The debate over celibacy

I've often wondered why Catholic priest and nuns were not allowed to marry. In my ignorance, I thought that celibacy reached back to the early days of Christianity and had some doctrinal foundation. I was wrong on both counts. They lost the right to marry in 1022 when Pope Benedict VIII banned marriages and mistresses. Later, Pope Innocent II voided all marriages and forced priests to divorce their wives. Requiring the clergy to be celibate was an economic response to the problem of children inheriting the property of the church.

When a priest takes a vow of celibacy, the vow, like many other aspects of a traditional church, has nothing to do with being a Christian and everything to do with politics. When a priest takes a vow, for that matter, when anyone takes a vow, the vow should be kept. Even if the vow is not what it seems. Keeping ones word is a vital social contract. One can always renounce a vow if the need arises.

Priests should be allowed to marry. I am not naive enough to think this will help reduce clergy sexual misconduct. I’ve seen plenty of evidence to suggest the position of pastor or priest is the most significant factor. I’m sure it has something to do with abuse of power and impulse control. Being married does not help the Baptists

On the other hand, if a priest keeps a girlfriend or is secretly married, he is a dishonest man. The only honorable things to do is leave the priesthood and continue life as a married man, or leave the girlfriend and continue life as a celibate priest. When a priest tries to make the argument that he should be able to keep his girlfriend and maintain the priesthood, he has no moral authority to make the request because his life is a lie.

Rev. Alberto Cutié is living this situation now. Pictures of him in the embrace of a woman in a magazine recently. This situation is an embarrassment to the Catholic church because his supporters are vocal and visable. Yet Cutié faces the end of his career for violating his vows.

'Father Cutié made a promise of celibacy, and all priests are expected to fulfill that promise with the help of God,'' he said. ``Father Cutié's actions cannot be condoned despite the good works he has done as a priest.''

''Scandals such as this offer an occasion for the church on all levels to examine our consciences regarding the integrity of our commitments to the Lord and to his Church,'' he added.

The Pope is unlikely to allow priest to marry. There is a third option for Cutié. One that many of his fellow priests use. Keep the relationship a secret and continue to act as a priest. This would be more in keeping with his character and is conduct expected for Catholic priests.

Technorati tags: Catholics, Clergy Sexual Misconduct, Celibacy

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The problem with sleepwalking

Of off the odd things I do, sleepwalking is the one that I worry about the most. In winter, I wake up in the front room of my home looking out of a large window. In summer, I find myself sitting on the steps of my Jacuzzi. I sleepwalk three or four times a month; more when I’m under stress, like when I travel. The worst episode took place while traveling in France about ten years ago. I woke up on a park bench about 500 yards from my hotel. I was in shorts and a t-shirt but barefoot. A police officer shook me awake and then walked me back to my hotel. He told be to lay off the sauce. Since then I take precautions, like barricading the door with a chair and my luggage.

I did it again last night. My dog treed a possum in the backyard and was barking loud enough to wake my wife. I slept through it.  She asked me to take care of it, I was apparently rude enough in my response  to her that she wanted to talk about it this morning. I apologized and told her I did not remember a thing.

I had a dream though. I dreamed I walked into my backyard with a hose in hand and tried to play whack-a-mole with my dog. My dog, being a yippy little minpin, bounced around and ran back into the safety of the house. I turned the hose on the possum instead. It flew up over my roof into the clouds. That is all I remembered until this morning when my wife spoke to me. I had said something like, “But I don’t love the neighbors” in response to her comment about the dog barking loud enough to wake the neighbors. I am sure I was rude or surly or both. I don’t know because I don’t remember.

When she asked, I took action. I got up and went into the backyard. I turned on the garden hose and sprayed the dog and possum with water. Apparently, I also visited the restroom and the refrigerator before retuning to bed. Pieces are coming back to me, but dimly.

I worry about sleepwalking, but I have doubts about people who use it as an excuse to cover a crime. In all the years of sleepwalking, my actions have always been a mirror of simple things I do while awake. In my case, I walk in the middle of the night to relieve leg craps. In winter I walk in my front room, in summer I walk in the back yard. I tend to do things that I normally do, but without waking up. Chasing a possum away with a hose is something I’ve done dozens of times.  Even my adventure in France was normal. I used to walk the park at night to work off steam after a long day at work.

