Tag Archives: Catholic Church

Almost $1 billion payout in Southern California alone!

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Remember back when the Catholic Church was trying to stonewall and lead the public into believing that the pedophiles in The Church were a minor and isolated aberration?
 
That certainly has changed hasn’t it? In the last 2 months the Catholic Church has had to fork over almost $1,000,000,000 in Southern California alone to their former victims of their pedophile priests! And how many victims more are there than just the ones now getting compensation?
 
See the BBC report- US Church agrees sex abuse payout

John Paul Second, the sequel…

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Catch the Easter Morning Mass ? I bet the NeoCons are real sad about this… hee hee hee…
They have been anxiously awaiting a Casus Belli and Jus ad Bellum from him, something that they never got from JP2.

Without those 2 pronouncements, basically which would make it not a sin for a Catholic to kill somebody in a war, Catholic soldiers would have to go to confession every time they do.

You know, when Hannity was babbling about Ratzinger having effectively stopped a “Marxist takeover” of the Vatican, by writing a pastoral letter denouncing Liberation Theology, he was pronouncing “a death knell for Liberalism in the Catholic Church” and all the NeoCon pundits were howling for joy because they thought (or at least said, sometimes they say things they don’t really mean in their heart of hearts) that a “Conservative” pope had been elected.

In a case of long term memory kicking in, they were crowing the same way when JP2 got elected… because JP2 was opposed to the Soviet Bloc.

Also, Liberation Theology is the way the Catholic Church justifies the existence of the United States as a Legitimate Government…

Guess there is no joy in Mudville tonight, or Crawford either.

This makes Ratzinger’s second Urbi et Orbis Easter Mass, and he shows no sign of being a “tame” Pope.
_________________
Last night, I stayed up all night wondering where the Sun had gone….
and then, suddenly, it dawned on me…

John Paul 2 a saint? Don’t make us laugh…

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Pope Benedict 16 says that John Paul 2 is a saint. No doubt he is to Pope RATzinger. They have found miracle #1 out of the two needed to make John Paul 2 a saint. He is said to have cured a nun of her Parkinsin’s Disease, O’ Halleluyah! Might we say that miracle #2 should be in how he made Pope RATzinger pope. It took a miracle to take a former Nazi youth group leader and make him into an ‘acceptable’ leader of the Catholic Church, we think. John Paul 2 a saint? What a pathetic joke.

The minimum wage and Colo Spgs establishment.

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You know those signs all over downtown and every park in the city, that say not to give money to panhandlers? Written by people who are supposedly Experts in the area of homelessness.
 
I personally have had people approach me and hand me money. I couldn’t work out a mechanism within my psyche to go up to strangers and ask for any kind of help. But the money came in handy. I bought food with it mostly, fuel for my camp stove, feed the machines at the laundromat to have clean clothes and bedding. I believe that even for the most addicted amongst the homeless, at least some of the money actually goes on their needs and not just cigarettes, whiskey and wild wild women.

So here’s my theory, to have posted around downtown, and maybe even use their fonts and printing style, (not to deliberately mislead them, you understand) but since these posters they have put up are subsidized by the City meaning everybody who has bought non-food items anywhere in the confines of the City, they are legitimately as much our property as the Fascists, right?

Just don’t put anywhere in there that these suggestions, to quickly follow, don’t actually physically originate in their tiny little brains.

Bring their logic forward a few steps, and expose it for what it is.

If somebody is homeless, the consensus is that it is because of mental, emotional or substance problems. The only solution for these problems are for the “outpatients” to seek professional help and counseling. Giving them money or feeding them outside of that sphere of treatment would only enable them to continue in poverty.

So giving them a job, for instance, would give them more money to waste on their habits. So employers who hire them, and don’t insist that they have a permanent address, and don’t insist on screening any and all of their employees for personality disorders, substance abuse and so forth, are harming them rather than helping them.

So the logical conclusion: Hire the homeless, but don’t pay them anything until they get help. That last would seem to be in contradiction of Jesus and Moses said about “If you owe your worker his wages, and you have the pay in hand, you should not let the sun set without paying him” and “a workman is worthy of his hire”.

