Atheist Evolution has an interesting article on clergy sexual abuse and the Catholic Church in Ireland called Vatican Supports Culture of Secrecy with Child Abuse. He goes after Cardinal Brady, who failed to do the right thing, which was protect the children.
It is not in the scope of his duty to report child molesters to the authorities??
It is not in the scope of his duty to pass on information to anyone outside the church officials?
It is not even in the scope of his duty to inform the PARENTS of the possibility that their children might be in danger? (he interviewed the children, but did not pass on the danger that he discovered during those interviews)
I read a story on Reddit about a Catholic high school refusing to play in a baseball final because a girl was on the apposing team. My first thought was, “Is this a story from the 1950s?”
Our Lady of Sorrows, a fundamentalist Catholic school in Phoenix, chose to forfeit the championship final rather than play against Mesa Preparatory Academy, because the school has a 15-year-old girl Paige Sultzbach on their team.
"Our school aims to instil in our boys a profound respect for women and girls. Teaching our boys to treat ladies with deference, we choose not to place them in an athletic competition where proper boundaries can only be respected with difficulty."
A helpful redditor offered this clarification.
Just wanted to clarify: this is NOT a Catholic school. It's a Society of St Pius X (SSPX) school. SSPX is not recognized by the "official" Catholic church, nor by the Pope, and they are generally acknowledged (among actual Catholics) as being troublemakers at best. I just wanted to clarify this because the title of this post is misleading.
I’d assume that a Catholic school not recognized by the pope makes it a Catholic cult. I’m not sure which piece of news I find more disturbing, a wrong-headed religious decision, or the discovery, for me anyway, of another cult. I know so little about religion, nor do I understand it well.
To me, Horst Faas was the photographer who put a human face on the Vietnam War. I can remember a one-eyed high school teacher showing me a photo of a woman morning over the body of her husband. I first saw it in the 70s. It has haunted my dreams for years. When I think of the Vietnam War, the first image that comes to mind is this one
I was browsing a book on the war a few weeks ago. It contained a number of his photos; Including this one. Seeing it again evoked an emotional response. I could feel the woman’s grief. I stood looking at it for long time. Photos that pull on your emotions are rare. Faas produced dozens in his career.
Few people understand the impact Faas had on photography. He’s recruited and trained dozens of photographers during his time in Vietnam. Including the man who took the war’s most iconic photo.
My's younger brother, Huynh Cong "Nick" Ut, followed his brother at AP and under Faas's tutelage won one of the news agency's six Vietnam War Pulitzer Prizes, for his iconic 1972 picture of a badly burned Vietnamese girl fleeing an aerial napalm attack.
I flew to Atlanta this week for a technical conference. Once I arrived, I took the MARTA's red line from the airport to Peachtree Center in the downtown area. It’s a short trip and saved my employer a car rental fee. Along the route, a lot of people got on the train. It was 5:00 pm. A group of kids entered at the Lakewood stop and started to jostle a rider at the back of the car. It reminded me of Gypsies in Paris. A fat old lady yelled, “Pick pockets.” She pointed at the kids with a flabby black arm (with perfect nails). I expected them to be mobbed and arrested or something, instead at least 25 riders raised cellphones and shot video. The kids hid their faces under shirts and hats. The did their best to avoid showing any part of the face to the people on the train. They jumped off at the next stop followed by a few passengers holding cellphones up to record their flight. The doors eventually closed. The people riding with me went back to doing whatever they were doing before. The fat woman muttered, “Stupid kids.” I smiled.
I took at cab back to the airport on my return trip.
Former Baptist youth pastor Brian Brijbag, profiled here, entered a no contest plea to a lessor charge child abuse, ending his trail for having sexual relations with a 17-year old female congregant. Brijbag is also alleged to have engaged in a sexual relationship with an 18-year old girl.
Brijbag was the youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Booksville. He is married with three children. The plea deal allows him to avoid prison and the sex offender registry.
As part of his plea agreement, Brian Brijbag, 36, will serve three years probation, undergo sex offender counseling, pay a $964 fine and have no contact with his accuser.
This story posted on May 11th. This morning an anonymous poster dropped the following comment in Blogger’s comments. (I moved it to Intense Debate).
