Pope: Other Christians not true churches

[Caimanson]

Originally Posted by Thomas

Er, was it?

This kind or arbitary condemnation is a like saying:

Harold Shipman murdered people;
Harold Shipman was a doctor;
ergo — all doctors are murderers.

When I was young, it was Scout Masters — I mean, anyone who goes camping with children has got to be a paedophile, right?

I mean, why else would anybody want to spend time with kids? I mean, lets be reasonable.

Thomas

You have to admit that the whole celibacy thing is not normal or common, it can easily act as a "cover" for certain people, or put unnecessary pressure on others. Buddhist monks have also been known to be involved in child abuse, so from my perspective is not about a particular religion, but rather the institution of clergy and in my opinion the bizarre requirement of celibacy. Unfortunately people tend to trust the robe and do not realise that a priest is as human as anybody else, thus clergy have innate power and sometimes abuse it.

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by Caimanson

You have to admit that the whole celibacy thing is not normal or common,

It depends upon your standard for 'normal' — and then I would have to say that a society orientated and ordered towards a profligate materialism/consumerism paradigm would declare any ascetic practice as 'not normal'. Anything that cannot be packaged and sold is 'un-natural'.

Originally Posted by Caimanson

it can easily act as a "cover" for certain people, or put unnecessary pressure on others.

Indeed it does.

Originally Posted by Caimanson

Buddhist monks have also been known to be involved in child abuse, so from my perspective is not about a particular religion, but rather the institution of clergy and in my opinion the bizarre requirement of celibacy.

Bizarre by what moral norm is the question.

Any culture in which sexual deviancy is big bucks is quentionable in its state of health.

Originally Posted by Caimanson

Unfortunately people tend to trust the robe and do not realise that a priest is as human as anybody else, thus clergy have innate power and sometimes abuse it.

And that is the attraction for those who seek such power. But the fault still lies with the individual, not the institution.

Thomas