Posts tagged catholicism
Born Okay The First Time In Lower Alabama
Pope dismisses child rape as normal back in the day. Is this really a shocker?
Victims of clerical sex abuse have reacted furiously to Pope Benedict’s claim yesterday that paedophilia wasn’t considered an “absolute evil” as recently as the 1970s.
How any parents or government agency can continue to justify entrusting children to the care of this organization is very perplexing.
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Lady Liberty Defends America’s Schoolchildren
Thomas Nast was the creator of Santa Claus, Uncle Sam, the Republican elephant and Democratic donkey.
In this 1875 political cartoon Nast depicts Lady Liberty standing guard over America’s schoolchildren who are threatened by two Catholic priests. One of the priests holds a decree which states: “Surrender your American Godless Infidel Education to the Infallible Roman Guidance…”.
Now, almost a century and a half later, Lady Liberty, battered and beaten, still stands tall, defending Americas public school system from the the religious rights ceaseless assault.
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Clergy Declares War on “New-Atheists”
It appears that the Church of England feels that its influence on society is under threat from the current “less tolerant attitude towards religion” so it has vowed to fight the “new atheism” in an attempt to combat the rise of secularism in Britain. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury seems to think the Church is under threat from the arguments laid out by atheists like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens who paint faith as being “a social problem.”
According to a report commissioned by Williams and John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, the Church must be “explicit about the need to counter attempts to marginalize Christianity and to treat religious faith more generally as a social problem.”
The document goes on to complain that intolerance towards religion is becoming more widespread and can be seen in public bodies attitudes of “suspicion or hostility towards churches and other faith groups.”
“Drawing particular attention to the threat posed by a new movement of militant atheists, led by Dawkins and Hitchens,” the report “says the Church must respond if it is not to be pushed from the public square.”
According to The Telegraph, this “rallying call comes amid fears that Christians are suffering from an increasing level of discrimination following a series of cases in which they have been punished for sharing their beliefs.”
Wow, I wish the influence of Dawkins and Hitchens was that strong here in the states. It would be great for America if our society became less tolerant of the intolerance advocated by many churches and religious groups in this country.
I’m not sure what the English think about this news but I find it a bit disingenuous that the Church of England is complaining about intolerance considering its track record. Also, I wonder if Christians in Britain are really being punished for sharing their beliefs or if it is rather their continuing refusal to cease proselytizing in the work place that is being rebuked?
On a side note, I should also mention that the same Archbishop of Canterbury who is alleging a growing secular intolerance towards religion is also on record for advocating the use of Sharia Law in Britain. 
As a secular humanist, I believe in tolerance; however, that does not include tolerance of intolerance.
Note: Originally posted at blogspot on 02/16/2011.
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<3 This song!
“Sure As Hell Not Jesus” by Cosmo Jarvis: This is a very catchy tune; although, the subject is a bit dark. Nevertheless, it touches on issues the Chatholic Church, and those who support it, are constantly trying to downplay or ‘sweep under the rug.’
Below is a description of the video from its YouTube page:
The video for “Sure As Hell Not Jesus” is about sexual abuse scandals that have involved the followers and preachers of the catholic faith and its leaders’ frequent insidious dealings with them. It is also about the pressure that family members of victims, that become aware of the misconduct, sometimes have to endure due to the way in which the powerful sexual perpetrators use the faith of their victims and victims’ families to justify their actions or, in the case of protest or the possibility of a revelation, threaten them with religious penalties. It also glances at the effect on priests of rules introduced by the church forbidding them to partake in sexual intercourse. This is a dumb rule I think, I’m not catholic but a penis does fit in a vagina. I wish that the rules could be changed.
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Self-explanatory really.
Ha!
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Catholic Charities of Rockford announced Thursday that the agency will halt its state-funded foster care and adoption services Wednesday — the day civil unions take effect in Illinois.
The decision is the first of what could become a domino effect of Catholic Charities leaving the foster care and adoption business to avoid liability if state law requires them to place children with parents in civil unions — either gay or straight.
In Rockford, the decision could displace about 350 foster children served by Catholic Charities and put 58 employees out of work.
Catholic Charities of Rockford ends foster care, adoption services - Chicago Tribune
Have I mentioned lately that I despise the Catholic Church? They’ve also threatened to stop feeding homeless people to protest gay marriage and (my personal favorite) threatened to close hospitals rather than provide abortions to women who need them. There is no greater hive of scum and villainy than the church.
(via greaterthanlapsed)
This is just one more reason President Obama needs to dismantle the architecture of President Bush’s Faith-Based Initiative program which condones taxpayer funded discrimination practices and allows religious groups to openly refuse to hire or provide services to people because of their sexual orientation and differing religious beliefs or lack thereof.
I really feel bad for these children but perhaps they will be less likely to be molested once the Catholic Church no longer controls their destiny.
(via existentialcrisisfactory)
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What is the Vatican worth, like 500 billion dollars? Since the “Rapture” is tomorrow, the Pope could sell the Vatican today and feed the whole fucking world.
I love this.
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