Protestant Clergy Abuse

[Justin86]

[quote name='prose' post='1385444' date='Sep 15 2007, 02:21 AM']I think this borders on pointing out the speck in someone else's eyes before taking the log out of our own.

I don't mean to be rude, but I think sexual abuse is SOOOOO serious. I think sometimes (maybe here, maybe not) when people say "we have done it but it isn't as bad as them", that it gives the impression that we don't take our own indiscretions seriously.

"We are bad, but not THAT bad" is not good enough.

I am so proud of how the Church is handling this situation, and I sincerely hope and pray that even more is done to avoid these scandals in the future. Maybe we can be an example f what faith filled Christians SHOULD be and not so much what is being lived right now.

Okay, I will get off my soap box now...

**steps down and leaves***[/quote]
I don't think that's what this is for. Its just that sometimes people want to blame priestly celibacy for causing sex abuse. It's kinda hard to do that when we keep showing them that its actually higher among Protestant churches where people marry. I honestly don't know why people act so bug eyed when you show them these statistics. We've known for years the majority of pedophiles are [i]married[/i] men.

[ironmonk]

Schools and daycare run about 8% peds... Catholic Priests, around 3%.

[url="http://www.shasta.com/sphaws/pastors.html"]http://www.shasta.com/sphaws/pastors.html[/url]

[url="http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0405/p01s01-ussc.html"]http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0405/p01s01-ussc.html[/url]


In the 1960's-70's the "expert" psychologists/trists advised that it was better for the child to not go through trial... if charges are not pressed, then bad preists could not be charged with crime.

Pointing out these facts is not saying "we're not as bad as them", it's pointing out that the news only cares about attacking the Church and pulling souls away from it. By no means is it saying that it's not serious.

This should not surprise any of us, yes it is frustrating to the Nth degree, but the fact is the current ruler of this world is satan... he controls the media and many countries. He has the power to give control over the whole world to one man... He's going to attack the Church, and has been attacking for years.

God Bless,
ironmonk

[Norseman82]

[quote name='Justin86' post='1385667' date='Sep 14 2007, 09:31 PM']I don't think that's what this is for. Its just that sometimes people want to blame priestly celibacy for causing sex abuse. It's kinda hard to do that when we keep showing them that its actually higher among Protestant churches where people marry. I honestly don't know why people act so bug eyed when you show them these statistics. We've known for years the majority of pedophiles are [i]married[/i] men.[/quote]

I agree. A good portion of society seems to look upon pedophilia as a "Catholic" thing nowadays, and many are acting as if the world's problems would go away if the Catholic Church would be silent or change its stand. If anything, at this time in history, that will only make the world's problems WORSE.

Pointing out that this is not unique to the Catholic Church will make people realize that the Catholic Church is not the bogeyman everybody needs to fear, plus once it shows that pedophilia is larger than the Catholic Church, pedophilia can more accurately be fought.

[Norseman82]

[quote name='ironmonk' post='1385669' date='Sep 14 2007, 09:33 PM']In the 1960's-70's the "expert" psychologists/trists advised that it was better for the child to not go through trial... if charges are not pressed, then bad preists could not be charged with crime.[/quote]

That may be part of the problem, but another part that needs to be addressed is that parents did not believe that priests would do such things, and often children would not be believed. I read one article about a man who was physically punished by his mother when he revealed that a priest sexually abused him. I recall stories my aunts would tell about the old-line nuns who would say "what happens at home stays at home, and what happens in school stays at school" and the whole mentality that if you were punished at school you would get it twice as bad when you got home.

[Anomaly]

In my opinion, (notice I'm working on personal humility here), the Catholic Church could have done, and should do, a must better job of policing itself and cooperating with civil authorites and establish the 'Gold Standard' of how it should be done. For example, if the Catholic Church established and enforces "A-Policies", why can't the people demand the same of their public school systems?

The in-bred reluctance of the Church to correct itself so as to not weaken it's authority or power in the face of people who want female, married priests, only serves to demonstrate weak will in trying to do what's right. The Catholic Church is trying to win battles and is losing the war as far as the people wanting to trust the Church.

[Norseman82]

[quote name='Anomaly' post='1385817' date='Sep 15 2007, 08:50 AM']In my opinion, (notice I'm working on personal humility here), the Catholic Church could have done, and should do, a must better job of policing itself and cooperating with civil authorites and establish the 'Gold Standard' of how it should be done. For example, if the Catholic Church established and enforces "A-Policies", why can't the people demand the same of their public school systems?

The in-bred reluctance of the Church to correct itself so as to not weaken it's authority or power in the face of people who want female, married priests, only serves to demonstrate weak will in trying to do what's right. The Catholic Church is trying to win battles and is losing the war as far as the people wanting to trust the Church.[/quote]

Well, I know the archdiocese of Chicago established a policy in the early 1990s that included cooperation with civil authorities. In fact, at one point in a recent highly-publicized (and messy) case, it came out that the authorities were notified by the church months earlier, but no action was taken at that point.

[cmotherofpirl]

Most cases in the Catholic Church were homosex, not pedophilia. There is a big difference.

[XIX]

[quote name='ironmonk' post='1385669' date='Sep 14 2007, 10:33 PM']This should not surprise any of us, yes it is frustrating to the Nth degree, but the fact is the current ruler of this world is satan...[/quote]
You might want to rephrase that.