The Catholic Church Abuse Crisis

What can anyone say? Those of us who are Catholic and true believers are sick over this. Those of us who are not Catholic and are true believers are also sick over this. In fact there are very good atheists who are sick over this.

Those who are anti-Catholic are using it for purposes of propaganda (a term ironically related to the church, by the way).

These abuses did not happen because the Catholic church is evil. They happened because men are evil. Because evil men with unnatural lusts will seek out positions where they will be trusted and have greater access to potential victims.

I was reading an article on Yahoo! News about Pope Benedict XVI's latest remarks about sins of the church. And down in the comments was someone calling him or herself Christian who was posting incorrect scripture quotes for the purpose of condemning the Catholic Church. Now I don't think Christian is trying to mislead anyone. I think he/she really believes all of the things he/she is posting. I also think he is wrong.

Apologies to Baptists and others, but when people like "Christian" start throwing out the term saved (as in when I was/got saved) I get a bit leery. If you're going to define salvation as an event, it should be when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, spent three days in hell for us, and was resurrected. People talking about the day they got saved calls to mind the idea of a utopia that does not exist on this earth.

You know what? The Bible does not talk about having that kind of once-in-a-lifetime breakthrough. Jesus never said anything about it. So I'm not afraid to say that I do not have one experience in my life that fits the description of "Christian's" salvation.

My faith has always been here. I struggle every day. Turning from sin is not a one-time thing. You have to live your faith all the time. I believe. At some point I suppose I made a decision to believe, but it's not one I remember making. It doesn't make me less of a Christian.

And I'm not going to Hell because I don't fit neatly into that spiritual box. The only one who can tell me I'm going to Hell is Jesus, on Judgement Day.

Getting back to the point...there are many men who will have to answer to Jesus on Judgement Day for the innocent lives that were damaged. Not only those who were abusers, but those who failed to stop the abuse. And there are other churches where this has happened. Other denominations have pedophiles hiding amongst their clergy and their members.

I have personal connection to this kind of outrage. I have a sister who was abused, but not by any church official. Evil knows no denomination, no labels, no boundaries.

Evil will not be defeated by press coverage, or public outcry. But evil will be defeated by the hand of God, when the time is right. And those who cause the innocent to stumble will be punished. There will be no hiding. God goes where even the media cannot. He knows the secrets of those who have kept them thus far; those who may never be found out by our world. He will dispense the necessary justice. Only then will we know true peace.