betsy

As a parent I would counsel my own child (older children) about blind trust. Priests are humans after all. Same as you would prepare your child to protect himself and watch out for predators....priest or not! It is an essential survival tool and skill for any child nowadays. Parents will just have to be much more involved now. Religion or not! That's the way it is.

I know that some gays want to preserve the traditional definition of marriage. A group of them took out a whole page ad supporting that it should be left alone the way it is!

But that's it, isn't it? Do they have nuclear weapons or not? They claim they do! A previous test that they did close to Japan may not mean anything to us....but I bet it meant something to Japan. Do they plan to use them or not? Jong said that a sanction is an "act of war!" And that he plans to do something physical to retaliate! Somehow I have this feeling he doesn't mean aerobics to the tune of "Let's get Physical." So please explain why you think we may be over-reacting?

Be afwaid. Be vewy afwaid. Harper is eating your children; At 24 Sussex Drive; In Ottawa; In Ontario; In Canada I'm not making this up. I'm not allowed to make this up. As a Yank I wouldn't know that this should be made up. Choose Your Canada!!! Ith ith the twuth!

Come to think of ...perhaps the reason why the Liberals didn't think he is statesmanlike...is because he failed to follow Chretien's example: Harper should've grabbed and collared Ignatieff and menacingly said, "Oh you Jew-hating Iggy!"

Allow priests to marry and utilize and ordain women as priests as well. That might help a little bit. It is this ultimate authority and power, you see, that can be wielded effectively. Imagine a young boy fearing to offend this pervert whom he sees as the representative of God...of course the pervert would play up to that. The most effective way is to prevent it from happening. I think the church should re-plan activities that happen out of the service (like choir practice, fund raising etc.) It should be made mandatory that children be accompanied by their parents or designated guardians/chaperones if they do participate in such activities. Women from Christian organizations such as Catholic Womens' League or Ladies of Charity should volunteer to chaperone if necesarry....and only qualified to become chaperones after undergoing the usual security checks they do for daycare employees. This is not only for the protection of children...but for the protection of priests as well. The church should take an active role in preventing any opportunities for perverts to have access to children and minors. Let the perverts become priests if they insist...for it is almost impossible to know who they are. Let's see how long they will stay with the church if they find they cannot get their hands on the goodies.

Well, apparently some Jews agree with Harper's assessment. How many Jews had defected from the Liberals since the Lebanon war?

That's my boy! Ain't afraid to call a spade a spade!

This is ridiculous. Is rape that much of a problem in Muslim countries that they must force all women to cover up? Wouldn't it be better to punish the troublesome men, not the innocent women? I guess Jack Straw should demand an apology from those Muslim girls! Are they saying they fear Straw will rape them if he sees them "uncovered?" He'll be overcome by lust? Who do they think he is? Clinton?

Because priesthood is THE BEST profession there is for perverts! And considering Christianity being such an ancient religion....stretching on for generations....it is not surprising to know that perverts are DEEPLY imbedded in this institution. We're talking generations. How to weed them out and bust these homosexual and pedophile cliques is a tough question....with hardly any sure-fire solutions in sight.

Oh darn, does this mean it's only a matter of time and there will no longer be pepperoni pizza? And only all-beef hotdogs?

Well...this a free country, isn't it? If people are not happy with something, they can always boycott it. Much better than violent protest, throwing molotov cocktails, vandalising, killing and beating up people, don't you agree? Would you've preferred if irate passengers just grab that taxi cab driver and beat the hell out of him...or that Polish woman just smashing those alcohol bottles over his head?

What about the gag law? Isn't that a restriction of people's right to freedom of speech and opinion? And COINCIDENTALLY....isn't freedom of speech and opinion the very thing we've been debating in several threads over sometime now, related to Muslims....happening all over the world?

Not to mention of course, gay priests who had married their male partners...and still insisting on remaining as priests. Challenging and forcing the church to change its doctrines...to accomodate them.

And why is it a separate issue? Can you please explain?

The latest realistic consequence I'd given you was actually an example of how quite "simple and reasonable rules" can easily be challenged and altered. Rules as simple and reasonable as....driving a taxi cab?

Uh-uh. The church accepts prostitutes as parishioners. Do you expect the church to let the prostitutes do their tricks inside the church? Since they are prostitutes, do you expect the church to change its rules...and say okay, we've got prostitute parishioners, therefore we'll go along and no longer consider that a sin. Everyone can prostitute themselves. That's okay. The church opens its doors to sinners...in the hope that the sinners will forsake their sins. Not the other way around. Just because you are a homosexual does not mean you are no longer welcome to the church. But you know the doctrines and belief of the church. It is up to you to try to follow its belief.....or at least, respect it. It's just simple courtesy really. Drea, are you willing to change the rules of your house in order to accomodate a friend? Just because your friend had been helping you a lot and you've been accepting her help, you're willing to change your rules? How about if she's a drug user and she keeps on using drugs inside your house...not caring whether your children will see her. Or let's just say she keeps smoking regular cigarettes right there where your children are....inhaling second-hand smoke. She refuses to go outside to smoke....and makes all sorts of excuses why she should not smoke outside. Will you just change your rules and accept second-hand smoke in your house?

