Difference between revisions of "The Clergy are not Moral Exemplars"

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[[File:Augustine.png|center]]
 
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Clergy serve in the holy office of the ministry; and are expected to serve as exemplars for the community whose spiritual and moral development they oversee.  Yet, too often, these guides and teachers are responsible for the most heinous of crimes, often their own parishioners and community members, enabled by exploiting the special trust and confidence which their communities have placed in them.
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===Unsustainable Image===
 +
Clergy serve in the holy office of the ministry; and are expected to serve as exemplars for the community whose spiritual and moral development they oversee.  Yet, too often, these guides and teachers are responsible for the most heinous of crimes, often their own parishioners and community members, enabled by exploiting the special trust and confidence which their communities have placed in them.  
  
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Jesus' main focus was not against stealing, sexual sins, or even violence -- but against hypocrisy, the identification with a false persona which prevents one from being genuine or real<ref name="Ministry Burnout">J. A. Sanford, ''Ministry Burnout'' (Westminster John Knox Press, 1992). </ref> How can the clergy and the church save others, when they cannot save themselves?
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Churches protect their priests, even in the face of absurdly evil crimes against their own parishioners (i.e. , sex abuse), simply because it is wildly expensive to put someone through seminary, an institution which few people chose to enter. It’s cheaper and easier to replace parishioners than to replace priests. [1] What little oversight exists in churches is thus exerted on blaming the victims and protecting the villains, like the mad kings of old who killed messengers bearing bad news. [2] This practice continued for centuries, where the clergy was above secular law of many European nations; all church affairs and incidents were handled internally. Even in the United States, it was all but unthinkable for the clergy to be tried in secular courts until [Nally v. Grace Community Church 1979]. [3]
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{{Quotebox|
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|width=33%
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|align=right
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|quote= A real Christian can’t work in a Christian organization.
 +
|source= Rod Sherrill, Peter Popoff’s cameraman [4]}}
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 +
Jesus' main focus was not against stealing, sexual sins, or even violence -- but against hypocrisy (i.e., identification with a false persona which prevents one from being genuine or real). While this was an attack at the Pharisees, Christ also issued this as a general blanket statement that made many enemies, who in turn, crucified him.<ref name="Ministry Burnout"></ref> As such, Those who claim that holiness leads to goodness must answer for all of the crimes listed below. Please note that this is just the material we have accrued and ''not a complete list''; this list will be updated as more information becomes available.  A more through, independent listing is available at [http://clergygonewild.com/home Clergy Gone Wild].
  
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Those who claim that holiness leads to goodness must answer for all of the crimes listed below. Please note that this is just the material we have accrued; this is ''not a complete list'', and this list will be updated as more information becomes available.  A more thorough, independent listing is available at [http://clergygonewild.com/home Clergy Gone Wild].
 
 
==Fascism==
 
==Fascism==
 
*[http://www.eutimes.net/2009/05/italian-catholic-priest-welcomes-believers-with-swastika-on-his-right-arm/ Italian Catholic Priest Welcomes Believers with Swastika on His Right Arm]
 
*[http://www.eutimes.net/2009/05/italian-catholic-priest-welcomes-believers-with-swastika-on-his-right-arm/ Italian Catholic Priest Welcomes Believers with Swastika on His Right Arm]
 
*[http://www.politicususa.com/2013/08/04/evangelical-corporations-force-employees-follow-religious-beliefs.html Evangelical Corporations Try To Force Their Employees To Follow Their Religious Beliefs]
 
*[http://www.politicususa.com/2013/08/04/evangelical-corporations-force-employees-follow-religious-beliefs.html Evangelical Corporations Try To Force Their Employees To Follow Their Religious Beliefs]
 
*[https://www.buzzfeed.com/lanesainty/australia-post-delivered-anti-gay-flyers-with-nazi-imagery?utm_term=.jmKJVNBm3#.qgP4YraKA Australia Post Unknowingly Handed Out Anti-Gay Flyers With Nazi Imagery]
 
*[https://www.buzzfeed.com/lanesainty/australia-post-delivered-anti-gay-flyers-with-nazi-imagery?utm_term=.jmKJVNBm3#.qgP4YraKA Australia Post Unknowingly Handed Out Anti-Gay Flyers With Nazi Imagery]
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==Fraud==
 
