Good will to all men? Not from the grumpy atheists! (Thank God not all atheists are grumpy but there sure seems to be a lot of them)
Why is it that so many in the atheist community cannot bring themselves to get past their anger whenever they engage in discussions? The language of many of their contributions in public debate is laced with invective and dripping with sarcasm and bile. There are exceptions of course, but they tend to fall more into the category of being the 'exception that proves the rule' when compared to the hostility of many of today's atheist posters. Comment offered by the theists in the public square is often depicted as being 'malicious' or 'venomous' and intended to enslave the 'feeble minded and weak' by those who post. Nothing could be further from the truth. Venom is something that is oriented to death. Christians are oriented in a 180 degree different direction. We speak not to the culture of death that grips our world but rather for the culture of life and light which ends with the gift of eternal life. For example, the Catholic Church in its hum...
Kennedy makes some excellent points without a whole lot of emotional pleading. To wit:
ReplyDelete"If a member of the clergy steals or cheats — or whatever else is forbidden in civil law — then that person should go to trial. There should be no dodgy transfers to offices outside the diocese."
"...articulate a sensible and just way of dealing with the superiors of the abusers. This is easier said than done, and it is probably worthwhile to make several distinctions."
...and finally...
"...anyone who falsely and knowingly accuses an innocent clergyman of abuse some 20 or 40 years ago not only commits a dire mortal sin but also breaks the law. Bearing false witness is both a sin and a criminal offense."
Except in that last point, I would have editted out the phrase, "innocent clergyman," for two reasons -- the word "innocent" is not only redundant but meaningless in this context, since everyone accused is presumed to be innnocent until proven guilty -- and this law is not just for clergymen, but for everyone.
Otherwise, good article.