I am sorry but your article seems very ignorant. I do not know this man at all but I do believe he is innocent. The 17 year old said they did not have sex and after 4 hours of being objectified by a law enforcement officer (who is now fired and has been arrested for nonrelated sexual charges), she confessed but with extreme restraint. Please educate yourself fully on a matter before you post something as hateful as this article.
This comment does not ring true to me, does it to you? Whoever made it is trying to point blame away from Brijbag and towards the victim. Who would do that except for somebody involved in the case?
It is when Wiley Drake does it. Remember him? He prayed for God to kill president Obama back in 2009. Now he’s been arrested for loitering outside the White House. He claims to have been praying for Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, His excuse makes little sense unless God listens to prayers based on where they are offered. I guess the fence in front of the White House is prime prayer real estate then.
The only reason Drake prayed in public for Chen Guangchen is publicity. What does the bible say about praying in public?
Matthew 6:1-34 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward
And
Matthew 6:6 - But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Now that seems pretty clear, right? Wiley Drake may not actually be a Christian if he so blatantly prays in violation of the word of God. Perhaps he’s one of those other things… a Republican.
I do a few book reviews here on Deep Thoughts. It’s not something I push much, because of the time commitment involved, but I’m about to change that as I plan to do more. I’m starting with a small self-published book called The Atheist’s guide to discussion with Catholics by James Clark. It’s $2.99 on Amazon.
Mr. Clark organizes 50 different topics into a discussion discussion guide that uses plain English and easy to understand explanations to cover various aspects in Catholicism and Christianity. I found the book an easy read, and interesting. The target audience is a person who is not well versed in religion, the bible, or theology.
Topics covered include:
Epicurean Paradox
We would not have moral guidance without God
Bible Contradiction
Purgatory
Noah’s Ark
Pedophilia
Witch hunts
This book is not a deep tome, nor does it cover it’s subjects in detail. Consider it a mostly accurate summary of the subjects covered from an Atheist’s perspective. It’s short, at 33 pages, with most sections are just a few paragraphs long. If you are unfamiliar with Catholicism, this book will give a few good discussion points and prime you for a deeper dive.
The history behind this book is fascinating. James Clark was born in Jijeka, Croatia to a atheist father and and slightly theist mother. Clark was taught as a boy to think for himself. Since Croatia is mostly Christian, Clark cataloged his thoughts and ideas so that he could use them when talking to Christians. This book is the first 50 topics and was translated to English from Clark’s native Croatian. The next 50 topics are pending.
I found Andy Warhol on the side of a building on North Cahuenga in Hollywood today. My son and I were off for a dude’s day at Amoeba, Hennessy and Ingles, and then Umami Burger. We had a blast, and then hurried home for video games.
My son asked why I take my camera with me when we go out. I explained that it’s like hunting. I’m looking for photos the way a hunter looks for prey. If I don’t have a camera, I can’t shoot my prey.
Today I shot three pieces of street art, one graffiti, a girl with tattoos, and several photos of cops on three-wheeled patrol carts. As usual, I only like one or two photos in post edit.
Tapia's coworkers said they found chats with an individual representing a 16-year-old boy from Argentina. They also claim to have found photographs of young boys with exposed genitalia.
In March, the FBI searched Tapia's computer at Excel Learning Center and found pictures that appeared to be of children between the ages of 12 and 13 with their genitals exposed.
Yet, this man’s alleged crimes did not stop his supporters from showing up in court. 10 people were hoping he would be released because he is nice guy and no threat to the community at all. The judge ruled Tapia should be locked up. I’m sure the citizens of El Paso are pleased.
"He was a real professional gentleman, always on time" said Robert Chavez.
Tapia appears to have admitted to at least some of the crimes, which is rare in these types of cases because the penalties are so high. Perhaps he will do the right thing here and take responsibility for his alleged crimes. You never know.
I blow most comments off, even when they attack me. On the other hand, sometimes I feel compelled to share. This comment was left in reference to Hands that pray also prey, a post about alleged sexual groper and Christian Karl VanderWoude.
Anonymous said...What a bunch of hate mongers you all are. Turns out the guy is INNOCENT. I think the crazy people are the ones pushing hate out into the world and spreading these horrible accusations about an innocent man. Instead of posting your hate and moving on I hope a few of you scumbags keep up to date with this and write a blog about how horrible you feel about being such a douche-bag. And screw you, the less evil people in the world (who else would read your trash blog) that know my name, the better.
