runner: "Making political mileage out of child abuse is in poor taste"

If that is so runner, the political mileage Howard got out of the NT intervention must rank as one of the biggest exercises in poor taste of all time. You didn't think all the grandstanding was really because of the kids, right? If he really cared about the kids he would have done something in the proceeding 9 years he was in office.

And then there was Warwick Marsh using vivid descriptions of child abuse to further his own anti-porn cause. Conroy tells us his mandatory filter is all about paedophilia, removing the worst of the worst and protecting kids. A pack of local residents gets a few stories lopped off the top of a block of flats to protect their children from abusers peering down on them from the top floors.

I'm guessing you think using kid abuse to promote these good causes is a good thing. But use kid abuse to criticise the church - and it is an exercise in poor taste.

Good on ya' Shadow Minister.

You cite a news item relating to a report which found that 3 dead Bishops and 1 retired Bishop behaved badly. From that you argue that the contemporary Catholic Church needs to change and hasn't already done anything to avoid this sort of tragedy. Talk about taking the flimsiest excuse.

However your view that being celibate leads to child molesting explains your comment as the Church hasn't changed there. However it is totally irrelevant to child molestation.

Foxy,

What does Paul Collins say in that book about the Church's response to the paedophilia crisis? I've got a pretty good idea but I can't find my copy for some reason.

Runner,

I am curious about what is so unbiblical about the Catholic Church. It is the Church of the Bible. Most other denominations didn't start until at least the 16th Century.

I am not a Christian but yes Catholics the first Christian church in our western world need change.
We have had many threads, hundreds of posts, about this, many different storys bought us into such discussions.
And not just in this Church, but more often it is, why no sex?
Why continue the rubbish sex is a sin?
And why expect single men only to run a Church
I do not overlook the great good most Christians do, truly, but great harm too, never forget individuals knew about this.
Knew Children in care went through hell, for people who played for the other team, evil people, some truly evil products of unwed parents have found refuge and protection in this Church.

Yes, it is time.

Change sometimes means admitting what's past was wrong and while religion and thus consequent behaviours are steeped in superstitious beliefs, I cannot see this happening anytime soon.

Most young Catholics I know in my daughter's generation don't practice celibacy, agree with a woman's right to control her own body, have sex before marriage and marry people of other denominations.

So what the Catholic hierarchy may do seems to have very little influence for the younger members.

mjpb

I am curious about what is so unbiblical about the Catholic Church. It is the Church of the Bible. Most other denominations didn't start until at least the 16th Century.

I am not prepared to enter theological discussions online here however just a few un biblical aspects of the Catholic church

- they teach you must belong to them to be saved
- they have been anti semetic throughout history
- employed dubious 'men' leading to child abuse
- killed those not sharing their dogmas
- forbid for priests to marry in contradiction to Scripture
- believe the pope's word is infallible which in times past has shown to be devlish
- hide the biblical description of salvation by faith in Christ
- christen babies and pretend it is biblical
- teach people to pray to the 'queen of heaven' who was a good woman used by God but in no way perfect.

No denomination has ever had a mortgage on truth. Roman Catholicism has killed numerous innocent people (many believers). Anyone believing they will receive salvation by belonging to a denomination has not read Scripture or any idea of Christ's teachings. As a former Catholic and as one who has had his eyes open I can see clearly that the Roman Catholic church is not the 'church of the bible. Do a simple study of the word church and you will find it is the 'called out ones'. It is the people not denomination.

Shadow Minister says “For centuries, the Catholic rule of "celibate" priests has attracted the worst sexual offenders, and due to the scarcity of straight men drawn to the order, the church has needed to shield these paedophiles from the law.”

Indeed the BBC report says “The number of complaints of abuse made by boys was more than double those submitted by girls.”

HermanYutic says “81% of the victims were boys. 90% of those were 11 to 17 years old. Fortunately, the Catholic church now runs psychological screening tests to reduce the number of homosexuals entering the priesthood.”

However he neglects to mention that the report he would have got those figures is from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. It is conducting an independent study of sexual abuse in the priesthood from 1950 up to 2002 and has reported "At this point, we do not find a connection between homosexual identity and an increased likelihood of sexual abuse.”. Other researchers went on to say "Someone can commit sexual acts that might be of a homosexual nature but not have a homosexual identity." and that factors such as easier access to boys skew the results. They also reinforce the fact that the high incidence of homosexual activity in prisons is conducted not only by the gay population.

Another good example is Ted Haggard who was the leader of the National Association of Evangelicals in the US. He had a weekly conference call with George bush, was touted in the top 25 most influential evangelists by Time Magazine but admitted in November 2006 to having solicited a prostitute for homosexual sex.

He then underwent three weeks of 'counselling' by four ministers one of whom stated in February 2007 that Haggard was “completely heterosexual”.