People I talk to who sleep walk do the same things as I do. That’s why I have my doubts when sleepwalking is used as a defense for a crime. Like the case of a Scott Falater, a devout Mormon who stabbed his wife 44 times and then claimed sleepwalking as a defense. It was BS and he went to jail as he should have. I think sleepwalkers functions at a level that does not require consciousness decisions. You have to think about killing somebody and then hiding the evidence. Right?

I was wondering, does anybody else sleepwalk? And if so, do you do anything more complex that walking to your fridge?

Technorati tags: Sleepwalking, Mormons

Catholic Abuse victim gets record settlement

Lou Ann Soontiens was abused by a Roman Catholic priest as a young girl. Her abuser, Rev. Charles Sylvester was convicted of 47 counts of sexual assault. Nearly 70 young woman came forward with allegations of abuse as children.

Soontiens's civil case against the Roman Catholic Diocese of London was to start on May 11, but a few days ago the diocese offered to settle for $2 million, including court costs.

It's considered to be the largest individual award for sexual abuse ever in Canada.

2 million does not seem like enough money. 2 million times 70 does not seem like enough either.

Technorati tags: Catholics, Clergy Sexual Abuse

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The underage bride of a Mormon cult leader...

...was released from foster care to live with a distant relative. No word yet if the distant relative plans to marry her off to another Mormon cult leader.

An alleged child bride of jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs will be allowed to leave foster care and live with a distant relative, a judge ruled Thursday.

Texas District Judge Barbara Walther agreed to allow the 14-year-old girl — the only child from the Yearning For Zion Ranch in foster care — to move in with the relative next week. Although some of the records in the case are sealed, the relative does not live at the ranch or in nearby San Angelo…

She was 12, he was… a really old dude. The marriage was made in Mormon heaven. Warren Jeffs should rot in prison for a very long time.

Technorati tags: Polygamy, Child abuse, Warren Jeffs, Mormons

Science is cool: White blood cell chasing a bacterium

This is happening inside of me. It's too cool for words. And I don’t need faith to believe in it. 

Technorati tags: Science, YouTube

Carrie Prejean, a beautiful hypocrite and hater

 Carrie Prejean has polarized nearly everyone I’ve talked to in the last few days. Some stand firmly behind her right to speak her mind, while others feel the press is too hard on her. I’ve run into a few people who paint her as the anti-Christ for her views on gay marriage. I’ve been too busy to post on her, although I have thought about her from time to time. I think she is a perfect candidate for hypocrisy watch. She is an in-your-face Christian active in the promotion of her faith. yet she is flawed. Not physically, she is a beautiful young woman, but on a deeper level she is a flawed person. The flaw is obvious, she will do anything to promote herself, be it fake boobs, seminude modeling, appeals to sympathy, pedaling hate, and possibly lying. She wears the badge of a Christianity proudly while at the same time she hides the stain of her characters flaws behind her beauty. She is a hypocrite of the highest order. At least she’s not a pastor.

Technorati tags: Christians, Hypocrisy, Carrie Prejean

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Ex-pastor now a child molester

It happens month after month here on Deep Thoughts. So often in fact that I grow tired of retelling the stories. I am no longer surprised by what these men do, but I am always horrified.

Pastor Timothy Ryan Jamison pleaded guilty to charges that he molested a 4-year-old boy.

Upon entry of the plea, Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge John Freeland sentenced Jamison to three years and eight months in state prison.

"He basically pled guilty to everything and threw himself on the mercy of this court," said Deputy District Attorney Annette Rees, who prosecuted the case. "This was as good as it would get for Jamison."

It is rare that a pastor admits his guilt. Perhaps he will survive his sentence in prison and be released as a GPS tagged pedophile to serve in some unsuspecting Baptist church?