Which you might think would cause a problem in the “Faith Based Initiative” crowd, but apparently hasn’t made any trouble in their souls yet.

The Marion House soup kitchen is remarkably, in light of the recent condemnation for the Catholic church, one of the least restrictive aid agencies in the city.

Also by publishing my intent to do this before starting, I have a legitimate defense if they come with their “conservative” legalistic whining that it is deceptive and a violation of their intellectual property.

Conservative Jews and Catholics- fraternal hypocrites

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For centuries the Catholics persecuted the Jews, but today they have an unholy alliance which allows the majority tendency in today’s Jewish faith, the Zionist Jews, to blame Muslims for being anti-Jewish pogromists. What’s involved? Silence and pretense, in short. The Catholic hierarchy gets to continually pretend that it never had anything to do with the fascist and Nazi crimes of genocide, while the Jewish Zionists get to pretend that they are threatened by a supposed Muslim tendency towards committing just exactly that same crime. All the while keeping their traps closed about the Catholic mainstream..

Look how quiet the Jewish community was when an ex-Nazi took over the Pope position. Look how loud they get when somebody innocuous like Jimmy Carter comes along to write a book most Zionists feel quite uncomfortable with because of some truths voiced. A Catholic archbishop in Slovakia this week talked about how lovely it was when the Nazis ruled his region and not a peep is heard from the world Jewish community. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were hauled off to concentration camps from Slovakia in that time frame. All the Jewish establishment’s hysteria is reserved instead for one man in Iran whose country the Israeli government wants to bomb back to the Stone Age on behalf of the US. One would think that it was Persians that persecute the Jews in pogroms for centuries, and not the Catholics and other Christian sects.

The Zionist refrain of…They want to drive us into the sea… has now morphed into they want to use a nuclear bomb on us, so we have to use one on them FIRST. All a bunch of garbage used to support US colonialism and imperialism in the Middle East, now entirely backed up by the Jewish Apartheid regime. Screaming loudly that Jews are supposedly under a danger of a Muslim anti-Jewish attack from Iran, Catholics and Jews get to unite to steal Muslim oil while pontificating about justice and freedom. Israel and Bush’s conservative Catholic supporters, united to launch their newest aggression against another Muslim country. No time to talk about the Pedophilic Church of Rome hierarchy, and no time to talk about the Zionist Jewish crimes against humanity in the Unholy Land. Just the total silence of the united fraternal hypocrites, conservative Catholics and Jews.

The US government just got to have Saddam Hussein hanged in a disgusting charade. What would have been much more just, would have been to have the Iranians hold these show trials, and then have them hang Hussein, Bush, Rumsfield, and others of their ilk afterwards. After all, these were the allies that initiated an unprovoked war against their country via iraq, that used chemical weapons on Iranians, and killed hundreds of thousands of Iranian citizens. And most of Jewish Israel applauded all this, and then has sat back smugly claiming to now feel threatened by this victim of their US sponsor- Iran.

Jewish Zionists get to push for a secular regime in the US, while pushing for a Jewish Apartheid theocracy in Israel for themselves. That is the core of their other hypocrisies of hugging up to their Catholic and Protestant fundy sponsors here in America. They want one thing for themselves (secular freedoms in the US), and another thing for others (religious and racial persecution administered by themselves in Israel/ Palestine upon others).

The Catholics want the ability to preach on moral issues to others, while whitewashing their church’s immorality on issues like abortion, priestly pedophilia, the Rwanda genocide’s Catholic participation, and their enthusiastic role in the Nazi ranks and other pogroms against Jews throughout their entire history. Today, the Jewish Zionists and Catholic conservatives march together in hatred of today’s other, the Muslim. They have become today’s, fraternal, colonial, imperialist hypocrites. The Catholic Church no longer serves Spanish imperialism against the Native Americans and Jews, but have united in a New Crusade together against the Muslim world on behalf of American imperialism. Oil for Moses and Christ, not gold robbed from murdered ‘Indians’. Religion in service to the Empire.

