Posted on 04/12/2011 10:17:57 AM PDT by Dr. Eckleburg
It was one of the more searing allegations in the recent Philadelphia grand jury report on clergy sex abuse:
A Bristol Township man killed himself after the Archdiocese of Philadelphia refused to believe that a priest had molested him when he was an altar boy.
On Wednesday, relatives of the man, Daniel Neill, became the latest to sue the archdiocese over its response to abuse victims. Neill shot himself in June 2009.
"It's a wrongful death is what it is," said Jeff Anderson, a lawyer for Neill's family.
The grand jury cited the handling of Neill's complaint as one of three examples of the archdiocese's failure to act on complaints that seemed credible. The report identified Neill by the pseudonym "Ben."
That report has spawned criminal charges against four current or former priests, four lawsuits by alleged victims, and the suspension of more than two dozen priests while the church reexamines complaints against them.
One of those on administrative leave is the Rev. Joseph J. Gallagher, the priest Neill said had repeatedly molested him at St. Mark's in Bristol in 1980 and 1981.
According to the lawsuit, Neill reported the abuse to the school principal at St. Mark's in 1980, but his complaint was ignored. The principal instead allegedly "called Daniel a liar and threatened Daniel that his family would be disgraced if he persisted" with the accusations.
The lawsuit does not identify the principal by name.
Neill, a department store worker and aspiring actor who had bit parts on TV shows, reported the attacks to the archdiocese's victim-assistance program in 2007. It was the second complaint against Gallagher in about a year, according to the grand jury report.
Neill gave church investigators vivid details about the abuse and names of other altar boys, the grand jury found.
One told investigators that the priest had "improper relationships" with students but wouldn't elaborate, the grand jury said.
Others allegedly confirmed aspects of Neill's accounts - such as the priest's habit of hearing boys' confessions in a church loft and asking them about masturbation - although not the abuse itself.
When confronted by archdiocesan investigators, Gallagher at first denied the allegations, then became "more evasive" in his answers, according to the grand jury report.
An independent archdiocesan review board ruled that it could not substantiate the complaints. In July 2008, a victim-assistance coordinator told Neill of the decision.
INDEED.
The DA's office won't prosecute if they don't think they have a solid enough case. It's not whether they think he's guilty or not.
The innocent until proved guilty relates to his treatment. He can't be jailed for being presumed guilty without a trial to present enough evidence. He can be guilty as all get out and everyone can know it, but unless they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt with hard evidence in a court of law, there's nothing that can be done.
The problem is, the way Catholics demand it be handled would prohibit any law enforcement from ever being able to pursue a case against any criminal.
While one is innocent until proved guilty, people are allowed to THINK he's guilty. Police are allowed to infringe on his rights to a limited extent and bring him in for questioning and book him for reasonable suspicion. They are allowed to set bond or bail for him, all before the trial; all before being officially declared guilty so that a sentence can be passed.
So, as a technicality, he must be treated as innocent until proved guilty so that he is not jailed without just cause, but that doesn't mean people can't think he's guilty.
So, sounds like he's guilty to me and I'm going to think so.
Get over it.
Some of you keep saying that but, 'where's the beef'???
The head of this gang was/is a Cardinal for crying out loud...These crimes go all the way to the top...
I'm thinking a pope would bring the hammer down on the entire Philadelphia syndicate...But then, birds of a feather flock together...
Hafta wonder what these 'spiritual' bonds are that Catholics have with muzlims...Perhaps some Catholics on this thread can enlighten us...
For a Christian to join the OPC, he must reject all of God's teachings and stop being a follower of Christ and become a follower of Calvin.
For Calvin teaches that one does not need to believe in Christ but one is part of an elite brahmin caste.
To become a member of the OrthodoPresbyterian Cult, one must throw out scripture and adopt the 14-page excerpted version of scripture with the colored pictures that the OPC believes in.
To become a member of the Orthodo PresbyterianCult, one must Acording to the OPC OrthoPresbyterianC: "Christians should not celebrate the Seder or other Jewish festivals. "
The followers of Machen, the OPC, disregard scripture where it calls men to repent, have faith, convert, and persevere. Instead they insist on some kind of non-scriptural preservation which is not only non-scriptural but also disagrees with the beliefs of their hero, St. Augustine who believed in perseverance of the saints, not preservation. Augustine did not believe in Calvin's understanding of the "perseverance of the saints,"
the OPC's theory that man can never lose his salvation, no matter what he does, so when they read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Galatians 5:19-21 the OPC believes that if anyone commits any such sin, there is no repentence for the followers of Calvin. Their deity will not take repentence, so the followers of Calvin will say that the person never was Christian at all!
To answer, they twist their weasel-words as
First between true and false conversion. The Bible recognizes that not everyone who says he believes in Christ really doesVoilą! (by the way, that means "see there" in French) -- the followers of Calvin-Machen use their rubber dictionaries to say "Oh, they never were Christian in the first place!"
