What’s that Christian saying about not casting stones unless you yourself are without sin? I mean if there’s one institution that should keep that saying in mind, it’s the Catholic church, don’t you think?
Yet they’ve managed to do it again – inviting a hail of hard objects for their latest display of jaw dropping hypocrisy.
Here in the Christian, yet progressive little country of The Netherlands there are two Church related stories emerging at the same time this week (finally displacing the haunted eyes of the Dutch skating champion Sven Kramer who missed out on a gold medal gallery by a series of missed chances and bad luck – but that’s another story).
Back to the Church – and it’s own story of missed chances and bad luck: A few days ago, during the fun-for-all festival that sends all southern Hollanders into a frenzy of dance, drink and delirium, a priest refused Communion to the Carnival Prince because he was gay.
Of course he was asking for it – the priest I mean, not the gay churchgoer.
I mean hello, this is The Netherlands right? Gay Pride parades are our speciality; we have openly gay politicians, and even the top brass in the armed forces come to formal galas with their gay partners. So sure enough, a bunch of protesters dressed in pink arrived for communion yesterday in the southern town of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, also known as Den Bosch. They left in a pink fury when the priest announced that no one was getting communion that day.
The timing of the incident is unfortunate.
Sharing almost the same page in the newspapers is the story of the abuse of children at a monastery school in the east of the country. So Holland can join the disgraceful list of countries that for years turned a collective blind eye to priests abusing children in their care.
It’s not just the bald faced hypocrisy of all this that gets to me - its the stupidity of it. At a time when the Church is in crisis, when pews are emptying as fast as the seminaries, when nuns and priests are preparing to join the endangered species lists, you actually lock out people who defy the ridicule of their mates by wanting to go to church?
I mean get with the times folks. And eating a little humble pie wouldn’t go amiss either.
The gay protesters in Den Bosch wore signs that read: “Jesus didn’t lock anyone out”.
Jesus by the way, also said: Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. (Matt 7: 1-5)
on Mar 4th, 2010 at 6:53 am
There is a tinge of hypocrisy in almost every religion and some has a bit more! Bald faced hypocrisy or not so bald, there is that little mix of hypocrisy always for sure. Humans have a natural biological process going on within them. Not many can suppress it long in the name of their religious beliefs and understandings. The nuns and priests are after all human beings with human urges. All those feelings are only suppressed in a veil of hypocrisy by many of them. It will always seek fulfilment and will take the easy way to realization. Some unfortunate humans become easy pray to this hypocrisy! It might have been going on for centuries but seldom do the outside world know about it. In Kerala - India, the controversial case of Sister Abhaya’s murder is one case which put the Church into a lot of trouble and that is not a single case which has originated within sacred premises. Sister Paulsey case is another one ! There are umpteen number of incidents where the Church in Kerala is rocked by sex scandals! Similar things may be happening almost in every corner of the world but well suppressed. Until that tinge of hypocrisy is part of the belief system, these incidents may happen with any belief system and may easily be swiped under the carpet. The latest news is of one Swamiji over in Tamil Nadu!
Check out these links:
http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/dec/01iype.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Abhaya_murder_case
http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/church-stunned-by-sex-scandal-in-kerala/2745.htm
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/56109/it-nitya-ananda-swamis-ashram.html
on Mar 5th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
It’s not easy to change a belief system which has been practiced through the centuries. Especially when it is a very sensitive matter of religion, it would be better to restrain from calling anyone who do not feel comfortable among gays as hypocrites or stupid. It is understandable that the priest cannot do other than what did based upon his belief he cherished all his life! That is his belief and what he believed as true to him according to what is taught to him by his religion and according to his personal experience too. The priest has every right to stick to his belief. Obviously expecting him to accept what he feels repulsive and against his own belief would be like refusing him his freedom of belief.
If a Gay person want to go to church it would be better if he or she abstain from imposing their ideas and beliefs upon people who have a different strain of religious belief or because of that belief is abstaining to fulfill the religious needs of the gay due to that belief. The gay should know they are `different’ from others due to their sexual orientation. If others do not want to accept them into their belief system there is no need to label their beliefs & feelings as hypocrisy or stupid. Instead of imposing themselves upon churchgoers and priests who has their own traditional beliefs and ways, they could set-up their own churches and go there to fulfill their religious obligations which they feel they should observe. This do not mean that the gays are wrong with their life style. It would only mean that they too have their own respectable place in the society!