 
{{Quotebox|
 
{{Quotebox|
 
|width=33%
 
|width=33%
 
|align=right
 
|align=right
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|quote=See ten thousand ministries<br/>See the holy righteous dogs,<br/>They claim to heal, but all they do is steal,<br/>Abuse your faith, cheat, and rob,<br/>If God is wise, why is he still,<br/>When these false profits, call him friend,<br/>Why is he silent, is he blind!?<br/>Are we abandoned in the end?
+
|quote=See ten thousand ministries<br/>See the holy righteous dogs,<br/>They claim to heal, but all they do is steal,<br/>Abuse your faith, cheat, and rob,<br/>If God is wise, why is he still,<br/>When these false profits, call him friend,<br/>Why is he silent, is he blind!?<br/>|Are we abandoned in the end?
 
|source= [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mot%C3%B6rhead Motörhead], "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6UfqI5ovQI God Was Never on Your Side]"
 
|source= [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mot%C3%B6rhead Motörhead], "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6UfqI5ovQI God Was Never on Your Side]"
 
|}}
 
|}}
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+
==Fraud==
 
*[https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/tracking-a-pastor-and-his-promise-of-jobs/ Tracking a Pastor and His Promise of Jobs]
 
*[https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/tracking-a-pastor-and-his-promise-of-jobs/ Tracking a Pastor and His Promise of Jobs]
 
*[http://gawker.com/little-boy-who-claimed-to-die-and-visit-heaven-admits-h-1679811262?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow Little Boy Who Claimed to Die and Visit Heaven Admits He Made It Up]
 
*[http://gawker.com/little-boy-who-claimed-to-die-and-visit-heaven-admits-h-1679811262?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow Little Boy Who Claimed to Die and Visit Heaven Admits He Made It Up]
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*[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/47307792/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/#.T6b3qsWncrU http://www.nbcnews.com/id/47307792/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/#.WXsdJmLyvFh]
 
*[http://www.kmov.com/story/30200401/pastor-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-21000-from-church-to-pay-off-mistress Austin pastor arrested for sexual abuse of youth member]
 
*[http://www.kmov.com/story/30200401/pastor-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-21000-from-church-to-pay-off-mistress Austin pastor arrested for sexual abuse of youth member]
 
*[http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2016/01/pastor_who_faked_own_assault_pleas_not_guilty.html N.J. pastor pleads not guilty to charge he faked assault]
 
*[http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2016/01/pastor_who_faked_own_assault_pleas_not_guilty.html N.J. pastor pleads not guilty to charge he faked assault]
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*[http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2017/06/richard_fritz.html Southwest Michigan priest to stand trial on embezzlement charge]
 
*[http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2017/06/richard_fritz.html Southwest Michigan priest to stand trial on embezzlement charge]
 
*[http://www.11alive.com/news/local/savannah-pastor-sentenced-for-using-thithes-to-buy-leather-goods-lingerie/450424654 Savannah pastor sentenced for using tithes to buy leather goods, lingerie]
 
*[http://www.11alive.com/news/local/savannah-pastor-sentenced-for-using-thithes-to-buy-leather-goods-lingerie/450424654 Savannah pastor sentenced for using tithes to buy leather goods, lingerie]
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==Homicide==
 
==Homicide==
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{{Quotebox|
 
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|width=33%
 
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|align=right
 
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|quote=One is often told that it is a very wrong thing to attack religion, because religion makes men virtuous. So I am told; I have not noticed it.
 
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|source= [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell Bertrand Russell], "Why I Am Not a Christian"
 
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|}}
 
 
*[http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2009/07/jury_hears_father_recount_fait.html Parents in faith-healing case never considered calling a doctor]
 
*[http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2009/07/jury_hears_father_recount_fait.html Parents in faith-healing case never considered calling a doctor]
 
*[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32252045/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/#.WXnE2mLyvFg Wis. jury: Father guilty in prayer death case]
 
*[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32252045/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/#.WXnE2mLyvFg Wis. jury: Father guilty in prayer death case]
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*[http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/us/maryland-priest-exhumed-nun-murder/index.html DNA from exhumed body of priest could solve cold-case murder of nun]
 
