It's like the Holocaust, no really

[kinvore.livejournal.com]

Wow. Pope Benedict's personal preacher Raniero Cantalamessa created a firestorm by comparing the scrutiny and pressure the Catholic Church has been experiencing lately in their molestation scandals to the "more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism."

This just further illustrates why the Roman Catholic Church will never take real steps to stop abuse. They aren't concerned with the children that are getting raped, they're only concerned with their own reputation. They see themselves as being wrongfully attacked, and never does it enter their minds that their actions (and lack thereof) contributed to what they are enduring now.

I hope the pressure never lets up but sooner or later the mainstream media will give up on it, only to flare up again down the road after more children have been raped, and the cycle will repeat again.

Pope Benedict, the only way this is going to end is if you take real steps towards stopping abuse. First of all stop protecting priests who molest children and treat it like the horrific sin (and crime) that it is. Throw them out of the Church and/or turn them in to law enforcement.

To help prevent this from happening as much you're going to have to allow priests to marry. Stop making excuses, stop covering up, and make a real effort to end this abuse.

Comments

[usekh.livejournal.com]

Yes. If you think a anthropomorphic personification of evil is behind the press stories about the Catholic Church's concealment of paedophilia you are crazy.

[a4honor.livejournal.com]

And I can use a dictionary too. A copious vernacular rarely indicates the clout one intends to wield by borrowing from its virtues, that is to say, if that one contains no virtue, non can be borrowed. Further refutal; entities predating persons cannot possible be categorized as a personification of any kind.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

Sorry if using the correct words offended you.

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that when talking about religions concepts and rituals some people use either really academic ways of describing these things, or very simple childish ways of describing them-- "magic cloud man" or "fairy God in the sky" I think it's supposed to get religious people to see God and the devil in a new light.

But instead, it just makes it seem like you don't think that religious people think about religion very much or question it. Like I've never though-- "how odd it is that the devil is so much like a human" That's not the case for all of us. a4honor has a point. calling the devil "a anthropomorphic personification of evil" ... I don't know what is the point of doing that?

I guess what drives me nuts is that you seem to be getting some critical details of how Christian concepts work all wrong. And yet you're writing like this is a term paper and you're an expert on religion.

For the record: I'm no expert.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

Well how else do you describe the devil as a concept?

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

Isn't to enough to say "the devil"?

The devil was an angel once but he believed himself to be wiser and smarter than God and for that he was banished from heaven. He still thinks he's smarter than God, and he tempts humankind with the same seductive arguments that got him banished in the first place. He thought it was a great victory when he got Adam and Eve banished from the garden of Eden. But no man, devil or woman can see all of God's plan-- in God's plan the Devil is doing exactly what he must tempting us at every moment-- so that we might find our greater selves and be closer to God, not like children (as Adam and Eve were.) But of our own free will-- But we are human, weak, fragile easily tempted and I suppose the trade-off in all of this is a lot of suffering. Often at our own hands.

The devil is very important in my faith. And to me more than a simple concept.

But that is what I have learned so far in my studies of the devil. Again, I am no expert.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

But I was specifically pointing out that I find the idea of a singular individual being that was somehow...sorry trying to think of another word than personification..the whatever of evil was ridiculous.

I used language how I was taught too. It is like me pointing to a blue object and saying it is a blue object, only to be told off for "talkin fancy like"

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

Why not just say "the devil" ? I don't know, my apologies, if you were not trying to make some kind of point by using an academic description.

I personally don't think it is ridiculous at all.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

The usual thinking is that the Devil was not alone and that he had a bunch of lesser evil spirits associated with him.

Personally, I prefer the original concept (i.e. Angra Mainyu) as this version of the Devil appears nowhere in the Bible but I'm a cynic about that.

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

Except the devil isn't the personification of evil, that's what you're getting wrong.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

The best way to describe the Devil is to note that the term refers to "Adversary." The usual approach to him in tradition was that he was once the highest and fairest of God's creation, and figured he should be God instead of God. Hence the Devil's actions led to an attempted Coup d'etat but the problem of trying to fight an omnipotent omniscient being is you lose, hard.

