Pope Enabled Molestation of 200 Deaf Boys

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in Rome (Sant'Uffizio). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When the person in charge is informed of wrongdoing by his or her subordinates, we expect action to be taken. When the person in charge received repeated warnings a subordinate is doing something truly awful, we expect the action to be swift so that the behavior is quickly brought under control.

Suppose instead that the person at the top decides to ignore the reports, look the other way, and try to sweep the whole thing under the rug. In such a case, we are likely to view him or her as sharing at least some of the blame for the continued bad behavior of his or her subordinates.

Maureen Dowd wrote a good Op-Ed in the New York Times this weekend on the subject of Pope's involvement in concealing child sexual abuse by Catholic priests. It is good to see more and more people speaking out against this man, his church, and the atrocities that continue to surface.

Now we learn the sickening news that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, nicknamed “God’s Rottweiler” when he was the church’s enforcer on matters of faith and sin, ignored repeated warnings and looked away in the case of the Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy, a Wisconsin priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys.

The Establishment Clause of Our Secular Constitution

The U.S. Constitution is a thoroughly secular document, and it was intended as such by those who drafted it. This has long been a particular strength of our government. I often have difficulty imagining how any true patriot, regardless of one's personal views about religion, would not celebrate it.

The language of the Establishment Clause, combined with the writings of Thomas Jefferson, make it clear that there is to be a separation of church and state in the United States and that the "wall" between the two about which Jefferson wrote is designed to protect both religion and government. Although some contemporary religious believers understand this, many do not.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Another Reason to Wear Atheist T-Shirts

In a recent post on the subject of atheist t-shirts and other items communicating atheist-oriented messages, I listed some of the advantages I saw for publicly displaying such messages. I missed a big one, and I am grateful to a reader for pointing it out. After expressing agreement with the advantages I listed, he noted, "While those are valid reasons, I feel the most important is to provide an alternative to skeptics of religion." Absolutely! This is way too important to be left out of the discussion.

Many of us who were raised in one religious tradition or another de-convert gradually. Exposure to other atheists and even to the concept of atheism can be very helpful during this process.

I remember spending roughly a year of my life struggling with doubt. During this time, I did not know another atheist, and I do not recall even knowing what atheism meant. I thought I was the only one and wondered if there was something wrong with me. It was not until I began to read everything I could find on religion and philosophy at the local used bookstore that I realized that I was not alone and that there was even a name for what I was: atheist.

Under God and In God We Trust: Atheists Are Not Real Americans

Atheists living in the United States know what it is like to be strangers in a strange land. We are surrounded by reminders of our outsider status, and we should not be surprised to find that this can exert a psychological toll upon us. Admittedly, I know this feeling much better now that I'm living in Mississippi, but I suspect that it would be experienced to a lesser degree nearly anywhere.

Do You Wear Atheist T-Shirts?

I realize that what I experience as an atheist living in Mississippi is a bit different from what those of you in more enlightened areas experience. My experience here shapes how I view the world, and there is simply no getting around that fact. But I've found myself thinking lately that I want to be more than a passive recipient of my environment; I want to shape it as well. I'm going to look at atheist t-shirts, vehicle emblems, and the like as examples of what I'm talking about.

Pope Trouble: More Evidence of a Catholic Conspiracy of Silence

I don't expect to see the end of Catholicism just yet; however, it is getting increasingly difficult for me to understand how any moral individual would want to continue to associate with this organization. With many child sexual abuse scandals already raging, the news out of Germany is getting awfully close to Pope Benedict XVI himself. Moreover, the Pope is coming under fire for a 2001 Vatican document he wrote advising bishops to conceal clergy abuse cases. What more do Catholics need to walk away from this corrupt organization?

According to the Huffington Post,

The revelations have put the spotlight on Benedict's handling of abuse claims both when he was archbishop of Munich from 1977-1982 and then the prefect of the Vatican office that deals with such crimes - a position he held until his 2005 election as pope.

Questions are mounting about what Pope Benedict XVI knew about child sexual abuse in Germany and what he did or did not do about it while he was stationed there. Some are going so far as to suggest that this pope may soon be through.

An Incomplete Understanding of Natural Phenomena Has Never Meant Goddidit

I miss StumbleUpon. You'd tell it what you were interested in (e.g., atheism), click a button, and it would magically transport you to a random website or blog on about the topic you selected. It was great for generating blog traffic and for turning up gems like this meme. Much like the "Why is there something rather than nothing" query I recently addressed, this poster reminds us that scientific illiteracy is a poor excuse for religious belief. In fact, it isn't an excuse for religious belief at all.