Another weeping pastor

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What is it with these gays? You think that they would stop marrying and having babies? But they are just so full of sin they can’t seem to help themselves! Another Right Wing Protestant pastor has come out weeping once again. I’m talking about Denver’s, Rev. Paul Barnes.

You think by now these purple perverts would know that the Catholic Church is the one and only true Christian denomination, wouldn’t you? BONUS! With the Catholics, gays don’t have to get married and can continue a gay lifestyle unimpeded by having the kids around late at night. It’s kind of like the YMCA. So why are so many gays confused and flocking to these Protestant evangelical denominations? Guys, no need to flagellate yourselves in this sort of manner. Turn to Papa (the Pope, to those Anglophones) instead.

OK, seriously now. If Grace Chapel had any grace about it, they’d leave Rev. Paul (good Christian name) at their helm. For all they know, the original Big Bad Christian Paul was gay himself. There wouldn’t even have been a Christian Chuch without him. Though he didn’t sin by getting married, it seems.

So why does Grace Chapel force gays to live in matrimonial sin in order to preach? Pastor Barnes, I hope that you and your family will learn from this, and maybe at least transfer to the Metropolitan Church congregation? It’s just not worth it to stay with the ignorant bigots. There are better churches out there.

MILFs and the state of public education

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Yes, I know. I’m lucky. I was born under a lucky star. I have my health and my wealth. I have a big house, two fantabulous cars, and six exceptional children. I recently won the Filling the Deep End of the Gene Pool award. “Oh my goodness. I am so honored. I’d like to thank the Catholic Church, especially Father Foxhoven for his guidance during my difficult teenage years.” I have big boobs, a small butt (think upside down pear), and I’m generally considered a MILF, my daily affirmation. If you don’t know what a MILF is then (A) You don’t know any high school boys or (B) You don’t watch WEEDS.

My point? I am supposedly part of the elite….the people who have NO WORRIES….NO HEARTACHE….GOOD HAIR EVERY DAY. We wake up each morning and weep tears of joy at our good fortune. We drink mimosas before school and feel compassion for those who have less. “God, why? Why, oh why, isn’t everyone as blessed as I?”

Speaking of school. I am in a district with an incredible curriculum. We have a college prep program, Gifted and Talented programs, Science and Math Olympiad programs, Music programs, Advanced Placement programs that can get our kids into Stanford quicker than you can say “Will that be MasterCard or Visa?”

So what is my gripe? Well, the Ninth Court of Appeals recently ruled that when we turn our children over to the public school system, we check them at the door. THEY are in charge of MY children. My dynasty. They determine what my children learn, both in and out of the classroom. THEY? Who are they? Do THEY live on my street? Play golf at my country club? WHO THE FUCK ARE THEY?

Here’s who they are. THEY are the administrators who allowed a troubled little girl, out-of-district-but-we-do-like-to-be-inclusive, push my perfect baby boy off the top of the slide and break his arm with absolutely no punishment. THEY are the principal who suspended my perfect baby girl for writing a clever cartoon about how girlz can deal with pesky boyz by spraying them with freeze spray and framing and hanging them in the hallway–something about a specific threat against a named individual. THEY are the government fuckheads who make my perfect darlings walk through the halls with “safe hands” clasped behind their backs so they can’t threaten anyone. THEY are the counselors who called my children in during my very amicable divorce without my permission to tell them about how uncertain their futures are now that their parents have split up.

I am one of the fortunate individuals who has options. I can move my children to another school within the district. I can change districts. I can move to a private school. I can home school. Actually, I’ve opted to do several of these over the years. But since I pay my property taxes and abide by the Constitution, I would rather bitch. Bitch about government overstepping its bounds. Bitch about social engineering. Bitch about the NEA. Bitch about revisionist history. Mostly I want to bitch about people–people who control people. The unluckiest people in the world.

