Good morning everyone,

For the past few nights I've had trouble sleeping. My own abuse, that has taken me along time to get over, and it is trying to work it's way back into my life. I don't need it, and I don't want it.

I have great sympathy for the one's who have been sexually abused, but I believe, that all of you "good" peopole here are victims too.

You are victims because people, like the media, newsreporters, protesters and the Dennis Molson's continue to throw in your faces the actions of accused priest. It is the Guilty priest who brought this corruption upon you and your Church, to which you had no prior knowledge of. Aren't there enough victims suffering? Why do these people have to make victims out of the whole catholic laity? Why does the Church itself have to be victimized?

Did we forget already, "United we stand, divided we fall"?

I've had enough. I will not buy another newspaper as long as it is full of this ugliness.

I will take a break from this forum, because I can't deal with the cut & pastes anymore.

Dennis, I've been there and I think you have been too. Your anger and hatred is only one of the many emotions you will have when you choose a road to healing. If I am right (about your own abuse), you are directing your anger to the wrong people. You will be stuck here in your anger until you decide you've had enough. You need to fight the demon, not the outsiders of your demon. They did not do this too you. You will not be able to move on until you do this.

Lord, show your mercy on Dennis, walk with him in the right direction. I beg of you.

As for the rest of you, I wish and pray, for you to continue with your faith, spiritualness and courage. Continue to let Jesus be your guide. I will remember all of you in my prayer's, as I hope I will be in yours as well. I will pray for peace, healing and togetherness.

You, the people, the laity, make up the Church, not the teachers; without you there would be no teachers.

After every storm, comes a rainbow.

Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Jude 20

Peace to all.

GoD Bless,

-- Kathy (nomail@sorry.com), April 29, 2002

Answers

Top

-- Kathy (nomail@sorry.com), April 29, 2002.

May I say please that we are as pointed out suffering with this betrayal of trust in both our Church and others? Christ warned us there would be wolves in sheep's clothing.

We must not abandon the gift of hope from Christ and I feel we are in the learning stages of both understanding forgiveness and maturing now as laity.

Christ Himself stated " Better a stone be placed around your neck and be thrown into the sea - then to meet Me on your last day." He will look after those who have betrayed His trust. Allow us to remain in that trust.

-- Jean Bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), April 29, 2002.

Jean

Are you just rubbing the wounds a bit deeper here? If you are then I would suggest you to refrain from your comments.

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), April 29, 2002.

Fred - YOur comment may show your lack of maturity in these matters. No I am not rubbing salt rather attempting to add knowledge and not knee jerk reactions which I and others threw out over these past few weeks.

-- Jean Bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), May 02, 2002.

Jean

I have not to this day understood your way of thinking and to be truthful have little trust for your words. I cannot at times be sure who you are following -Christ or the devil himself. Too bad you brought it onto yourself. You are very inconsistant with the truth of Catholism.

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), May 02, 2002.

Seems to me Fred that you just will not accept any truth about the church that is not postive. Recognizing a truth does not make one anti-church. We love our families, but accept each other with our faults and all. Our church has its faults and we are dealing with one right now - why should one refrain from speaking the truth? Isn't that what Jesus wants us to do? Are we supposed to deny the truth and shove it under a rug? That has gone on for too many years, Fred and those days are over now. MaryLu

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), May 02, 2002.

MARYLU

The point is quite simple, it has been too much of this stuff in this board. We are fully aware of the problem and it is in the proper hands of the Courts, police, legal people of all kinds and so forth. This forum needs to get back to it's real purpose. APOLOGETICS. Not political issues. Personally I find this issue to be overworked and terribly depressing and it will eventually destroy the original intent of this forum. We need to move on not procrastinate it further.

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), May 02, 2002.

Gossip is against the rules of the Ten Commandments --"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." That is why I am tired of this pedophile issue and what it is doing to our Church.

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), May 02, 2002.

Fred --- top paragraph in Moderator's note does not say that the "real purpose" of the forum is "apologetics." Please read ---

"The purpose of this board as I see it is to allow Catholics to ask questions in a community setting that will help in deepening our knowledge and strengthening our faith; as well as to allow non-Catholics the chance to ask us sincere questions about our beliefs, and about Christ's church on Earth."

