD RUBBISH"

I'M HOT BEHIND THIS ONE NOW LET ME SEE WHO WILL
BE ADULT ENOUGH TO ADMIT THERE HYPOCRISY,

I'LL START IT OFF BY SAYING YES I HAVE BEEN A HYPOCRITE AT TIMES BUT I ADMIT IT SOME OF YOU OLD FARTS WILL NEVER ADMIT.

ROBERT------ LEAVE MY POST BE IT DOES NOT CONTAIN
PROFANITY AS OTHERS THAT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO BE
POSTED, AND THIS NEEDS TO BE SEEN BY ALL.

AND DESPITE ALL OF THIS YOU STILL HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT HEAR ME ACCUSE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF BEING EVIL.

Bugsey34 · #10 04-12-2002, 02:46 PM

Anyhoo, I don´t see how this conversation really relates to the DR, but I will contribute because I feel strongly about it and it is a good topic...

I refused to be confirmed at age 12/13, much to my mother's chagrin, but even then I had good intuition to know the truth about the Catholic Church. What can I say, I was a willful only child.

As a Bostonian (from an Irish Catholic family at that) Cardinal Law makes me ill and ashamed. What gets me in the whole situation is the one thing that is not related to religious theory, doctrine, or (god forbid with these people) the Bible. What gets me is the money, the dollar signs involved. Because all I can think about is my grandmother going to our local church EVERY DAY for years before she died, giving money continually. And where did it all go? Was it used to help the poor that live on the streets in downtown Boston, beautify our church, or teach catechism? No, because over 10 MILLION was given to Geoghan victims before this story ever saw the light of day in the Boston Globe or Herald. So God knows when the story hits the papers and the lawsuits are settled we paid a whole lot more. And then now I read a few days ago about the other priest named in these cases who's name I can't remember, and the same job that Law did with him, passed him off to CA to sweep it under the rug instead of getting it taken care of. From what I hear from my family, there is an extremely large amount of public support for Law's resignation, but he won't go unless he gets kicked out.

And then to top it all off the Pope can't even stand up to read mass on Easter. Come on. I read yesterday that he is not even TOLD the details of these pedophilia cases, just the main ideas because they feel the news would effect his health.

Now who's going to hell in a handbasket here?