Global South evangelism

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Viewed from MexicoThe Global South. There’s an interesting term. I heard it bandied about on the radio yesterday. What a brilliant glimpse of the parochial drive to globalize, to convince us and all to be global citizens. “South” to whom, developed nations? The “southern” climes which struggle perpetually to develop are the tropical zones between the northern and southern hemispheres. They’re not south of Australia, for example, or Argentina. We live on a spinning marble, let’s remember. No one’s on top. Americans have accepted international where we used to say foreign. “Global South” is about as xenophobic as overseas, with condescension thrown in.

In Carlos Fentes’ The Old Gringo, a fictional account of Ambrose Bierce’s last days following the Zapata revolution in Mexico, the aging writer encounters Poncho Villa. Behind Villa’s men on a front porch hangs a map of North America, upside down. When Bierce points this out, the Mexican fighter explains that whether Mexico is viewed as above or below Los Estados Unidos is of course a matter of perspective.

The context in which I heard a Global South being discussed on NPR’s Fresh Air was on the matter of religion. The warmer countries are practicing a more durable form of Christianity apparently. They are an example, it was insinuated, of which traditional developed-nation Christians must take heed. That was the pitch.

The scare? The darkies will usurp our northern moral authority. “Will the next pope be from the Global South,” an incredulous Terry Gross asked? It’s not even a question was the reply. With their overwhelming preponderance of Catholics, the Global South will elect popes of color for as far as we can see. That was not even an answer, if you were paying attention, and clever. Otherwise how to explain a Catholic Church already vastly Latin American electing a German ex-Nazi to popehood?

I hope I’m not also contributing to the condescending tone by suggesting that the tropics offer mankind not much in the Christianity department. Spirituality yes, especially as it might be tied to nature and man’s quest to transcend his basic and collective nature, but self-reflection on printed texts? I think that’s been best left to the colder climes which necessitate industriousness and passing the time indoors reading.

I mean in no way to disparage religion as it’s practiced where it is needed. But to insinuate that a prayer spoken in a precarious environment should put our well-fed congregations to shame is manipulative and base.

Maybe of course we are being prepared for the global economy, the new downsized everybody. No health care, reduced social services, reduced community wealth. Iraqification. The New World Order is a Third World Order. Get ready for Global South uncertainty, anxiety, fragility, mortality and a faith with which to endure it.

The religious example with which NPR was trying to inspire its listeners was made clear by this incredible question: “Is the Global South mainly Evangelical?” The non-answer was again a misleading confirmation. “We should avoid trying to analyze the Global South in northern terms.” Exactly. Different parlance for different folks, my thesis entirely.

And Terry, over half of the world’s Christians are Catholic. The percentage is even higher in the tropics. Evangelicals garner but a fraction. Yours was what’s called a loaded question. So, are most NBA stars rapists? Very hard to say in white men terms probably.

The Pope thinks who should step in?

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Pope visits AuschwitzOn Sunday Pope Benedict paid a visit to Auschwitz and asked “WHERE WAS GOD AT AUSCHWITZ?”
 
Why didn’t he ask where was the POPE at Auschwitz?!
 
We’re certainly asking where is the Pope now? Why is he touring sites of past atrocities when there are current crimes which the Pope could be trying to impede?

Where was the Catholic church when America launched its illegal war? Who has not been speaking out as America rains its state terror upon innocent populations?

We know Pope John Paul was showing some slowing of activity where he might otherwise have been more outspoken againt America’s illegal atack of Iraq. We saw him endure drowsily through George Bush’s 2003 visit. I’d like to think Pope John Paul was drugged to keep him from getting out of his chair and sock George one.

But this pope is freshly minted, doesn’t he want to speak out while there’s still a chance to stop today’s crimes against humanity?

This pope tells us that in his youth he was pressed against his will to join the Hitler Youth. Is he trying to pull a peer pressure excuse this time as well? This is the banality of today’s Nazis. Maybe we do indeed have a Nazi Pope.

Is Pope Ratzinger so confident that fifty years from now a future pope will only stroll through the gate at Camp Guantanamo and ask “where was God” and not where was he and his church?

