tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post5511368278045781012..comments2023-12-25T01:24:48.957-05:00Comments on Republic of Gilead: No, the Jezebel Demon Is Not the Root Cause of Clergy AbuseAhabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-32003467294287412832014-03-15T21:47:08.197-04:002014-03-15T21:47:08.197-04:00Christian -- Superstitious, illogical thinking is ...Christian -- Superstitious, illogical thinking is dangerous. Clergy abuse is serious, and demon talk is one of many obstacles to addressing it.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-18812914677390666522014-03-15T21:29:19.422-04:002014-03-15T21:29:19.422-04:00Amazing what belief in a story book can do to your...Amazing what belief in a story book can do to your mindset. If the Bible was Harry Potter they would be blaming the sexual deviancy on a curse by Voldemort. Illogical thinking is a key element of theism.Christianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01243905647317437724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-51544301398082529172014-03-15T11:51:11.564-04:002014-03-15T11:51:11.564-04:00Michelle -- Amidst all the silliness of this super...Michelle -- Amidst all the silliness of this superstition, you bring up a very serious point. Believing that a demon is responsible for abuse deflects responsibility away from the abuser, thwarts justice and accountability, and leaves congregants vulnerable.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-53029405272720082682014-03-15T11:50:01.750-04:002014-03-15T11:50:01.750-04:00Jono -- Heh heh! You do bring up a good question -...Jono -- Heh heh! You do bring up a good question -- if their cosmic benefactor and prayers are so powerful, why are these demons even running around in the first place?Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-63516868072450627742014-03-15T11:48:55.322-04:002014-03-15T11:48:55.322-04:00Donna -- Invincible ignorance is difficult to pene...Donna -- Invincible ignorance is difficult to penetrate with logical arguments. Still, I hope these people recognize how silly their superstitions are someday.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-64095397463460574512014-03-14T21:26:15.292-04:002014-03-14T21:26:15.292-04:00One really dangerous aspect of this belief is the ...One really dangerous aspect of this belief is the "cure." If the problem is a demon, what is the solution? "Deliverance" from that demon. I guarantee that there are churches that would hold a service where they would pray and cast the demon out of a sexual predator of children. Then, no worries. The demon is gone and to question that is to question their deity's power. Toxic and dangerous.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09591981716535134038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-36694509038214252052014-03-14T16:49:12.877-04:002014-03-14T16:49:12.877-04:00Jezebel demon?!? Can't they just call down som...Jezebel demon?!? Can't they just call down some good spooks to chase bad spooks away? Wouldn't their all knowing (powerful, vengeful, mighty, etc.) and always-looking-after-their-interests god take care of that for them? Maybe the Leprechauns can help this week when they sober up.Jonohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18170214396483091419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-56178760415190323062014-03-14T15:41:55.266-04:002014-03-14T15:41:55.266-04:00There truly is no logic to their arguments, and ar...There truly is no logic to their arguments, and arguing is pointless. It's like Barney Frank said once to a crazy at a town hall. "Arguing with you would be like arguing with a kitchen table." -- I'm paraphrasing.Donna Bantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271377907141866718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-35118460772366286072014-03-14T08:07:53.563-04:002014-03-14T08:07:53.563-04:00Infidel -- I worry about just how many people thin...Infidel -- I worry about just how many people think along these superstitious lines. How many of Charisma's leaders will read this and believe, without reservation, that some demon's machinations are fueling the abuse crisis? People will expend time and energy driving off evil spirits, when that time and energy could be used toward more constructive anti-abuse efforts.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077809256320470141.post-32612944544035378582014-03-14T05:33:25.062-04:002014-03-14T05:33:25.062-04:00But "this kind of superstitious thinking"...But "this kind of superstitious thinking" is inseparable from the religious mind-set. If you honestly believe that the universe contains invisible but powerful supernatural entities which seek to intervene in human affairs for good or ill, it's logically inevitable that you will tend to attribute some observed real-world phenomena to the intervention of those entities. If they exist, how can they <i>not</i> be affecting the world around us in important ways? I've seen fundamentalists who are shocked at the rapid gains of the gay-rights movement claiming that its success must be due to the direct personal intervention of Satan. In the context of what they believe, this would actually be a rational explanation.<br /><br />There's no real difference between religion and superstition. As long as some people are deeply religious, superstitious thinking will continue -- along with the evasion of human responsibility for human action which it sometimes facilitates, as here.Infidel753https://www.blogger.com/profile/10965786814334886696noreply@blogger.com