THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE ATHEIST WRITER PHILIP PULLMAN
The very blasphemous and senseless novel " The Goood Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ"
Philip Pullman is atheist convinced, he declares Jesus was not the son of God, and Christianity was invented by Paul.
Now to give some basis to his raving ideas, he wrote a novel where he invents a kind of direction that
realize the Christianity and the Church. Pullman also claims that Jesus had a twin according to some apocryphal gospels,
he alludes to the Gnostic Coptic Gospel of Thomas, but in Thomas is not a carnal twin , but spiritual-gnostic twinning.
Here is a small summary of the tale.
Mary of Nazareth is a girl and lives with Joseph, to whom she was has entrusted by the priests of the temple,
this was copied from the apocryphal Gospel of James.
It happens, that one night an angel seduces and impregnates Mary.
Born twins, a healthy and strong, the other sickly and intriguing.
To the healthy twin will be given the name Jesus, to the sickly, the name of Christ,
the Greek translation of messiah. The birth takes place in Bethlehem.
There is also the visit of the shepherds ,who are visited by an bright angel, who announcing the birth of the Messiah.
The story continues with a blasphemous and ridiculous copy of the Gospels.
The twins grow up, we find Jesus at twelve in the temple, where he writes his name on walls with clay,
and priests want to punish him, the twin Christ defends Jesus.
Jesus adult goes around preaching the gospel and doing miracles. Christ follows the twin Jesus and record everything he does.
While Jesus is pure, the twin Christ is a sinner, so sinner to frequent the prostitutes.
A stranger without a name helps Christ to organize everything, to form a church with governmental structures and istitutions.
Then the evil twin Christ betrays Jesus, who is crucified and dies, while the twin Christ presents himself as the risen Jesus.
So Jesus was not son of God and he not risen, but the resurrection as well as miracles are false.
This is the story, this is one of the most blasphemous novels, senseless and imaginative writings against Jesus and the Christian faith.
Now, an atheist who writes this novel very blasphemous against God, against Jesus, against the Holy Ghost, against Holy Family, the Christian faith,
it can happen, but now, this gospel very blasphemous is promoted by the Anglican Church!
The Church of England Newspaper defines the Pullman'novel , a magnificent book that ignites the debate.
Pullman, was inspired to write this very blasphemous novel against the Lord Jesu Christ and His Holy Name
by a most surprising figure, the Archbishop of Canerbury Dr Rowan Williams, ( according to the telegraph.co.uk).
The Archbishop Rowan is a Pullman'fan, and about the novel " The Goood Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ",
Dr Rowan says " A voice of sincere spiritual authority", ( according to The Guardian).
Pullman does not believe in Jesus, and not wonder what Jesus thinks of his cruel and blasphemous novel,
but even the Archbishop of Canterbury, he does not ask himself what do think Jesus.
So really amazing things happen, like a novel so foolish, useless, offensive and blasphemous, is accepted by the Anglican Church remains a mystery.
How the devil 'apostasy is sweeping the Christian world!
This apostasy was foretold;
2 Timothy 4: 3-4
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.
2 Peter 2:1
There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you,
who will introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them, bringing swift destruction on themselves.
***************************************************************
Here's another slap against Jesus who died for us sinners, ungrateful.
However, these blasphemous novels are useless rubbish, do not serve to the Christian believer nor to the atheist,
or the believer of another faith, in their place would be better to read the Gospels true, not only for religion but also for culture.
*************************************************
The Bible warns us about the dangers of blasphemous works.
All we will one day stand before the true Lord Jesus Christ, the Judge of all the earth,
and not before a false Christ invented from the imagination of some atheist, agnostic, pagan or false Christian.
Our eternal destiny depends on the relationship we had with him the Lord Jesus Christ.
For the salvation we must believe in the Jesus Chist.
John 3: 35-36
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.
John 8: 23-24
He said to them, "You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world.
That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins."
Matthew 10: 32-33
Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
Mark 8: 38
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
Mark 16: 16
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
******************************************************************
The Lord Jesus Christ warns us about the dangers of blasphemous works.
Matthew 12: 30-32
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Therefore, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven,
either in this age or in the age to come.
Matthew 12: 36-37
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak.
By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
*********************************************************
The Lord Jesus Christ will punish sinners.
Matthew 13: 40-43
Just as weeds are collected and burned (up) with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.