The cosmology also makes the entirety of human history a Proxy War between God and the Devil.

[a4honor.livejournal.com]

"and each man did what was right in his own eyes" (several biblical passages)
If each man is to take the definition of correct words into his own hands then we will end up in a world quite less enlightened than we have now. The above phrase was used in all cases right before Israel was destroyed or concurred, and on a simply historical note the bible has been proven to be highly accurate.

And i think that you will find it difficult to offend me, I get passionate easily, but its not personal.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

I am using the proper words for describing what the figure of Satan is in the Christian religion. Sorry if your education didn't cover things like that. But use this as a chance to educate yourself, not try to make fun of others.

[a4honor.livejournal.com]

I haven't made fun of you yet, I only do that to people I like. Not that I dislike you either.

Education, does not necessarily beget wisdom. My Education focused on wisdom.

I would rather meet a man with a third grade education, that has the wisdom of years of relationships and watching the world around him than an over educated derelict. Just so I am clear, I don't think your a derelict, misguided but you do show the signs of a person who wants to be responsible. You genuinely care about your beliefs because you perceive danger from the opposing view. God is not dangerous my friend.

And just so we are clear, your breed of sarcasm is making fun:

Sorry if your education didn't cover things like that

That's demeaning.Must mean I am an uneducated hillbilly, I would rather you come out and say "Your are an uneducated hillbilly with no teeth, and you smell funny"

[usekh.livejournal.com]

Where is the wisdom in trying to make fun of someone for using the correct terminology?

[a4honor.livejournal.com]

Ok, well I'm done. Go ahead and keep arguing and ignoring the facts you are presented with. Just remember you can't escape God any more than you can escape yourself.

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

Who said the devil was responsible? (Link?) When people do evil things they "do the devil's work," but they do it of their own free will and they are responsible. Child abuse is the work of the devil. But, I don't think someone who believes in the devil would say that "the devil is responsible."

[usekh.livejournal.com]

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/satan_behind_media_attacks_on_the_pope_asserts_italian_exorcist/

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

The exorcist went on to note that Satan tempts holy men, “and so we should not be surprised if priests too … fall into temptation. They also live in the world and can fall like men of the world.”

This part makes more sense than the headline. Though, even the headline "Satan behind media attacks on the Pope, asserts Italian exorcist" isn't saying that the devil is responsible, as you were saying. The devil tempts humans in to doing evil, but people are responsible for their own actions. We could say the devil was behind those actions, but that would not remove the responsibility. Though, I must say, he seems to be defending the Church from scrutiny too much. I dislike that. But I am not Catholic.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

"The Devil is Behind""Prompted by the devil" the devil wants to "Grab a hold of him"

Let's not split hairs here.

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

Well, if you are correct in interpreting his meaning to be that the devil is responsible, and not that the people who did the devil's work were responsible then he is describing some different way of viewing the devil that is not very common among Christians.

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

Among thinking Christians, perhaps. I know a fair few who think A.) that the Devil causes evil, and B.) that if he weren't around, humans would be good all the time. While you won't find medieval oddities like "Jesus walks the world as a unicorn" too often anymore, there's still a lot of apocryphal belief in the Christian community, even those that emphasize familiarity with the actual text.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Let's see if I understand...Believers, trying to explain to you, a non believer, what they believe, are spitting hairs because what they believe doesn't fit with what you think they should believe?

[usekh.livejournal.com]

Not even close. And nothing to do with this specific thread. We were talking about what the exorcist from the Vatican was saying here. Nothing more.

[a4honor.livejournal.com]

Your right he isn't he shouldn't be an excuse. But he does "roam about as roaring lion seeking whom he may devour(paraphrased), So he is involved, but everyone still make their own choices, and the clergy are supposed to be taught how to guard against the devil.