Why are there still Catholics?

By Daniel Mallett

Over the past week there have been several major stories that broke about this evil institution:
1. The Pope’s advisor on pedophilia has a priest in his diocese who pays money and drugs for sex with boys.

2. A report, issued by and funded by Catholics, essentially blames the high rate of child rape by Catholic priests on the free-loving culture of the 60’s.  The rate is high even after they try to redefine pedophilia as being only boys 10 years old and under (as though if they are over 10 it is somehow mutual!).  http://mirandaceleste.net/2011/05/24/a-worthless-and-dangerous-report/

And yes for good measure let’s throw in:
3. An Irish story of abuse of 30,000 women thanks in no small part to the Catholic church http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/world/europe/25iht-abuse25.html?_r=3

Before I get rolling, let’s remember that a conservative estimate makes it 100 times more likely that a Catholic priest is a pedophile than any other adult from the general population.  These facts alone make it painfully obvious that there is something institutional at work here that makes the raping of children and the cover-up /white-washing of these crimes a necessary by-product part of the Catholic system.

So, why, oh why, are there still Catholics? Ok, obviously, but sadly, the question must be qualified.  I understand that there are poor, uneducated Catholics out there — in fact, they tend to be favoured targets for evangelization — whose opportunity to know the truth about this evil institution is extremely limited and whose lack of education and resources makes leaving the fear-based system of Catholicism an almost impossible task.  Even then, there probably are some that do.  But let’s take the question as: why are there still educated, intelligent, adults of good-conscience who at least pay lip-service and more importantly give their hard-earned cash to the Catholic church?

Answer: Faith.  In particular, faith that claims to know things that no human can possibly know.  To an outsider, it is painfully obvious that a misogynistic system of sexual repression and guilt will inevitably lead to a culture of abuse.  But in the eyes of faith, the Church is the bride of Christ.  The pope is the Vicar of Christ.  The BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary) protects her Church with a mantle of magic invulnerability.  So these priests, some of these bishops, and maybe even the pope can basically do whatever heinous evil acts they want.  Faith cannot be challenged.  It is impervious to evidence.  In fact, some believers will say that even if you could prove Jesus did not exist they would still believe in him ( http://www.markmallett.com/blog/2009/12/jesus-the-myth/)!

It is hard to imagine a greater evil that institutionalized pedophilia and yet, here we are, asking the question, “Why are there still Catholics?” Because the faithful will believe no matter what.  Sure, they’ll say there might only be a remnant flock.  It might even come down to just one single priest who is good and true.  But this is God’s church and the gates of Hades will never prevail (though they might beat the snot out of it).

It is the ultimate hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil.