I can't believe it was only 5 out of 26. What about the rest? Did they make their determination by some sick over/under number of victims? More than 5, you are defrocked, but under, you can continue?

Celibacy should not be part of the requirements for priesthood. Sexuality can only be repressed for so long in most people, and I believe it is unnatural and unhealthy. People who are deprived of sex seem to become more deviant than they might otherwise, and this manifests itself in many different forms. When homosexuality and child abuse become so prevalent in the Catholic church, one must start to suspect that it is the system that creates the problems.

If they followed the guidance of Scripture celibacy would not be......

"Defrocks"....what an amusing double entendre!

And these guys are not serving prison time or evidence from church not being turned over to police ..why?

Next time a priest tells you to turn the other cheek...RUN LIKE HELL!

De Frocking may mean something to the Church, but jail time means a lot more to the people abused!

Judy Jones, thanks for your great work, in exposing and helping to bring some justice to the survivors. You are right, the police, not the church should do the investigating, the churches track record is not very good.

It's not necessarily the Catholic church that causes someone to become a pedophile (although I don't understand why someone could commit to a life of celibacy or why it is even necessary). I think it is the position of trust that a Catholic Priest allows like a Scout Leader, coach orteacher that might attract pedophiles. If someone is attracted to children, they are going to put themselves in a position where they have access and have the ability to intimidate their victims.

Kevin C

It was not 5 out of 26, it is 5 out of 9 today the remaining 17 are still being decided. I noticed this odd wording too.

Judy Jones, of SNAP

Could you please explain the phrase "Alleged violation of the standards of ministerial behavior and boundries" It is quite vague and leads one to believe that what they were charged with could be something rather benign, which I totally doubt.

I really think that Berfa is spot on. The church has tried to get human beings to act in a manner which is un-natural. Celibacy is an impossible standard for most to try to achieve. The church needs to join the 21st century and also allow women to lead.

let-me-just-say-1-thing

"Alleged violation of the standards of ministerial behavior and boundries"--- I have no idea what they mean by this statement. It is the church officials who use these words. We also wonder what the heck they mean.

All we have learned that if a priest has been removed, it is usually very serious. As you can see, the church officials do not remove child predators or exposed them unless they are pressured to do so..

Priest used to be able to be married and I believe there have been Popes that were married. In mideval times it was decided that the church was losing to much to the heirs of priest and therfore decided to prohibit priest from marrying.

,,,and you shall know them by their woorks" This "church" has a remarkably consistant position of sacraficing the weak to protect their clergy...

The big question I have is why the Roman Catholic Church needs priests at all, when the Bible clearly teaches the priesthood of all believers (I Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6).

The priesthood and the mass usurp Jesus' high priesly office, offering supposedly the blood and body of the Lord here on earth. Why do they do this, when Jesus Himself offered it in heaven once and for all? See Hebrews 1:1-3, 7:26-28, 9:12, 24-28, 10:10-12. Three times in these passages this offering is describe by the Greek word ephapax, which means ONCE and ONLY ONCE! The mass therefore has become a tool for the religion in the RCC to control people. That is, if you don't do what we say, we will deny the elements to you and you will die unforgiven. This is a serious error of Catholicism. Intrusion into the priest's office is an offense I would not to have when I face God on the day of judgment.

Finally, to the question at hand, priestly celibacy, which most certainly is a factor in these scandals: why does the Roman Catholic church deny this to their clergy, when scripture does not for bishops (I Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6) and deacons (I Timothy 3:12)? These passages say that the men in church leadership are to be husbands of ONE wife, not NO wife! The church followed this for the first 1100 years or so of its existence. What happened then? Did God change His mind?

Conclusion: the Roman Catholic Church is led by men, which is why it is such a chameleon - always changing to suit its purposes. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, who never changes (Hebrews 13:5).

It saddens me to think that it just now happened. For generations priests have sexually abused children and now, "that organization" will take action. Was it alright as long as they could keep it quiet? As far as the churches policing themselves, that total BS.

So now that the Catholics are working as hard as they can to get out the bad ones....how do you feel about your pot smoking friends? ha ha

The others have been found suitable to continue frocking.

Thanks to AjahnCliff! I was getting ready to reference practically all the scriptures that you noted in your post. It's so clear that the scriptures DO NOT support celibacy of the leadership of the Christian Congregation (or Church if you prefer that term). This included even some of the original apostles who are noted as having been married. It is apalling how priests, bishops,deacons and cardinals could be so presumptious as to believe that they have to uphold a supposedly superior standard of conduct than even the apostles who are scripturally given the honor of SAINTS!!! Leaders of the congregation can be the husband of ONE wife as you so accurately substantiate with scripture. And YES, the scriptures give the responsibility to ALL true Christians of "ministering" which includes the teaching of the truth about Jesus Christ.

If only the masses would go back to the source of the truth and ask themselves: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH? Is my church really practicing what the Bible teaches? If one cannot answer in the affirmative then most likely he/she belongs to the wrong church. It is sad to see people becoming victims of the "blind leading the blind". If folks would only take the time to do some research. People's lives depend on it (1 Timothy 4:16).

Many folks on this site seem to want to get rid of religion all together. If folks don't care to take the time and energy to do the research, hey, that's their choice. But for those of us who chose to worship God, I would hope the people of this land would allow us that freedom (as long as we don't abuse children or flout the laws of the land that don't go against clear scripture --- not just stuff that is "open to interpretation").

Thanks again AjahnCliff!

If they are going to be serious about celibacy then snip snip. We will then know who is really serious about being a priest.

Don't encourage them, Eric Von Baranov. Their ex-nazi leader might just enforce it. And yes, everyone else, I'm bringing up the Hitler Youth issue. The fact that the church allowed it bugs me... that and all the boy touching. Crazy buggers.

Hello folks, religion is just another method of controlling the masses all the while they steal your money and your children’s innocence. The sexual abuse that has been perpetrated by the Catholic Church on tens of thousands of innocent children is on a scale that lends itself so that even the casual observer has to wonder if it is an accepted ritual within the church. Many people come to the defense of the church stating that it is the celibate role that has lent itself to the wide spread abuse. If so, why are the majority of victims boys?

A study done by The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect found that even though only 25% of citizens in the U.S. are Roman Catholic, 54% of the sexual abuse cases were perpetrated by Catholic priests. The church has paid at least 2.6 billion to settle sexual abuse cases. In 2007 alone the Los Angeles Archdiocese on July 15 announced the largest church settlement of sexual abuse lawsuits to date, agreeing to pay more than 500 alleged victims a total of $660 million. The abuse continues and the wealthy Vatican is easily able to cover these claims. The Vatican even has insurance policies to cover these operating costs.

The minor victims of priest abuse are overwhelmingly boys and teenagers, which is
contrary to the pattern of abuse in the general population.

The problem is not just with the number of priests who molests young children, but in
a Vatican power structure which harbors and conceals pedophiles, hides other
sexual behavior patterns among its clerics and uses the strategies of duplicity
and counterattack against the victims.

Why is it that in most countries the Catholic Church doesn’t have to abide by the same laws that apply to other pedophiles and rapists? And why don’t Catholics see this atrocity as an integral part of their church?

Pedophile priests have molested innocent children in the Roman Catholic Church probably since the beginning of the church. These pedophiles have been protected and their horrendous crimes against children have gone unpunished. It is amazing to me that there are over a billion Catholics. I guess acceptance of pedophilia in the church is the cost of salvation!

And the sheeple continue to hand over their kids to these purvy men as they worship your money as their god.

Stop going to church and you will save more money for your future and protect your kids as well.

Make these purvy priest get a real job and start paying their fair share in taxes like the rest of us.

We are all given natural sexual urges. We are all driven to seek a compatible mate. We are all driven to fight or flight to defend ourselves. We are all driven to hoard our food supply and fiercely defend our territory or domicile. All of these are raw animal instincts embedded deeply in each of us as it is in the rest of the animal kingdom to protect our species.

Our much higher level of intelligence and superior brain power results in the ability to develop self-awareness. We become civilized to support a society at large by applying standard rules of morality and laws to maintain a reasonably peaceful and civilized existence. Many of our animal friends attempt to do the same with a much more limited sense of self-awareness and intelligence.

We rise far above the food chain by controlling and guiding those raw animal instincts to preserve all of society. Organized religion often caters to the individual or group of individuals that foolishly try to abolish some of those natural instincts instead of guiding them.

The priest is the face of the Catholic Church, not the Pope with all of his pomp and glory. The priest can only lead his congregation if he is allowed to be one with them. Just as he must be fed, clothed,housed and defended by the Church of his devotion, he must also be allowed a mate to address his loneliness and natural sexual urges. To demand anything more while providing anything less is to invite those into the priesthood with confused identities that mistakenly believe that celibacy may be the answer to their problems.

The secretive Catholic Church seems only now willing to address this problem in place of regularly sweeping it under the carpet for centuries. Treating the symptoms instead of the disease will only prolong the suffering of many.

these so called human beings have taken a viable safe haven and chose to rape and pillage.god must be very pleased.

Kim H ...the catholic church provides victims and then gives sanctuary to the pedaphiles.

Commonsense101

We are all given natural sexual urges.

Not little kids that haven't reached puberty. These men are child molesters and hide behind their bible, their church and religion to abuse their victims.

Vatican Christmas Shocker! Pope says child rape isn't that bad, was ...

www.sott.net/.../220257-Vatican-Christmas-Shocker-Pope-says-child-...

Dec 21, 2010 – Pope says child rape isn't that bad, was normal back in his day .... is STILL looking for ways to JUSTIFY the child molestation that went on....and ...

These people in church and religion are just a bunch of sick and demented f*cks imo. They are no better than a teacher, police officer or whatever profession one is in that seeks out underage kids to molest and victimize.

It's time to shut them all down, and I have bags of stones for sale also. Buy two, get the third bag free.

Oh look, the Moral, Upright Christians are pounding the innocence right out of the kids they go on and on about protecting with ol' One Eyed Willy. Sorry folks, I stopped believing the "IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN!" lines a long time ago. I wonder when folks will finally understand that trying to keep their children "innocent" and "pure" is just another code word for "we want their virginity first, we want them young and stupid when they get to us".

Maybe it's time to pull away from the religious institutions. You can't go very long without hearing about probes and scandals, all centered around our former robed leaders of spirit and faith. Maybe then we can begin to truly advance in medicine, we can get our children the education they need, they can stop being ashamed of their bodies and urges, and we can stop dumbing everything down and trying to keep the kids "cute and stupid", and instead give rise to the next generation of world leaders.

Then again, maybe pigs could fly.

Starsailing - I couldn't agree more. Sad as it may be for Catholics to realize - certain positions in our society draw sick, sick people by providing them with prime hunting grounds to feed upon. There is nothing holy or good or saintly in this. If the Catholics hopes to regain any validity in our society, they need to clean house and allow these sick, criminals to be punished to the full extent of the law. They are undeserving of protection.

Arieus, please read my post again. I said nothing about children. The abuse of these children is unquestionably inexcusable and horrid. I thought that was understood.

I tried to address the cause of this repeated abuse that is unmatched in all other legal organizations. I believe that the demands of celibacy on Catholic priests and nuns defies God given human nature. The bible does not place such demands on priests. I believe that those irrational demands attract some people with unnatural urges to seek the church and celibacy to control those urges. That never works. Profound changes to control such urges must come from deep within the individual. It can never be forced by outside influences such as the church or even imprisonment.

Before I am attacked, I am not suggesting that all celibate men and women are pedophiles. I am not suggesting that all priests and nuns are pedophiles. I am suggesting that the archaic requirement of celibacy for priests attracts those with perverted urges that mistakenly seek the priesthood to control those urges and ultimately fail.

The Catholic Church has made many changes since it's conception of centuries ago to accommodate an ever changing society. Remember meatless Fridays? The Church has faced tremendous condemnation for it's efforts to conceal the ugly truth of child molestation by it's priests. I know of many formerly faithful Catholics that no longer support the church solely because of this issue. I believe that allowing priests to marry and have children will do more than anything to curb the child molestation and restore devotion to the church. We must all adapt to change to survive. So must the church.

Guard your crotch with one hand, your wallet with the other.

AMEN!!!!

Such a tax would end up forcing the church to close down many of the hospitals it funds since hospitals are usually incapable making a profit, what possible benefit would we get from taxing the church that would outweigh that cost? Or does not matter to you as long as the church suffers?

Jackofspade,

The church is suffering already!! It is suffering from its own action/inaction. They brought this upon themselves with no regard for the sanctity of children, parents, its members, or God himself. As far as the hospitals, they get their money the same way all the other hospitals do, insurance. I hope I never need to go to those hospitals either as the definition of catholic care does not guarantee me that I receive the best care available.

this story shows that the catholic church IS taking action on these cases. Its up to the police and the legal justice system arrest and try these cases, the most the church can do is what it is doing which is stripping the offenders of their cloth.

and hospitals cant get money from insurance without having patients so they have to be funded at the start to get facilities and equipment and usually need donations from the community to expand. Trust me, my dad works in a hospital and all insurance money does is prevent the hospital from having to bare all the medical costs, they still have to pay for normal business expenses and usually a small portion of medical costs.

