Pro-choice Catholics Need to Speak Out on the Importance of Maintaining Reproductive Rights

Image by Mauricio A. from Pixabay

Tired of hearing about Roe and the leaked Alito draft yet? I'm not. I'm curious why we haven't been hearing more than we have. At least, I'm curious why we haven't been hearing more from certain people. People like President Joe Biden, for instance. And then it hit me. Could this be a Catholic thing? Might President Biden be more reluctant to speak out because of his Catholic beliefs? Even if he's pro-choice, could he have decided to hold back?

If Roe falls, the Catholic Church deserves much of the blame. It has been a central part of their agenda for as long as Roe has been with us. And yet, it is important to remember that most Catholics in the United States support reproductive rights. Most Catholics want abortion to remain legal. There is a gap between what most Catholics want and what conservative Catholics want.

Is There Such a Thing as Catholic Atheists?

Never having been a Catholic myself, I figured I better put this out as a question rather than pretending I know the answer: are there Catholic atheists? I ask because I recently saw a Satanist claiming that atheism had nothing to do with religion and that anyone could be an atheist. I did not flinch when Buddhists were mentioned, but I was not prepared for this to be followed by mention of Roman Catholics. Isn't believing in god(s) a central part of Catholicism? Can someone really be both an atheist and a Catholic in any meaningful sense?

I understand that ex-Catholics could be atheists, but they are no longer Catholics. I also understand that an atheist could decide that they liked certain parts of Catholicism and adopt them, but that wouldn't make them a Catholic. It would just make them an atheist who appreciated some aspects of the Catholic faith. We might choose to refer to them as "cultural Catholics," but I think that's different. I'm not sure how someone could be a Catholic atheist.

Blaming Clergy Abuse on the Victims' Parents

The idea of blaming the victim makes most of us uncomfortable, and rightly so. When we hear yet another report that a Catholic priest has sexually assaulted a young child, few of us would think to blame the child. In fact, most of us are appalled when the priest or one of his defenders does so. It is in this context, though, that I have observed a new trend taking place among at least some atheists: blaming the parents of the victims of clergy abuse. Their argument boils down to the parents' role in placing the child in the situation in which the abuse took place. It was the parents, they say, who endangered their child by entrusting him or her to the Catholics. With all the coverage these cases have been receiving, they should have known better. They should have kept their child far away from the Catholic Church.

While I can understand why someone might feel this way, it still makes me uncomfortable. First, I believe that the blame in these cases rests with the clergy and the Church. Blaming the parents of the victims seems to diffuse at least some of this responsibility, and I am not crazy about that. Second, blaming the parents reminds me of the claims made by Muslim men that their women must cover up because they have so little self-control that this is the only way they can refrain from assaulting them. I'm not saying these are they same thing because they clearly aren't. I'm just saying that blaming the parents of abuse victims for the abuse reminds me too much of this mindset. Again, I think the person doing the assaulting and those concealing it deserve most of the blame.

Ending the Catholic Abuse Crisis

The big Catholic clergy abuse summit appears to have been little more than a publicity stunt. It seems designed to look like they are taking a serious problem seriously without having to do anything to solve it. The Pope has the opportunity to do something meaningful to end clergy abuse in the Catholic Church. So far, he has decided not to bother.

It seems to me that the solution to the problem of Catholic clergy raping children is fairly simple. It does require the Pope to change Church law, but most of the media coverage of this summit has made it clear that he has the authority to do so. So how could he solve the problem? What sort of changes to Church law would be needed here?

1. Set a policy that any priest who abuses a child is removed from the priesthood.
2. Set a policy that any member of the Church hierarchy who conceals clergy abuse is fired.
3. Set a policy requiring all Church officials to fully cooperate with secular authorities involved in criminal investigations.
4. Turn over all relevant records (that have not yet been destroyed) to secular authorities.

Do Most Catholics Believe in Demons and Exorcism Rituals?

I watched The Rite (2011) recently. As far as mildly scary exorcism-related horror films go, it isn't bad. It involves a young man who is pushed into the seminary even though he's questioning his faith, almost quits, and ends up at the Vatican in a program to train exorcists. You know, because we need more of them. Once there, he finds that his skepticism does not subside. Even when he learns more about the Catholic views on exorcism, he continues to suspect that mental illness is a more likely culprit than demons. He is referred to an unconventional exorcist played by Anthony Hopkins in order to participate in a few of the rituals and be persuaded that demons are real, etc.

I almost always enjoy the exorcist-related horror films, and this one was better than many, mostly because of Anthony Hopkins. I have not liked every film he's been in, but I have appreciated his performance in every film I've seen him in. He's one of those fantastic actors who seems to transcend acting and truly inhabit his role. There were moments in this one where he did so. The rest of the cast was adequate, and the production values were good enough that those who are not crazy about low-budget horror would have little reason to complain.