Apologetics (giving reasons for our beliefs and practices) is one of the purposes of the forum.

However, I aree with you on the scandal business. It is time to move on. Otherwise too many important things will continue to be neglected.

-- (time@to.proceed), May 02, 2002.

That is the problem----TOO many things have been missed and the sex scandal thing is totally depressing and fully out of hand too. If it does not get under control soon I will be forced to leave this forum too. The issue has been baked over and over too many times now. Who is on trial here GOD or the guilty? Is it my fault ---NOPE. So what is the point. It is depressing and sickening and a form of harrassment by others who DO NOT share our faith by the constant postings that have occured.

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), May 02, 2002.

PLEASE, GIVE IT A BREAK, BISHOP!

-- @ (break@.bre.com), May 02, 2002.

I have given it a break. Just think about it. The many peopleout there who want to pursue this issue for money only and ruining the reputations of priests and others. Look at it there are many others whose carreers are on hold because of some money hungry jerks out there. The Cardinal Mahoney thing is a good one for openers. This stuff needs to be left alone to the proper people to solve not us. I don't know who you are but it is getting to be just too much. Way overboard. I am tired of it period. Do I need to see this at every turn I make? No I don't. Kathy got out because of it. Can't you see 5 feet in front of you? I can.

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), May 02, 2002.

Fred, alot of people are hurt about this case, there heart had been yank out of them and thrown against the wall, keeping this anger and ignorants isn't going to help anyone, the only way to feel better is to talk about it. I am well aware of other areas that isn't expose yet. Shouldn't parents be forcus on prevention instead of punishment ? I'll think so, jailing these victoms isn't going to solve the problem.

-- Tony (awalker@teknett.com), May 03, 2002.

TONY

I HAVE had enough of this rubbish. It is totally out of control and very prejudiced information pointing to the Catholic religion and to no one else. What is it you cannot understand. It is becoming too lopsided and I am sick to death of reading it day in and day out. There are other things that we can talk about in here that is more relevant to our true spirituality. What is it that you cannot understand?

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), May 03, 2002.

Fred,
This autrosity is not about the Catholic religion. This is about two things and two things only. One, there were some priests that screwed up - causing irrepariable damage to a lot of people. Two, the Church hierarchy compounds the problem by using measures which allows the problem to get worse - again, causing irrepariable damage to a lot of people.
This is about human beings making dreadful choises. It is especially awful because these are people that we learn to trust from our earliest days to teach and guide us.
This problem has been mis-managed for decades. The layity will not stand by for business as usual.
This story will not go away until it does go away and I get that you are sick and tired of it but it is a cross that must be carried by each and every one of us. God works in mysterious ways. I think this is probably a good place for these discussions. Your choise would be to stick with topics that are not disturbing to you.

-- Chris Coose (ccoose@maine.rr.com), May 03, 2002.

This is not what I am reading - It is still bashing the church that is printed not the clergy that are portrayed. The Press has not to this day understood the difference between Church and persons of the clergy. It is the CHURCH --US-- who is being harmed. It is sickening and boring and it filling this forum up completely. There is a pair of idiots who have made it their life long dream to drown this forum with this sickly baloney and it is taking this forum completely away from it original intent, OUR FAITH IN GOD. Now do you see?

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), May 03, 2002.

Fred,
I see your point but we both know that their information should be disregarded because of their motives. There are a myriad of responses to this crisis and it is your job to keep informed and sort through the stuff that makes sense to you and may lead this whole thing to solution.
Because of the horrific mistakes of a few this is a crisis for the whole Church (not the religion). There are those with lousy motives who will jump to the opportunity to tear it up and on the other side of the coin there will be those who would ignore and hope it would go away on it's own (as we've seen) and then there are a ton of well meaning folks in between who believe there is a solution.
So, Fred, I'd invite you to become a part of that solution. Where you are comfortable, that is.

-- Chris Coose (ccoose@maine.rr.com), May 03, 2002.

Not with my pocketbook they will. i will be damn if I pay ONE thin dime for the screw up of a few others and the parents of the victims. That is too much to pay. WAY TOO MUCH.

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), May 03, 2002.

Chris, I'll be glad to help come up with a solution, I'm the only one here that nows how evil works.

-- Tony (awalker@teknett.com), May 04, 2002.