Defections, court fights test Scientology

Hubbard taught that the “thetan,” the equivalent of a spirit, can be cleared of negative energy from this and previous lives through a process called auditing. With the aid of auditors, Scientologists seek a state called “Clear” and then advance through various levels of “Operating Thetan.”

The paragraph above, taken directly from the article below, is but a mere example of the kinds of stupidities that people who belong to the Church of Scientology believe; and this is just the tip of the iceberg! In fairness, all cults/religions make fantastic claims which go beyond the realms of rational thinking, logic and common sense. The Christian Bible for example, is littered with unbelievable assertions; talking animals, virgin births, resurrections, countless miracles, people living hundreds of years, and innumerable other absurdities. Yet as ridiculous as these are, the Church of Scientology’s beliefs are even more absurd, particularly when one considers that the Church of Scientology came into being just over fifty years ago and that the inventor of this so-called religion was a science fiction writer of all things.  At the very least Christianity has an excuse, it evolved when scientific thought was at its infancy. It took hold when people were uninformed and much more superstitious. One would think that society at large, and the overall intelligence of the masses, would be significantly more advanced in this day and age and that people wouldn’t fall prey to these con artists. Yet obviously, this is not the case. TGO

Refer to article below. Source: Associated Press

By ERIC GORSKI, AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski, Ap Religion Writer Sun Nov 1, 2:12 pm ET

The Church of Scientology is going through a difficult season.

Over the course of two days last week, a French court convicted the church of fraud and Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis’ resignation from the church over a litany of concerns was aired publicly. On one hand, it was just another bad press week for the embattled institution founded in 1953 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

But for former Scientologists and scholars of the movement, the setbacks pose a greater challenge coming on the heels of defections of top-level Scientologists who lifted a veil of secrecy on the organization and alleged a culture of violence and control under Hubbard’s successor, David Miscavige.

“With any organization, the loss of a substantial number of your most experienced people and chaos at the upper levels is problematic,” said David Bromley, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor who studies new religious movements and has written on Scientology. “There are PR implications, the possibility of legal actions … That dwarfs the other things.”

The church has strenuously denied the allegations against Miscavige, portraying the accusers as lying disgruntled ex-employees.

Church spokesman Tommy Davis said Scientology is flourishing, with more than 8,000 Scientology churches, missions and groups in 160-plus nations. He said assets and property holdings have doubled over the past five years, including a new church in Rome and another opening this weekend in Washington, D.C.

“From our perspective, things are going pretty great,” Davis said. “In fact, that’s downplaying it. Actually, what’s happening with the church right now is frankly spectacular. To the degree there are these various things happening, it really is a lot of noise.”

One major survey of American religion shows Scientology declining in the U.S., however. The estimated number of Americans who identify as Scientologists rose from 45,000 in 1990 to 55,000 in 2001, then plummeted to 25,000 in 2008, according to the American Religion Identification Survey.

Davis said that while the church avoids membership estimates, it’s “absolutely in the millions” globally and growing in the U.S.

Scientology has long been controversial. The Internal Revenue Service granted the church tax exemption in 1993 after a nearly four-decade battle over whether it should be considered a religion. Critics say Scientology is a business, preying on people by charging exorbitant sums for services.

The church continues to fascinate, fueled by interest in celebrity adherents such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, as well as beliefs that don’t fit into typical American religious boxes.

Hubbard taught that the “thetan,” the equivalent of a spirit, can be cleared of negative energy from this and previous lives through a process called auditing. With the aid of auditors, Scientologists seek a state called “Clear” and then advance through various levels of “Operating Thetan.”

The allegations of violence were leveled by four former high-ranking Scientology executives who told their stories to the St. Petersburg Times last summer. The executives said they witnessed Miscavige, chairman of the board that oversees the church, hit staff members dozens of times and urged others to do the same.

Davis called the allegations “absolutely, unquestionably false” and “sickening and outrageous.” ABC’s “Nightline” aired a report this month covering much of the same ground.

To critics of Scientology and ex-members who have grown increasingly vocal in recent years, it’s a breakthrough — critical voices from former members of the inner circle, not the media or outsiders.

“When you have dozens of people speaking out, it’s no longer too credible to say they’re all malcontents and criminals,” said Jeff Hawkins, a former Scientology marketing guru who defected in 2005. “(The church) is either going to reform or collapse, and I think it’s going to be the latter because they’re incapable of reform or admitting any wrongdoing.”

One defector, Marty Rathbun, who served on the church’s board and was a top lieutenant of Miscavige’s, said a growing movement of people hold to the tenets of Scientology, but reject the institutional church.

“I don’t foresee another church,” Rathbun said. “That was the first attack on me — that this was a coup, that I’m trying to tap a schism or start another church … That’s not an objective of mine or a positive way to go.”

Haggis, the Oscar-winning director of “Crash,” was not a high-ranking Scientologist. But his defection is significant, said actor Jason Beghe, who left the church in 2007 and has become a critic.

“He was somebody the Scientology community was proud of, and therefore I’m sure he helped hold some of their base in place,” said Beghe, who appeared in the film “G.I. Jane” and TV’s “Everwood” and is cast in Haggis’ next film, now shooting in Pittsburgh. “Anybody who is a Scientologist is harboring doubts.”