The Reputation of the Catholic Church

The Church's ability to help people depends on its reputation.

- Line of dialogue from The Conjuring 2

I liked The Conjuring. I liked it so much so that I added it to my pathetically small Blu-ray horror collection several years ago. Not surprisingly, I was eager to see The Conjuring 2 when it came out. I thought it was good, but I couldn't help being somewhat disappointed as a result of the high expectations I had based on the first one. As much as I liked it, I did not think it was quite as good as the first. I watched The Conjuring 2 again recently and found myself enjoying it more than I had the first time. Once again, this seems to be a case of my unrealistically high expectations getting in the way.

Putting Priests on Pedestals Permits Perpetration

I was raised in a mainstream Protestant denomination of Christianity, and I was required by my family to attend the church near our home between the ages of 9 and 17. My attendance at this particular church started about age 9 because that was when we moved to this location from another state. I stopped going to this particular church at about age 17 because my family had finally tired of having to fight me every Sunday about how much I hated it.

For this post, I want to focus on the years between about 9 and 13 because this was before I was experiencing any significant doubts about gods or religious dogma. During this time, I was a believing Christian. I also want to focus on this time because it was a time when I was fairly impressionable, especially at the younger end of it. Whatever skeptical tendencies I had been developing had not yet been applied to religion.

Some Lifelong Catholics Thinking of Leaving the Church

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Amidst all the Catholic-related news, most of which has been pretty damn depressing, I thought I'd share a bit of good news from an unexpected source. Some will dismiss it as trivial or say that I am being overly optimistic, but I can't help thinking that what I am about to share is a good sign. It might even indicate that we could be on the verge of something big when it comes to the necessary demise of the Catholic Church.

My parents recently returned from a brief trip to a resort with 7 other couples, all of whom have known each other for more than 20 years. Most were neighbors or knew each other because they had kids in the same schools. Most have moved away but not too far away, or at least not too far away year-round. All retired long ago and are getting up there in years. I think it is cool that they are still able to get together no matter how much their paths have diverged in the last decade or so. Here's the interesting part: of the 8 couples, my parents were the only ones who are not Catholics.

How to Leave the Catholic Church

If you are here because you are looking for information on how to leave the Catholic Church, you are in good company. Many Catholics and former Catholics are interested in doing so. Those leaving have many good reasons for doing so. And if you are here, the same may be true for you.

Perhaps you disgusted with the Catholic Church over their hypocritical opposition to reproductive rights and contraception. Or maybe your head still reeling over the latest in what seems like a never-ending series of scandals involving priests raping children while Church hierarchy covers it up, and Catholic spokesmen find creative ways to blame the victims and their families? Or maybe you are finding it increasingly difficult to want to be part of an organization that still seems to be stuck in the Dark Ages. It is difficult to comprehend why anyone would want to remain a member of the Catholic Church these days.

The Nun: Reality is Scarier Than Fiction

I liked The Conjuring, and I thought The Conjuring 2 was better than the average horror film but a step down from the first one. Despite almost never enjoying killer doll films, I thought Annabelle was worth watching, though I could have skipped the sequel, Annabelle: Creation, without missing much.

The next entry in this film franchise, The Nun, recently hit theaters. The reviews I've read have been mixed, but the early consensus seems to be that it is not very good. Many of the reviews note that the film seemed unnecessary and that explaining the origins of the demonic nun from The Conjuring 2 detracted from her mystery and made her less scary. That sounds like a good reason to steer clear of The Nun to me. Worse, many reviewers did not find the film scary and said that the director used excessive jump scares in place of creepy atmosphere or effective storytelling. I am sure I will see it eventually, but I can't say I am in a hurry to do so.

Allegations of Catholic Abuse in Pennsylvania

Photo via Good Free Photos

When I encounter a story about sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in a reputable news source, I usually tweet a link to the story with hashtags like #catholic and #abuse. I do this to bring the story to the attention of more people. The sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy needs to stop, as do the systemic efforts to conceal these crimes by the Church hierarchy. It is great to hear representatives of the Church talk about "zero tolerance" policies each time another scandal surfaces, but I would much rather see some evidence that these policies were being implemented.

While I often tweet links to such stories, I rarely write about them here. I think that's mostly because of how they affect me. When I encounter one of these stories, I quickly become emotionally overwhelmed. I feel nauseous and angry to the point that I can't think clearly. I find myself unable to sleep, usually due to intense nightmares that wake me up several times throughout the night. I feel so bad for the children and their families. I feel powerless to do anything about what they went through and uncertain about what I could do that might help prevent others from going through it in the future. This mix of emotions seems to short-circuit my ability to reason and leaves me feeling exhausted and depressed. I don't know how to be rational when it comes to this stuff.