Matthew 16: 27
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.
*******************************************************
The Lord Jesus Christ warns of false Christians.
Matthrew 7: 21-23
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'
Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'
*******************************************************
St. Paul warns those who make blasphemous works.
Galatians 1: 6-9
I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by (the) grace (of Christ) for a different gospel
(not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ.
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed!
As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!
*********************************************************
Biblical quotations: The New American Bible
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/_INDEX.HTM
https://sites.google.com/site/antiblasphemycentral/
https://sites.google.com/site/antiblasphemycentral/Home/the-gospel-according-to-the-atheist-writer-philip-pullman
2010/05/04
The Audacity of Bishop Gene Robinson
The Audacity of Bishop Gene Robinson
News Analysis
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
May 3, 2010
Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire has written an "open letter" to the Pope telling him in no uncertain terms that the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church is about pedophilia and that he has it all wrong about homosexuals. He accuses the Pope of being "misguided and [says it is]wrong for gay men to be scapegoated in this scandal."
Robinson wrote his letter as a part of his program as a part-time senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
He wrote, "As a gay man, I know the pain and the verbal and physical violence that can come from the thoroughly debunked myth connecting homosexuality and the abuse of children. In the media, representatives of and advocates for the Roman Catholic Church have laid blame for sexual abuse at the feet of gay priests. These people know, or should know, that every reputable scientific study shows that homosexuals are no more or less likely to be child abusers than heterosexuals. Psychologically healthy homosexual men are no more drawn to little boys than psychologically healthy heterosexual men are drawn to little girls.
"Sexual activity with children or teenagers is child abuse, pure and simple. Meaningful consent is impossible, by definition, for the underaged. You will not rid your church of sexual abuse by throwing homosexuals out of your seminaries or out of the priesthood. Homosexual priests have faithfully and responsibly served God throughout Catholic history. To scapegoat them and deprive them of their pulpits is a tragedy for the people they serve and for the church. Yours is a problem of abuse, not sexual orientation."
Robinson has it all wrong.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes homosexuality as "objectively disordered" http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm The writers of the catechism say this under the banner: Chastity and homosexuality
"Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
"The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
"Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
"Explicit treatment of the problem was given in this Congregation's "Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics" of December 29, 1975. That document stressed the duty of trying to understand the homosexual condition and noted that culpability for homosexual acts should only be judged with prudence.
"At the same time the Congregation took note of the distinction commonly drawn between the homosexual condition or tendency and individual homosexual actions. These were described as deprived of their essential and indispensable finality, as being "intrinsically disordered", and able in no case to be approved of.
"As in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents one's own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. The Church, in rejecting erroneous opinions regarding homosexuality, does not limit but rather defends personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically understood." http://tinyurl.com/4rsyc
As a result of Robinson's consecration, the Roman Catholic Church broke off ecumenical discussions with The Episcopal Church, as did the Russian Orthodox Church.
Truth be told, Robinson's consecration has cost TEC dearly with tens of thousands of people leaving The Episcopal Church including whole dioceses. A new Anglican Church has been formed in North America, which the Roman Catholic Church may yet recognize.
What sort of credibility does Robinson think he has with the pope? Bear in mind that he was once married to a woman, had two children, then announced after several years of marriage that he was a homosexual, divorced his wife, then met a man on a Caribbean Island, moved in with him and then "married" him according to the secular laws of the state of New Hampshire.
The truth is those group of priests who molest mostly young men ARE homosexuals or more accurately ephebophiliacs, adult men who have a sexual preference for mid-to-late adolescents, generally ages 15 to 19.
The term "ephebophilia" was originally used in the late 19th to mid 20th century. It is one of a number of sexual preferences across age groups subsumed under the neologism of "chronophilia". Ephebophilia strictly denotes the preference for mid-to-late adolescent sexual partners, defined as a sexual preference for girls generally 14–16 years old, and boys generally 14–19 years old.
Some authors define ephebophilia as a sexual preference for pubescent and adolescent boys. These Roman Catholic priests fall exactly into that category. They are not pedophiles as they did not go after small children...their sexual interests lay in seducing young adolescent boys whose sexuality had not been fully formed and who were open to manipulation by older men, including a number of priests in the Roman Catholic Church.