There are plenty of things we cannot explain, and there probably always will be. Our difficulty explaining something has never been useful evidence of gods, and I don't see that changing. There was a time when we didn't understand the concept of germs. That was not somehow valid evidence that illness was caused by demonic possession. There are far too many examples of this sort of thing, and the conclusion is always the same: not fully understanding something in no way means "goddidit."

Christians (and others) who continue to worship the "god of the gaps" are demonstrating that they have learned little about how science works and have even less knowledge of history. Theirs is a shrinking god that gets smaller by the day. We don't need it. We never needed it. It is time to recognize this truth and move on with our lives without gods.

James Dobson: A Legacy of Hate

When it comes to anti-gay bigotry, few individuals have been as influential as Dr. James Dobson, the former head of Focus on the Family. Autumn Sandeen (Pam's House Blend - blog no longer active)) has documented the reach of this Christian extremist, illustrating how much damage one hate-filled person can do to an entire community of people.

We knew that Dobson was a prominent defender of hate crimes against members of the GLBT community, and now it appears that he has had a hand in several anti-gay groups. Dobson has established a notable legacy of hate, all in the name of his preferred god.

The next time I find myself becoming pessimistic about what any one of us can do to change our world, I'm going to think of Dobson. If one person can create that much pain and misery for so many, then surely any one of us could do the opposite. Perhaps Dobson's legacy of hate can become a motivator of sorts. Maybe it can drive our efforts to confront bigotry, defend reason, and work to achieve the world we all deserve. And if you think I'd find more than a little satisfaction in using Dobson as motivation to undo his "achievements" and correct the damage he's done, you'd be right.

Why is There Something Rather Than Nothing?

Why is there something rather than nothing? Many Christian apologists and theologians are fond of this question. Through some complicated mental gymnastics, they manage to convince themselves that the only answer to this question is "god did it." It does not seem to bother them that many find the question irrelevant or regard their method of answering it as circular at best. Nor does not seem to bother them that cosmologists have been considering such questions scientifically and doing quite well without having to rely on gods.

This question has been posed to me many times by amateur Christians (i.e., those who do not make their living from writing about questions like this). It usually comes in a challenging tone.

Oh yeah, then why is there something rather than nothing?

At least 99% of the time, the speaker seems to think that this is the first time I've ever heard such a question. To the contrary, I've heard it many times. I've never found it even a little bit compelling. I rarely bother to respond anymore. Who has time to drop whatever they're doing at the moment to teach a Christian who may not even have a basic science education about cosmology?

Maybe I'm being too harsh. The thing is, I've grown awfully tired of this same old debate and the form it inevitably takes. This isn't how science works. We don't get to rely on supernatural explanations for anything we can't fully explain. The Christian who tries this line of attack is merely revealing an utter lack of knowledge about science itself.

Right-Wing Atheists

Atheists are routinely stereotyped as fringe liberals, socialists, or even Communists. Although there is evidence that more atheists can be found on the liberal side of the liberal-conservative political spectrum, this does not mean that conservative atheists do not exist. In fact, there are plenty of conservative atheists. I've encountered Republican atheists, libertarian atheists, and all sorts of atheists who ally themselves with the political right in other ways. Once one understands what atheism is, this political diversity should come as little surprise. There is nothing about atheism that dictates one's political stance.

Because atheists are more likely to be liberal, it should come as no surprise that many atheist blogs are written from a more liberal perspective. We would have to expect that just based on the numbers. Conservative atheist blogs are fewer in number because conservative atheists are fewer in number. And yet, there are atheist blogs written from various right-wing perspectives for those who would care to look for them. For just a few examples, check out Conservative Skeptic, Bitchspot, the Unreligious Right, or the Atheist Conservative. If you are a politically conservative atheist blogger and your blog reflects this perspective, please feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments on this post. I may repost this at some point with an expanded list of right-wing atheist blogs.

What is Christian Privilege?

I remember the first time I was exposed to the idea of male privilege. I can't say I was initially receptive, mostly due to the accusatory manner in which it was presented. And yet, I now marvel that I ever had trouble grasping it. Part of what we mean by the various forms of privilege and how they work in society is that they tend to be virtually invisible to the group(s) that possess them. As a man, it was no wonder that I didn't immediately recognize male privilege. That's kind of the point, in fact. The same was true of White privilege. It took me some time to get it, but it is now strange to think that there was ever a time when I didn't get it.

How about Christian privilege? Is there such a thing, and if so, how might we help Christians understand it? From where I'm sitting in one of the most religious states in the U.S., Christian privilege is not only real but pervasive and oppressive. Oppressive? Yes, it often reminds me of the sensation of someone sitting on my chest while I am trying to breathe. It is not a pleasant experience.