It was Rathbun who obtained a copy of Haggis’ critical letter to Davis and posted it on his blog. Haggis complained that Davis didn’t do enough to distance Scientology from proponents of California’s gay marriage ban. He criticized the church’s “smearing” of the high-level defectors.

The filmmaker also wrote about the church’s practice of “disconnection,” in which members cut off contact with loved ones who leave or advocate against the religion — something Davis said is not mandated.

A day after Haggis’ letter went public, a Paris court convicted the Church of Scientology of fraud and fined it more than $900,000, but stopped short of banning the group’s activities in France. The organization’s French branch likened it to a modern-day Inquisition and said it would appeal.

Davis questioned the attention paid to the French verdict, saying that little notice was given when the church won court victories in Italy and Russia that cemented the church’s presence in those countries. He said the top-level defections are not troubling, but rather a gain for the church.

Some scholars of Scientology believe the recent setbacks are momentary.

Defectors are overly optimistic about doing any real damage, said J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif., and editor of a book on Scientology.

“If five cardinals walked out of the Roman Catholic Church and turned on it and said there are bad things happening, it’d be a storm, but the church would weather the storm,” Melton said. “I think Scientology is big enough to where it can and will weather the storm.”

Most religions, Scientology included, experience disagreement and leadership turmoil after a founder’s death and survive, said Susan Palmer, a religious studies professor at Dawson College in Montreal.

“I think they’ll end up like the Mormon church or Jehovah’s Witnesses, that were very controversial in our time but now are largely accepted,” Palmer said.

Others think the Church of Scientology is in trouble. Along with the defections and French court setback, Scientology has been unable to stop Internet leaks of confidential material that members must pay a premium for, said Hugh Urban, a professor in the department of comparative studies at Ohio State University.

“They’re really losing what has been the bread and butter,” Urban said.

Meanwhile, an online betting parlor is taking wagers on the next celebrity Scientologist to leave.

Internet believers: Pastors open online churches

There is no end to what certain people will do to suck money from the gullible, and there are none as gullible as the religious. Internet communions, baptisms, clicking on a tab to accept Christ as savior… If it wasn’t so ridiculous and stupid it would actually be amusing. I suppose since churchgoers are dropping in numbers, which obviously translates to lost profits, the  clergy, shrewd as they are, are now using the internet to increase their audience.

For all you religious-types out there that like to listen to ordinary men talk about things that they know nothing about, I’ve copied the links to the internet churches included with this article, see below. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll, Ap Religion Writer

Church volunteers greet visitors entering the lobby. The worship band begins its set and a pastor offers to pray privately with anyone during the service.

When the sermon is done, it’s time for communion, and the pastor guides attendees through the ritual. Later, worshippers exchange Facebook and e-mail addresses so they can stay in touch.

There is nothing remarkable about this encounter, which is replicated countless times each weekend at churches around the world. It’s all happening online.

The World Wide Web has become the hottest place to build a church. A growing number of congregations are creating Internet offshoots that go far beyond streaming weekly services.

The sites are fully interactive, with a dedicated Internet pastor, live chat in an online “lobby,” Bible study, one-on-one prayer through IM and communion. (Viewers use their own bread and wine or water from home.) On one site, viewers can click on a tab during worship to accept Christ as their savior. Flamingo Road Church, based in Cooper City, Fla., twice conducted long-distance baptisms through the Internet.

“The goal is to not let people at home feel like they’re watching what’s happening, but they’re part of it. They’re participating,” said Brian Vasil, Flamingo Road’s Internet pastor.

The move online is forcing Christians to re-examine their idea of church. It’s a complex discussion involving theology, tradition and cultural expectations of how Christians should worship and relate. Even developers of Internet church sites disagree over how far they should go. Many, for example, will only conduct baptisms in person.

The staunchest critics say that true Christian community ultimately requires in-person interaction. They deride the sites as religious fast food or Christianity lite.

But advocates consider the Internet just another neighborhood where real relationships can be built. Rob Wegner, a pastor at Granger Community Church of Indiana, which will soon launch its Internet campus, calls the Web the church’s “front porch.” Pastors who back the sites say they feel a religious duty to harness this new way for reaching the spiritually lost.

“We live in a day and age and a culture where people go to school online, bank online, date online and do other things online,” said Kurt Ervin, who oversees the Internet campus for Central Christian Church, based in Henderson, Nev. “Why not create a platform for them to go to church online?” Central Christian started a new church service this fall on Facebook.

The sites share the same basic approach: rock-style worship music and a sermon recorded at the in-person weekend service that is quickly mixed with live or recorded greetings expressly for online viewers. Volunteers on live chat emphasize that day’s Bible teaching and block inappropriate posts. (During one recent service, a man who said he was logged on from India wrote that he was looking for a Christian wife.)

Still, each has individual features.

At Seacoast Church, based in Mount Pleasant, S.C., online viewers can repent by posting a private record of their sins on a cross. Thumbnails of viewers’ Facebook profiles appear during worship on Central Christian’s Facebook Church so people can click on each others’ pages to quickly connect. On the Granger site, visitors will be able to choose “seats” in an auditorium, then click on surrounding seats to exchange Facebook and Twitter addresses.

In this environment, evangelizing is nearly effortless. Regular viewers and volunteers post messages to their entire online network inviting them to the Web service in progress.

“Fifty years ago you could expect everyone to come to you,” said Tim Stevens, Granger’s executive pastor. “Now, we have to meet people where they are.”

