MEDC, et. al.

I am going farther out on the ice here. Stupid me. But I have a few thoughts to share.

I have this vision of you standing over me all red in the face and yelling at the top of your lungs, spittle spraying all around, when I don’t agree with you. Scary vision.

Dialogue:

We probably agree pedophilia is a disgusting, awful, hateful crime. It is simply unacceptable, ever. If I had my way pedophiles would be hung by their scrotum in a public place. The males anyway. Not sure what to hang the females by.

Society won’t let me do it my way, MEDC. But what can we do about it?

Do we keep our children away from church all together? Not just the RCC but protestant churches and their ministers, too? I read about a year ago the incidence of pedophilia among protestant ministers and leaders is exactly the same as among priests. And since there are more protestant ministers and leaders in the USA the raw number of such pedophiles is quite a bit higher.

And as scouts? As congressional pages? And even keep them away from public schools?

All of these organizations protect themselves when under attack. All of them.

Consider the republican caucus’ recent actions. Or the democratic caucus years ago when a young senate staffer drowned in a drunken senator’s car on the way to an assignation and he ran away (and was reelected!)

Or, many cases of credibly accused teacher pedophiles, but teachers’ unions protecting them until the last possible gasp. Or teh school district just moving them among schools. We had a local female teacher get pregnant twice by a 13 yo boy and the union loudly protected her right up to her conviction for sex with a minor after the first baby was born and DNA finally established the truth. She is out of prison now and the union says she should be able to teach again, for crying out loud.

How about we divide and conquer. You reorganize religion, and I take on congress, scouts and the teachers’ unions. Then we will have order and justice at last.

Well, OK, maybe you can achieve it in religious organizations. I am not so sure I have the stamina for what is required at my age.

You know, the so-called experts in pedophilia used to claim it was curable. Right up until the early ‘90s the vast majority of psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers said pedophiles could be successfully treated and returned to society. It has only been in the last 15 years or so the majority say it is incurable, untreatable and uncontrollable except by white-knuckling. Civil commitment of sexual predators is only 10 years old in this state.

I do spot all these affected organizations a few points for believing the experts back then. They all, except congress and some teacher’s unions, seem to believe the new experts now.

Your turn.

With prayers for you and children everywhere,

I don't want to get into this debate.... it isn't about pedophiles... it is about the church KNOWINGLY putting children in harms way to protect their assets. They shuffled priests that received NO COUNSELING to other unsuspecting parishes. This is a fact! They punished those that came forth and reported the problem. FACT. That is where the problem lies.

Aphelion - If you will allow me to "parse" things for a minute, the issue under discussion and examination by Athanasius is fundamentally predicated upon one's "faith."

Since Athanasius places himself in the "camp" of "believers in Jesus Christ," there can be NO "separation of 'thinking' into a "nonbelieving worldview is the same as, the equivalent to, or has morals founded upon universal, unchanging truth that proceeds from OUTSIDE the individual." For a Christian there can be only ONE "worldview," and that is God's view.

Ethics may be categorized as a subset of Morals by some people as a tool, but it still begs the question of WHO or WHAT determines that ANY Moral code or Ethical code is applicable to anyone other than each individual, and that there can be as many "moral codes" and "ethical codes" as there are people. No matter how large someone might want to "expand" the "group of one"(the individual) to be "one group" (i.e., a given society) the issue remains unresolved as to the "universality of any given group's Moral Code and Ethical Code."

For Christians there is NO "optional" set of Morals. ONLY God's set is applicable because God is Sovereign, not us. It does not matter what we might individually "want" to be our own morals or ethics, because God has the right and the authority as Sovereign Lord to decide "for us." Our "choice" is to obey or to disobey God, but only obedience is what a Christian should do because we do not have the option to "make ourselves God."

IF you believe that "Man" is born a sinful person, incapable of "doing good" as God defines it, then the "ethics" you want an individual to "assess themselves" by is determined by a mind that is at enmity with God. It CAN, just like Satan does, take godly truths and apply them....but only so far. A "Good Man" my societal standards is still far short of a "Good Man" by God's standards, because they are still lost. It is ONLY God who can change the "heart" of person and give them the ability to withstand the "relativism" of the world and to stand on the "absolutes" of God.

For a Christian to think otherwise would seem to open the door to the concept that someone can "Merit" forgiveness by God simply by their own works. Again the Standard is NOT to be found in the world, it is to be found in God, revealed to us by God in His Word.


God bless.

Awe Appy, there you go treading where angels fear...again. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />



Awesome... it's people who think like this that make the world a much better place to be in. Can you imagine if all were lifted to this kind of awareness? Fear/hate would no longer exist in our reality.

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

-ol' 2long

Well what about a religion (RCC) that will grant annulments to two known cheaters so they can be married in the church? I was a faithful church goer - along with my children - not my ex - not until he left me for her - now he is going every week with her. They both seeked annulments and they were granted - I could have fought it for $1000 - my daughter asked me not too - said it would just bring up everything that happened and she said you know Dad - it would be all your fault like everything was. I can't support a church that will allow everything that is going on be swept under the rug. Just can't do it.

(((((happyfinally))))) - God grants the right to a divorce to the Faithful Spouse only, and only on the grounds of marital unfaithfulness(adultery). God does NOT say that a marriage "never existed."

God bless.

"You may protect yourself through civil means (i.e. separation or divorce) but you are still ethically obligated to your promise to a high degree. You in fact promised to be so obligated, no matter what, until death ends the promise/contract."

Alphelion --
You said in two sentences what it took my five years to understand. Thank you.

Cherishing