Posted on 03/12/2002 6:36:30 PM PST by Lady In Blue
Edited on 09/03/2002 4:50:05 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Despite widespread revelations about Roman Catholic priests engaging in sexual misconduct, they are no more likely than other clergy to violate the trust of their congregations, according to a new survey.
Based on a representative sampling of churches throughout the country, organizational sociologists Nancy Ammerman and Terry Schmitt found such incidents occur in one out of three congregations.
Moreover, the Roman Catholic church's history of hushing up such scandals appears to be the norm, regardless of denomination.
"Was it handled differently by Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Methodists? No," says Ammerman of Hartford Seminary.
(Excerpt) Read more at ctnow.com ...
Is there a difference between sex with a child and sex with an adult?
Hope that helps.
"But is [pedophilia] more scandalous ...than sexually us[ing] ...vulnerable women?"
Using the legal penalties for both as a guide, I would have to say, "Yup."
Forty years ago, my grandfather who had been raised in Europe in the 19th century (in a Catholic country) told me he'd never met a priest who wasn't a buggerer, and to stay away from them. One heard anecdotal evidence of priestly abuse, just as one heard anecdotal evidence of Scout leaders abusing boys, even in the 1950's. The anecdotal evidence about Protestant ministers and/or Jewish rabbis was NEVER child sexual abuse, it was ususally about a divorcee or married woman becoming involved with the clergyman.
I suspect your grandfather was fibbing.
Nonsense. There have been plenty of articles posted right here on FR about "buggering" rabbis and Protestant clergy.
This, of course, in no way is meant to cover for renegade pedophile and hebophile priests. But, let's not ignore the evidence.
I will start briefly with a little aside,the "dalliances" many ministers have with women are as likely to be with teens as not. This corresponds to the "dalliances" that priests have had with teen age boys. If you are going to count intimacies with boy teens by priests you do need to include the intimacies with teen aged girls that ministers have had. They are both very wrong,although the disorder is more wrong with homosexuality since it is contrary to nature.But both are taking advantage of minors.
Pedophiles are an entirely different problem,they are found just as frequently in the general population as in the clergy. I think it is far worse in the clergy because our expectations are so much more and rightfully so since these men have committed their lives to God.However it is important that everyone be aware of the fact that most of the numbers of "pedophile priests" being tossed around include boys often 16 or 17. These boys are not considered victims of pedophiles. No,most of these boys are being recruited and victimized by homosexuals who have infiltrated into the priesthood,many placed by Marxists,as part of a plan to destroy the Church from within.It is a terrible problem but you and everyone else who accept the horrendous numbers as valid only serve to deflect serious attempts to clean out the clergy. We must clean up the seminaries and rid the priesthood of homosexuals.Unless that is done the problems will compound and escalalate.
Please understand that I think the Church must take responsibility for helping all victims and their families,spiritually,emotionally and financially and the pedophiles need to be handled in the court system or sent to a monastery for the rest of their lives. The only reason they were moved around in most cases is because there were so many homosexuals protecting their own little secrets and many of the bishops also were members of the network and they were afraid to blow the whistle on any sexual crime lest their own be exposed.
FYI you state that you have NEVER heard of this occurring with Jewish clergy. Just in the last two months I believe I have read of a cantor and a rabbi,each of whom had sexual relations with a child (different) three years old. Never say never.
I believe that when this is opened up the Catholic Church will end up poorer,purer and stronger.
My grandfather was a gentleman and did not dissemble. While there is a strong anti-clerical tradition in his family, dating at least to the high middle ages when the family sided with the emperor in his struggles with the papacy. I did not take his statement as literally true, nor offer it as such. I merely wanted to show that the perception of homosexuality in the Roman Catholic clergy is one that goes back far further than the recent upsurge in homosexual behavior. The clergy's reputation for licentuousness, of course, goes back to the early middle ages, at least. Even in the ancient world, among the various pagan priesthoods, some were known for licentuousness of one form or another, others for virtue (one thinks of the Vestal Virgins in Rome during the hey-day of the Republic).
And Jews have always been perceived as stingy.
Ignorance and stereotypes abound, even among beloved grandparents.
As to stereotypes generally, I suspect that my grandfather, as an exceptionally well-educated (degrees in mathematics, law and philosophy from three separate European universities all earned before 1900), well-travelled and well-read man of the world, held many stereotypes based upon his broad experience. If his experience, and that passed on to him by family tradition, etc., with the clergy was negative, stereotyping the group may well have been an easy way to avoid problems for himself and his family. I do know that he was adamant that his sons were never alone with priests.
There is a reason human beings create stereotypes, because they offer a rough guide to dealing with the world in areas we do not choose to put significant parts of our energy. As such, they are useful. No one could function without some stereotyping given the information overload that has always existed in the world (its forms have merely changed with technology). If stereotyping were not a successful behaviour, human cultures would not, at almost all times and all places, persist in it. The unfortunate aspect of stereotypes is that they sometimes are inaccurate or cause us to miss the exceptions in any group. The negative effect of stereotyping has been so played up in view of the despicable Nazi genocide against the Jews and as part of the Civil Righst movement's crusade against racial discrimination in the American South, that the necessity of stereotyping and its value are either ignored or denigrated.
"Center Congregational Church in Manchester"
This is a UCC church. The openly gay pastor church with "Now No Condemnation". These folks sponsored the lawsuit against the Boy Scouts! Is it any wonder that this study makes these findings. I submit that this is an attack on both celebate Catholicism and the conservative Protestant denominations. The 'they all do it" line is just not true.
Agape,
DrMike
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