The phenomenon is so new that no one has an exact count of interactive online campuses. The Leadership Network, which studies and supports innovative churches, has found at least 40. Churches with the sites say they regularly receive calls from other pastors starting their own.

An Oklahoma megachurch named LifeChurch.tv in a nod to its use of technology is considered the pioneer of the form. The congregation had already expanded to physical sites in several cities when in 2006, pastors launched what they now call Church Online.

LifeChurch.tv now broadcasts more than 25 online services each week and plans more. The services collectively draw up to 60,000 unique views weekly, although the number of new computers that log on for several minutes is about 5,000, LifeChurch leaders say. Broadcasts are listed in Greenwich Mean Time, drawing viewers from more than 140 countries.

LifeChurch.tv has even found a way to attract people surfing for experiences that are far from pious. The congregation buys Google ad words so that a person searching for “sex” or “naked ladies” sees an ad inviting them to a live worship service instead.

Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor who oversees the online efforts at LifeChurch.tv, said the goal is to move people into some in-person Christian experience, in church, a small Bible group or even a group that watches online services together. He noted that many people watch online and attend a local church.

But he said some people are so transient that they have little opportunity to join a brick-and-mortar congregation. In countries where Christians are persecuted, a Web church is often the only way they can be reached, he said.

Amanda Sims, 38, of Starkville, Miss., was on Twitter during Christmas Eve last year when a friend posted that he was watching a LifeChurch.tv service.

She logged on and kept coming back, soon offering to volunteer online. She now works for LifeChurch as an online volunteer coordinator, managing a team of people from across the world who help with online worship.

One new friend whom she and her husband met online is a South Carolina-based truck driver who started watching LifeChurch.tv because he’s so often on the road. When he drives through Mississippi, he stops in for dinner. He now volunteers for the site.

“It started out as augmenting my spiritual life, and it gave me a way to be in fellowship with believers I never would have met otherwise,” said Sims, who still belongs to a local church. “They’re like my family.”

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On the Net:

Flamingo Road Church: http://www.frclive.tv/

LifeChurch.tv: http://internet.lifechurch.tv/

Central Christian Church: http://www.centralchristian.com/onlinecampus/

Granger Community Church: http://www.gccwired.com/

Seacoast Church: http://www.seacoast.org/

Lemuel K. Washburn: “Infidelity”

When the minister wants to frighten his congregation he draws a picture of Infidelity. The Infidel has been used for years to scare weak-minded persons into accepting Christianity. Outwardly the Infidel is painted like a man, but the world is warned not to trust to appearances, for the Infidel is not what he looks to be; he is “a fiend in human shape” he is “a moral monster,” and a mirror in which everything bad and vicious can see its face.

We do not wonder that a minister paints the Infidel in black. He has hurt the minister’s business, and so must suffer for what he has done. But we do wonder that so large a part of the world is frightened at the word “Infidelity.”

It is a fact that an Infidel would never be known if he himself did not disclose his character. To conceal his Infidelity he has only to keep still, to hide behind silence.

Infidelity is nothing more or less than intellectual fidelity, and an Infidel is a man too honest to disguise his real thoughts and convictions. Had the Infidel not been honest he would still be in the Church, a hypocrite, to be sure, but this could not affect his religious status at all. Intellectual and moral uprightness is the distinguishing characteristic of modem Infidelity. The modem Infidel trusts his brain and his heart; he accepts as true what appeals to his reason, and makes known his convictions as though to conceal them were a vice or a crime.

The Infidel gains nothing by avowing his convictions; on the contrary, he is condemned for making them known. The Christian presumes upon the right to damn Infidels here and to teach that God will damn them hereafter.

It is in the face of a fate, in many instances cruel, that a man acknowledges that his honest thoughts, his honest convictions place him in antagonism to the popular faith, and yet he is denounced, rather than praised, for his brave action.

Infidelity is the proof of an honest man. Hypocrisy cannot hide in its shadow. Every man in the Christian church may be a hypocrite, a knave, a pretender professing its faith, while laughing inwardly at its foolish superstitions, but every man who espouses Infidelity must reveal his true character, must show exactly what he is.

A dishonest or hypocritical Infidel is an impossibility. There is nothing to be gained, but much to be lost, by confessing one’s disbelief of the Christian dogmas. It is the man who prizes self- respect above the world’s approval who takes the fate of Infidelity – be it what it may.

‘Crash’ director Paul Haggis quits Scientology

Why anyone would join the Church of Scientology is beyond comprehension. This “church” is comprised of a group of quacks, just like L. Ron Hubbard, the founder. The difference being that he was intelligent, albeit a con artist, while “church” members are just ignorant fools. They believe in the unbelievable (even more unbelievable stuff than what traditional religions claim as truths). It would really be cool if they could just leave this planet (Scientology members will know why I say this) and travel to a far-away galaxy; millions of light years from our solar system. There are already more than enough crazy people here on earth, we certainly don’t need another group of morons to add to the madness.

Regardless of the reason for his withdrawal from the group, 1 less member is  a good thing. If only more members would wise-up and see this organization for what it really is; a money-making scam. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle, Ap Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK – “Crash” director Paul Haggis has severed his ties with the Church of Scientology, in part because of what he alleged as the organization’s stance against gay marriage.

Haggis wrote a letter addressed to Tommy Davis, the head of Scientology’s Celebrity Centre. In it, Haggis said he was disappointed by the church’s tacit denial of gay rights in the debate over California’s gay marriage ban.

