Scandal in the Catholic Church
According to reports in the news, the Catholic Church continues to falter under the weight of heavy scandal in 2019, particularly in regard to the widespread coverup of sexual offenses by priests, including assaults on children. The corrupt handling of finances within the Vatican also is a long-standing problem. It clearly is a foul case of too many lies and too many deceptions, combined with too much wealth and too much luxury, all of which proves, beyond any doubt, that the Catholic Church has become far removed from the intent of the Gospel.
Having been brought up as a Catholic, and having utterly rejected the Church (and all other religions) a long time ago, I feel abhorrence, but not much surprise, at seeing the accounts of such wrongdoing. Although I never experienced or witnessed any untoward actions myself, I was always aware of a distinctly creepy undercurrent at the heart of the Church. Any organization, whether clerical or secular, with an oppressive hierarchy that is entirely male (and mostly, but not openly or honestly, homosexual) is certain to be fundamentally unwholesome.
My reasons for separating myself from the Catholic Church were mainly due to its shameful willingness to endorse the brutality of war and the wickedness of capitalism. I did not understand how the Church could claim to represent the will of God and the spirit of Jesus, while also appearing to accept gross evils which, in my opinion, should never be accepted. I had gone along with the coldhearted demands of the Church as a child, when I had no choice, and later I briefly attempted, as a grownup, to be a devout Catholic, but I finally had to walk away, never to return.
The Catholic Church has lost most of its worldly power and spiritual appeal over the centuries, and only the faithful are likely to care, one way or the other, about the host of unholy miseries that the Church has brought upon itself. At best, the Catholic Church is a false institution, a useless repository of irrational dogma, woefully out of step with the essential truth of human life, and therefore not worthy of being taken seriously. At worst, the Church is a malign stronghold of pretense and depravity, and therefore should be exposed and condemned.
Having been brought up as a Catholic, and having utterly rejected the Church (and all other religions) a long time ago, I feel abhorrence, but not much surprise, at seeing the accounts of such wrongdoing. Although I never experienced or witnessed any untoward actions myself, I was always aware of a distinctly creepy undercurrent at the heart of the Church. Any organization, whether clerical or secular, with an oppressive hierarchy that is entirely male (and mostly, but not openly or honestly, homosexual) is certain to be fundamentally unwholesome.
My reasons for separating myself from the Catholic Church were mainly due to its shameful willingness to endorse the brutality of war and the wickedness of capitalism. I did not understand how the Church could claim to represent the will of God and the spirit of Jesus, while also appearing to accept gross evils which, in my opinion, should never be accepted. I had gone along with the coldhearted demands of the Church as a child, when I had no choice, and later I briefly attempted, as a grownup, to be a devout Catholic, but I finally had to walk away, never to return.
The Catholic Church has lost most of its worldly power and spiritual appeal over the centuries, and only the faithful are likely to care, one way or the other, about the host of unholy miseries that the Church has brought upon itself. At best, the Catholic Church is a false institution, a useless repository of irrational dogma, woefully out of step with the essential truth of human life, and therefore not worthy of being taken seriously. At worst, the Church is a malign stronghold of pretense and depravity, and therefore should be exposed and condemned.