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...
She's right... her brother makes more sense than she does. I agree with just about everything he says.
ReplyDeleteI browsed through some of her previous columns and found much that was problematical. There is a tendency to use the scandal to flog her own pet issues. Her brother, on the other hand is brutally honest, on topic and quite focused.
The Catholics I know are all profoundly disturbed by the abuse scandal. They want to see that the issues are being dealt with honestly and justly without wholesale destruction of what they hold dear. And there's the rub...
There are those both inside the church and outside it for whom this is nothing more than an opportunity.
It is worthwhile to remember that both Judas and Peter betrayed Jesus. The only difference between the two is the fact that Peter repented and Judas hung himself.
There is no question in my mind that the Catholic Church has sinned in the person of priests who abused and bishops who put the institution ahead of the victims. We must repent.
Unfortunately we are living in an age which doesn't understand sin and repentance. For many people, Judas made the correct choice and anything that does not involve hanging ourselves will be seen as insufficient.
"There are those both inside the church and outside it for whom this is nothing more than an opportunity."
ReplyDeleteYou speak as though "opportunity" has a pre-determined negative value, and should be avoided. Why?
"...Judas hung himself."
Did he? Or was he murdered? Or was it a simple accident? That particular coroner's jury has been out for two thosuand years, and the mystery is no closer to being solved now than it was then. With no evidence to examine, it's all guesswork and interpretation.
And I found it most interesting, given her first two sentences (opening paragraph) that she still thinks of Judas' act as a betrayal. As, apparently, do you.
What if it wasn't a betrayal? What if it was part of the plan? After all, according to the story, Jesus knew about it all along and did nothing about it. What if Judas was actually a facilitator -- God's second? Chosen especially to put "The Plan" into gear?
That would put a whole different spin on things, wouldn't it?