The 56-year-old Haggis, who won an Oscar in 2005 for co-writing “Crash,” said he was quitting the church after 35 years.

“I could not, in good conscience, be a member of an organization where gay-bashing was tolerated,” Haggis wrote.

The filmmaker said that he was promised that action would be taken but that he was frustrated after time passed.

“Silence is consent, Tommy,” Haggis wrote. “I refuse to consent.”

The letter, dated Aug. 19, was published in a blog about Scientology and has since been widely circulated online.

Ziggy Kozlowski, a publicist for Haggis, confirmed that the director wrote the letter. Kozlowski said the letter was intended to remain private.

Davis said Haggis’ complaints were based on misunderstandings and that he has since spoken to the filmmaker. Davis strenuously disagreed with Haggis’ claim that the Church of Scientology is in any way anti-gay.

Davis said the San Diego chapter of the Church of Scientology was incorrectly characterized as supportive of Prop 8.

“We’re all for civil rights and the rights of minorities,” said Davis. “We know what it is to be a minority and have your rights curtailed. We’re very vocal and consistent in our stance on discrimination against anybody. We take it very seriously.”

For an organization often shrouded in secrecy, the letter offered an unusual window into a dialogue between the church and one of its famous members. Occasionally, Scientology materials are leaked. Last year, a promotional video starring its most famous member, Tom Cruise, was watched by millions.

Haggis also said he was “shocked” that the Church of Scientology was publicly denying that it adheres to a policy of disconnection — of severing ties with a friend or family member who’s antagonistic toward Scientology. Haggis said that his wife, Deborah Rennard, was given precisely those orders and didn’t speak to her parents for more than a year.

Davis again disagreed with Haggis and said the church doesn’t mandate disconnection with anybody and that it was an entirely “self-determined decision.”

“The great majority of Scientologists I know are good people who are genuinely interested in improving conditions on this planet and helping others,” Haggis wrote. “I have to believe that if they knew what I now know, they too would be horrified.”

The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology, founded in 1954 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, claims to have 10 million members in 165 nations.

Haggis, who also wrote the Oscar-winning “Million Dollar Baby,” is shooting “The Next Three Days” in Pittsburgh. It stars Russell Crow, Liam Neeson and Elizabeth Banks.

Israeli police storm Jerusalem holy site

Muslims and Jews continue to fight as they’ve been doing since the beginning of civilization and will continue doing until the end of civilization; something which they may actually bring about. And what do they fight over, religious ideologies, holy sites, and all the rest of the fairytale mumbo-jumbo which religious people believe in. What’s truly amazing is that these people came from the same region and have the same ancestry. It was the invention of religion that created the hatred between the two groups. Personally, I believe that they’re both full of crap.

The site pictured below is where Muhammad supposedly ascended to heaven several hundred years after Jesus supposedly ascended to heaven. Amazing isn’t it, that grown men and women actually believe in this sort of garbage and continue to kill each other over it! TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By RAWHI RAZIM, Associated Press Writer Rawhi Razim, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM – Israeli forces stormed Jerusalem’s holiest shrine Sunday, firing stun grenades to disperse hundreds of Palestinian protesters who were pelting them with stones.

Although there were no serious injuries, it was one of the most intense incidents of violence in recent unrest around the hilltop compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. In the past, clashes at the site have erupted into deadly violence.

Muslim leaders had urged the crowd to gather at the site’s Al-Aqsa Mosque early Sunday in response to what they said was “Jewish conquest.” Israeli police said the protesters hurled a fire bomb and poured oil on the ground to make the forces slip.

A large wall of riot police, holding plexiglass shields, closed in on the crowd, sending many protesters — overwhelmingly young men — running into the mosque for cover. Forces didn’t enter the holy site, but protesters inside occasionally opened the shuttered doors to throw objects. At one point, protesters shot water and a fire extinguisher toward the door.

Three police officers were lightly wounded, and 15 protesters were arrested, including the Palestinian president’s adviser on Jerusalem affairs for alleged incitement, said spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

Palestinian medics accused Israel of preventing ambulances from reaching the area. Two protesters were seen being taken away with injuries, including an elderly man who was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet.

Hundreds of protesters remained holed up inside, and later Sunday, police said the crowd had gathered outside for a new round of clashes. Hundreds of police remained in the area, and emergency medical services were on high alert, in case of further violence, police said.

Around midday, small groups of youths were seen darting in and out of alleyways, throwing stones and bottles at police, who responded with more stun grenades.

Israel’s national police chief, Dudu Cohen, accused a small group of Muslim extremists of trying to foment violence.

“The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those incite to riot,” he said.

The disputing claims to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem’s Old City lie at the heart of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. It is revered as the holiest site in Judaism, home to the biblical Temples.

It also is the third-holiest site in Islam, after the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, and believed to be the place where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. The Al-Aqsa Mosque and famous gold-covered Dome of the Rock lie inside.

The site has been under Israeli control since 1967, but it is administered by a Muslim religious body known as the Waqf. The compound is opened for several hours a day to allow tourists and Jews to visit, though they are not permitted to pray there.

Tensions have been high in recent weeks since local Muslim leaders accused Israel of digging under the compound and plotting to harm Muslim holy sites.

