The Black Vault

frrostedman wrote:We are all fallen creatures. Priests of any denomination are not excluded from this fact.

Can anyone think of another scenario where a grown man is surrounded by young boys and in a position of complete power and control over them?

If we can bring these scenarios to light, and draw a comparison, I'm pretty sure what we'll find is that Priests are much like everyone else.

Adult boy scout leaders comes to mind - although they still aren't in a position of such power and control as a priest is.

I'm saying it's not Catholicism that's the problem. It's the scenario where young boys are subjected to the power and leadership of any man, who can do whatever he wants unwatched and unchecked. I think we could put any type of man in the position of the priest and you will find that the same ratio of "other" people will do the same thing these priests are doing.

However........ because of the very nature of the priest's position, he is supposed to be the LAST person on Earth to partake in such activities. But "supposed to be" and reality are two different things most of the time. I do not believe that men groom themselves to be priests in a planned effort to take advantage of young boys. What I do believe is many of these priests didn't even know they had an attraction to young boys until they found themselves in a position to take advantage of it. Any priest worth his salt, at the very moment of discovering this weakness, should voluntarily have himself defrocked.

zoltan2 wrote:

frrostedman wrote:We are all fallen creatures. Priests of any denomination are not excluded from this fact.

Can anyone think of another scenario where a grown man is surrounded by young boys and in a position of complete power and control over them?

If we can bring these scenarios to light, and draw a comparison, I'm pretty sure what we'll find is that Priests are much like everyone else.

Adult boy scout leaders comes to mind - although they still aren't in a position of such power and control as a priest is.

I'm saying it's not Catholicism that's the problem. It's the scenario where young boys are subjected to the power and leadership of any man, who can do whatever he wants unwatched and unchecked. I think we could put any type of man in the position of the priest and you will find that the same ratio of "other" people will do the same thing these priests are doing.

However........ because of the very nature of the priest's position, he is supposed to be the LAST person on Earth to partake in such activities. But "supposed to be" and reality are two different things most of the time. I do not believe that men groom themselves to be priests in a planned effort to take advantage of young boys. What I do believe is many of these priests didn't even know they had an attraction to young boys until they found themselves in a position to take advantage of it. Any priest worth his salt, at the very moment of discovering this weakness, should voluntarily have himself defrocked.

People in the Church who knew of the issue and did nothing? Part of the problem. Catholicism? Not part of the problem. Let's not let this be an attack on the Church, and by Church I mean the body of Christ. Let it be an attack on the individuals responsible. Anyone who does such a thing is not following the teachings of the Scriptures, which makes them imposters and hypocrites.. not bona fide Church members.

On the contrary the Catholic Church is and was the problem. Because they knew that this was going on a lot and never did anything to correct this. They are not spending and dishing out billions of dollars for a few cases. This was rampant and still is while absolving guilt with confession and absolution
In 1079 The celibacy of the priesthood was decreed by Pope Hildebrand, Boniface VII

Jesus imposed no such rule, nor did any of the apostles. On the contrary, St. Peter was a married man, and St. Paul says that bishops were to have wife and children. (Read 1st Timothy 3:2,5, and 12; Matthew 8:14-15).

This should of never been instituted in the first place

at1with0 wrote:I wonder if they were allowed to be married if that would have affected the outcome with regard to their pedophilia.

I question that.

We may all be fallen creatures but some are more fallen than others

at1with0 wrote:Well, I don't believe everything I read.
Like I said, some of us are more fallen than others. A corollary to that is that some of us are less fallen than others.

zoltan2 wrote:

at1with0 wrote:Well, I don't believe everything I read.
Like I said, some of us are more fallen than others. A corollary to that is that some of us are less fallen than others.

These are historical facts now if you want to live in ignorance that your choice