So Who's Going to Hell?
...Or perhaps better to ask is, "Who's going to Heaven?" The recent news about Catholic priests and their inability to keep their hands off of the altar boys prompted the following essay. In all, this entire situation is largely causing me to sit back and laugh--not at the abuse, which is unjustified by any means and completely inexcusable, but at the deeper, religious aspect of the whole thing.
It should be obvious to anyone that has spent any amount of time reading my web pages that I curse religion, especially Christianity and, perhaps, its most representative or recognizable sect, Catholicism. Christianity was forced down my throat for many years beginning at a very early age. Upon reaching an age of reason, enlightenment, and education, I powerfully vomited it back up from my gut like a vile poison and have rejected it ever since. At my very core, I am an atheist. I don't believe in "Heaven," "Hell," "God," or "Satan." For the purposes of this essay, however, I will reference these rotten figments of the human imagination as if I do believe in them.
So, I don't believe in an afterlife, the Bible, or any of the Christian ideas of Jesus, God, etc. In fact, through my writings, it could be said that I actively stand against them. Because of this, will I go to Hell? I have never willfully physically harmed another person (murder, rape, etc.), nor have I knowingly committed any crimes (theft, arson, etc.). I have never done anything "bad" as viewed by society, nor have I ever done any jail time. I am generally very well-behaved. But I don't believe in God. Am I going to Hell? What about some of these priests? They have devoted their entire lives to God but feel it's appropriate to view and/or touch young boys' genitals. This is not normal. Now, I'm all for being not normal (or "abnormal"), unique, strange, different, or weird, but this must be done within the boundaries set by a civilized society. What they are doing is a crime. Society says so. I agree with society here (take note, this is actually one of the few times). This is causing serious damage to the kids. Are the priests going to Hell? My "crime?" A "crime" that hurts no one. I don't believe in Christ. Their crime? A crime that has hurt numerous children. Sexual abuse. Pedophilia. Which is worse? Who gets into Heaven? Who goes to Hell? If, after my death, I'm standing next to a pedophiliac priest at the "Pearly Gates" and he gets in and I get banished to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, I'm going to be really pissed. This is why I fight against Christianity. It doesn't make any sense. And nobody can give me an answer because no one knows, and those that do claim to know the answer are the ones touching the little boys. How could I or anybody else for that matter trust them to tell the truth? Why would I or why should I trust them? If the priest does get into Heaven, is pedophilia accepted by God? Is society second-guessing God? What if the priest asks for God's forgiveness? The damage has certainly already been done to the victim(s). If Heaven is populated with a bunch of pedophiliac priests, even if they have been "forgiven," then I don't want to be there anyway.
I mentioned earlier that I am actually laughing at this whole mess. Why? Besides what I have already mentioned, there are a couple of other reasons. First off, the two-strikes policy that the most recent gathering of religious figureheads came up with. Are they kidding? Two strikes! How about one strike, man? Better yet, how about we make it no strikes! Keep your filthy hands off the fuckin' altar boys, dammit! Two strikes? So two lives can be tainted instead of just one? How about reporting the priest to the proper authorities at the first sign of trouble? Two strikes? Jesus Christ!
Here's another reason why I'm laughing. These priests cannot marry, have sex, eat meat on Fridays, or go against whatever other ridiculous and unnatural restrictions are placed on them. They can't have the physical companionship of a consenting adult woman, but they can play with the altar boys' "holy scepter" (up until recently, at least, it seems). They can't touch a woman's vagina, but they can touch a young boy's penis. This almost makes sense.
Now, granted, I do realize that not every Catholic priest is engaging in this "activity." In every given population, there is going to be a subset of deviants, outliers if you will. This I know. True not every priest is involved in this, but the issue becomes even larger when one begins to factor in the lies, deceit, and cover-ups. Not to mention the payoffs. "As we pass around the offering plate this week, please be extra generous because Father O'Reilly succumbed to the desires of his flesh by having a special mass with little Jimmy here last week. God be praised!" [Editor's Note: That preceding sentence must be read with a thick Irish Catholic accent for full comedic value. Thank you.] Again, even with the payoffs and the cover-ups and the bishops transferring priests around, the damage has already been done, possibly numerous times.
Pantera perhaps summed things up best when they wrote "Fucking Hostile." One of the last lines of the song reads as follows, "I'd question things because I am human, and call no one my father who's no closer than a stranger." There are those who fear that this scandal may turn people from the Church, may turn them from their faith. Good. In fact, they should run kicking and screaming with rejection in the opposite direction. Maybe something good can come out of this mess. Maybe this will be the slap in the face to wake up these Catholics and Christians to make them realize that these idiots are not infallible. They are not gods. They are not to be shown blind respect or reverence. Perhaps we should be questioning these idiots. Perhaps we shouldn't be trusting these idiots. Perhaps...we shouldn't be following these idiots.
Originally written:
April 28, 2002
Put online:
May 4, 2002
Discussion:
N/A
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