My friend, you have hit the nail on the head. Religion has gone from "The Little Church in the Dale" to a multi-billion dollar business run by mostly men that want "Power". I am speaking of giant empires like the Catholic Kingom run by men that would place women into the stone ages. Every religion that I know of has gone to the devil. Tax them as any business and that is exactly what it has become. Amen. There is a Supreme Power, but not in the image of "Man". No human being will ever understand the true power.

Except for Powerman... pretty sure he counts as human, mostly.

jackofspade

Such a tax would end up forcing the church to close down many of the hospitals it funds since hospitals are usually incapable making a profit, what possible benefit would we get from taxing the church that would outweigh that cost? Or does not matter to you as long as the church suffers?

^^^^^

Hospitals and emergency rooms both are already closing down due to lack of funds. churches are more interested in keeping the cash to support their lying azzes than helping those that are in need.

Look around? The homeless problem in America has more than doubled, and so has the incomes of the church and religions that are picking the pockets of the sheeple.

Maybe it's time to leave the church and give your money directly to those that are in need of being helped, because church and religion is only our to help themselves nowadays.

jussayin-

Worry that Catholic church hospitals would shut down huh? Ya think they have some things to sell in Rome? A few less pointy hats and costumes would pay for all the hospitals for years!

Chirs150

Commended??? Speaking out against a priest is never okay. They are men of the cloth, and should be treated with respect, and always spoken of with respect. My heart goes out to these priest, who have dedicated their lives to god, only to be cut down by people who speak out against them.

^^^^^

They dedicated their lives to god so they can get their filthy hands on kids is all they have done Chris. They do not represent church, god or religion. They are pedophiles, and should be taken out in the woods and put down like we do with rabid animals.

arieus the income of the church has not doubled in the past decade, thats a selfserving stat that you pulled out your ass. if anything the income has shrunk due to lower attendance rates. If you would like to provide a source for your next statistic, that would be great.

starsailing, selling all of the Vatican would not fund the hospitals for a single day, your talking about hundreds of thousands of hospitals each costing millions just to keep the lights on and equipment ruing. Only an idiot or someone who already hates the church would think that math of yours actually adds ups.

like i said before, you people couldnt care less what happens as long as you can make something you dont like (the church) suffer.

jackofspadearieus

the income of the church has not doubled in the past decade, thats a self serving stat that you pulled out your ass.

Yes their incomes have more than doubled. They went from being a million dollar a year business to a multimillion dollar a year business.

Also, they should be taxed like the rest of the population and businesses since they are a business that collects incomes from the ignorant sheeple that have been brainwashed into believing in all this god and heaven bs.

Tax them all or shut them all the hell down.

A decade ago was the year 2002, and in 2000 the total costs of all parishes in the United States alone was 6.6 Billion, well over a million dollars like you claim it is.

http://old.usccb.org/comm/cip.shtml

Sounds the ignorant sheeple was you for believing whoever told you that lie.

And no church will ever be shut down in this country by the government, the separation of church and state works both ways, it isnt just a tool for self righteous atheists

Develop a strong relationship with your children, that's your responsibility as a parent and that's your children's safeguard. Pedophiles rely on secrets and threats. In the case of those in the ministry, they might use "bible" talk. Protect our children.

Chirs150: It appears you may have a serious problem that needs professional help. Your doctor is a good place to start - contacts are confidential. Possibly a nurse at your school. Seek help.

earthgirl, don't feed the troll. You only make it stronger.

Start going after them in Arizona!

The sad fact is that in many cases the states have statutes of limitation in place that prevent these men from being prosecuted. Prosecution and conviction of these men is in the hands of the state, as it should be. Archbishop Chaput and the other bishops and archbishops, have no power to do anything other than throw them out of the priesthood. Whether or not they are properly collaborating with civilian authorities is another story, but in many, if not most, cases, they can not be prosecuted due to state law, not God's law. What we all need to do is force each of our state legislatures to pass, and our governors to sign, laws that eliminate all statutes of limitations on ALL crimes against children.