*[http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/us/maryland-priest-exhumed-nun-murder/index.html DNA from exhumed body of priest could solve cold-case murder of nun]
 
*[http://wdtn.com/2017/04/20/closing-arguments-begin-in-murder-trial-of-dayton-pastor/ Former Dayton pastor found guilty of murder charges]
 
*[http://wdtn.com/2017/04/20/closing-arguments-begin-in-murder-trial-of-dayton-pastor/ Former Dayton pastor found guilty of murder charges]
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==LBGTQ+ Discrimination==
 
==LBGTQ+ Discrimination==
 
*[https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/10/archbishop-tells-woman-to-reject-gay-son-or-suffer-eternal-damnation/?fb_comment_id=fbc_280138315431372_1258955_282277408550796#f24f84fdee6057e Archbishop tells woman to reject gay son or suffer eternal damnation]
 
*[https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/10/archbishop-tells-woman-to-reject-gay-son-or-suffer-eternal-damnation/?fb_comment_id=fbc_280138315431372_1258955_282277408550796#f24f84fdee6057e Archbishop tells woman to reject gay son or suffer eternal damnation]
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*[http://www.kctv5.com/story/34229659/kansas-city-pastor-74-accused-of-assaulting-church-member Kansas City pastor, 74, accused of assaulting church member]
 
*[http://www.kctv5.com/story/34229659/kansas-city-pastor-74-accused-of-assaulting-church-member Kansas City pastor, 74, accused of assaulting church member]
 
==Sexual Abuse==
 
==Sexual Abuse==
 +
{{Quotebox|
 +
|width=33%
 +
|align=right
 +
|quote= Research studies have estimated that up to 20% or more of the clergy have violated sexual boundaries with parishioners (a higher percentage than any other professional group.
 +
|source= Rev. Pamela Cooper White, Ph.D., from the Disciplinary Policy and Procedures Task Force of the Episcopal Church [5]
 +
|}}
 +
 +
*Details of the Catholic sex abuse scandal have been logged in extreme detail at [www.bishopaccountability.org bishopaccountability.org].
 +
 +
*In September 2005, a Philadelphia grand jury concluded the longest probe of sexually abusive priests ever undertaken by a grand jury or district attorney at that time. Over the course of three years, the jurors documented over 60 abusive priests and hundreds of victimized minors, all hidden through a continuum of cover-ups by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The resulting 423-page report, and its additional 309 pages of appendices, refuses to shy away from detailed descriptions of the priest’s crimes and is seeped in the barely-contained disgust and anger of its authors after years of examining secret documents and interviewing victims, perpetrators, etc. Keep in mind that this report was not written by people who viewed organized religion with suspicion, but by a group of ordinary citizens plucked from the jury pool, including some Catholics. The entire report is available at [www.philadelphiadistrictattorney.com the Philadelphia D.A.’s website]
 +
 +
*Confessionals were invented in the late 1500s to curb sexual immorality, since Confession gave priests a private venue for molesting parishioners. This became so problematic that priests to be sealed in boxes and communicate through a screen, in order to prevent all physical contact. However, this was soon circumvented with removable screens and/or glory holes. Alternately, the confessional was a place for anonymous dirty talk and masturbation. [6]
 +
 
*[http://www.rawstory.com/2017/07/florida-pastor-busted-with-over-350000-pictures-and-videos-of-underage-girls-performing-s-acts-sheriff/ Pastor busted after church prank turns up over 350,000 images of minors performing sex acts: sheriff]
 
*[http://www.rawstory.com/2017/07/florida-pastor-busted-with-over-350000-pictures-and-videos-of-underage-girls-performing-s-acts-sheriff/ Pastor busted after church prank turns up over 350,000 images of minors performing sex acts: sheriff]
 
*[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263108/Abuse-hotline-set-Catholic-Church-Germany-melts-day-4-000-people-phone-in.html Abuse hotline set up by Catholic Church in Germany melts down on first day as 4,000 people phone in]
 
*[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263108/Abuse-hotline-set-Catholic-Church-Germany-melts-day-4-000-people-phone-in.html Abuse hotline set up by Catholic Church in Germany melts down on first day as 4,000 people phone in]
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{{Template:Navigation}}
 
{{Template:Navigation}}
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[1] D. W. Ray, The God Virus.
 +
[2] Cults in our Midst.
 +
[3] Clergy Killers.
 +
[4] J. Randi, The Faith Healers.
 +
[5] R. Kick, "Bits and Peices," in Everything You Know about God is Wrong.
 +
[6] G. P. Harrison, 50 Simple Questions for Every Christian.