As Catholic League president Bill Donohue observed on the statistics of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, "As reported in 2004, between 1950 and 2002, 81 percent of the victims were male; in 2005, it stayed the same; in 2006, it dropped to 80 percent; in 2007, it climbed to 82 percent; in 2008, it jumped to 84 percent; and in 2009, it stayed at 84 percent. In other words, even though priests have less access to males, homosexual priests are molesting them at a higher rate [than females]. It's time to end the gay cover-up once and for all."
Not to put a too fine point on it, a gay Episcopal activist, Frank Lombard, a Duke University official was arrested in Raleigh, NC on pedophile charges he molested his own children. He claimed that he was a "fan of New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson."
Or what about the case of the convicted pedophile Episcopal Priest Lynn C. Baumann who was allowed to host a spiritual retreats with Presiding Bishop's blessing!
In an exchange of correspondence with David Clohessy, National Director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Mrs. Jefferts Schori, through her Pastoral Development Officer Bishop F. Clayton Matthews, said Baumann that could function as a spiritual retreat master on the understanding that "Mr. Baumann's contact (is) to adults only".
One should point out to Robinson that despite all the fine talk about how high the standards are now for sexual abuse being spotted and dealt with in TEC, as recently as February of this year, an 82-year old Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Central New York was charged with multiple counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, and corruption of a minor. He got away with it for years.
Stories VOL wrote at that time suggested a possible cover-up of the priest's sexual activities by Episcopal Bishop Gladstone (Skip) Adams. Why did we hear nothing from Robinson about these cases when they erupted in the press?
I wrote at the time, "The truth is the bishop (Adams) should be investigated by the national church. He should face the same charges brought against the now inhibited and deposed former Bishop of Pennsylvania, Charles E. Bennison who was forced to step down following a trial and conviction on charges that he covered up his brother's sexual abuse of a female minor. The story began in 2006..."
The truth is Robinson's advice to the Pope is ill advised and his misinformation staggering. He should get his sexualities (LGBTQ) -- he says there are more -- better lined up before he proceeds to tell the leader of one billion Catholics worldwide what it is he would like us to believe about sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman.
Roman Catholic leaders did a very poor job in getting rid of homosexuals. Many of the leaders were fooled. Homosexuals over ran their seminaries. In many cases, they took over parishes and fooled bishops and those higher up in the church. They became deeply entrenched as the "pink mafia". The Vatican finally sent a team of high-level persons to clean the homosexual infestations out of the seminaries.
The Roman Catholic Church has now said there will be no more cover-ups, no more peddling of sexually abusive priests around to different parishes. Every case will be turned over to the authorities immediately. We shall see. Institutional loyalty still reigns.
The difference of course between the Roman Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church is that TEC has rolled over to the culture and not stood up against it. TEC has caved while the RCC has not.
Robinson thinks that by giving vent to his sexual preferences and endorsing sodomy in the name of "justice" that this will resolve the problem and people will come flocking back to TEC in the name of inclusivity and diversity. He is dead wrong. It is not happening. TEC is slowly dying. The Roman Catholic Church grew in America last year, admittedly through immigration, despite the awful things a handful of their priests did.
The Roman Catholic Church has put in place higher standards for those applying to the priesthood. Homosexuals will be hard pressed to get past the battery of psychological tests they must now undergo.
It is not without its significance that leading British homosexual Peter Tatchell has advocated for the legal age of sexual consent to be lowered to 14 http://tinyurl.com/36hp463 and Stonewall, the chief gay campaigners in the United Kingdom, publicly advocates 16 as the legal age of consent for sexual activity with children http://tinyurl.com/337slhh Why would they do that if they didn't want fresh young vulnerable boys to seduce?
Most of those who abuse children (and 14 is a child, to my mind) are unmarried men who abuse boys rather than girls. The conclusion seems glaringly obvious to anyone. It is also becoming clearer, based on the best psychological evidence, that male predators are drawn and attracted to their victims because it seemingly fulfills a bottomless yearning for father-son bonding and nurturing that was denied the predator for whatever reason.
Perhaps, Mr. Robinson should take a long hard look in the mirror.
*****
The following is the letter Bishop Robinson wrote to Pope Benedict XVI.
Amid abuse scandal, advice from Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to Pope Benedict
By Bishop V. Gene Robinson
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Your Holiness,
Though our churches differ in many ways, we believe in the same God. As your brother in Christ, it pains me to see Catholics struggle with your response to recent allegations of sex abuse by priests. Since my denomination has also battled these demons, I want to share with you what I have learned as a bishop of the Episcopal Church.
