Bible Belt seduced by 50 Shades of Grey

Last updated on: February 15, 2015 at 12:27 am By Michael Stone

Despite protests from Christian conservatives, folks in the Bible Belt are flocking to see the steamy film 50 Shades of Grey making its debut in theaters across the country this weekend.

Rachel Maddow reports that the film is particularly popular in Southern, Bible Belt states, and especially so in Tupelo, Mississippi, the backyard of the anti-gay, Christian hate group, The American Family Association (AFA).

Last week the AFA released a statement claiming the film “borders on pornography and glamorizes abuse” lamenting the fact that “one-fifth of the movie’s 100 minutes consists of sex scenes.”

Describing the film as “evil,” AFA President Tim Wildmon said:

Both movie theaters and moviegoers can stand up to this kind of disgusting content that’s touted as ‘entertainment’ and choose not to show or pay to see the film.

Catholic Archbishop Dennis Schnurr recently sent a letter to priests describing the movie as “a direct assault on Christian marriage” and urging pastors to speak out against it to their congregations.

Schnurr wrote in the Feb. 4 letter:

We need to inform our people about the destructive message of this movie and to highlight the beauty of God’s design for loving relationships between a husband and wife.

Yet despite the hand wringing and threats of boycotts from the religious right and others, advance ticket sales for the movie have been stronger than expected, particularly in the Bible Belt, with Mississippi, Arkansas, and West Virginia topping the list of states where ticket pre-sales were much larger than expected.

The film is based on the bestselling book, 50 Shades of Grey, written by E.L. James. The story depicts a controversial sexual relationship revolving around bondage, dominance and sadomasochism. The book has sold more than a 100 million copies worldwide.

*Note: This post has been edited for clarity.

Pope Francis recommends violence against children

Last updated on: February 8, 2015 at 12:38 pm By Michael Stone

Moral failure: Pope Francis tells parents hitting children is “beautiful” as long as the act of violence against a child is done with “dignity.”

The inflammatory and controversial remarks were made by Francis at his general audience Wednesday in St. Peter’s Square. Francis, speaking about the importance of fathers, said:

One time, I heard a father in a meeting with married couples say `I sometimes have to smack my children a bit, but never in the face so as to not humiliate them.’

Francis went on:

How beautiful! He knows the sense of dignity! He has to punish them but does it justly and moves on.

The Pope’s endorsement of hitting children was met with righteous outrage by many. In fact, even a group of child abuse experts summoned by Pope Francis himself to address the sexual abuse of children by priests in the Roman Catholic Church criticized the remarks.

One of those experts, the founder of the UK’s National Association for People Abused in Childhood, Peter Saunders, criticized Pope Francis’s support for corporal punishment, saying:

I think that is a very misguided thing to have said and I’m surprised he said it, although he does come up with some howlers sometimes.

Saunders, abused by two Catholic priests as a child, said the committee would ask Francis to reconsider his remarks. At a news conference at the Vatican, Saunders said:

It might start off as a light tap, but actually the whole idea about hitting children is about inflicting pain.

That’s what it’s about and there is no place in this day and age for having physical punishment, for inflicting pain, in terms of how you discipline your children.

The coordinator of the Global Alliance to End Corporal Punishment of Children, Peter Newell, said:

It is disappointing that anyone with that sort of influence would make such a comment.

In an attempt at damage control, Vatican spokesman Father Frederico Lombardi has issued a statement denying the Pope had encouraged parents to hit their children.

However, even the former president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, had harsh words for the pope. McAleese accused the Vatican of reversing its position on parental corporal punishment, and questioned whether the pope “has turned the clock back considerably.”

McAleese, pointing out that the Holy See is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which advocates for the universal abolition of corporal punishment of children, asks:

What faith are we to have now in the Holy See’s commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child?

Is the Holy See now doing what it claimed not to be doing a year ago, namely actively and internationally promoting the corporal punishment of children?

This is not the first time Pope Francis has shown sympathy and support for violence. Last month, commenting on the Charlie Hebdo massacre, Pope Francis declared “one cannot make fun of faith” and that anyone who throws insults can expect a “punch,” offering a tacit justification for terror and violence in response to a cartoon making fun of religious superstition.