They have provided no evidence to support the claims, though Israel has carried out archaeological digs in nearby areas. Two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily accused Muslim extremists of spreading baseless lies.

The Palestinians seek to make east Jerusalem the capital of a future independent state, while Netanyahu says he will never share control of the holy city.

Religious and nationalist sentiment connected with the site have made it a flashpoint for violence in the past. A visit in 2000 by Ariel Sharon, then an Israeli opposition leader, helped ignite deadly clashes that escalated into violence that engulfed Israel and the Palestinian territories for several years.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority condemned the Israeli operation. “Jerusalem is a red line that Israel should not cross,” said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas.

In the Gaza Strip, the ruling Hamas militant group called on Palestinians to rise up against Israel, for Arabs and Muslims worldwide to punish Israel. “The real battle begins again,” declared spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.

-

AP correspondents Michael Barajas and Dalia Nammari contributed to this report.

NC church plans to burn Bibles, Christian books

I took a break from writing on my blog just to “recover” from all the dickhead Bible-freaks for awhile (since I mostly write about religion and politics). After reading this, maybe I should have taken a longer break. Marc Gizzard, you have the brain of a buzzard; you ignorant fool. All bibles are bogus, they’re all invented by man! TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

Wed Oct 14, 3:14 pm ET

CANTON, N.C. – A North Carolina pastor says his church plans to burn Bibles and books by Christian authors on Halloween to light a fire under true believers.

Pastor Marc Grizzard told Asheville TV station WLOS that the King James version of the Bible is the only one his small western North Carolina church follows. He says all other versions, such as the Living Bible, are “satanic” and “perversions” of God’s word.

On Halloween night, Grizzard and the 14 members of the Amazing Grace Baptist Church also will burn music and books by Christian authors, such as Billy Graham and Rick Warren.

Telephone calls to the Amazing Grace Baptist Church and Grizzard’s home were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Catholic priest who fathered child is suspended

Aren’t religions disgusting? All religions are such a farce! These Catholic priests should be hung by their balls. Most of them are crummy human beings. But above all, Catholic priests are hypocrites. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By CHERYL WITTENAUER, Associated Press Writer Cheryl Wittenauer, Associated Press Writer Fri Oct 16, 7:40 pm ET

ST. LOUIS – A Wisconsin diocese late Friday suspended a Roman Catholic priest who fathered a child during a five-year relationship in Illinois and may have been involved separately with a minor.

The Catholic Diocese of Superior said the Rev. Henry Willenborg has been suspended with pay.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests called for the move earlier Friday in St. Louis. The national support group for those hurt by religious authorities also said it wants church officials in Missouri and Wisconsin to help the mother and son, now 22, who has terminal cancer.

The suspension was effective immediately, Superior diocese spokesman Richard Lyons said.

“He is to step down from active ministry and any involvement in church events until we have a chance to clarify the information that was in the New York Times article today,” Lyons said.

SNAP’s demands also were in response to a Times story Friday about the Ashland, Wis., pastor, his former lover and their son, and claims by a second woman that she’d been involved with him as a high school student.

Pat Bond, now of O’Fallon, Mo., received about $100,000 in financial support from the Franciscans, Willenborg’s religious order. That included $85,000 in support for their son, Nathan, half of his tuition at the University of Missouri and 50 percent of extraordinary medical expenses.

The settlements were reached after legal battles on the condition she not disclose them publicly. Bond, who was in her 20s when the relationship with Willenborg began in Quincy, Ill., said she needs more financial assistance.

She said in a statement that SNAP released Friday that she was “finished begging the church to do the right thing” and would turn to others for help.

The Franciscans told the Times they were generous, concerned for the boy and his well-being, and went beyond what the law required.

Bond’s phone number is unlisted, and she did not respond to an interview request forwarded by SNAP.

Phone messages left with Willenborg; the Franciscans’ provincial leader in St. Louis, the Rev. William Spencer; and the religious order’s attorney, Catherine Schroeder, were not immediately returned Friday.

SNAP’s national director, David Clohessy, said Friday he wants church leaders in Missouri and Wisconsin to “aggressively reach out to anyone else who saw or suffered or suspected misdeeds.”

He said it’s “inherently unhealthy, hurtful and wrong” for Roman Catholic priests to abuse their position of trust and authority over other Catholics.

But the St. Louis archdiocese said in a statement that a bishop has only limited jurisdiction over a priest not of his diocese such as Willenborg.

Lyons said Friday that Superior Bishop Peter Christensen first learned of Willenborg’s relationship and the child Sept. 17. He said Willenborg disclosed it to his congregation at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Ashland during Masses the following weekend, and “received a standing ovation.”

“He’s been with us four years and there’s been nothing to indicate any kind of problems with this man,” he said. “From our perspective, he has been a very good priest.”

The Times story also said another woman claims to have had a yearslong sexual relationship with Willenborg, beginning when she was in high school.

Lyons said the Superior diocese knew nothing of the alleged relationship with a minor before Friday.

St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson, through a spokesman, expressed “sadness” Friday that a priest’s actions “have brought harm to these individuals.”

“Any abuse is wrong, never acceptable and contrary to the teachings of Jesus and the Catholic Church,” the archdiocese’s Monsignor John Shamleffer said in a statement.

La. interracial marriage: Is life tougher for biracial kids?

