Members citylaw1 Posted February 7, 2013 Members Posted February 7, 2013 Did anyone catch this documentary Monday night on HBO? It shocked, disgusted and surprised me to some extent. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mea_maxima_culpa_silence_in_the_house_of_god/ JKane 1 Quote
Guest EXPAT Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 I would love to see this. But i don't have HBO right now. I wonder if it is rentable via iTunes? Sometimes they do that with documentary dramas. Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Damien Not all catholic priests are bad.. We can't judge the Catholic Church based on a couple of bad priests. There are many good priests too. I not defending the Catholic Church and I don't believe in their doctrine. If we can find someone like father Damien in the Catholic Church then I think it's not all hopeless... Quote
AdamSmith Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 Seems telling that you have to look to the movies to find an example of the Good Priest. citylaw1 1 Quote
Members citylaw1 Posted February 7, 2013 Author Members Posted February 7, 2013 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Damien Not all catholic priests are bad.. We can't judge the Catholic Church based on a couple of bad priests. There are many good priests too. I not defending the Catholic Church and I don't believe in their doctrine. If we can find someone like father Damien in the Catholic Church then I think it's not all hopeless... I suggest that you watch the documentary and then revisit whether you believe that we can judge the Catholic Church or not. The Church hid, lied, and enabled continued abuse, with mind numbing regularity. The current and previous Popes acted with felonious intent. Departments were set up to hide the evidence, pay off victims and relocate priests. Indisputable evidence is provided to back up the active roles of Popes, Bishops, etc.; not once, but hundreds of times over 50 years plus. We are not talking about a few ill priests. We are talking about a 20 year active coverup of 200 plus molestation victims in ONE school for the deaf. When the investigation widens, it reveals a cult of monsters in robes and red slippers. Most of this evidence is relayed to the viewer through actual priests and higher ups that were enlisted to avoid exposure and coerce the victims. What I took away (outside of the obvious) was the Irish reaction. Church attendance in the Republic has dropped from some 85 percent to 14 percent. This is a country that is 90 some percent Catholic. Interestingly, most citizens still identify as Catholic, however, their days of participating in the machine are over. I wish our country could adapt to changing times with the forethought of the Irish, on many levels. The Irish government appears to act in the interest of the citizenry far before our government even considers the possibility. Watch this and try to come away with an excuse for the Church. I challenge you. Quote
Members citylaw1 Posted February 7, 2013 Author Members Posted February 7, 2013 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Damien Not all catholic priests are bad.. We can't judge the Catholic Church based on a couple of bad priests. There are many good priests too. I not defending the Catholic Church and I don't believe in their doctrine. If we can find someone like father Damien in the Catholic Church then I think it's not all hopeless... He was canonized by the Pope that previously ran in secrecy, the office that was in charge of covering up molestation, and awarding bribes in exchange for silence. Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 If you look back what happened in several administrations in the US, the same evil things happened.. Still the US government exists.. I'm simply pointing out that there are as many good people in the Catholic Church as in the US government. I don't agree with some tenets of the Catholic Church or condone them. I believe, however, the original positive ideas of any religion should be cherished and valued. Also people who cherish and practice those values should be respected. It's my own opinion and you might disagree. Maybe the Catholic Church will not exist no more after a couple of centuries but the spirit of charity, compassion and love will endure and should endure. Quote
Members citylaw1 Posted February 7, 2013 Author Members Posted February 7, 2013 If you look back what happened in several administrations in the US, the same evil things happened.. Still the US government exists.. I'm simply pointing out that there are as many good people in the Catholic Church as in the US government. I don't agree with some tenets of the Catholic Church or condone them. I believe, however, the original positive ideas of any religion should be cherished and valued. Also people who cherish and practice those values should be respected. It's my own opinion and you might disagree. Maybe the Catholic Church will not exist no more after a couple of centuries but the spirit of charity, compassion and love will endure and should endure. The early doctrines of the Catholic Church are horrifying! The Vatican became it's own country to make peace with a fascist government, condoned the Nazis, changed the rules on a whim for political gain, caused more death than Hitler, and ran a worldwide pedophilia ring. The "positive ideas" of any group of thugs can be extrapolated from anything. The priests were nice enough to take confession (positive idea) from the boys, and then