About 20 years ago, our church became aware of sex abuse by our clergy here in the United States. To our shame, we learned of it in lawsuits filed by victims alleging that some of our bishops had minimized the seriousness of the abuse and/or swept their claims under the rug. Some cases were related to the abuse of children; others involved male clergy who took advantage of their pastoral relationship with vulnerable women to manipulate them into sexual relationships. These men violated the sacred trust placed in clergy to focus on parishioners' needs and to separate those needs from their own. To prevent further such abuses of power, we moved quickly for the good of the victims and of our church.
Whether or not civil courts recognize a statute of limitations, the church must hold its clergy members accountable to their vows to be faithful shepherds of their people. In 1994, the Episcopal Church opened a two-year window of opportunity to hear complaints about priestly abuse of the pastoral relationship with adults. Just because an event occurred many years ago did not make it any less egregious, especially since perpetrators rarely have only one victim. We addressed all complaints through our canonical disciplinary process.
As for instances involving children, we have no statute of limitations on reporting abuse. Those suspected of committing child abuse are immediately reported to the civil authorities for investigation.
Rather than refusing to acknowledge our transgressions, we sought to change our church's culture -- an effort that took no small amount of courage. In my diocese in New Hampshire, and across the Episcopal Church, we perform a thorough background check on every bishop, priest or deacon who serves under my authority. We correspond with every employer the clergyperson has ever had and every bishop under whom the clergyperson has ever served to determine whether there is a history of complaints.
While procedures vary from diocese to diocese, we here in New Hampshire require six hours of abuse-prevention training for clergy, all other employees of the church (organists, parish administrators, maintenance workers), youth workers and elected parish leaders. A refresher course is required every five years. Events with and for children may never be conducted without two adults present and always in view of each other. This protects children from abusive behavior and protects adults who might be falsely charged. Many of our parishes have installed windows in the clergy office doors, so that no activity -- even private counseling -- may go unobserved.
We want many pairs of eyes watching for signs of abuse. We want everyone to know how to report suspected abuse of children and abuse of the pastoral relationship between clergy members and parishioners. We want to keep the issue before our church -- clergy and laity alike -- and to keep the conversation going.
But the thing victims most want to hear from the church, especially its leadership, is: "I am so sorry. This should never have happened to you, especially here. We are going to do everything in our power to see that nothing like this happens again." Victims live with their horrific experiences and know that their abuse can never be undone. And so they seek assurance that the church will change the system that allows abuse to go undetected and take action to hold perpetrators accountable. Child abusers do not deserve protection; they must be reported immediately to civil authorities and prosecuted.
The Christian church -- like any institution -- is as capable of sin as any individual. We have been wrong before, from the Inquisition and the Crusades down to our defense of slavery (using scripture) and our denigration of women. Over time, the church has repented for these sins and sought to change its ways. The discovery of sexual abuse by clergy is another situation that calls for the church's repentance and reform.
I would not presume to instruct you. That would be arrogant. Nor would I impose upon you advice you've not sought. But I do offer you the benefit of my experience as you seek to deal responsibly with these challenges to the integrity of your church. Your letter to the faithful in Ireland and your meeting in Malta with victims were a good start. I hope the future will bring more truth telling, which will make your church a better, safer place.
However, I believe it is misguided and wrong for gay men to be scapegoated in this scandal. As a gay man, I know the pain and the verbal and physical violence that can come from the thoroughly debunked myth connecting homosexuality and the abuse of children. In the media, representatives of and advocates for the Roman Catholic Church have laid blame for sexual abuse at the feet of gay priests. These people know, or should know, that every reputable scientific study shows that homosexuals are no more or less likely to be child abusers than heterosexuals. Psychologically healthy homosexual men are no more drawn to little boys than psychologically healthy heterosexual men are drawn to little girls.
Sexual activity with children or teenagers is child abuse, pure and simple. Meaningful consent is impossible, by definition, for the underaged. You will not rid your church of sexual abuse by throwing homosexuals out of your seminaries or out of the priesthood. Homosexual priests have faithfully and responsibly served God throughout Catholic history. To scapegoat them and deprive them of their pulpits is a tragedy for the people they serve and for the church. Yours is a problem of abuse, not sexual orientation.