Bishop: The Catholic Church Will Outlive the Victims of Its Crimes

The Big Miner at Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As many of you are probably aware, the Catholic church is under fire once again for...well...the usual reason. Australia is the location this time, and hearings are underway to uncover the scope of their crimes and subsequent efforts to conceal them. The Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse has been holding public hearings to evaluate claims put forward by survivors of child sexual abuse perpetrated at Catholic institutions.

The news coming out of these hearings so far is beyond appalling, and they are far from over. Anyone still wanting to deny the conspiratorial nature of clergy sexual abuse is likely to have a difficult time doing so as more information emerges. This story is definitely one to follow.

Something in Jane Lee's recent post in The Age grabbed my attention and will likely grab yours. According to the testimony of Andrew Collins, he met with a representative of the church, Bishop Paul Bird in 2013 to request financial assistance in the modest amount of $252. According to Collins, this was just too expensive for Bishop Bird.

Bishop Bird told us that if the church had to pay that amount to every survivor, the church would go bankrupt.

Bishop Bird told us that we were intent on destroying his church. He said 'Andrew, you need to understand something, the church has endured for thousands of years and in another 40 years or so, you people will all be dead and all this will be forgotten about and the church will endure for thousands of years more'.

New Report on Scope of Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

emblem of the Papacy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The mainstream news media in the United States has been fawning over Pope Francis for some time. Even as some of us have questioned how much of a change he represents and whether he will be willing to do something meaningful about clergy abuse, there is little question about his popularity. I cannot help wondering if we might see that change soon.

Timed to coincide with the scathing UN condemnation of the Vatican for their failure to protect children from clergy abuse, the Child Rights International Network (CRIN) has released a preliminary report documenting the scope of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and efforts by the Vatican to conceal it. It seems like "damning" would be a fair word to use in describing what the report says about the office of the Pope and the institution he represents.

Atheists Call on Pope to End Clergy Abuse

Pope Francis certainly has received a lot of attention from the mainstream news media in the U.S. this year. As you have undoubtedly heard, he was selected by Time as their person of the year. Even those of us who think that there were better choices for this honor generally agree that the Pope has had a great impact so far (at least in the sense that he has generated considerable media buzz). Moreover, there is little question that some of the places where his views appear to diverge from that of his predecessor are being viewed favorably by many people. Whether he will have a significant impact beyond the hype is yet to be determined.

In the first Christmas address since taking the helm of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis called on atheists to join with religious believers to work toward global peace. Not surprisingly, the mention of atheists in this address has been receiving considerable attention around the atheist blogosphere. Is he serious? Does he really value our inclusion, or is this just an effort to mute our criticism or convert us? I think it would be fair to characterize the reaction of most atheists as hopeful but skeptical.

Global peace is a worthwhile goal, and I am perfectly willing to work with religious believers as an equal partner in pursuing it. I realize that not all atheists agree with this position, but I am willing to work alongside religious believers as equal partners on all sorts of shared goals. If the Pope is sincere in his apparent desire to work with us in this way - and I will admit to being highly skeptical of this - then this could be a positive step.

Top Catholic 'Angelologist' Says Secularism Has Left 'Open Door' for Devil

Bytča (Nagybiccse) - mosaic in the catholic church (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you ever had the experience of watching a horror movie and having to reassure yourself (e.g., "Its only a movie") repeatedly? I haven't had this experience in awhile, but it was fairly common in my youth. In these moments, we remind ourselves that what we are seeing is not real, that it is fictional. If I were ever to become truly scared, I'd make myself think about how the filmmakers accomplished the special effects as a way of reminding myself that I was watching a movie.

Don't you suppose that most people who watch horror films (and any other genre) know that what they are seeing isn't real? I've always assumed this, but I'm not so sure lately. I am starting to think I may have been mistaken to think that most people are capable of easily distinguishing reality from fiction.

Take the example of Father Renzo Lavatori, described by Raw Story as "a top Catholic Church 'angelogist'" in a recent post. This man apparently believes in angels. For real. And the Catholic Church evidently agrees, so much so that they have different levels of "angelologists" so that it makes sense to talk about Father Lavatori being a top one.

Catholics Show Willful Blindness to Clergy Abuse

St. Peter's Basilica at Early Morning (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I find myself unable to stop thinking about what is merely the latest of a long list of Catholic scandals involving child rape and attempts by the Church to conceal it, actions which often enable the perpetrators to continue violating children. One one side of the conflict, you have an immensely powerful organization with over 1 billion adherents around the world and wealth too massive to comprehend. On the other side, you have innocent children, many of whom are vulnerable due to stature, poverty, disability, or the trust faith generates on the part of their families. I suppose it is no wonder that this is not exactly a fair fight.