masturbate them to rid them of their homosexual tendencies (positive idea), and then offer them cash (in some instances where they actually followed through) in exchange for their silence (very giving.) Charity, compassion and love don't come to mind immediately. JKane 1 Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 Well I have seen many good Christians in my life. I once met a nice Christian who helped me a lot and he really took good care of me and his other friends. He shared everything he had with others and showed love and compassion. I thought he was a bit foolish to do all that. Well he is doing well with great kids and family living a happy life. I don't think that kind of experience is something you can buy. It's an exceptional experience. I'm not sure whether you have seen Contact... But it's a similar experience we all seem to have.. Hard to describe it in words or even prove it physically it exist but it touches our lives. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contact/ Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 Lol oh my AS.. That's a very strong sentiment.. But I think that kind of love and compassion can't be bought.. I am happy that I was part of it... horse shit Quote
Guest corymonroe Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 Religion is a tough discussion to have in a group setting. With the molestation scandals, the Catholic Church did feed its bashers in the same way Monica Lewinsky fed the Clinton haters. Personally, I'm glad the sins are being exposed and confessed. Is pedophilia indigenous only to the Catholic Church? I don't think so. I recall a nytimes article last year about the ultra-orthodox rabbis who shun their own for reporting child sexual abuse, and I read an article not too long ago trying to answer the question, how do Jewish child molesters manage to escape media scrutiny? There's lots of bias in the news. Why would that be any different in society? Quote
Guest CharliePS Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 Oh, dear, thought this thread was going to be about the Quakers. Quote
Guest tomcal Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 I just finished watching the film. As someone who spent 12 years in Catholic schools, including 4 years at a All Boys highschool, even this surprised me at both the extent and knowledge that the church hierarchy had! I came out of my 12 years of Catholic school as a atheist and this reafirms to me I made the right choicel Quote
Guest zipperzone Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 I just finished watching the film. As someone who spent 12 years in Catholic schools, including 4 years at a All Boys highschool, even this surprised me at both the extent and knowledge that the church hierarchy had! I came out of my 12 years of Catholic school as a atheist and this reafirms to me I made the right choicel I totally understand your choice. It boggles my mind as to how anyone capable of thinking for themselves can remain a Catholic. Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 7, 2013 Posted February 7, 2013 Good for you! I got excommunicated for speaking my mind and left another one. They thought that I was a lost soul and try to bring me back but I refused. What I don't understand is that there is one God but there are too many denominations... Someone must be wrong? But who??? They all claim to be right... So I only accept the teachings love, compassion, justice, reconciliation and redemption, and discard everything else. If someone asks me what happens to a little child who dies before knowing Jesus, I will frankly tell the person, I honestly don't know but if I feel compassion for that child then God will do too so God has a plan. That faith keeps me going and makes me not despair. I just finished watching the film. As someone who spent 12 years in Catholic schools, including 4 years at a All Boys highschool, even this surprised me at both the extent and knowledge that the church hierarchy had! I came out of my 12 years of Catholic school as a atheist and this reafirms to me I made the right choicel Quote
Guest EXPAT Posted February 8, 2013 Posted February 8, 2013 If you'll notice organized religion is the cause of nearly every global conflict or local one and many of the disagreements in politics are "based" on religious beliefs. It's annoying and makes me continue to be anti-religion. Quote
AdamSmith Posted February 8, 2013 Posted February 8, 2013 Thank you. I did time at Duke and Yale. Not in their Divinity schools, thank the Lord, but the joke about both is: You go in an agnostic, you come out an atheist. I just finished watching the film. As someone who spent 12 years in Catholic schools, including 4 years at a All Boys highschool, even this surprised me at both the extent and knowledge that the church hierarchy had! I came out of my 12 years of Catholic school as a atheist and this reafirms to me I made the right choicel Quote
Members RA1 Posted February 8, 2013 Members Posted February 8, 2013 SAM students had the same joke except it was limited to the "Man" course (sorry, not directly about gays) which was a 6 hour course with the full title of Man in the Light of History and Religion. It was either that or take Presbyterian religious courses. In spite of getting a liberal education I still came out (mostly) a conservative. Kind of sounds like those ads saying "mostly straight", doesn't it? Actually, I would prefer to be called a progressive but that has been usurped by liberals. Best regards, RA1 Quote
