Comments on: L.A.'s Cardinal Apologizes For Abuse

Archdiocese Will Pay $660 Million Settlement To More Than 500 Victims

[mediabrat60]

To NavyRetired2;

Well said!

I grew up Catholic, until I was 14 years old and graduated from Catholice school. That is why I never returned to church until 10 years later!
It took me that long to realize that being a christian or being religious or being catholic or believing in the Bible were all completely different!

[tuckerndfw]

My question has always been, why hasn't the various Catholic Diocese been prosecuted under the RICO act?

Posted by ajax52151 at 12:02 PM : Jul 16, 2007

5 of the 9 current US Supreme Court Justices, including the Chief Justice, are Catholics.

The latest additions thanks to George Bush, giving the Roman Emperor solid control of the US "justice" system.

[tuckerndfw]

If the Omnipotent, Ominiscient Deity wanted us to follow the words of the bible literally without any interprtation he no dobt is smart enough to not have depended on human scribes to write it all down.

Posted by JEGibbons at 11:30 AM : Jul 16, 2007

If any such entity existed, he would not be so stupid as to require his story or rules be written down in the first place.

Literacy is a fairly recent invention amongst the common population.

[ajax52151]

My question has always been, why hasn't the various Catholic Diocese been prosecuted under the RICCO act? The Cardinals and Bishops were aware of the crimes being committed by these priests and they not only failed to report the crimes but moved the priests to other parishes to commit more crimes. Unconscionable at the least and very arguably a criminal conspiracy. What is even more disturbing is the Pope being so detached from this horrendous situation.

[tucano2]

tuckermdfw - you may be correct

[formrusmcsgt]

...make that "conscription in cults"....

[formrusmcsgt]

The problem with being a Christian is that one must surrender all independent thought and believe that the bible is 100% true, or they are not %u201Ctrue%u201D believers. Which makes them susceptible to manipulation by the corrupt.

Posted by jn122736 at 11:09 AM : Jul 16, 2007

Precisely why I consider inscription in cults as intellectual enslavement......

[tuckerndfw]

The Christian religion is based on love,. . .

Posted by tucanofulano at 09:55 AM : Jul 16, 2007

The Christian religion is based on delusions, as is the entire bible.

www.godisimaginary.com

[barbaraf4]

