So the scandal in the Catholic church continues and grows. I am not surprised, but nor am I terribly interested in writing about it. I will say only a couple of things: when you take high school boys, put them in an all-male seminary environment, teach them nothing about sexuality, ordain them and send them into the world, how do you expect they're going to act? Like children who never grew up, that's how. And when you force men into an unnatural state of celibacy and aloneness, how can you possibly be surprised when they act inappropriately?
The point I really want to make is that the Catholic church is not the problem; religion is not the problem; God is not the problem. The problem is that for centuries fallible men have made decisions on everything from the nature of God to the role of the clergy to the rules that govern the people. Fallible men -- men who make mistakes. Men just like the priests accused of molesting children. Men just like you and me.
We are all human, we all make mistakes. Some worse than others, yes, but all of us screw up. And yet the church pretends that "God said this" or "God said that." Hogwash. The church -- read a bunch of men -- said this and said that. The church decided on an all-male clergy; the church decided on celibacy.
Likewise, "it says in the bible" makes my skin crawl. What bible? In what language? In what translation? It says in the bible that a man who lies with another man has committed an abomination. Yes, it sure does -- Leviticus 18:22. It also says "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death” -- Exodus 35:2. So you religious righters who call me an abomination, I ask you, should all the workers at WalMart who work on Sunday be put to death? Are you going to do it?
I am being neither clever nor original. I am just saying that most of what people hold as their religious beliefs are the beliefs of the winners in a debate that happened centuries ago. History, it is said, is written by the victors. So was canon law.
Silly, Walter. Everyone knows History is written by Texas. :)
ReplyDeleteAll jokes aside, I completely agree with you. Those of us who are Christians cannot say God is beyond our understanding and then turn around and say, "But HE exists within these narrow parameters." We cannot say "God is Love" and then make hate the linchpin of our actions. And no one should be allowed to use any belief system as a cover for abusing children.