I will pray for your church and for you, as I hope you will pray for my church and for me. In Luke 12:2-3, Jesus tells us: "Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the rooftops."
And may God have mercy on our souls.
Your brother in Christ,
Gene Robinson
----V. Gene Robinson was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003 as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. He is also a part-time senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=12510
News Analysis
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
May 3, 2010
Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire has written an "open letter" to the Pope telling him in no uncertain terms that the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church is about pedophilia and that he has it all wrong about homosexuals. He accuses the Pope of being "misguided and [says it is]wrong for gay men to be scapegoated in this scandal."
Robinson wrote his letter as a part of his program as a part-time senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
He wrote, "As a gay man, I know the pain and the verbal and physical violence that can come from the thoroughly debunked myth connecting homosexuality and the abuse of children. In the media, representatives of and advocates for the Roman Catholic Church have laid blame for sexual abuse at the feet of gay priests. These people know, or should know, that every reputable scientific study shows that homosexuals are no more or less likely to be child abusers than heterosexuals. Psychologically healthy homosexual men are no more drawn to little boys than psychologically healthy heterosexual men are drawn to little girls.
"Sexual activity with children or teenagers is child abuse, pure and simple. Meaningful consent is impossible, by definition, for the underaged. You will not rid your church of sexual abuse by throwing homosexuals out of your seminaries or out of the priesthood. Homosexual priests have faithfully and responsibly served God throughout Catholic history. To scapegoat them and deprive them of their pulpits is a tragedy for the people they serve and for the church. Yours is a problem of abuse, not sexual orientation."
Robinson has it all wrong.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes homosexuality as "objectively disordered" http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm The writers of the catechism say this under the banner: Chastity and homosexuality
"Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
"The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
"Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
"Explicit treatment of the problem was given in this Congregation's "Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics" of December 29, 1975. That document stressed the duty of trying to understand the homosexual condition and noted that culpability for homosexual acts should only be judged with prudence.
"At the same time the Congregation took note of the distinction commonly drawn between the homosexual condition or tendency and individual homosexual actions. These were described as deprived of their essential and indispensable finality, as being "intrinsically disordered", and able in no case to be approved of.
"As in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents one's own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. The Church, in rejecting erroneous opinions regarding homosexuality, does not limit but rather defends personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically understood." http://tinyurl.com/4rsyc
As a result of Robinson's consecration, the Roman Catholic Church broke off ecumenical discussions with The Episcopal Church, as did the Russian Orthodox Church.
Truth be told, Robinson's consecration has cost TEC dearly with tens of thousands of people leaving The Episcopal Church including whole dioceses. A new Anglican Church has been formed in North America, which the Roman Catholic Church may yet recognize.
What sort of credibility does Robinson think he has with the pope? Bear in mind that he was once married to a woman, had two children, then announced after several years of marriage that he was a homosexual, divorced his wife, then met a man on a Caribbean Island, moved in with him and then "married" him according to the secular laws of the state of New Hampshire.
The truth is those group of priests who molest mostly young men ARE homosexuals or more accurately ephebophiliacs, adult men who have a sexual preference for mid-to-late adolescents, generally ages 15 to 19.
The term "ephebophilia" was originally used in the late 19th to mid 20th century. It is one of a number of sexual preferences across age groups subsumed under the neologism of "chronophilia". Ephebophilia strictly denotes the preference for mid-to-late adolescent sexual partners, defined as a sexual preference for girls generally 14–16 years old, and boys generally 14–19 years old.
Some authors define ephebophilia as a sexual preference for pubescent and adolescent boys. These Roman Catholic priests fall exactly into that category. They are not pedophiles as they did not go after small children...their sexual interests lay in seducing young adolescent boys whose sexuality had not been fully formed and who were open to manipulation by older men, including a number of priests in the Roman Catholic Church.
As Catholic League president Bill Donohue observed on the statistics of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, "As reported in 2004, between 1950 and 2002, 81 percent of the victims were male; in 2005, it stayed the same; in 2006, it dropped to 80 percent; in 2007, it climbed to 82 percent; in 2008, it jumped to 84 percent; and in 2009, it stayed at 84 percent. In other words, even though priests have less access to males, homosexual priests are molesting them at a higher rate [than females]. It's time to end the gay cover-up once and for all."