Well your assessment of me is wrong...for I do have had contacts with Muslim people. And we still maintain a sort of friendship with a couple who live quite far from us. Perhaps the reason I use the phrase "intimidation of all Muslims...." is the fact that somebody was already trying to bring in sharia law into Canada. True there is no such hospital in Canada....yet. Happenings in Europe is being mirrored elsewhere...so it's only natural to assume that if that hospital is approved and got going....Canada wouldn't be that far behind. If Liberals or NDP are heading the country, then it's almost a surety.

My take was that the abuse is not above what is to be expected as the "norm"...... Yes, in Muslim countries, of course they'll follow as their culture and religion dictates. It is the bringing of that culture and religious belief into our society that is the problem. The hospital...all-Muslim, with all its cultural and religious belief...will be nothing more than let's say....like an embassy? Anyone in there is immune from the laws of Canada? So what's next? The right to practice their sharia law in Muslim communities? You give an inch...that's the start! Since Brad had given the gays as an example, let's use them as an example. Before, they only wanted to be free to do as they please...the freedom to practice sodomy... inside their homes. Then they wanted to have the same protection as everyone else. Which is fine. Then they wanted to become recognized as an alternative lifestyle....to be included in school curriculums. Then they proposed the gag law. You can't say boo. Then they wanted SSM. Then they want the churches to recognize homosexuality as normal. Then they wanted the churches to sanction SSM. Etc...

Well, I'm surrounded by Canadians too...I have witnessed (although more than 30 years ago) and I have heard and I do know of 2 woman abused by the same man....and two others, my neighbours, one which resulted in a 3AM emergency response by paramedics, fire and police. Now all of these women are WASPs with the exception of one, who is Israeli. The one thing you can say about spousal abuse, it doesn't discriminate. Exactly. That's why I am wondering how Brad can confidently say that just because he works for Muslims or had been around Muslims in Canada...that that kind of abuse is not happening to some hapless Muslim women in Canada?

Yes. But we still have that kind of problem regarding women, do we...right here in Canada. Being right in a democratic society...where women have the freedom to protests...and we have a society sympathetic to the plight of women...and still, we have not eliminated the problem. So what more with a group whose very low opinion and view of women is well-documented? Whose religion believes that if a woman is raped...she should be stoned to death? You think then that they should be able and allowed...in the name of freedom of religion....to bring in their sharia law to democratic countries?

Okay, let's forget about the Muslims for a while. Are you saying there are no battered women among Canadians? No women are oppressed by their partners or spouses? I heard that even among gay/lesbian couples...there is spousal oppression. I am surrounded by Canadians. I know a lot of Canadians. And I have NOT WITNESSED...NOT EVEN heard...or have any reasons to suspect any of my friends...including acquaintances that they are being battered or abused at home. BUT I hear the Women complaining that there are spousal abuses. Lots in fact. Are you saying Womens' Right Movement is not exactly telling the truth? Just making it all up...for government funding? That they're lying?

How can the Vatican keep up with these incidents happening in places all over the world? It's like a nation's president being given details of every tiny corruptions happening everywhere, including small villages and hamlets and counties all over the country? There is a group of homosexual priests (and bishops or cardinals among them I imagine) who protect and shield one another. I think a lot of these transferring around and trying to hush it up (before the scandal reaches the Vatican level) are done by those who belong to or share the same penchant for whatever crime it was that was done.

Which only cement the most logical reason: priesthood attracts perverts like a moth to a flame. It IS the PERFECT setting for any pervert who wants to get to his preferred prey....whether that be of children, or young girls, or 14 year-old boys.

Then those types are latent homosexuals. And/or have tendencies for pedophilia. Some priests, despite having lived in the same conditions you've described as any other priests...end up having sex with females! Adult females. They end up with mistresses. So...why didn't they go for males? Why females? Because they are heterosexuals...that's why. I had a cousin who was studying to become a priest. Before making their final decisions, they are let loose in the outside world to test themselves if they're suited to priesthood. My cousin continued his eduation in a regular co-ed college....and ended up eloping and marrying his classmate, a woman I hastily add. I would understand a young teen "experimenting" with erotic acts with that of same sex...usually out of curiousity...and the normal hormones that are surging...or being confused with one's own sexuality! I must add that not all young teens go through this, but if it does happened I wouldn't say it isn't normal. You hear about it all the time in exclusive girls' schools! I'd say it is normal for young teens to experiment on one another at a certain time in their life. A good friend grew up in an exclusive school for girls and told us of the "kissing" and "touching" between some girls. She herself had experimented, she said. And yet, she did not turn out to become a lesbian....she liked men! It only becomes a sick experience when an adult lesbian teacher carries her duty of "teaching" a little bit too far and indulge in sexual "experimentation" with these young girls. Her maturity, authority and power....makes it easy to exploit and use and abuse these teens for self-gratification.