Interesting… Personally, I find that it is not anyone’s business whether people marry an individual of a different race. Anyway, there really is no way of knowing whether any couple, be they of a single race or otherwise, would be fit to be good parents. And I believe that good parenting is the major criteria in determining the overall well-being of individuals.

I was also unaware that refusing to issue a marriage license for reasons of race was illegal in the United States. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: The Christian Science Monitor

By Patrik Jonsson Patrik Jonsson Fri Oct 16, 5:00 am ET

Atlanta – Louisiana justice of the peace Keith Bardwell’s refused to marry a white woman and a black man reportedly because he believed that children of an interracial marriage would suffer socially.

That view was once common in the United States, and might have had some basis decades ago when such marriages were taboo and multiracial families were sometimes ostracized. But today, not only are mixed-race children widely accepted but some research suggests they might even have some social advantages.

Researchers are finding that multiracial kids can sometimes be better socially adjusted than single-race offspring. And with the high-profile success of multiracial progeny such as Tiger Woods, Halle Berry, and President Obama (who at his first press conference as president described himself as a “mutt”), stereotypes about the split world of the “tragic mulatto” have long fallen by the wayside.

The American Civil Liberties Union is now threatening a lawsuit if Mr. Bardwell, veteran justice of the peace at Tangipahoa Parish, doesn’t step down. The group calls Bardwell’s refusal to issue a marriage licence to Beth Humphrey (who is white) and Terence McKay (who is black) both “tragic and illegal.”

“I’m not a racist,” Bardwell told a local newspaper. “I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children.”

The ‘tragic mulatto’
Refusing to issue marriage licenses for reasons of race has been illegal in the US since the Supreme Court in 1967 struck down anti-miscegenation laws in 16 states, mostly in the South.

Research on mixed-race children once focused on the social and psychological problems that can arise from not feeling like a full member of any racial group. That notion permeated early 20th century American literature through the figure of the “tragic mulatto,” who did not fit in with either the black or white world.

As recently as 1968, the psychologist J.D. Teicher wrote, “Although the burden of the Negro child is recognized as a heavy one, that of the Negro-White child is seen to be even heavier.”

The idea that mixed-race children were biologically inferior to white or black kids was also widespread in the South, and often formed the basis of anti-miscegenation laws during Jim Crow years. (Researchers have found that not only is that not true, but that mixed-race offspring tend to be overall more physically attractive than their peers.)

Changing views
But loosening of marriage laws and more-accepting social mores have transformed perceptions of multiracial families. For one thing, there are now 7 million mixed-race kids in the US, up from 500,000 in the 1970s.

A 2008 study of 182 mixed-race high school kids in California found that these kids didn’t focus on exclusionary features like skin color or hair texture when thinking about themselves, but instead, they appeared to feel that their heritage made them “unique.”

The kids are able to “place one foot in the majority and one in the minority group, and in this way might be buffered against the negative consequences of feeling tokenized,” the study authors wrote in the Journal of Social Issues. The students surveyed included those with mixed Asian, Hispanic heritage.

Other studies suggest that while mixed-race kids may no longer feel the burden of discrimination, they still face unique challenges. A 2008 study led by Harvard researchers found that mixed-race adolescents tend to engage in risky behavior outside of school at higher rates than average and also fare “somewhat worse on measures of psychological wellbeing.”

The reality for many mixed-race children probably lies somewhere between liberating and restrictive. On a Yale University blog this year, biracial student Phoebe Hinton wrote: “I am lucky enough to have an excuse flowing in my veins to do whatever … I want: there are some things white people do and … I’ll do them. There are some things black people do, and … I’ll do them.”

“Pretty much the only thing people won’t accept me doing,” she adds, “is continuing to identify as neither black nor white, but an amalgam of the two.”

Whether biracial children in rural Louisiana experience the same confidence in their identity – in a region where race arguably still hangs heavier than other parts of the country – is an open question.

Even if they don’t, Bardwell, the justice of the peace, will be hard-pressed to convince anybody – including potentially the US Justice Department – that that’s any of his business.

Diocese seeks Chapter 11 protection in sex abuse cases

I would find it amazing (for lack of a better term) how any human being could read this story and still consider himself/herself to be Catholic. If ever there was a time and/or reason to actually stop, and think (something religious people aren’t very good at) and reflect on what type of organization it is that Catholics belong to, this article has the answers.

If there’s anyone out there who disagrees with me, please write to me and let me know your thoughts. I’d really be interested in “hearing” what you have to say. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Reuters

By Tom Hals Tom Hals Mon Oct 19, 3:46 pm ET

WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) – Delaware’s Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to block the start of the first civil trial relating to more than 140 sex-abuse claims against diocese priests.

The diocese became the seventh in the United States to seek bankruptcy protection and its filing on Sunday put on hold the scheduled start of eight consecutive civil trials relating to a defrocked priest.

An attorney for the victims called the bankruptcy part of a cover-up. But the church said it was the best way to resolve the cases fairly.

“This was the best path to achieve healing reconciliation and fair compensation for all the victims of child sexual abuse by clergy in this diocese,” Wilmington Bishop W. Francis Malooly told a news conference on Monday.

The diocese is facing claims from 142 alleged victims of sexual abuse. Malooly said he was forced to opt for bankruptcy after talks to settle claims failed, which raised the prospect of eight trials that stood to deplete the diocese’s resources and leave nothing for other victims.

Malooly said three years ago his predecessor, the late Bishop Michael Saltarelli, released the names of 18 priests who had admitted, corroborated or otherwise substantiated allegations of abuse of minors.

