"Mother Teresa" and Opus Dei

I saw the Da Vinci Code and was not impressed (the idea of facts changing faith is far to idealistic for me), but of late I've learned a little more about Opus Dei. There self mutilation is not Hollywood fiction but sanctioned Catholic practice! On top of that I knew "Mother Teresa" liked to watch people suffer (her houses for the poor were places of suffering, not medical clinics where people could get help) but I didn't know she was an Opus Dei member! On top of that, you'd think they'd hide that (like the truth of the "miracle" that got her canonized) but they don't! They admit it!!

The Catholics and the Nazi's

The biggest and most egregious claim people losing a discussion about religion, faith or god make is that atheists in the past have committed massive horrors. They especially cite the Nazi's. This claim is completely historically inaccurate to anyone who knows even a bit of real history. I can make my arguement and state the facts (Catholics were KEY not only to Hitler gaining power but keeping it and justifying the holocaust), but it is better if someone of more repute does it. The Washington Post has a great guest article about this and how the current Pope is washing over this and has started on the path backwards (from the Second Vatican Council).

Two sayings come to mind. "Those Who Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It" and "Judge not lest the be judged." The Nazi's were not atheists, but it is interesting that it is mostly christians who say that.

The Pope makes it too easy

He seems to have a knack for hilarious irony (such as condemning homosexuals and dressing like a "queen"), but in his homely in Washington he makes it even easier. He says things like, "the victims [of sexual abuse by the clergy] need loving pastoral attention." Ouch! But that's all too easy. Here is a much more interesting parallel.

Reading about the psychology of terrorists there was an interesting parallel I notice with priests. Many of the young boys who grow up to be suicide bombers are in all boy schools, with almost no female contact at all. If they have female contact they can't see the women let alone develop a normal relationship. When they go on their final missions they almost all have their genitals wrapped very carefully in cloth. When asked about this (not asking Achmed the terrorist, see youtube, but asking failed bombers) they clearly state this is so they can have the ability to enjoy their virgins! Clearly part of the cause of becoming a suicide bomber is the anguish of not being able to perform fundamental biological urges.

Now priest have this problem, but to a lesser degree. I'm not saying priests are terrorists! I'm simply showing that there is a common thread due to the suppression of strong biological urges with is undoubtedly unhealthy. The point is that both religions use the suppression of biological urges to control and contort the view of these poor people. They are nothing more than conditioned pawns of some very uncivilized people.

Clearly the combination of suppression of deep biological urges, constant training including special emphasis on not reasoning but simply believing is a major cause of terrorism and to a lesser extent unethical behavior (both the pedophiles and especially the priests and bishops who hid these monsters form authorities and allowed them to reoffend). Is faith worth it?

Modern segregationists

Unlike the violent black white segregationists of past todays modern segregationist is slightly more tolerant. They believe segregation is ok, so long as it is optional. The best example is the Ontario Liberal government and specifically Education Minister Kathleen Wynne and Premier Dalton McGuinty. In there modern segregationist view it is ok to segregate Catholics into separate schools so long as the Catholics are allowed out and no other faith is allowed in. The justification is simple: tradition. Wonder how that would have went over in the black white segregation debate? Think I'm exaggerating? Here is a direct quote of Wynne's speech to the Catholic trustees' and principals' AGM:

Catholic system is here to stay

Thursday, 20 March 2008

Written by Michael Swan, The Catholic Register,

TORONTO - Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne put a positive spin on the bitter debate over confessional education during the fall election campaign in a speech to Catholic teachers at their annual union meeting in Toronto March 9.

In the end voters rejected Conservative proposals to expand public education to include Jewish, Muslim and Christian schools and affirmed the existing publicly funded system in Ontario which covers secular and Catholic school boards, she said.

“It’s the most inclusive system in the world,” Wynne told about 600 delegates to the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association annual general meeting. “We have to model that pluralistic system for the world.”

The election “reinforced public support for the current publicly funded system,” she told The Catholic Register. No amount of public debate over whether it’s fair to fund Catholic schools but not Jewish and Muslim schools would cause a Liberal government to re-examine current funding for Catholic schools as the only publicly funded separate system, she said.

“It’s the system that we inherited,” said Wynne.

Guess Ontarians should've known we've elected a government that is committed to inequality and Catholic privilege. After all they never took an oath to serve all Ontarians.

But best of all, this logic implies that if you inherited a slave it was ok!!