Like it:)

As a former Catholic who was being abused in 1962 and 1963, I went to the nun at our catholic grade school and begged her to help me. I told her that I was being abused by my father and that I had no where to turn. I was told by the nun that I was "going to hell for lying about my father". The abuse continued until I caught my father with my baby sister. By then I was old enough that he was scared of me but when I reported him to the police, nothing was done then either. He went to prison years later for molesting other children. If the nun at this Indianapolis catholic school had done something so many years ago, a lot of children could have been spared. Shame on this sister at Assumption Catholic School.

Benet - you are so right! I'll meet you at Bill Maher's Real Time tonight!

So much of our daily lives are ruled, or at least colored by some men who lived more than 2000 years ago. There is no proof that any of the Bible is God's word. Rather, it's a carefully selected compilation of writings by men, often contradicting themselves and each other. When will our fellow humans wake up and take responsibility for themselves?

dpepp: Well said! Kudos and many thumbs up.

Judy Jones: Thank you and your group for the work done on behalf of the victims.

Susan: Your sharing will give another courage to do something. Thanks.

dpepp: Just fyi, some of it is historically accurate (at least with certain things). The magic sky man on the other hand...

benet,

some of us do better with our upbringing and searching for ourselves, some will never look, some need respectful guidence, some are looking to be told, some want to do all the telling. one size doesn't fit all. some never fit, some fit and resize and fit and resize. it's a complex journey and we all have different resources.

perhaps we need psa's that say: if you're going to shop, shop carefully, hazards abound as do the benefits.

No.

but it is being addressed more publicly.

The catholic church is slowly killing itself anyway. There are worldwide signs of discention from not only the laity, but priest and nuns as well. Any catholic with a brain sees the unholy actions they, the hierarchy, have been doing. It will come to a head sooner than later and I can tell you there are millions of catholics that are patiently waiting for this.

If anyone wants to read about the fallen grace of the church and how catholics are rebelling, go to ncronline.org.

They've been here for millenia and they'll be here LONG after you have found out that there is a God!

Stan-3196017 - They should be abolished for their crimes against humanity.

Actually Stan, the church as you know it is really a construct created by the Bishops of Rome who, over time, gathered power and made themselves a centralized theocracy. Then, for a long time, priests could marry and it was later banned. Then the Pope condoned murdering his fellow man during the crusades. Then there were the Sister Act movies. And, finally, we have your indelible priests touching kids.

I hope you can live with the guilt of your religion's atrocities. Especially Sister Act 2.

But they do make a mean shepherd's pie.

The cases that can be legally prosecuted are being prosecuted. There have been clergy sent to prisons for their crimes. The cases that are beyond the statute of limitations cannot be legally prosecuted. All that is left to do is expose them and get rid of them. There really isn't much else that can be done legally.

The cases that can be legally prosecuted are being prosecuted. There have been clergy sent to prisons for their crimes. The cases that are beyond the statute of limitations cannot be legally prosecuted. All that is left to do is expose them and get rid of them. There really isn't much else that can be done legally.

We are working on it!!! There are so many catholics who just abhor what the church is. There are austrian priests (700) who have stated their official disobedience with the Vatican and have endorsed married priesthood, women ordination, and other topics. A portion of the US laity is withholding their money from the churches, and have rallied around against the new inquisition of US nuns/sisters. It is just hard to get the attention of deaf ears who only want to see/hear what they want to see/hear. It might be a slow death, but it is coming and hopefully what the RC faith is supposed to be will come about. It can't get any worse than it is right now.

let me just say: Well, somebody is doing something, thanks. It's a good thing to have a community bond; Carl Jung said we all have a deep need to quench a deep thirst, and communal bond appears to fill that need. Pope John XIII (I think it was him) started to move the church changing the latin mass to english and the priest facing the congregation instead of performing 'in secret' the rites of mass. But it appears you all will be pushing that proverbial elephant up the mountain until these 'old' frock laden hierarchical bodies are given their out of this world rewards. Meanwhile, there is spirituality within each of us. I dare say, the more religious a person, the less spirituality. George Carlin is great philosophizing on this point.

"the more religious a person, the less spirituality" It is so true!!

There was also a Parish in Austria that during a first communion mass the priest told the parish that only catholics who were in a state of grace should come forward for communion. NOT ONE PERSON GOT UP FROM THEIR SEAT!!!! People understand that the RCC is committing suicide by their actions and edict. it is just so difficult to get to those who are the problem. I am sure Vatican city would be spilling over with protestors demanding those inside to resign in the total sense. However, the descent is growing.