Let us be clear. There is no “dignity,” no “beauty,” in striking a child. Spanking, smacking, hitting, or beating a child is always wrong. Full stop.

Child pornography found at the Vatican

Last updated on: February 2, 2015 at 2:03 pm By Michael Stone

Vatican admits child pornography exists within its own walls: A report issued by Gian Piero Milano, whose official title is Promoter of Justice, reveals child pornography has been found at the Vatican.

Piero reported the news of child pornograpy found at the Vatican in a 50-page report read to Vatican officials at a ceremony marking the start of the city-state’s judicial year.

The news will be of little surprise to informed readers, given the long-running pedophilia scandal that continues to sully the reputation of the Catholic Church.

According to Piero’s report, at least two cases of child pornography possession were uncovered within the walls of the Vatican last year, along with numerous other crimes in the city state.

Milano stopped short of naming those accused of possessing child pornography. However, Holy See spokesman Federico Lombardi did identify Archbishop Josef Wesolowski as one of the people facing charges.

Last fall reports circulated that more than 100,000 child porn videos and photos were found on the computer of former Archbishop Wesolowski, who is also accused of raping numerous children in the Dominican Republic and Poland.

Wesolowski, currently under house arrest at the Vatican, is one of the highest-ranking church officials to be accused of sexually abusing children during the Catholic Church’s widespread and costly sexual abuse scandal.

According to Vatican detectives, some of the horrors found on the former Archbishop’s computer included around 160 videos showing teenage boys forced to perform sexual acts on themselves and on adults, and more than 86,000 pornographic photos which were methodically archived in several category-based folders.

Investigators said that at least another 45,000 pictures were deleted, while even more child pornography was found on a laptop Wesolowski used during his trips abroad.

Weslowski was placed under house arrest at the Vatican in response to popular outrage after reports began to circulate that the accused child rapist was free to wander the streets of Rome nearly a year after being secretly recalled from the Dominican Republic by the Vatican in order to avoid criminal prosecution there.

(Portions of this post were previously published here.)

Progressive Secular Humanist: Top 20 Stories of 2014

Last updated on: December 31, 2014 at 11:55 am By Michael Stone

For atheists, agnostics, and other freethinkers: The following are the 20 most popular posts of 2014, as determined by number of page views calculated via Google Analytics.

20) Marlo Thomas tells Today Show: ‘It’s not a miracle, it’s science’

Giving credit where credit is due: Marlo Thomas corrects Today Show host by explaining that boy’s cancer cure was not the result of a miracle, but science.

19) Woman kills toddler while reenacting story of Abraham

Bible study gone wrong: Inspired by a church sermon on the Book of Genesis, a Florida woman allegedly killed a 2-year-old girl and attempted to kill the girl’s 10-year-old brother in a failed attempt to recreate the Biblical story of Abraham.

18) Creepy Christian ‘Purity Balls’ objectify and degrade young women

Purity Balls, where a daughter’s worth is determined by the state of her hymen, are currently all the rage among America’s Christian extremists.

17) Florida elected officials walk out on atheist invocation

Atheists face official bigotry and discrimination in Lake Worth, Florida: In an act of disrespect, four out of five City Commissioners, including Mayor Pam Triolo, walk out of a commission meeting to avoid hearing an atheist invocation.

16) Faith-healing parents get 10 years in prison for death of daughter

After choosing prayer over modern medicine, and depriving their daughter of life-saving care, Travis and Wenona Rossiter will each spend 10 years in prison for manslaughter in the faith-healing death of their 12-year-old daughter, Syble Rossiter.

15) After threats and harassment, NC teen abandons atheist group

Sad news: After suffering threats and harassment a North Carolina teen has been forced to abandon her efforts to form a chapter of the Secular Student Alliance at her public high school.

14) Pope Francis says ‘All animals go to heaven’

During his weekly audience at St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis broke from Catholic teaching in order to declare that all animals do, in fact, go to heaven.

13) Mom kills son believing boy would be better off in heaven

A Kansas woman has been charged with first-degree murder after she beat and stabbed her 10-year-old son to death believing the boy would be better off in heaven, free from future suffering.