Salvation of Infants Who DieThe OPC believes that God pre-damns infants to eternal hell. This isn't the Christian God of Love.
The Confession entertains the idea that at least some infants who die in infancy and some others "who are incapable of being outwardly called" are among the elect.
However, the Confession does not say that all such infants, etc., are saved.
| 12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. 16 None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live. |
| John 4:42 describes Christ as "the Savior of the world," 1 John 2:2 Christ "is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." 1 Timothy 4:10 God is "the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." |
Let us take the Nicene Creed and compare with the OPC's beliefs:We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen.
So far, the OPC is on track.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Well, not really; they think of Jesus as a lesser God than the Father. The OPC says that:
Jesus is God's doorway through the wall. God appointed his Son to be the substitute for those whom he would save. Jesus loved the Father with every fiber of his being. He obeyed the Father's holy will completely. He died on Calvary's cross as the atoning sacrifice, bearing all the sins of his people. He rose again from the dead and was exalted to the place of glory at the Father's side.
For the OPC, Jesus is a lesser or messenger god to God the Father, much like Mercury was the messenger of Jupiter in the Roman Pantheon of gods. This is not Christian.
As well, The OPC says that:
Christ is, in reality, the one true worshiper.[5] Our worship is a participation in his. Further, our worship in Christ is by the Holy Spirit.
Here, the OPC says that Christ worships God the Father, and the Holy Spirit worships Christ. Not Trinitarian, but polytheist.
Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary,
Here, they more or less agree with Christianity.
and became man.
Here, they depart from Christianity inasmuch as Christianity believes that Jesus is fully God and fully man at the same time.
"The Son of Man"
Jesus affirms that he is "the Son of Man." This was his favorite self-designation. The Gospels mention his calling himself the Son of Man some eighty times. William White, Jr., explains that this title reflects Daniel 7:13, where the "Son of Man" is one to whom is given universal and eternal authority, glory, and sovereign dominion. He is one from among men to whom is given divine prerogatives. Since only God can receive such prerogatives, the Son of Man is a God-man (Daniel 10:16). Thus, the Son of Man, Jesus, descended from heaven (John 3:13) and was dependent on God, as He had nowhere to lay His head (Matt. 8:20). He exercises an authoritative and redemptive mission (John 3:14). He is the universal Lord (Matt. 28:18; cf. Dan. 7:13-14) and has total responsibility and authority for judging the world (Matt. 13:41-42; 19:28). (Theological and Grammatical Phrasebook of the Bible, p. 102 [Moody Press, 1984]. Cf. Geerhardus Vos, The Self-Disclosure of Jesus [Eerdmans, 1954].)
So when Jesus calls himself the Son of Man, he does much more than identify himself as having a human nature. He reveals himself as God incarnated as the Last Adam, the true Man, the Man of God's right hand, the Messiah, the King, the Savior, Lord, and Judge! Compare Daniel 7:9-14 and Revelation 1:12-18. It's an amazing claim.
It sure is. It affirms that the OPC believes that Jesus is a lesser God - is totally dependent upon God and therefore is not the God of Christianity, but a messenger or harbinger, much like John the Baptist was for Jesus.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
Okay in this section.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
Here we come to a major parting of the ways between the OPC and Christianity. The OPC says that:
The resurrection of the dead in general, therefore, is primarily a judicial act of God."[13] Stated simply, the resurrection is not the penultimate event prior to the final judgment; the resurrection is the final judgment.
This little piece of paganism is the source for so many of the nonChristian pronouncements of OPC adherents. Can you imagine a greater departure from the Gospel message of Jesus? Resurrection is a replacement for Judgement and if you are resurrected, you will not go to hell!!!! Now, what about those going to hell? More on that later...
and his kingdom will have no end.
They do agree that Jesus will reign forever.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
See above. The OPC believes that Jesus worships God the Father and the Holy Spirit worships Jesus.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
The OPC really likes its Prophets - if it weren't for Paul, their theology would consist of Isaiah with a splash of Jeremiah.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
Absolutely not. "Catholic" is redefined as Calvinist, and the Apostles are irrelevant since they are all long dead.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
The OPC touches on it in several articles on their site, blathering on, and talking around the point, rather than to it, but the final conclusion is that they do not believe that baptism is in any way connected with the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
There are several articles on the OPC website which affirm the resurrection of the dead, and then speak as if it weren't there or it didn't matter. Of course, it might just be the writers' confusion over just who is going to be resurrected (prejudged to salvation) and who isn't (see above). After all if the Calvinists believe that the act of resurrection is a substitute for the Judgement of God, then nobody in hell gets Judged in the Calvinist universe, right? And nowhere in Christianity does it state anything about the resurrection of those Judged to Heaven versus the non resurrection of those Judged to hell. In Calvinism, those prejudged to hell do not get resurrected at all. Cronos, my friend, you are absolutely spot on in that the OPC on its own website brags about its nonChristian beliefs. And its followers would have us believe that it is Christian. Based on what?
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