Atheist expresses concerns in Guardian about ‘anti-Catholic rhetoric’

Protect the Pope ^ | 8/22/2010

[markomalley]

Padraig Ready, an atheist and former deputy editor of New Humanist magazine, writes about his nervousness concerning the anti-catholic rhetoric of Protest the Pope and left wing politics generally.

Padraig Ready sees it as an expression of the ingrained anti-Catholic prejudice of the English establishment and culture.

‘Modern Britain is a country founded in large part on anti-Catholicism. This is obvious in establishment bedrocks such as the succession, which bars Roman Catholics from becoming head of state or even being married to the head of state. But it is not just the establishment that distrusts Roman Catholics.’

He goes on to criticise those protesting against the Holy Father’s visit for exploiting the scandal of child sex abuse not out of sympathy for the victims but as a stick with which to hit the Church:

‘The faux-sympathy over child sexual abuse feels similarly galling, used as an opportunity to attack the church rather than express genuine concern for victims.’

Padraig Reidy compares the secularists attacks against Catholic beliefs with the bigotry of Ian Paisley:

On leading left blog Liberal Conspiracy, one writer, discussing the Vatican’s stance on euthanasia, tells us: “This is, after all, a church that expects its followers to mumble incantations in front of a large statue of a mostly naked European bloke nailed to Roman torture implement and includes an act of ritual cannibalism in its rites… so who’s really obsessed with death here. Examine the language here. “Incantations”, “cannibalism”. This is the tone of Ian Paisley’s rabidly anti-papist Free Presbyterian church, not of rational secular debate.’

Protect the Pope comment: Even Padraig Reidy’s credentials as an ex-Catholic, atheist deputy editor of the New Humanist magazine are not enough to protect him from the rage of the anti-Catholic bigots on The Guardian comments page.  In their hate-filled world anyone expressing the slightest criticism of their anti-Catholic campaign or sympathy for ordinary Catholics becomes the object of their sneering contempt.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/22/pope-visit-catholic-prejudice

[Running On Empty]

Thanks for posting this.

[Raider Sam]

I think he’s right on the faux sympathy being used as a stick.

[caww]

But the issue is not so much the catholic faith as it is the leadership and their handling of the issues that has fallen on the church. This they handled miserably and in fact by not ridding the church of these Priests the church became a “safe” haven for them to continue their practice.

It mushroomed to where it could no longer be hidden...and the discovery that it was hidden and these men protected from rightful legal punishment is at the center of those who are angry and seemingly “anti-catholic”....it's the deeds that were done and enabled furtherance of "by the leadership" in the catholic church..

[Raider Sam]

Thats true, and that is a logical argument against the leaders of the Catholic Church.

I was just saying there are people (most likely agnostics or atheists) who use a faux concern for children as a way to talk down the church as a whole, Catholics as individuals, and Christianity in general. They just found a topic that allows them to browbeat a religion they dont like.

[narses]

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[caww]

They just found a topic that allows them to browbeat a religion they dont like.

Well that may very well be true..but I think most catholics try to tell the difference between those who are simply antagonistic toward the catholic church and those who have concerns of their dogma etc. Actually agnostics and atheists have little ground to stand, on in my opinion, their backyard is full of deviates many of which they support in some form or another.

Speaking of...I chanced to be waited on last night by a He-she-it at a GNC store. Quite remarkable encounter. The guy had to have been a weightlifter before he decided to go girl. The face is much as a womans on top of a weightlifter body...I must say it created confusion just in looking at him... in every respect. HE-She-It was massive in bulk yet had this small feminine face devoid of hair and long silky hair...quite the feminine features...but it surely was abby normal in every respect. Mentioned all his surgery and of course talked allot about himself. Generally they are quite self absorbed.

[annalex]

This is the tone of Ian Paisley’s rabidly anti-papist Free Presbyterian church, not of rational secular debate.

That is correct: anti-Catholicism among some Protestants is nothing other than panicked superstition.

[vladimir998]

“abby normal”

ah, yes.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ_pKqiB5Rg&feature=related

[caww]

LoL....too funny! :)

[Natural Law]

"‘The faux-sympathy over child sexual abuse feels similarly galling, used as an opportunity to attack the church rather than express genuine concern for victims.’"

Demonstrated daily in the FR Religion Forum.

[NYer]

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[netmilsmom]

>>Demonstrated daily in the FR Religion Forum. <<

Spot on!
And no matter how many times the FReeper Catholics say we detest what happened and how The Church has made tons of changes including having each of us that work with kids get certified okay and background checked, that stick will always be used.

[RobbyS]

Many of those who damn the Church are homosexuals and hedonists themselves. They do not comdemn the Church for sheltering perverts but for calling their deeds perversion.

[SuziQ]

‘The faux-sympathy over child sexual abuse feels similarly galling, used as an opportunity to attack the church rather than express genuine concern for victims.’

Yep.