Gothic.net Community - View Single Post - Church pays millions to victims of sexual abuse by priests

CptSternn · 07-17-2007, 11:55 PM

All religions have ********** within their ranks, much like all religions have thieves, murders, and a percentage that engage in other such activities.

Now, I am by no means defending the immoral and illegal actions taken by the persons involved in these cases, merely pointing out there is a reason so many priests in America have been involved in such activity.

Back before 1970 homosecuality was viewed in such a manner that it was damaging to a whole family if someone thought your son or some other family member was gay. Like being communist during the McCarthy era, or being black during the Civil War, being gay in America during the early half of the 1900's was a life sentence to abuse, discrimination, and guaranteed way to make sure your immediate family suffered with you as well.

Many families in America when confronted with the possibility that their son may be gay was to quickly enroll them in a strict Catholic school, and later if they still had 'tendencies' was to force them into the priesthood.

You son a little too caring? A little too emotional? Not playing sports? Doesn't have an attraction to girls? Well, thats enough to scare most parents during this time period to force their kid into the ranks of the church to hide their true identity, else it could destroy their family, social stature, and ruin their name in the community.

Being gay during this era was hard, as I said previously, comparative to the communist witc hhunts or even those who supported equal rights for blacks prior to the 1960s, to engage in such behaviour would be tantamount as to today doing something like having your son join the Taliban.

So by forcing them into priesthood the parents could make a valid excuse of why their son didn't date, play sports, and was emotional, basically anything viewed as non-masculent could be attributed to the fact he was a pious person in training.

This worked brilliantly for the families with gay sons, however, it took confused children, told them their beliefs were wrong, and forced them in very impressionable times into the proverbial closet. Without any outlet for their truth beliefs, ideas, and feelings, some of these people found unhealthy ways to explore these things that have been forceably bottled inside by their families, society, and the church.

Once again, not defending them, just pointing out that there is a reason to why this is happening in such numbers in America - and based as much on societies actions as it is on the persons who engaged in the activities.

07-17-2007, 11:55 PM	#19
CptSternn Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 4,587	All religions have ********** within their ranks, much like all religions have thieves, murders, and a percentage that engage in other such activities. Now, I am by no means defending the immoral and illegal actions taken by the persons involved in these cases, merely pointing out there is a reason so many priests in America have been involved in such activity. Back before 1970 homosecuality was viewed in such a manner that it was damaging to a whole family if someone thought your son or some other family member was gay. Like being communist during the McCarthy era, or being black during the Civil War, being gay in America during the early half of the 1900's was a life sentence to abuse, discrimination, and guaranteed way to make sure your immediate family suffered with you as well. Many families in America when confronted with the possibility that their son may be gay was to quickly enroll them in a strict Catholic school, and later if they still had 'tendencies' was to force them into the priesthood. You son a little too caring? A little too emotional? Not playing sports? Doesn't have an attraction to girls? Well, thats enough to scare most parents during this time period to force their kid into the ranks of the church to hide their true identity, else it could destroy their family, social stature, and ruin their name in the community. Being gay during this era was hard, as I said previously, comparative to the communist witc hhunts or even those who supported equal rights for blacks prior to the 1960s, to engage in such behaviour would be tantamount as to today doing something like having your son join the Taliban. So by forcing them into priesthood the parents could make a valid excuse of why their son didn't date, play sports, and was emotional, basically anything viewed as non-masculent could be attributed to the fact he was a pious person in training. This worked brilliantly for the families with gay sons, however, it took confused children, told them their beliefs were wrong, and forced them in very impressionable times into the proverbial closet. Without any outlet for their truth beliefs, ideas, and feelings, some of these people found unhealthy ways to explore these things that have been forceably bottled inside by their families, society, and the church. Once again, not defending them, just pointing out that there is a reason to why this is happening in such numbers in America - and based as much on societies actions as it is on the persons who engaged in the activities.