12) Duggars face public backlash for LGBTQ ‘fear mongering’

Quiverfull of hate: The prodigious baby-making Duggars are in trouble after describing LGBT people as “child predators” and expressing other ugly sentiments motivated by their Christian extremism.

11) Megachurch Pastor says ‘gays must be put to death’

Claiming that being gay is a choice like drug abuse, the senior pastor for a megachurch in Tennessee says that “gays must be put to death” because God commands it.

10) Constitutional horror: Clarence Thomas argues states can establish official religion

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas argues states may establish an official state religion, and sees no problem with an individual state making Christianity the official state religion.

9) Mormons declare war on masturbation in creepy new video

A recently released video by Brigham Young University–Idaho compares masturbators to wounded soldiers, and encourages students to identify to religious officials friends they think are masturbating.

8) Christians report Robin Williams is in hell

Robin Williams is spending an eternity in the fires of hell according to many Christians. The Internet is full of blogs, tweets and comments from the faithful reporting that the beloved actor and comedian is now suffering an eternity of torment, consumed by hell’s fire.

7) American Taliban: Utah modesty police edit girls’ yearbook photos

Female students at a public high school in Utah are angry after their yearbook photos were secretly edited by school administrators to cover up bare arms and modest necklines.

6) Ugandan Minister for Ethics & Integrity says men raping girls is natural

The Right Reverend Father Simon Lokodo, the current State Minister for Ethics & Integrity in Uganda, claims men raping girls is natural, and seems to imply heterosexual rape is morally preferable to consensual homosexual activity.

5) Texas approves textbooks with Moses as Founding Father

Christian conservatives win, children lose: Texas textbooks will teach public school students that the Founding Fathers based the Constitution on the Bible, and the American system of democracy was inspired by Moses.

4) Bible Belt leads the nation in consumption of gay porn

Folks in the Bible Belt watch more gay pornography than anywhere else in the nation according to new numbers released by Pornhub, one of the world’s biggest porn sites.

3) Transgender teen commits suicide, cites Christian parents in blog

After years of abuse and rejection from strict Christian parents, an Ohio transgender teen commits suicide by stepping in front of a moving tractor trailer truck.

2) Teen ejected from prom after dads experience ‘impure thoughts’

American Taliban: A 17-year-old girl was ejected from her prom in Virginia after several fathers in attendance complained about experiencing “impure thoughts” towards the teen.

1) Christian zealot beheads teen for practicing witchcraft.

Christian terror? In a grisly murder an Oklahoma college student with strong Christian beliefs nearly decapitates a young man because the victim practiced witchcraft.

In the end, this list is a result of a popularity contest, and should be treated as such. The stories here are not necessarily the most important or significant of 2014, but simply the stories that garnered the most page views.

As 2014 comes to an end, and as 2015 begins, we wish to thank all our readers for their support, and wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Pedophile priest commits suicide

Last updated on: October 30, 2014 at 12:53 pm By Michael Stone

After confessing to sexually abusing a young girl, an Italian priest commits suicide by hanging himself in the vestry of his church.

According to a statement issued by the Diocese of Trieste, Father Maks Suard, 48, the vicar of Santa Croce in the port town of Trieste off the Slovenian border, took his own life on Tuesday, Oct. 28, after admitting to church authorities that he had sexually abused a 13-year-old girl.

Suard, a Roman Catholic priest from the northern Italian province of Trieste, was found to have hanged himself by the local Archbishop, Giampaolo Crepaldi.

On Oct. 25 Archbishop Crepaldi explained to Suard that he had to undergo an official church investigation. In response, Suard asked for two days during which he could prepare a resignation letter and a written statement “in order to ask forgiveness from God, the Church, and the girl for the evil committed.”

Archbishop Crepaldi agreed to the request, and arranged to meet with Suard on the afternoon of October 28, but when he entered the rectory he found that Suard had taken his own life.

The Catholic News agency reports Suard was a priest of the Slovenian community of the Trieste diocese, and was parish priest of the small church of Santa Croce, in the territory of the Carso Triestino.

Suard had served as a parish priest in several parishes of the San Dorligo area since his ordination in 1995. He was also involved in the Boy Scout movement, and taught classes in religion at local schools.