Not to put a too fine point on it, a gay Episcopal activist, Frank Lombard, a Duke University official was arrested in Raleigh, NC on pedophile charges he molested his own children. He claimed that he was a "fan of New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson."
Or what about the case of the convicted pedophile Episcopal Priest Lynn C. Baumann who was allowed to host a spiritual retreats with Presiding Bishop's blessing!
In an exchange of correspondence with David Clohessy, National Director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Mrs. Jefferts Schori, through her Pastoral Development Officer Bishop F. Clayton Matthews, said Baumann that could function as a spiritual retreat master on the understanding that "Mr. Baumann's contact (is) to adults only".
One should point out to Robinson that despite all the fine talk about how high the standards are now for sexual abuse being spotted and dealt with in TEC, as recently as February of this year, an 82-year old Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Central New York was charged with multiple counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, and corruption of a minor. He got away with it for years.
Stories VOL wrote at that time suggested a possible cover-up of the priest's sexual activities by Episcopal Bishop Gladstone (Skip) Adams. Why did we hear nothing from Robinson about these cases when they erupted in the press?
I wrote at the time, "The truth is the bishop (Adams) should be investigated by the national church. He should face the same charges brought against the now inhibited and deposed former Bishop of Pennsylvania, Charles E. Bennison who was forced to step down following a trial and conviction on charges that he covered up his brother's sexual abuse of a female minor. The story began in 2006..."
The truth is Robinson's advice to the Pope is ill advised and his misinformation staggering. He should get his sexualities (LGBTQ) -- he says there are more -- better lined up before he proceeds to tell the leader of one billion Catholics worldwide what it is he would like us to believe about sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman.
Roman Catholic leaders did a very poor job in getting rid of homosexuals. Many of the leaders were fooled. Homosexuals over ran their seminaries. In many cases, they took over parishes and fooled bishops and those higher up in the church. They became deeply entrenched as the "pink mafia". The Vatican finally sent a team of high-level persons to clean the homosexual infestations out of the seminaries.
The Roman Catholic Church has now said there will be no more cover-ups, no more peddling of sexually abusive priests around to different parishes. Every case will be turned over to the authorities immediately. We shall see. Institutional loyalty still reigns.
The difference of course between the Roman Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church is that TEC has rolled over to the culture and not stood up against it. TEC has caved while the RCC has not.
Robinson thinks that by giving vent to his sexual preferences and endorsing sodomy in the name of "justice" that this will resolve the problem and people will come flocking back to TEC in the name of inclusivity and diversity. He is dead wrong. It is not happening. TEC is slowly dying. The Roman Catholic Church grew in America last year, admittedly through immigration, despite the awful things a handful of their priests did.
The Roman Catholic Church has put in place higher standards for those applying to the priesthood. Homosexuals will be hard pressed to get past the battery of psychological tests they must now undergo.
It is not without its significance that leading British homosexual Peter Tatchell has advocated for the legal age of sexual consent to be lowered to 14 http://tinyurl.com/36hp463 and Stonewall, the chief gay campaigners in the United Kingdom, publicly advocates 16 as the legal age of consent for sexual activity with children http://tinyurl.com/337slhh Why would they do that if they didn't want fresh young vulnerable boys to seduce?
Most of those who abuse children (and 14 is a child, to my mind) are unmarried men who abuse boys rather than girls. The conclusion seems glaringly obvious to anyone. It is also becoming clearer, based on the best psychological evidence, that male predators are drawn and attracted to their victims because it seemingly fulfills a bottomless yearning for father-son bonding and nurturing that was denied the predator for whatever reason.
Perhaps, Mr. Robinson should take a long hard look in the mirror.
*****
The following is the letter Bishop Robinson wrote to Pope Benedict XVI.
Amid abuse scandal, advice from Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to Pope Benedict
By Bishop V. Gene Robinson
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Your Holiness,
Though our churches differ in many ways, we believe in the same God. As your brother in Christ, it pains me to see Catholics struggle with your response to recent allegations of sex abuse by priests. Since my denomination has also battled these demons, I want to share with you what I have learned as a bishop of the Episcopal Church.