An attorney for the victims accused the church of trying to hide the truth.

“This filing is the diocese’s last, desperate effort to hide the truth from the public and conceal the thousands of pages of scandalous documents and stunning testimony,” said a statement from Thomas Neuberger of The Neuberger Firm.

One victim, former altar boy James Sheehan, has already asked the bankruptcy court to allow his civil trial to begin in November as had been scheduled, due to his failing health.

In a court document, Sheehan’s attorney said in similar Chapter 11 cases, dioceses used bankruptcy to delay civil trials as long as possible while negotiating with insurers.

“Sheehan is unlikely to survive that process,” the document said.

BISHOP HOPES TO SETTLE QUICKLY

Malooly said the bankruptcy should be the quickest way to settle all the claims. “We hope this goes very quickly and very equitably,” he said.

The 140-year-old Wilmington diocese serves 233,000 Roman Catholics and covers 58 parishes and 27 schools in Delaware and part of Maryland.

The archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, became the first to file for Chapter 11 in 2004, followed by the diocese of San Diego; Tucson, Arizona; Spokane, Washington; Davenport, Iowa; and Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Roman Catholic Church has been rocked by cases of sexual abuse by priests around the world in the past decade and the church’s response to the charges often set off accusations of cover-ups.

In the United States, Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law, then the most senior Catholic official in the country, resigned in 2002 over his handling of sexual abuse cases. The Los Angeles archdiocese paid $660 million to 500 abuse victims in 2007 in the largest compensation deal of its kind.

The abuse case scheduled to begin in Delaware on Monday was filed by a 57-year-old man who said that when he was an altar boy he was abused by Francis G. DeLuca, a defrocked priest who worked in the diocese for 35 years and is involved in at least 20 cases.

In the filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on Sunday, the diocese listed estimated assets of $50 million to $100 million and estimated liabilities of $100 million to $500 million.

The case is Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Inc, U.S. Bankruptcy court, District of Delaware, No 09-13560.

(Additional reporting by Sakthi Prasad and Ajay Kamalakaran in Bangalore; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Cynthia Osterman)

Lemuel K. Washburn: “Fashionable Hypocrisy”

There is nothing more inconsistent than for the rich to praise Jesus. There is dishonesty in every word that the wealthy speak in approbation of the poverty-preacher of Galilee. Jesus was poor, almost a beggar. He had no house, no home. But more than this, he did not see the good of such things. He did not tell his disciples to work and try to improve their earthly condition. There is no sound, sensible advice for a man to follow, who has to live and support his family, to be found in the so-called teachings of Jesus.

It is simply hypocrisy for a man who is rich or well-to-do, and who is living to add to his wealth or to increase his comforts, to pretend to honor Jesus. The truth is, Jesus did not do anything that deserves the honor of those who are trying to fill the earth with flowers of happiness, who are laboring to make brighter the homes they live in, and who are sowing the seeds of plenty and joy. Jesus did not do what this age regards as best for man, and he did not teach the philosophy which the wisest men today apply to human life.

Now, was Jesus right or wrong? That is the question. It is pure nonsense for the people of this country to claim to respect Jesus. We cannot respect a person who does what we think is foolish, or we cannot do so and have any self-respect. We are right or think we are, and Jesus was wrong; or else Jesus was right. Which is it?

The whole world, Christian and unbeliever alike, is living contrary to the precept and example of the New Testament preacher. Is every person on earth doing what he believes to be wrong; doing what he believes to be injurious to himself; doing what he considers will end in disaster and misery; doing what he feels will bring suffering and sorrow upon humanity? Not a bit of it. Every man is doing what he believes to be right when he is working to get out of poverty and degradation; when he is trying to better his condition in society; when he is improving his home and giving his family more blessings, more enjoyments.

We unhesitatingly declare that Jesus was wrong. It is impossible to make poverty popular. There is not an argument in its favor. Poverty has not a single blessing. It is a curse, pure and simple, everywhere and for everybody. It is not to be praised; it is to be condemned and got rid of. It is the father of vice and the mother of suffering. It sheds more tears than grief. It cuts more throats than crime. It breaks more hearts than cruelty. It is the one great giant evil of earth. It is the foe that every Knight of Labor is sworn to battle. Every heart that loves another is pledged to drive poverty off the earth. This monster devours more children than disease, and tortures the aged more than pain. Want is a flood, a drought, a famine, a pestilence. It is a prison, a work- house, a convict’s cell. It is the hell of the twentieth century.

Can we praise Jesus and be honest? No! Jesus and his gospel of poverty are not in harmony with the work, the love, the desire of this age, and for any one who is living above want, on the walls of whose home is the sunshine of peace and comfort, to pretend to honor Jesus or to follow his teaching, is to be guilty of hypocrisy!

Polls: Chavez’s popularity slips in Venezuela

Check out the photo below. The orangutan on the left is the communist dictator of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez; the gorilla on the right is the communist dictator of Bolivia, Ebo Morales. It is actually not my intention to degrade orangutans and gorillas by associating them with these two individuals, because in doing so I’m actually elevating the status of the two “leaders.” What can be said of the people of Venezuela and Bolivia when they have these two clowns as their respective presidents? TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer Ian James, Associated Press Writer Thu Oct 22, 2:01 am ET

CARACAS, Venezuela – Hugo Chavez’s support has declined in the polls as many Venezuelans say they are fed up with 27 percent inflation, a stagnant economy, faulty public services — and a government they see as incapable of doing much about it.