According an anonymous source in the Diocese of Trieste, locals had long exchanged rumors about Suard’s alleged inappropriate conduct, but until recently no one had taken any action.

Child rape in Minnesota: Archdiocese identifies 17 pedophile priests

Last updated on: October 29, 2014 at 12:52 am By Michael Stone

The horror continues: The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has issued a statement disclosing the names of 17 priests accused of sexually abusing children.

The Twin Cities archdiocese has been plagued for years by lingering accusations of cover-up, denial and obfuscation of the rape and sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy.

However, earlier this month the Twin Cities archdiocese and the law offices of Jeff Anderson issued a joint statement disclosing the names of 17 priests with “substantiated” claims of sexual abuse of a minor.

The names bring to 55 the number of priests deemed to have substantiated claims of child sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

In a news release Archbishop John Nienstedt said:

I am profoundly saddened and sorry for the harm clergy sexual abuse has caused victims and survivors, their families and the community.

However, Nienstedt’s critics claim his apology is too little, too late, and blame the Archbishop for protecting and even promoting known pedophile priests.

For years Nienstedt has been under fire for failing to take action against priests suspected of abuse. Nienstedt has been haunted by reports — contained in church documents leaked by a whistleblower who worked for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis — that he shielded and even promoted priests accused of sex abuse and possessing child pornography.

Indeed, Nienstedt and the Catholic Church only agreed to release the names as part of a legal settlement of a lawsuit. In point of fact, the Catholic Church has demonstrated little concern for victims.

Catholic officials did not disclose when the abuse reports were made, what they consisted of or where the abuse took place.

Frank Meuers, a Minnesota spokesman for SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the group was pleased the names were released, noting:

But police, prosecutors, parishioners, parents and the public need and deserve to know where and when these priests assaulted children. Archbishop Nienstedt must be more forthcoming if kids are to be better protected and victims are to be better supported.

Meuers added:

We are disappointed that Catholic officials aren’t telling parents where and when these crimes happened. We suspect that in virtually every case, St. Paul church employees sat on this information for years or decades.

The sad truth is Archbishop Nienstedt refused to identify the pedophile priests until he was compelled to do so as part of a legal settlement, and he continues to drag his feet, denying victims justice, as he tries in vain to protect an institution long bereft of any moral credibility.

(H/T WWJTD, Danthropology)

Archbishop’s computer contained over 100,000 child porn files

Last updated on: September 18, 2018 at 12:42 pm By Michael Stone

More than 100,000 child porn videos and photos have been found on the computer of former Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, who is also accused of raping numerous children in the Dominican Republic and Poland.

The videos and photos of child pornography were stored on a computer in the office at the Holy See diplomatic compound in the Dominican Republic, where Wesolowski served as papal nuncio in Santo Domingo.

After being publicly accused of procuring child prostitutes last year, Wesolowski was secretly removed from his post as papal nuncio in Santo Domingo by Vatican officials hoping to avoid an embarrassing public prosecution.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic have been calling for Wesolowski’s extradition: a court there has opened a case against the former Vatican ambassador, and the attorney general wants to criminally charge Wesolowski.

Officials in Poland, Wesolowski’s country of origin, and where he has also been accused of sexually abusing children, are also calling for his extradition.

Investigators said that at least another 45,000 pictures were deleted, while even more child pornography was found on a laptop Wesolowski used during his trips abroad.

Late last month Weslowski was placed under house arrest at the Vatican in response to popular outrage after reports began to circulate that the accused child rapist was free to wander the streets of Rome nearly a year after being secretly recalled from the Dominican Republic by the Vatican in order to avoid criminal prosecution there.

Vatican authorities claim they are now investigating whether Wesolowski sexually abused children while serving in other posts during his career. Previously he served in South Africa, Costa Rica, Japan, Switzerland, India and Denmark.

Wesolowski has been charged with sexually abusing minors and child porn possession. If convicted, Wesolowski faces 12 years in jail. His trial is expected to start in January.

*** UPDATE ***

Wesolowski died on August 27, 2015, while living in the Vatican under house arrest. He was never prosecuted for his crimes.

Priest found guilty of raping dozens of children and a sled dog

Last updated on: September 18, 2019 at 1:04 pm By Michael Stone

In Canada, a Roman Catholic priest has been convicted for a multitude of heinous sex crimes including the rape of at least 12 boys, 10 girls, and a sled dog.