Sexual assault, particularly the forcible rape and molestation of prepubescent children, is considered by many to be one of the worst offenses imaginable. Ask most people what sort of crime bothers them the most, and sexual perpetration against children inevitably rises to the top. Survey the general public about under what circumstances they might consider indefinite incarceration or even the death penalty, and child rape will be mentioned. For good reason, we consider this to be one of the most despicable things someone can do.

More Evidence of Catholic Child Rape and Conspiracy in the U.S.

Timothy Dolan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is a question one often hears from atheists: "How can someone possibly believe in gods in this day and age?" It is a fair question to ask, and we recognize that there are many different answers. Individual religious believers have different motives for setting aside reality.

I wish this was the question I was asking today, but it is not. Instead, I find myself once again asking how any decent person could be aware of all the abuse scandals involving the Catholic Church and of all the evidence of deliberate attempts by high-ranking church officials to conceal these crimes and still maintain any association with this corrupt criminal organization.

In April of 2012, I wrote a post titled As Catholic Child Rape Details Emerge in Court, What Are Catholics Waiting For? In it, I asked a version of this same question:

What would the Catholic Church have to do in order for American Catholics to leave in droves? How bad does this have to get before Catholics wake up?

Catholic Hospitals Are Scary Prospect

A physician visiting the sick in a hospital, German engraving from 1682 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hospitals are not exactly fun places. Going there typically means that there is something terribly wrong with you or someone you love. The stakes are incredibly high, and while we do not like to think about it, each of us is almost certain to spend more time than we would like in a hospital during the course of our lives.

As someone who already has an irrational fear of hospitals, I could tell by the title of Sara Lin Wilde's (Friendly Atheist) recent post, Why Catholic Hospitals Should Scare You, that I would not need much convincing. It turns out I was right.

Sara's post describes a trend where Catholic organizations are merging with previously non-religious hospitals and imposing strict adherence to Catholic doctrine on the resulting institutions. And of course, the imposition of Catholic doctrine is not limited to Catholic patients but apply to anyone receiving care in the hospital.

The implications for patient care can be very serious, especially if you’re a woman or an elderly person… but many people don’t know about the possible ramifications until it’s too late.

She notes that Catholic hospitals often have a way of placing the teachings of their church over the freedom of their patients to make medical decisions and that this can impact the quality of care received.

The implications are obvious when it comes to reproductive health, but Sara also discusses some of the ways in which Catholic doctrine can influence end-of-life care. This was the part I found most troublesome. As if the thought of having to make end-of-life decisions for an aging parent was not difficult enough, it sounds like some viable options could simply be removed in some Catholic hospitals because they happen to conflict with church teaching.

Sara makes two particularly disturbing points in her post that I found worth highlighting: (1) Catholic hospitals can and do place religiously-based restrictions on all patients, including non-Catholics; and (2) those of us living outside of large urban areas may not have the option of seeking care elsewhere because we may not have access to other hospitals. That is more than enough to scare me.

See How to Leave the Catholic Church

Boy Scouts, Catholics, and Nazis

"Boy Scouts of America" march (sheet music) Page 1 of 6 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I rarely go out of my way to engage Christians online, and this is especially true when it comes to Twitter. When a Christian goes out of his or her way to begin an argument with me, I rarely respond. That isn't why I'm on Twitter, and I have little interest in hearing the same tired arguments yet again. But every once in awhile, I'll take the bait and attempt to have an actual discussion. The second the name-calling begins, I'm gone. But until then, I might give it a try. I had an interesting interaction with someone claiming to be a Catholic priest (@fr_andy) recently that did manage to provoke some real thought on my part, and I'd like to tell you about it.

I had tweeted about how I thought the Boy Scouts of America should stop discriminating against gays and atheists. This man responded that gays and atheists were free to begin their own youth organizations but that they were not wanted in the Scouts (I am going to use male pronouns because that is how he identified himself to me). I replied that I had hoped we'd all learned that "separate but equal" was not really equal. He responded by arguing that discrimination was only illegal when the government did it and that private organizations like the Scouts and his church could legally do it. I replied that discrimination, legal or not, was not what I would consider morally virtuous.

Catholic Church Defends Convicted Child Molesters

Can you imagine the uproar that would result if the public learned that a charitable organization had been paying the legal fees of repeat sex offenders who perpetrate against children? I'm not talking about criminal defendants accused of molesting children but those who had been convicted multiple times.

At a minimum, donors would be outraged, and donations would abruptly halt. Those who had previously supported such an organization would take pains to distance themselves from it, and the public image of the organization would take a beating from which it might never recover. We can be fairly confident that all of this would happen…unless the organization involved was the Catholic Church.