I got e mailed this editorial today. It was supposed to be from the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper. I went to their website and sure enough it is there. Here is the link for you to check it out... http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/2207318.html
I am also posting the text. Is this a JW writing this or what?
What to expect when religion threatens peace of social order
For centuries, political leaders have tolerated and sometimes even co-opted religious beliefs and believers in order to attain their political goals. But now that religion seriously threatens the peace and security of the social order, don't be surprised to see political leaders turn on religion, in all of its manifestations, with a vengeance.
The table is being neatly set for such an intervention by the daily horrific revelations in the media. The painful, faith-shaking conflict in the Middle East is, of course, the prime example, and it has galvanized believers on all sides, pitting Muslim against Jew and Christian against Muslim. But it is also playing out against a background of fundamental issues within Christendom that is startling in its immensity.
Pope John Paul broke his silence on the sex-abuse cases rocking the Catholic Church recently, saying, "Grave scandal is caused, with the result that a dark shadow of suspicion is cast over all the other fine priests who perform their ministry with honesty and integrity and often with heroic self-sacrifice." But the problem that the pope has never acknowledged is that a systemic practice of sexual abuse has emerged involving not only individual clerics but also the church hierarchy, including himself. By seeking to protect its priests and its reputation at all costs, the church has done untold harm to thousands in the United States and abroad, harm from which many may never recover.
In January, the Catholic Church in Ireland agreed to a $110 million payment to children abused by clergy over several decades. At least 20 Irish Catholic officials have been convicted of molesting children. Similar cover-ups have been reported in Austria, England, France and Poland, as well as other countries. While the Catholic Church may be the largest religious organization to face such revelations -- and is unusual in its propensity for preying on boys -- it is by no means alone. Related charges have been leveled against Anglicans, Buddhists, Hindus, Episcopal bishops, Methodists and Baptists. The list is long, the story is tawdry, and the pain is universal.
Spiritual leaders who defile their flocks set in motion a chain reaction of anguish and rage that frequently ends with the believers' faith being crushed. That echoes throughout the community and, most importantly, often leaves believers wondering whether God himself exists or even cares about their plight. Churches frequently use their spiritual authority to deny their sins, avoid repentance and/or punishment, and therefore never reach the stage known in the Bible as turning around. And because they do not turn around -- whether the sin is sexual or political -- they do grave injury to God's name.
So, for believers who wonder what the abuses and scandals and the numerous religious wars throughout history mean, I offer the following explanation meant to soothe and console those who seek righteousness, justice and peace on earth: The Almighty has never approved of 99 percent of what is done on earth in his name. Many who claim to represent him are frauds and charlatans who prey upon the weaknesses of those they should protect, and are disciples of a false god who is designated for destruction. The very structure of many religions and their false beliefs converts God into something like a wayward father or a crazy uncle, without brains or compassion. This is the ultimate blasphemy and will soon be revealed as such.
But before that time, it is crucial that God's good name be vindicated and that those who are defiling the earth while loudly proclaiming that they speak for him be silenced. These heinous crimes -- sexual abuse, warmongering, teaching the traditions of men as if they were the word of God -- are being made manifest today so as to guide the faithful to a new understanding of God's purpose on earth.
That purpose will be served, initially, by political rulers who will turn on religion, throw its precious gold, silver and jewels in the street, and strip of their power clerics of all faiths. Interestingly, the Bible describes these religious rulers as kings without a kingdom. The political rulers will act effectively in removing these religious kings. And because the heavens will not consume their invading armies with fire when they destroy holy cities and relics the world over, these leaders will be filled with false pride and will actually imagine that they have vanquished God himself. Nothing will be further from the truth.
Perhaps I am an old fool, given to imaginings that happen to run parallel to biblical prophecy. But I believe, more than ever, that God is calling all of those who wish to live on a cleansed earth, out from among those religious organizations that are the province of his greatest enemy: the invisible ruler of the air, in whose hands the whole world now lies spinning. Perhaps we would do well to keep awake, be vigilant in prayer, and heed his call.