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Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019); AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021); and HOW WE BECAME POST-LIBERAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF TOLERATION (2024).

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Who will the Catholic Church blame today?

Find out here

Look, seriously, who are we going to blame for the all rape and other sexual abuse of children - not to mention other kinds of horrible cruelty to them? Who should be blamed that so many in the religious orders of the Catholic Church have done so much to defenceless kids, have done things that ordinary, decent, compassionate people of the same faith, or other faiths, or no faith at all, can't even get their heads around? Why did this happen? And why was it covered up so heartlessly and for so long? The Vatican hierarchs and their lackeys will blame anyone and anything ... apart from their own secretive institutions of governance, their morbid attitudes to sex and the body, their absurd and damaging system of religious celibacy, their delusions of moral superiority.

Stop it!

There are many kind, goodhearted Catholics out there who must be troubled by the events as they've unfolded, tormented as they try to sleep at night. How did this happen within the True Church? You're not to blame, folks. I may disagree with you about many things, but I don't say that you are bad people. Most of you had no idea what was going on. Still, you've been duped and betrayed - and it's time to vote with your feet. Just leave the Church. Stop giving them your money. Stop giving them your support. Stop listening to their excuses; and whatever you do, don't protect them. Just leave. Go anywhere at all, within reason, because you can't do much worse.

Walk away. Just. Leave.

Spread the meme.

9 comments:

Mike said...

The real hat tip should go to Jason Brown, whose original list has even more items like the old standby: Satan.

That meme spread to one apologist who wrote last week: "This media crusade is the work of the Devil. Satan has a particular dislike for this pope. This makes me think this pope is greater than we think he is."

NewEnglandBob said...

The ironic component to all this is that the cover ups will hurt the church. The exposure of their corrupt policies of hiding the crimes will be responsible for many people leaving the RCC. If they had had sane policies that stopped the abuse and punished the abusers then they would have had more respect shown to them.

Brian said...

*Applause*

I don't blame Catholics for being thinking. But if they don't vote with their feet they are complicit now (well, since it's) that it's so obvious what's going on and how the Church uses numbers to shore up it's political and moral position (argumentum ad populum/appeal to numbers)/.

Eamon Knight said...

There's a Catholic -- an intelligent, articulate, and generally decent-seeming fellow -- who comments on a local blog, and is every kind of appalled and outraged by the crimes and the coverups, and wants a thorough house-cleaning, all the way up to the Vatican (his words: bankrupt the diocese if you have to, but compensate the victims). I suspect he (and a lot of his brethren) are being wildly optimistic about the prospects for meaningful reform, but I can't help wishing them well.

David Gibson said...

Wow DM, what you just posted there just completely made me sit down, re-evaluate all my preconceptions about evidence and logic. I realise now I have been incredibly foolish.

Congratulations! Your combative moral certitude and arrogance has really opened my eyes. You have just saved another soul for God.

In all seriousness though, why do the crazy conspiracy nuts always post in capitals with bizarre formating and incomplete sentences? I can't help but think they are rather accurately representing the movement of ideas within their own minds.

Russell Blackford said...

No feeding our resident troll.

Jason Brown said...

@Mike

As much as I love stealing his thunder, it was Dave The Happy Singer of DaveTheHappySinger.com that put this one up. I just tweeted the link and the meme seems to have taken off from there.

I will, however, sieze this opportunity to plug Skepticator.com - which *is* one of mine.

Ophelia Benson said...

"so many in the religious orders of the Catholic Church have done so much to defenceless kids, have done things that ordinary, decent, compassionate people of the same faith, or other faiths, or no faith at all, can't even get their heads around? Why did this happen? And why was it covered up so heartlessly and for so long?

The Vatican hierarchs and their lackeys will blame anyone and anything"

Which is not surprising - because what this reveals with clarity shocking to people who think that religion is all about compassion (Karen Armstrong take a bow) is that being a devout Catholic - being a nun or a priest or a bishop or a pope - does not prevent people from being appalling sadists and shits. This whole business makes it utterly obvious that religion has no magic talisman that makes it impossible for believers to be ruthlessly selfish and cruel.

Jonathan Meddings said...

Funny how these things have a way of resurfacing a few years later when new controversy arises - check out this Spanish Bishop who blamed the abused children back in 2007!

‘There are 13 year old adolescents who are under age and who are perfectly in agreement with, and what’s more wanting it, and if you are careless they will even provoke you’

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_14332.shtml