"Possibly explaining to Catholics who obviously don't "get it" is that a normal man does not wish to have "sleep-overs" with other people's children." Posted by formrusmcsgt
~~~
This requires getting past generations of blind faith that a priest is your conduit to God. This is the generation that told their parents what was happening and the parents refused to believe it. A priest was there to protect you. Who would ever believe you weren't safe in his presence?

[jegibbons]

If the Omnipotent, Ominiscient Deity wanted us to follow the words of the bible literally without any interprtation he no dobt is smart enough to not have depended on human scribes to write it all down.

He had to know we would screw it up. Literal interpretations are dangerous whether the subject be religion, politics, war planning, parenting or law making.

That's why we have judges, mothers, philosophers, reporters, bureaucrats and statesman.

[navyretired2]

"The problem with being a Christian is that one must surrender all independent thought and believe that the bible is 100% true, or they are not %u201Ctrue%u201D believers. Which makes them susceptible to manipulation by the corrupt."

Not true at all. There are several differences between many of the books in the bible, because they were all written by different people, with slightly differing views on everything. The bible isn't infallible. If that makes me not a "true" believer in your opinion, I'd recommend opening up your mind a little.

I read and make my own interpretations of the teachings of the bible...I don't need some televangelist or baby-raping preacher for it. I'm HIGHLY disenfranchised with organized religion as a whole. I don't, won't, can't ever trust them based on what I've seen them do in my lifetime, and read about throughout history.

[mnelsonix]

""The amount would average a little more than $1.3 million per plaintiff, although individual payouts will vary according to the severity and duration of the abuse. ""

They are paying 1.3mil (on average) to each victim of child rape? This is paying for sexx. I hope singinrick approves

[jn122736]

I have always been cursed/blessed with a logical mind.

Before I learned to read, I could only consider what my parents and others told me, but even then I found a lot of what was said didn%u2019t match facts I had already learned.
This kept me in constant trouble because I didn%u2019t know any better than to question obvious conflicts.

After I learned to read I found that the bible contained many contradictions between one book/writer and another and many unbelievable claims.

I refused to believe what the preachers kept repeating until one day my aunt and uncle, whom I admired very much, were visiting us. My uncle (a preacher) together with my aunt, and my mother, cornered me and, very sincerely, started trying to persuade me to pray and accept god.
I was no more than 10 years old at the time and I had so much love and respect for both my mother and my aunt and uncle that I became overwhelmed and did what they asked me to do.

Afterwards, they asked if I felt %u201Csaved%u201D and I said yes. But actually I felt more confused than better.
Later, I realized that I still didn%u2019t %u201Cbelieve%u201D any more than I had before, and I felt ashamed, as if I had actually lied when I said that I felt I had been %u201Csaved%u201D.

The problem with being a Christian is that one must surrender all independent thought and believe that the bible is 100% true, or they are not %u201Ctrue%u201D believers. Which makes them susceptible to manipulation by the corrupt.

[tucano2]

Cardinal" phoney-baloney Mahoney made out pretty well, after all it is OPM (other people's money)that is to be paid out - sure is no skin off his "roman nose". He is just very happy he does not have to take the stand to defend his many shuffles of child-abusing priest from one town to another and testify UNDER OATH as to his other crimes. The attorneys get paid off, Mahoney gets off, his victems get the shaft, of course, as they are used to parking their brains at the door when entering a roman church building. Several knuckleheads have equated the Roman Catholic cult with Christianity. The Romans, who preach fear, have no religion comperable to Christianity, which preaches love [as its head of religion (Jesus of Nazereth) did]. It is not only an error but an insult to include roman catholics as a part, however small a minority it may be, of Christianity. Please desist.



It is an error to include the roman church with the real Christian religion.

The Christian religion is based on love, the fundamental teaching of its founder and its only head, Jesus of Nazereth

The roman cult is based on fear, not love, and originated with a roman emperor. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity, and everything to do with temporal power, influence, and riches.

In short it is an insult to Christians and to the founder and Head of Christianity to consider the roman catholics part of any religion, let alone the Christian religion.

[navyretired2]

"It just dawned on me that I have read several accounts of priests, pastors, and ministers abusing children and women, doing meth and prostitutes, murdering their wives, etc., but i do not recall reading of a rabbi or imam or monk being charged.

Is it me or are Judiasm, Budhism, and Islam virtually devoid of these issues? Is it a characteristic of Christianity alone?

So it may appear.
Posted by formrusmcsgt at 09:10 AM : Jul 16, 2007"

No we don't hear about that often. Wonder if maybe Judaism and Budhism allow their clergy to marry? Maybe they're just better at hiding it or more tolerant of it (like in Turkey, where the government supports se.x with children in their compounds).

As for Islam...that's a cult, not a religion, it doesn't count.

[formrusmcsgt]

It just dawned on me that I have read several accounts of priests, pastors, and ministers abusing children and women, doing meth and prostitutes, murdering their wives, etc., but i do not recall reading of a rabbi or imam or monk being charged.

Is it me or are Judiasm, Budhism, and Islam virtually devoid of these issues? Is it a characteristic of Christianity alone?

So it may appear.

[nishaboston]

True Christians as Pope Ratzinger says have to pay for Real Child Molestation.

[formrusmcsgt]

So how do we recognize these monsters? They look so average, hiding behind the authority of their robes and the protection of their Church.
Posted by barbaraf4 at 08:50 AM : Jul 16, 2007

One thing that appears often in these case is that the abuse occurred during "sleep-overs" and on "outings" with priests.

Possibly explaining to Catholics who obviously don't "get it" is that a normal man does not wish to have "sleep-overs" with other people's children.

[prinzowhales]

Every time you put a dime in a collection plate at the Catholic Church you are paying for the up keep of these sick animals and the payoffs to their victims. That maniacal looking creature in Rome--Pope Benedict Ratzapper--covered up the abuse in Boston...the same pope who just said Protestants should not have churches...

Where are the criminal indictments?

[barbaraf4]

I think (as a former Roman Catholic) that this Church has outlasted its value as an institution. I haven't heard anything concrete about how this will be prevented in the future. Of course, I am not sure how these Priests can be rehabilitated. According to some schools of thought, pedophiles can not be rehabilitated. So how do we recognize these monsters? They look so average, hiding behind the authority of their robes and the protection of their Church.