Catholic Bishop: "Secularism and Birth Control Cause Pedophile Priests"
Sometimes what religious leaders say leaves one rolling on the floor laughing. So it is with a Bishop in Illinois.
He blames someone or something else for the criminal activities of priests and Bishops. Society has become too secular and uses birth control, he says, and it causes priests to sin and Bishops to hide these sins by moving priests from parish to parish. Catholics should be criminal defense attorneys with their genius defenses.
Catholic clergy claim they are descendants of Peter and that gives them powers afforded to no one else. Is seems like this power and prestige should have given them the ability to persuade the faithful to not use birth control. Instead, nearly all Catholics defy these important men and practice birth control. It is hard to comprehend nearly all Catholics would ignore such holy men unless they had doubts about this claim.
I might be able to help the Bishop in Pennsylvania come up with equally good reasons for pedophile priests. I'd suggest climate change. Changes in weather affects peoples' moods and who knows?
Maybe it is the cell phone which has taken over so many people's lives. If priests are spending too much time on cell phones you have a cause equally suspicious with the practice of birth control. Cell phones involve electricity close to the brain so who knows what happens there.
Catholics are not going to confession like they are supposed to. Perhaps not being able to hear the sins of those in the pews induces sins in the clergy.
I wonder if top management in the Catholic church understand how absurd statements like those of that Bishop are. Or, is top management as out of touch with reality at this Bishop?
so when it comes to stupid things that Christians say, how about stupid things that atheists say?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteUnknown "so when it comes to stupid things that Christians say, how about stupid things that atheists say?"
ReplyDeleteI've never heard/read a statement by an atheist as stupid as that using birth control causes pedophilia in priests. If you have as example that is equal in stupidity please post it here.
The bishop is in Illinois, not Pennsylvania.
ReplyDeleteHe did not state what Jon claims he stated.
Matt "bishop is in Illinois.."
ReplyDeleteThank you, I corrected that.
As to what he said, the author of the piece I referenced reported the Bishop linked priests' sins to the secularism and birth control. I stand by that. If you have another source that concludes something different post it here.
Christian clergy, Catholic and Protestant, would do well to simply stop carrying on about how sinful society has become. It is no more "sinful" now than it ever was. But sin is a meal ticket for many thousands of clergy. They make a living talking about sin, even though it is something made up by those who wrote the Bible, changes over time and has no objective definition.
Jon, your article is written by you as "Catholic Bishop: "Secularism and Birth Control Cause Pedophile Priests""
DeleteYou claim the Bishop stated it was a cause and effect relationship. It is patently obvious reading the article that no such claim was made. In other words, you lied intentionally to smear the Bishop.
I read the article and found the Bishop to be very astute. The people in the Church - priests, nuns, deacons, bishops, laity - are all sinners. Porn, infidelity and promiscuity became rampant somewhere around the 1960s. It had an effect on all the Church. That is a synopsis of the bishop's comments.
Matt--"In other words you lied intentionally to smear the Bishop."
DeleteUnfortunately, it is you who is lying. Bishop Paprocki, "I say all levels of the church because the sexual revolution of our secular world has obviously infected the church at all levels."
This statement was made in response to the Grand Jury finding against pedophile cases accusing priests in Pennsylvania. The issue was criminal priests. The cause, according to Bishop Paprocki, was the sexual revolution going on in society. That's cause and effect. He forgot to mention child sexual abuse was going on before the 1960's sexual revolution. I learned recently it was going on in the 1940's and 50's in the county I grew up in. Maybe it was the caused then by the powerful new V8 engines of cars back then. Or, that was not long after WWII. Maybe WWII caused it. Or, Elvis Presley.
It's hard to convince a delusional man that grass is green.
DeleteThe pool of priest candidates came from a society that had changed to the worse because of the sexual revolution. Every segment of society has been infected.
he.also has trouble with the sky is blue, up and down and human fetuses are human.
Deletejust sitting here wondering what Jon has to say about Buttigieg. B as we should do by know likes to mix religion (his version, of course) with politics, advancing an agenda which he explicitly says is inspired by his Christian views. I suppose that Jon's response would go something like this: liberal Christians good, conservative Christians bad. Therefore, liberal C's can mix religion and politics, conservative C' are not allowed to do so. notice, too, that Jon choose not to post my comments on stupid C's.
ReplyDeleteDon't wonder. Your analysis is error free.
DeleteJon loves abortion, homosexual sex, fallen Christians and liberalism.
You stated something profound, Unknown, which I think bears re-statement and discussion. "B as we should know by now likes to mix religion (his version, of course) ..."
DeleteThere is only one Catholic *version*. One would surmise there is only one ELCA, one Missouri Synod, one Free Methodist, one Evangelical Free, etc. version of religion.
