what a sad state of affairs.

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Nay, I say to you instead, “what sad affairs of the state”.

There will always be some pedophiles out there.  The sad thing is how the state has selected a few of them to live outside of legal recourse.

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Sadly, since these atrocities are outside of legal recourse, the issue likely will fade.  Holy Mother Church will endure as “Mater et Magistra.”  And the endurance of the Church perversely will continue to be used as evidence of supernatural sustenance. 

The pain and damage to the children, however, will not fade.  Their endurance and sustenance, if they are lucky, will be left to the work of rational caregivers.

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To claim that for paedophilia acts among priests the whole church is to blame is unfair. It is a single man behaviour that needs to be punished (or others that swept the case under the carpet), not the whole church. Rather than thinking about all of the bad things Christians (well people who claimed to be Christians actually) did, we should examine the core concept of Church. In my opinion it is love, which also equals God. There is nothing wrong with it. Atheists, believers or anyone in between:) should agree that love would positively influence the well-being of our societies (to which Sam Harris refers so often). Rationally thinking atheists should not fight Christianity if their goal is to positively affect well-being. Let me put forward an example similar to irrational behaviour to fighting religion. What if because of all the thousands deaths in the French Revolution period (made in the name of democracy) our ancestors started thinking democracy itself is bad?
I entered the site after watching Harris’ TED talk because I thought his claims are really good. But I feel disappointed after reading the same arguments which are not made for the good of all of us but against religion. It is time atheist started thinking about a higher cause than letting everyone else know God does not exist. Harris’ talk was a step forward but in the light of what I’ve seen here project reason won’t make any change if the fight against religion is one of the main goals.
We should act together for the common cause. One more thing: If someone claims that such things as in-vitro fertilization, or stem cell research are the points that will make it impossible to communicate with Church in a common goal of increasing our well-being he is obviously wrong. Church has changed it’s interpretations hundred times.

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Love and compassion are human qualities that are much older than Christianity, and found in every human culture.  The Christian record on love and compassion in the world has been sketchy, at best.  Atheism is as necessary as reason for a decent and just society.

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Sinead O"Connor was right all those years ago…

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Every time the pope/vatican has to make a worldwide apology, which seems like a yearly event at present,  it should also say a huge thank you.
Thank you to all the people worldwide who still regard themselves as catholics and continue to attend catholic churches and schools etc inspite of the never ending admissions of abuse and torture and child rape. The complicity in genocides and the failing to intervene in so many violent and bloody conflicts carried out by their followers. The lies and misinformation regarding health and birth control just to mention a few things.
Yes they should say a big big thank you to all the worlds catholics especially to those in the developed world where all these things are widely reported and known about by all, for their continued indifference and lack of real concern and desire to see and end to this endless abuse.
How much more can catholics overlook before they say enough of this…

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God and religion is a worthless waste of time and money. Why? because it teaches, preaches and promotes ignorance…Haven’t we learned something from the history? ...as well as from knowledge of sciences…

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I love how they turn it around as if it’s a plot to get them.  The Christian persecution complex is alive and well.

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It was not just extreme child abuse that the church condoned. There was the more subtle abuse of the mind perpetrated by control of the educational system. My short story “Boy” uncovers the harrowing effects of this institutional abuse of power. (http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/desgreene)

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I care not what a man believes, just that his belief doesn’t infringe on my freedom.

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