I`m appalled that polls taken by the media in todays papers are in favour of the clergy or elders not divulging crimes to the authaurities when there made aware of it,confessionals etc.

by smiddy 12 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  smiddy

  Its 4:45 pm here in victoria most of the day gone and I have checked to see how this poll was going in todays papers. Should preists ( and ministers of other religions ) {given}report to police crimes revealed in the confessional ? Note what`s in brackets are my words ,and the article implies it is not only the catholic religion this applies to but all oganizations .

  And at this late hour of the day 51% are in favour of religion NOT divulging this information while 49% ARE in favour of the clergy informing the police of a crime committed.

  My veiw is : if a preist,elder,pastor or other so called man of the cloth has information of a crime committed and does not inform the police then they are accomplices to the crime and should be held accountable,and if the perpetrator commits further crimes then the preist,etc. are aiding and abetting in those crimes also.

  How about having your say

  smiddy
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  Jeffro

  Unfortunately, this is a symptom of the misguided belief among 'believers' that 'priests' or 'spiritual advisers' have some magical 'authority' that, like their imagined 'magisterium' of beliefs, is somehow supposedly separate to the rest of reality.
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  smiddy

  Jeffro

  I think it is probably an indication of how superstisous the majority of people are in this so-called enlightened age .I dont go to church ,I dont pray to a God , I live my life the way I want to , but I dont want to go against the clergy in anyway just in case. Therefore I`ll hedge my bets.

  smiddy
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  transhuman68

  LOL, from a practical point of view, who is going to confess anything to a priest if they know the priest will report that information to the police? They may as well go straight to the police station and ask to be locked up. To require the clergy to report everything illegal confessed to them would just mean that no-one would go to confession, LOL.
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  Jeffro

  LOL, from a practical point of view, who is going to confess anything to a priest if they know the priest will report that information to the police? They may as well go straight to the police station and ask to be locked up. To require the clergy to report everything illegal confessed to them would just mean that no-one would go to confession, LOL.

  Indeed. But the only 'reason' to go to a 'priest' for 'confession' is based on the imaginary delusions already stated.

  If someone really felt guilty about something they did, they would tell the actual authorities, rather than placating themself with a delusional belief that they've been forgiven by their imaginary friend by proxy.
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  talesin

  smiddy, I thought Australian society was more secular, although I do recall that one of my friends attended Catholic school. Perhaps the "Church" still has quite a hold on people's minds. This is quite shocking to me.

  wow!

  tal
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  Jeffro

  talesin:

  smiddy, I thought Australian society was more secular, although I do recall that one of my friends attended Catholic school. Perhaps the "Church" still has quite a hold on people's minds. This is quite shocking to me.

  About 60% of Australia's population is nominally 'Christian', but this has been and still is declining. Though the number of victims members of the Catholic Church seems to remain roughly constant.

  
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  smiddy

  BTTT
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  kimbo

  What does the law say?
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  Band on the Run

  I find the information encouraging. Privileges in law date back about two thousand years. Confession is an integral part of the Roman Catholic Church Protestant notions of confession ave very different. Not too many years ago the number of resondents favoring no exemption for pedophle confessions would be miniscule.

  There are reasonable counterarguments to dumping the privilege for confessions. First, people will not confes to anyone. The privilege evolved to at least allow a clergy's moral intervention. Once the exemption for pedophilia is widely known, few will confess. Second, Roman Catholic routinely go to prison rather than reveal any confession in states where the privilege does not exist. The Church will fight hard for retaining the privilege.

  The current CA law requires clergy to madatorily report knowledge of child abuse, but not such info. discovered during an actual confession.

  Most jurisdictions will probably want to adopt the intermediate position and see the results before barring the privilege for child abuse confessions completely.

  I find it amazing how far society has changed in such a short time. It would be interesting to see what changed public opinion so drastically. The revealed coverups by the Roman Catholic Church are simply revolting and can cause nausea. Reprehensible is the correct word. Does anyone know the origins of the sex offender cases in the CAtholic areana?