This was followed by a personal attack. I get lots of these. Why did I choose Deep Thoughts as a name? I love Jack Handy.
Anonymous said...Also, "Deep Thoughts"?!?! Are you kidding me?! If these are your "Deep Thoughts" you're a complete simpleton. Please don't breed.
It’s easy enough to guess your name Karl. I get that you are pissed about the press and blog coverage of your story. However, as of the time I write this, the only evidence I have that you might be innocent are your assertions.
There are no stories suggesting that you are innocent. When (if) these hit the press, I will post them. If you are not the Well-Dressed Grouper, then I’ll be happy to offer you a guest post here on my blog (See the FAQ).
Do I think you are guilty? It really does not matter, does it? My opinion is meaningless. I did not even express an opinion in my original piece. Nope… I was snarky about your arrest, but neutral on your guilt or innocence.
And... good luck in court. I understand they have you on video.
I must admit that my appreciation of the Beastie Boys awoke late in life. I was not a fan in the 80s, but the 90s was a different story. My son Jon played them around the house all the time, I learned to like them, and then to love them. This song, So What cha Want, is my favorite. RIP MCA
Don Henley sang those words a long time ago, yet, the still stick in my mind. They go through my head every time I see an ixthus sticker on the back of a $70K BMW. I saw one today, it was a metal symbol in gold attached to the trunk. Would Jesus own a BMW? More importantly, would or should one of his followers own a BMW? It seems completely inconsistent with is core message, so why do it unless you were your religion like clothing?
Ronald Asplund was a volunteer youth coordinator at Oak Harbor Lutheran Church. He’s been arrested for the alleged rape of two boys. It’s not his first dance either, there were similar allegations six years ago.
The police started investigating the case last week after a woman reported that Asplund had violated a court order barring him from contacting her 13-year-old son. An officer found that Asplund had given the boy a cell phone; the officer found that it contained sex-related text messages from Asplund.
Investigators soon discovered that Asplund had been molesting both the 13-year-old boy and his 14-year-old friend, according to the report by Detective James Hoagland. Asplund later admitted to the allegations in an interview with the detective, the report states.
What I found most disturbing about this case was the allegation that one of the rapes occurred during a church lock-in event. That’s were youth pastors lock kids in the church gym all night for some kind of religious ritual, or what I call, pastors special play time. Oak Harbor says it has a strict policy about adults being alone with children, and then it creates an environment where abuse can happen. That seems a little short sighted and disingenuous.
Rule 14… never let kid sleep overnight in the church gym with the youth pastor.
A ninth victim came forward with allegations that youth pastor Jeff London sexually molested him. The defense countered with a bizarre get rich quick story line.
Gonzalez said yesterday that the growing number of victims are making up their stories in a bid go after the fortune of London's former benefactor, Elizabeth "B.J." Huizenga Buntrock. As reported here recently, the very wealthy Buntrock, cousin of mogul H. Wayne Huizenga, financed London's homes and vehicles and founded the Eagle Academy Charter School in Lauderdale Lakes where he was made dean of students.
I don’t think this defense will pass scrutiny. The scheme too complex for children to have come up with it, and, how are the kids supposed to get rich from this?
In other news, text messages show that London liked to molest his victims while they played videogames.
After one boy asks in a text if he can play the "Call of Duty" video game, a text sent from London's phone asks to perform a sexual act on the boy while he plays.
It’s pretty sick stuff. London’s defense attorney is playing the text messages off as a conspiracy by the victims. I understand why people hate lawyers.
The thing about Las Vegas is that behind the scenes, the city is pretty brutal. This man sleeps beneath a bridge in front of New York, New York. A thousand people pass him by every hour. Few people pay him any attention. There were dozens of men and woman just like him hidden here and there. You just needed to look.
I watched two cops talk to a homeless man on a walkway over the Strip near the new Cosmopolitan hotel. They were so nice. It was like watching a movie. They even warned the man to stay out of the sun and gave him water. The only thing was, well, they were being filmed for Cops (or something like it). Las Vegas is a show. It’s all for show.
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