The president’s popularity has slid in monthly tracking polls from a high of 61 percent after winning a vote in February to 52.8 percent last month, pollster Luis Vicente Leon of the Caracas-based firm Datanalisis said Wednesday, adding that the downward trend in the percentage who view his presidency positively has continued since.

After more than a decade in power, Chavez is still by far the country’s most popular, most resilient and most divisive politician. What appears to have changed recently is that more are complaining about the high cost of living and a government that has often fallen far short of its promises.

“Whatever he offers, everything gets half-done,” said Maria Martinez, a 32-year-old who once voted for Chavez but now is disenchanted. She says the government’s health programs are insufficient, and the $500 or so she earns each month selling books in the street is no longer enough to support her five children.

She said water reaches her Caracas slum only now and then due to a broken main that officials haven’t fixed.

“They always say they’re going to repair the pipe, and they never do,” Martinez said with a frown. “They offer and offer, and they never finish.”

Leon, whose polling firm has long tracked Venezuelans’ views about Chavez, said that in the past whenever his popularity has dipped near or below 50 percent, it has “set off alarms” for the president and he has found ways to boost his support. He said Chavez has recovered from worse situations before and “continues to be the strongest leader in the game.”

In the past couple of months, as the lower poll numbers emerged, Chavez announced plans to bring in more Cuban doctors to staff neighborhood clinics he acknowledged had been abandoned. He also has prepared to boost spending through issuing some $8 billion in bonds.

The president said recently that the final months of 2009 “are going to be a big offensive in all areas: in politics, social issues, economic issues.”

The government, which relies on oil revenues for about half its budget, is trying to turn around an economy that after years of rapid growth contracted 2.4 percent in the second quarter of the year.

“The soft spots in Chavez’s regime are serious and are beginning to affect his popularity,” said analyst Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington. “The chief problem is simply the lack of government capacity and competence. … There is growing disappointment and frustration with government programs that are not delivering results. The effect is gradual erosion in Chavez’s support.”

Yet Chavez still faces no strong political opponents with anywhere near as much support. To win back popularity, Chavez is likely to boost public spending in the coming months, especially on visible projects like fixing up hospitals and stocking state-run markets with subsidized food.

According to the most recent Datanalisis poll, violent crime continues to be viewed as Venezuela’s biggest problem by far with 48 percent naming it as their top concern.

Leon added that other results suggest Chavez’s flagging support is very much linked to the economic crisis, as a growing number of Venezuelans worry about their personal economies.

Eleven percent of survey respondents said the high cost of living was their top concern, while 10 percent complained about unemployment.

Water problems were cited by 3.2 percent, power outages by 3 percent and the catchall “faulty public services” by an additional 4 percent.

The monthly polls, which Datanalisis carries out for about 300 clients including many businesses, have a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points. They are based on questioning in-person of 1,300 Venezuelans selected at random.

Chavez’s opponents have also cited other recent polls showing a decline in the president’s public approval. The government has not released poll figures in recent weeks, and Chavez’s information minister was not immediately available for comment.

If Chavez is trying to win back voters who have grown disillusioned, some may be hard to convince.

Ana Mendez, a 20-year-old single mother who sells handbags in a small shop, said she used to like Chavez but thinks he should pay more attention to Venezuela’s problems instead of “giving to other countries” through financed oil shipments and aid.

“He has neglected the country,” she said.

From the window of her apartment, Mendez regularly sees armed robberies and says the police do nothing: “Sometimes you see blood on the ground in the morning.”

On the same downtown block in Caracas, several others said they still see Chavez as the first president who truly represents them.

“He has support, he has charisma,” said Yusmary Garrido, a 36-year-old who rents cell phones by the minute at a plastic table and is thankful to Chavez for the free university education she now receives. She said the socialist leader’s opponents make a lot of noise but don’t present viable alternatives.

“Until now, there’s been no one else who can compete with him,” she said.

Firing squad kills 2 accused of spying in Somalia

Isn’t it ironic how every country with a high percentage of Muslim fundamentalists is overflowing with violence, considering that Islam is such a “peaceful” religion? These people are such barbarians. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Islamist militants on Sunday shot to death two men accused by fighters of spying for this east African nation’s weak government, a witness and militant member said.

Hundreds of Somalis watched as a firing squad arranged by al-Shabab — the militant group linked to al-Qaida that controls much of southern Somalia — shot the pair in the southern port town of Merca.

An al-Shabab official, Sheik Suldan Aala Mohamed, said the men admitted to spying.

After the deaths were ordered the two were shot by five masked men, said Mohamed.

“We were informed by the Islamists last night about the execution. Using loudspeakers they ordered residents to attend the event and watch it. Schools were also ordered to close,” said Muhidn Dahir, a resident of Merca.

Factions of al-Shabab vow allegiance to al-Qaida and it has foreign fighters in its ranks, raising fears al-Qaida is seeking to make a base in Somalia. Al-Shabab has carried out several whippings, amputations and executions to enforce its own strict interpretation of Islam.

Somalia’s government occupies only a few square blocks in Mogadishu and is propped by up thousands of troops from the African Union.

Last month two men were killed by a firing squad after being accused of spying for the African Union and the CIA.