It is an accepted healthy norm that what do not fit into a strain of set-up cannot be accepted into it. A simple lay-down example would be to suppose if someone try to post a comment which is not relevant or acceptable to this blog, the moderator would step in and analyze the content and if he or she feels it not okay for this blog, that comment may even go straight out of the recycle bin! There is no need to point fingers at the blog moderator for that, instead he or she could post a different or acceptable comment or set up his or her own blog to post comments as he or she wants it!
It would be deplorably inappropriate for a group of people with their own strain of thought to impose themselves upon people who are having an entirely different strain of thought and belief. It does not mean that the gays or any person who feel for them to call the ways of others as hypocrisy just because they are not ready to accept the gays into their midst or they refuse to serve the gays’ religious needs!
Think again why we have scores of beliefs systems! The gays too could attempt at understanding their individuality in the society and opt to set up their own separate belief system if they feel they are discriminated against by others! That would be much better than feeling, in frustration, that others living in hypocrisy or stupidity!!!
The Gay Pride parades may be the specialty of Netherlands or it may have openly gay politicians and top brass in the armed forces taking part in public functions with their gay partners. Does that, in any way, justify to call anyone a hypocrite or stupid just because he or she does not comply to that strain of thought? Does that mean the priest do not have the freedom of choice to give or not give communion to a gay?
The matter regarding the abuse of children in monastery schools, if it is happening so, is an extremely serious matter and whoever abuses a child, whether it is inside a monastery school or anywhere else, should surely be dealt with like any other pedophile. Those who have knowledge of such abuse should show the courage to expose such individuals and bring them before the law of the land!
PS: It is ridiculous to see Dheera quoting Matt 7: 1-5 when she herself tend to judge some people as hypocritical and stupid!
on Mar 7th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
It’s not easy to change a belief system which has been practiced through the centuries. Especially when it is a very sensitive matter of religion, it would be better to restrain from calling anyone who do not feel comfortable among gays as hypocrites or stupid. It is understandable that the priest cannot do other than what he did based upon his belief which he cherished all his life! That is his belief and what he believed as true to him according to what is taught to him by his religion and according to his personal experience too. The priest has every right to stick to his belief. Obviously expecting him to accept what he feels repulsive and against his own belief would be like refusing him his freedom.
If a Gay person want to go to church it would be better if he or she abstain from imposing their ideas and beliefs upon people who have a different strain of religious belief or because of that belief abstains from fulfilling any religious needs of the gay due to that belief. The gay should know they are `different’ from others due to their sexual orientation. If others do not want to accept them into their belief system there is no need to label their beliefs & feelings as hypocrisy or stupid. Instead of imposing themselves upon churchgoers and priests who has their own traditional beliefs and ways, they could set-up their own churches and go there to fulfill their religious obligations which they feel they should observe. This do not mean that the gays are wrong with their life style. It would only mean that they too have their own respectable place in the society!
It is an accepted healthy norm that what do not fit into a strain of set-up cannot be accepted into it. It would be inappropriate for any group of people with their own strain of thought to impose themselves upon people who have an entirely different strain of thought and belief. It does not mean that the gays or any person who feel for them to call the ways of others as hypocrisy just because they are not ready to accept the gays into their midst or they refuse to serve the gays’ religious needs!
Think again why we have scores of beliefs systems! The gays too could attempt at understanding their individuality in the society and opt to set up their own separate belief system if they feel they are discriminated against by others! That would be much better than feeling, in frustration, that others live in hypocrisy or stupidity!!!
The Gay Pride parades may be the specialty of Netherlands or it may have openly gay politicians and top brass in the armed forces taking part in public functions with their gay partners. Does that, in any way, justify to call anyone a hypocrite or stupid just because he or she does not comply to that strain of thought? Does that mean the priest do not have the freedom of choice to give or not give communion to a gay?
The matter regarding the abuse of children in monastery schools, if it is happening so, is an extremely serious matter and whoever abuses a child, whether it is inside a monastery school or anywhere else, should surely be dealt with like any other pedophile. Those who have knowledge of such abuse should show the courage to expose such individuals and bring them before the law of the land!
PS: It is ironic to see Dheera quoting Matt 7: 1-5 when she tends to judge some people as hypocritical and stupid!