Technorati tags: Pedophiles, Clergy Sexual Misconduct, Child Molestation

The problem with God's law

I hear it in stories all the time. The phrase, "when you believe that you above God’s law anything can happen."  It is used to explain how a pastor screwed up by raping a child or stealing funds. Poor pastor so-and-so, he put himself above God’s law. My problem is that the whole concept of God’s law is flawed. It does not exist and there is no one to enforce it. Under these conditions, of course, people interpret the law to their best advantage. Like pastor Joseph Kennedy Ragland. He put himself above God’s law by allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl.

An application for a search warrant says Ragland, pastor at the Church of God in Christ Jesus in Angier, had sex with the teenager three times after telling her to drink beer.

What good does it do to study the word of God if those who preach it violate some of the most basic concepts?

Technorati tags: Hypocrisy, Clergy Sexual Abuse.

What is it about twitter?

I've been on Twitter now for about six months. At first I did not get it. I do now. I've come to love this simple tool. I don't post as much as I read what other people are doing.

As with many web technologies, my extended family and friends joined at about the same that Oprah ruined the tool. The last few weeks have been difficult, but I have persisted. I check my friend’s tweets every day. I enjoy keeping up with people, even if it only reading about Masalaskeptic recover from a night of drinking, or thedogdish talk about her pups.

I’m off to Dennys for a late breakfast. I guess I should have tweeted that, sometimes I get confused.

Technorati tags: Twitter, blogger

Delray Beach priest surrenders for prison term

Justice comes at last for Catholic Priest Rev. John Skehan. He started serving a 14-month sentence for stealing $370K.

The crime of the defendant was pure greed unmasked," Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jeffrey Colbath said at the sentencing. "There was not a shred of moral necessity to excuse the defendant's crime.

Skehan is already 81. He’s lost everything no, even his dignity. Prison is going to be hard on the old rat bastard.

Technorati tags: Catholics, Crime, Theft, Clergy Misconduct

Julian says hi

We celebrate the small things in life. Like yesterday. Young Julian said “Hi” to me and then executed a perfect traditional Filipino greeting called the Mano. The Mano is when one slightly bows to one's elder as they take the elder's opposing hand and respectfully place it to one's own forehead.

Julian has autism. His small achievement may seem unimportant to some, but it filled my heart with joy. “Hi” was the first word I had ever heard him speak. I smiled all afternoon and took a dozen more pictures of this wonderful child. 

Technorati tags: Autism, Photography, Filipino Culture

Catholic meddlers

Few thing rile me more than religious leaders attempting to push their moral agenda. Bishop Martino things his position on abortion is the only tenable position. At every opportunity he slams those who he feels are out of line, like Sen. Casey.

"I do not believe he has the moral stature to stand before the graduates of a Catholic college to address them about their futures and the challenges they will face when on the most important issue of the day -- the sanctity of human life -- he cannot muster the courage to oppose the pro-abortion agenda, which is currently being promoted in Washington," Martino said in a statement.

Is abortion rights the most important issue of the day? I can think of many other competing issues. Besides, the Catholic church lost its moral imperative a long time ago.

I read a book recently where the villain, a national leader who had lead his country astray, was punished by being ignored. Nobody, not a single person, would acknowledge his existence. It seems a fitting why to handle those who hate.

Technorati tags: Catholics, Abortion

What kind of hawk is this?

I saw this hawk take a pigeon in the park today. A little while later it took a mouse. The hawk ate its meals  in a tree above our heads.

I’m having a difficult time identifying this hawk. Can anyone help me identify it? I have a few more pictures here.

I also spotted a Mountain Bluebird today, but I was not able to get a photo of it.

Technorati tags: Hawks, Bird Watching. Photography

Chad Farnan is an idiot

Hey, if PZ Myers things Chad Farnan is an idiot, who am I to argue? And why would I?

Technorati tags: Science, Creationism

My brain hurts

At times, my life becomes a little too stressed to focus on doing anything other than working and sleeping. It's been like that for a week or so. I have a screwed up project at work that keeps my mind occupied all the time. I even dream about the damn thing. Except, I'm dreaming about game shows. I know when I dream about game shows that I am actually trying to solve problems in Microsoft Project. It's complex. Don't ask.

I picked up my camera today to try to jump start my mind again. I like this shot so I thought I would share.

I’ll get back to blogging over the weekend.

Technorati tags: Photography