As a former Catholic I don't turn a blind eye to abuse elsewhere. Understanding how healthy systems and leaders operate in secular and religious spaces is important. The difference is that the leaders of the Catholic church make claims in the name of God to be morally superior and added an extra dogma of infallibility. Acts done in the n…
As a former Catholic I don't turn a blind eye to abuse elsewhere. Understanding how healthy systems and leaders operate in secular and religious spaces is important. The difference is that the leaders of the Catholic church make claims in the name of God to be morally superior and added an extra dogma of infallibility. Acts done in the name of God added a layer of insidiousness. Patriarchal authoritarian religion has its own distinct doctrines/dogmas that create spaces for abuse to exist.
They're not unique. They probably did it longer and on a larger scale than any other organization because they're truly global but it happens in any organization.
Right, it does happen in many spaces. Still, I am tired of the "it happens everywhere excuse" as some kind of reprieve for the Catholic version of it. The Catholic Church is the only one I know that threatens kids with eternal torture if they don't confess their "mortal" sexual sins to a priest. Confession was used to groom kids. That is the reality and that piece has not even remotely been addressed.
People are people. Whether they're pastors, priests, teachers, just average joes. We are all terribly flawed. The problem is that when you take an oath to protect, guide, lead and set an example, the hypocrisy is especially stark.
As a former Catholic I don't turn a blind eye to abuse elsewhere. Understanding how healthy systems and leaders operate in secular and religious spaces is important. The difference is that the leaders of the Catholic church make claims in the name of God to be morally superior and added an extra dogma of infallibility. Acts done in the name of God added a layer of insidiousness. Patriarchal authoritarian religion has its own distinct doctrines/dogmas that create spaces for abuse to exist.
They're not unique. They probably did it longer and on a larger scale than any other organization because they're truly global but it happens in any organization.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/february/southern-baptist-abuse-investigation-houston-chronicle-sbc.html
https://apnews.com/article/california-los-angeles-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-c19671505d0fe989cc6d32427320f03d
https://www.anglicanwatch.com/?amp=1
Right, it does happen in many spaces. Still, I am tired of the "it happens everywhere excuse" as some kind of reprieve for the Catholic version of it. The Catholic Church is the only one I know that threatens kids with eternal torture if they don't confess their "mortal" sexual sins to a priest. Confession was used to groom kids. That is the reality and that piece has not even remotely been addressed.
People are people. Whether they're pastors, priests, teachers, just average joes. We are all terribly flawed. The problem is that when you take an oath to protect, guide, lead and set an example, the hypocrisy is especially stark.