Much of the problem with religion is that people of all Christian denominations don't submit their will to the will of any Church, i.e. embracing that Church's dogmatic teachings. Consequently, we have Pete Buttigieg who is a fallen Catholic turned Episcopal, Catholics like Pelosi, Cuomos in start contrast to people like myself who are orthodox Catholics, i.e. in step with the Church in all matters of faith and morals. I submit my will without reserve and without force.
Yet, how many people claim to be Bible-believing, non-denominational Christians? They submit their will to no earthly authority; just to the Bible. Which Bible? How do they know that particular Bible is correct? How do they know it is correct? They have no answers except that they are *right*.
be sure to check out my latest exchange with Jon. I've always thought that he is more than an old fashioned Enlightenment atheist (tho' he's that too). he's deep into post-modernism. and post-modernism, broadly understood, is irrational and power oriented. nota happy brew.
Deletemark antoney "and post modernism, broadly understood, is irrational and power oriented."
DeleteSuch bull. Please provide some source not propaganda based to this sweeping BS. A definition of post modernism: a late-20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism that represents a departure from modernism and has at its heart a general distrust of grand theories and ideologies...”.
you are right about distrust of grand theories (aka meta-narratives). BTW, your favorite: scientism is a grand narrative which we should rightly distrust. indeed! but if we are to distrust grand theories why are there so many irrational ideologies floating around out there? folks like SOC, the radical feminist ideology, the climate change ideology, the radical environmental nonsense (don't send Christmas cards, don't eat meat, the end of civilization as we know is just around the corner, Greta. But why go on? that stuff is all around us these days. as to the arts, how about bananas pasted to the wall with duct tape. sold for 120K as I recall. talk about BS!
Deleteunknown Mark Anthony "why are there so many irrational ideologies floating around out there?"
DeleteYou are, of course, referring to Christianity.
Matt "They have no answers except that they are 'right'. "
ReplyDeleteSounds exactly like the Catholic clergy to me--and perhaps you yourself.
sounds like you too Jon. mark anthony
DeleteMark Anthony "sounds like you too Jon."
ReplyDeleteI agree. When there is no authority nor evidence everyone is free to conclude whatever they wish. This includes the Catholic clergy, Joel Osteen ( and others in the prosperity gospel), you and me. We're like free range chickens.
some how I don't think of myself as a free range chicken. chickens are really stupid. guess, tho' that we are all entitled to our own truth: good post-modernist sentiment. we can also arbitrarily sign on to our own meta-narrative. a bit of a problem for philosophy, ethics, politics, ultimately maybe even science: that you know is just another meta narrative dreamed up by old white men to oppress somebody, women mostly. .
DeleteMark Anthony "is just another meta narrative dreamed up by old white men to oppress somebody, mostly women."
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty well summarizes what you hold dear. It was almost 20 years ago I spent a week in a seminar on an East Coast campus reading and discussing what you call "philosophy, ethics and politics" --that was what I learned. Probably held more strongly today. Since then seminaries, departments of religion and philosophy and church membership all have dropped in numbers. Growing are women's, black, homosexual studies. They have their own sets of defining literature and renowned authors. If you would like a modern reading list I can make one up for you.
that's true and very, very sad. a new meta-narrative promoted by the likes of Marcuse, Heidegger, Sartre, Leotard, Derrida, etc. and ultimately Nietzsche. History is nothing but the story of one class oppressing another. doing Marx one better. BTW, spare me your "modern" reading list: it's probably nothing more than ideological crap, a call for a modern version of totalitarianism. For my part, I'll stick with the old white men and women.
DeleteMark Anthony "For my part, I'll stick with the old white men and women."
ReplyDeleteGood choice. It will work best for you.
The Bible discourages giving entrance to anyone or any group that does not fit in properly. Laviticus 21: 18-19 tells us that in no uncertain terms: "No man who has any defect may come near; no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; No man with a crippled foot or hand."
Deletea little more Bible thumping, eh? Yeh, I think that Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Aquinas, Smith, Locke, Descartes, Kant, Augustine, and all the other great western thinkers, who, despite their differences, taught us that truth is knowable, that there are solid ethical standards, that man is something more than a rutting pig and that differences can be settled by reason, not inevitably by the raw exercise of power. good luck with your post- modern homosexualism, radical feminism, Satanism, abortionists, relativism, irrationalism and the whole motely crew. if you think that this is the way to go, then welcome to the swamp. as you say, one "truth" is as good as any other. .
Re. Leviticus 21;18-19; I believe you are out of context, as an all inclusive statement .
DeleteIt was directed only to those of the Aaronic priesthood. regarding the intended and expected purity demanded of their office. Not the general population.
This becomes clear when you read the entire chapter, which continues into the next.
Jon; See also "Levitical priesthood. One and the same. Sons of Aaron; family of Levi.
DeleteThen look up Kohen --extended' cohen, kohnen,
DeleteThe relationship of book of "Leviticus", Levitical and Levi is no accident.
DeleteSilence.
Delete