The cases that can be legally prosecuted are being prosecuted. There have been clergy sent to prisons for their crimes. The cases that are beyond the statute of limitations cannot be legally prosecuted. All that is left to do is expose them and get rid of them. There really isn't much else that can be done legally.

msshaw: When are people going to learn, going to understand that homosexuality has nothing to do with pedophilia. A person is born homosexual, it is not learned. Get educated on homosexuality. And pedophilia. They are two very different subjects.

Sorry earthgirl, you are quite wrong. NOBODY is "born gay". That myth has been put down NUMEROUS times even by people in the homosexual community. Homosexual "tendencies" CAN be passed on as a generational thing, however, it's is ONLY a "tendency" NOT a "genetic anomaly" . It is a character fault tendency which is more attributed to a lack of spiritual/moral turpitude, and not a chromosome imbalance anomaly. NOBODY "has to be gay", because they were "born that way". Otherwise these baby raping priests would be able to use the SAME excuse as to why they prefer children for sex than adults......they were "born that way".

It's a lame excuse that takes absolutely no responsibility for the CHOICE a person makes for their behavior/lifestyle. Homosexuality and pedophilia are more morally depraved forms of sexuality. They BOTH go against the good natural order of the human race.

The cases that can be legally prosecuted are being prosecuted. There have been clergy sent to prisons for their crimes. The cases that are beyond the statute of limitations cannot be legally prosecuted. All that is left to do is expose them and get rid of them. There really isn't much else that can be done legally.

Never3putts sorry to disagree with you but St. Peter's in Rome is worth way over $100Billion - the Church in total has about $1 Trillion in assets in the Vatican itself and to coin a phrase "God alone knows" how wealthy they are world wide. I Hazard a guess if the US taxed just the RCC in America we could, using ONLY those tax proceeds along, could fund Social Security and Nationwide Universal Health Care. The Irony is that the RCC would actually be doing some good if that were to happen, Heaven forbid we get some common sense!!!!!

Insofar as pedophilia is concerned THERE IS NO POSSIBLE EXCUSE FOR ANY LENIENCY WHATSOEVER Automatic Life in Prison with no chance of parole first offense sentence at a minimum,

One Really: And they mean to keep that wealth and amass more, which is why the catholic bishops teamed up with the repub/tparty about this contraception issue. The catholic institutions had health insurance coverage for women for a few years and never uttered a word. All of a sudden, boing! Once mr. repub/tparty money shows up the catholic bishops had a lot to say. Just for that alone they should lose their tax exempt status. They are also pushing for charter schools - so they can keep teaching innocent children their hypocrisy. I'll add that they're also racist and heavens forbid, a Black for President. Not on their watch. The rchurch called the invasion of Iraq a holy war. Gimme a break.

Don't you love. These individuals counsel young people of the Catholic faith on matters of marriage. A state that not one of them has any experience in except the LUST. And even that is perverted with pedophilia. God! no wonder the world is so F'#$ked up!

USA,

Agree, there IS only one God, and only one scripture of god's will and guidelines. And we all have a duplicate copy within. Along with the breath of life came a copy of god's definitions of righteousness, compassion and love. In the form of an implanted chip we each have an ability to ration and reason between right and wrong, we have a counselor which informs us of the rewards or consequences associated with our actions through feelings of satisfaction or guilt. and an adviser which helps us sort out and comprehend the definitions of our many conflicting feelings.......

There is much thruth and wisdom in the saying, "Let your conscience be your guide "

USA1-355xxxx, It is a real tragedy that your hurt and pain was so callously ignored and trivialized by people you looked up to. I truly hope you are able to get out from under that incredible burden. I agree and agree and agree with everything you say up to the point where you say "I say get rid of all religions they all suck and cause nothing but trouble". Have you personally had experiences with "all" religions? Of the many thousands of "religions" there are some that have decent, honest and sincere members who are only trying to follow what they think to be the pursuing of worshipping God. Whether what they are doing meets with God's approval is another matter. As far as "Christian" religions are concerned, they are supposed to be doing what is taught in the Bible. Please don't condemn all religion based on the pitiful few who cause so much negative information to be spewed to the general public on such a mass scale. If you really want to know the truth (WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH?) then pick up a Bible yourself and see what you think. Don't let negative publicity and the extraordinarily bad behavior of any church cloud your opinion of the truth as stated in the Bible. Just because some so called "Christians" don't abide by what they preach or profess to believe, don't lose out on the faithful promises at Revelation 21: 3 thru 5. I really truly wish healing and Peace to you.