About 20 years ago, our church became aware of sex abuse by our clergy here in the United States. To our shame, we learned of it in lawsuits filed by victims alleging that some of our bishops had minimized the seriousness of the abuse and/or swept their claims under the rug. Some cases were related to the abuse of children; others involved male clergy who took advantage of their pastoral relationship with vulnerable women to manipulate them into sexual relationships. These men violated the sacred trust placed in clergy to focus on parishioners' needs and to separate those needs from their own. To prevent further such abuses of power, we moved quickly for the good of the victims and of our church.
Whether or not civil courts recognize a statute of limitations, the church must hold its clergy members accountable to their vows to be faithful shepherds of their people. In 1994, the Episcopal Church opened a two-year window of opportunity to hear complaints about priestly abuse of the pastoral relationship with adults. Just because an event occurred many years ago did not make it any less egregious, especially since perpetrators rarely have only one victim. We addressed all complaints through our canonical disciplinary process.
As for instances involving children, we have no statute of limitations on reporting abuse. Those suspected of committing child abuse are immediately reported to the civil authorities for investigation.
Rather than refusing to acknowledge our transgressions, we sought to change our church's culture -- an effort that took no small amount of courage. In my diocese in New Hampshire, and across the Episcopal Church, we perform a thorough background check on every bishop, priest or deacon who serves under my authority. We correspond with every employer the clergyperson has ever had and every bishop under whom the clergyperson has ever served to determine whether there is a history of complaints.
While procedures vary from diocese to diocese, we here in New Hampshire require six hours of abuse-prevention training for clergy, all other employees of the church (organists, parish administrators, maintenance workers), youth workers and elected parish leaders. A refresher course is required every five years. Events with and for children may never be conducted without two adults present and always in view of each other. This protects children from abusive behavior and protects adults who might be falsely charged. Many of our parishes have installed windows in the clergy office doors, so that no activity -- even private counseling -- may go unobserved.
We want many pairs of eyes watching for signs of abuse. We want everyone to know how to report suspected abuse of children and abuse of the pastoral relationship between clergy members and parishioners. We want to keep the issue before our church -- clergy and laity alike -- and to keep the conversation going.
But the thing victims most want to hear from the church, especially its leadership, is: "I am so sorry. This should never have happened to you, especially here. We are going to do everything in our power to see that nothing like this happens again." Victims live with their horrific experiences and know that their abuse can never be undone. And so they seek assurance that the church will change the system that allows abuse to go undetected and take action to hold perpetrators accountable. Child abusers do not deserve protection; they must be reported immediately to civil authorities and prosecuted.
The Christian church -- like any institution -- is as capable of sin as any individual. We have been wrong before, from the Inquisition and the Crusades down to our defense of slavery (using scripture) and our denigration of women. Over time, the church has repented for these sins and sought to change its ways. The discovery of sexual abuse by clergy is another situation that calls for the church's repentance and reform.
I would not presume to instruct you. That would be arrogant. Nor would I impose upon you advice you've not sought. But I do offer you the benefit of my experience as you seek to deal responsibly with these challenges to the integrity of your church. Your letter to the faithful in Ireland and your meeting in Malta with victims were a good start. I hope the future will bring more truth telling, which will make your church a better, safer place.
However, I believe it is misguided and wrong for gay men to be scapegoated in this scandal. As a gay man, I know the pain and the verbal and physical violence that can come from the thoroughly debunked myth connecting homosexuality and the abuse of children. In the media, representatives of and advocates for the Roman Catholic Church have laid blame for sexual abuse at the feet of gay priests. These people know, or should know, that every reputable scientific study shows that homosexuals are no more or less likely to be child abusers than heterosexuals. Psychologically healthy homosexual men are no more drawn to little boys than psychologically healthy heterosexual men are drawn to little girls.
Sexual activity with children or teenagers is child abuse, pure and simple. Meaningful consent is impossible, by definition, for the underaged. You will not rid your church of sexual abuse by throwing homosexuals out of your seminaries or out of the priesthood. Homosexual priests have faithfully and responsibly served God throughout Catholic history. To scapegoat them and deprive them of their pulpits is a tragedy for the people they serve and for the church. Yours is a problem of abuse, not sexual orientation.
I will pray for your church and for you, as I hope you will pray for my church and for me. In Luke 12:2-3, Jesus tells us: "Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the rooftops."
And may God have mercy on our souls.
Your brother in Christ,
Gene Robinson
----V. Gene Robinson was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003 as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. He is also a part-time senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=12510
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