Giving Catholicism its due

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I might never have imagined myself saying this, being somewhat agnostic in my practices, certainly atheist in my personal dialogs.

I had a Catholic upbringing, even some years at Catholic schools. I’ve railed against the dogma of organized religion, the counter-intuitive belief system that seemed always to oppose scientific philosophy.

I’ve felt victimized by the guilty self-restraint which tempers a Catholic’s view of pleasure. Sex for example seemed all the more exciting for what it shouldn’t be, as opposed to what it is. The vague admonition that a person should choose a mate within their faith took on real meaning for me when I discovered myself drawn to similarly prudish partners, Catholic.

Dirty laundry aside, in the civic and philanthropic realm, I am encountering a great number of Catholics, disproportionate to the other more predominant American religions. Why is this?

It’s true that many of these Catholics are no longer practicing, in fact many are rebelling still against their upbringing. In the do-gooder crowd this seems especially true.

From a humanist perspective it is hard not to condemn the Vatican’s stand against prophylactics and its resultant impact upon AIDs ravaged Africa. It’s hard also to regard the church’s patriarchal edicts as anything other than stubborn sexist recalcitrance. In fact when independent-minded people gather to rail against what are felt to be oppressive religious forces, they are most usually recovering Catholics.

Maybe we should give Catholicism its due. The Catholic Church may have launched countless lives into trajectories of self-doubt, but it implanted those lives with a spiritual center. Those brains formed themselves around spiritual ideas which, even if it rejected them, knew that some spiritual idea or other should reside there.

That’s my radical, none to complicated developmental theory.

I hit upon this topic when I read today about Cindy Sheehan having been a Catholic youth minister. Are there quite a few Catholics in the anti-war movement? There certainly are. Would the number seem disproportionate? Frankly, yes. In Colorado Springs, bastion of fundamentalist protestantism, the anti-war community is driven by a majority of Catholic or former Catholic activists.

Why is that? Catholicism can’t lay claim to being more spiritual or more ethical than any other religion. Where are the Protestant voices among the protesters? We need to wake the dormant consciences of that majority of American churchgoers.

Whatever the spiritual practices to which we now cling, ex-Catholics should be thankful for the awakened sense of humanity with which we were imparted.

Not so historical Jesus

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Seeing a preview for the upcoming release of DAVINCI CODE: THE MOVIE, I was reminded of the time a friend of mine was quite excited about the book. “Check it out” she said. She told me about the various conspiracies, most notably the subjugation of women. “Doesn’t it make you curious to do some research?”
 
“What kind of research?” I asked, baiting her a little.

“Look into the facts surrounding Jesus’ life she said. For example, what did the records show as opposed to what the bible says happened.”

I told her I was pretty sure there weren’t any records of Jesus’ life. But that idea sounded so improbable that I certainly had to confirm it.

Here it is. There is no mention of Jesus in any of the historical records of the time. What we know of Jesus comes to us exclusively from his own PR: a bible compiled over a long period of time by a church already a century old.

From a historian’s perspective, one can only say: “according to a text published by the Catholic Church in Rome, a person called Jesus the Christ of Nazareth once lived in the land currently occupied by Israel, etc.”

There are no Roman records of a person named Jesus, neither of his birth, nor of any property he may have owned, nor even of his crucifixion. There are no documents or narratives of a visit to Herod, or Pilate, nor of any exchange with a criminal named Barabbas.

Since it would be hard to believe that an entire Christian cult arose without some real personage as its catalyst, no one disputes that a person named Jesus did at some point exist. But there are no external corroborative accounts of his life.

None of the three wise men for example left a travelogue of their pilgrimage to Bethlehem. No Jewish high priest took note of an altercation between an angry young man and money-changers in a temple. Neither Herod Antipas nor Pontius Pilate, actual administrators to be sure whose lives and activities are well documented, reported to Rome of a young upstart among their Jewish subjects.

Nothing at all. If today’s Christians want to get technical, Jesus is a lesser proved theory than evolution.