Revision as of 02:28, 24 September 2017

Augustine.png

Unsustainable Image

Clergy serve in the holy office of the ministry; and are expected to serve as exemplars for the community whose spiritual and moral development they oversee. Yet, too often, these guides and teachers are responsible for the most heinous of crimes, often their own parishioners and community members, enabled by exploiting the special trust and confidence which their communities have placed in them.

Churches protect their priests, even in the face of absurdly evil crimes against their own parishioners (i.e. , sex abuse), simply because it is wildly expensive to put someone through seminary, an institution which few people chose to enter. It’s cheaper and easier to replace parishioners than to replace priests. [1] What little oversight exists in churches is thus exerted on blaming the victims and protecting the villains, like the mad kings of old who killed messengers bearing bad news. [2] This practice continued for centuries, where the clergy was above secular law of many European nations; all church affairs and incidents were handled internally. Even in the United States, it was all but unthinkable for the clergy to be tried in secular courts until [Nally v. Grace Community Church 1979]. [3]

A real Christian can’t work in a Christian organization.
—Rod Sherrill, Peter Popoff’s cameraman [4]

Jesus' main focus was not against stealing, sexual sins, or even violence -- but against hypocrisy (i.e., identification with a false persona which prevents one from being genuine or real). While this was an attack at the Pharisees, Christ also issued this as a general blanket statement that made many enemies, who in turn, crucified him.[1] As such, Those who claim that holiness leads to goodness must answer for all of the crimes listed below. Please note that this is just the material we have accrued and not a complete list; this list will be updated as more information becomes available. A more through, independent listing is available at Clergy Gone Wild.

Fascism

See ten thousand ministries
See the holy righteous dogs,
They claim to heal, but all they do is steal,
Abuse your faith, cheat, and rob,
If God is wise, why is he still,
When these false profits, call him friend,
Why is he silent, is he blind!?

—Motörhead, "God Was Never on Your Side"

Fraud

Homicide

LBGTQ+ Discrimination

Physical Abuse

Sexual Abuse

Research studies have estimated that up to 20% or more of the clergy have violated sexual boundaries with parishioners (a higher percentage than any other professional group.
—Rev. Pamela Cooper White, Ph.D., from the Disciplinary Policy and Procedures Task Force of the Episcopal Church [5]
  • Details of the Catholic sex abuse scandal have been logged in extreme detail at [www.bishopaccountability.org bishopaccountability.org].
  • In September 2005, a Philadelphia grand jury concluded the longest probe of sexually abusive priests ever undertaken by a grand jury or district attorney at that time. Over the course of three years, the jurors documented over 60 abusive priests and hundreds of victimized minors, all hidden through a continuum of cover-ups by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The resulting 423-page report, and its additional 309 pages of appendices, refuses to shy away from detailed descriptions of the priest’s crimes and is seeped in the barely-contained disgust and anger of its authors after years of examining secret documents and interviewing victims, perpetrators, etc. Keep in mind that this report was not written by people who viewed organized religion with suspicion, but by a group of ordinary citizens plucked from the jury pool, including some Catholics. The entire report is available at [www.philadelphiadistrictattorney.com the Philadelphia D.A.’s website]
  • Confessionals were invented in the late 1500s to curb sexual immorality, since Confession gave priests a private venue for molesting parishioners. This became so problematic that priests to be sealed in boxes and communicate through a screen, in order to prevent all physical contact. However, this was soon circumvented with removable screens and/or glory holes. Alternately, the confessional was a place for anonymous dirty talk and masturbation. [6]

Unclassified and/or Weird

References

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Ministry_Burnout

[1] D. W. Ray, The God Virus. [2] Cults in our Midst. [3] Clergy Killers. [4] J. Randi, The Faith Healers. [5] R. Kick, "Bits and Peices," in Everything You Know about God is Wrong. [6] G. P. Harrison, 50 Simple Questions for Every Christian.

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