Earlier this month, the now defrocked Catholic priest, Belgian-born Eric Dejaeger, 67, was convicted of 31 counts of sexual offenses against children and one count of bestiality.

Dejaeger was found guilty of raping dozens of Inuit children and a sled dog in the Canadian Arctic, where he worked alongside other local priests for decades.

From 1978 to 1982, Dejaeger worked for the Catholic church in Igloolik in what was then the Northwest Territories.

Witness after witness told the court how Dejaeger had used his position with the church in Igloolik to coerce the local children into sexual activity, often threatening the children with hellfire or separation from their families if they told.

One witness described how he and his friend, about seven at the time, were raped one after the other by the priest. Another told how she was taped to Dejaeger’s bed and attacked from behind.

In all, Dejaeger was convicted of 24 counts of indecent assault, one of unlawful confinement, two of buggery, three of unlawful sexual intercourse, one of sexual assault and one of bestiality. The victims include 12 boys, 10 girls and a dog he abused in front of two children. Most were between the ages of eight and 12, although they could have been as young as four and as old as 18.

Eric Dejaeger

Bishop conceals names of pedophile priests despite pleas of concerned parents

Last updated on: August 3, 2014 at 1:12 pm By Michael Stone

Louisiana Bishop protects pedophile priests: This week Bishop Michael Jarrell refused to release the names of known pedophile priests despite the pleas of local parents and media.

Why is the Diocese of Lafayette refusing to release the names of known pedophile priests despite the calls for transparency from the media and victims’ rights advocates?

Monsignor Richard Greene, media liaison for the Diocese, wrote the following in response to The Daily Advertiser’s request for the priests’ names:

“Bishop Jarrell sees no purpose in such action.”

No purpose? How about protecting children? How about peace of mind for parents and the public?

The Advertiser made the request for information after sworn statements concerning pedophile priests and the rape and sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy from the 1990s came to light recently,

The statements indicate at least one currently serving priest, Father Gilbert Dutel at St. Edmund Catholic Church in Lafayette, is accused of sexually abusing children

In a recently-released court deposition from 1992, an alleged victim claimed Fr. Dutel sexually abused him when he was a child.

In 2004, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette and its insurers paid about $26 million to 123 victims of priests who served in the diocese between 1950 and 2002. However the names of the pedophile priests have not been released, and it is uncertain as to how many are currently serving, and where they may be serving at.

The names of those priests were never made public despite policies by the Catholic Church to be transparent about child sexual abuse issues.

In response to the Diocese’s arrogance and appalling lack of transparency, Ray Mouton, the attorney who represented Gilbert Gauthe in the first widely known case of pedophilia by a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Lafayette, wrote a scathing email tol to The Advertiser. The following is an excerpt from that email:

“It is unconscionable, not to mention unchristian, for a Catholic bishop to shield and protect the identity of men whom he has stated have had credible complaints of sex abuse made against them for which his diocese paid financial settlements for victims, for these men are criminals who have committed heinous sex crimes against children.”

Mouton is right, it is unconscionable, if not criminal, for Bishop Jarrell to be protecting the identity of known pedophile priests guilty of sexually assaulting and raping children.

Where is law enforcement? Where is justice for the children? Alas, it is business as usual for the Catholic Church – protect the pedophiles, damn the children.

Bishop Michael Jarrell protects pedophile priests

Archbishop says he was unsure if priests raping children was a crime

Last updated on: June 10, 2017 at 2:16 pm By Michael Stone

Despicable and disgusting: In an unbelievable display of moral cowardice and deceit, the head of the Archdiocese of St. Louis said under oath that he wasn’t sure whether he knew if it was illegal for priests to have sex with children.

After admitting to protecting pedophile priests from prosecution, St. Louis archbishop Robert Carlson testified that he wasn’t sure whether he knew if it was illegal for priests to have sex with children when he served as chancellor of the Twin Cities archdiocese in the 1980s, according to a court transcript.

Archbishop Carlson also said under oath he couldn’t recall how he handled allegations of abuse against a Minnesota priest years ago. But Carlson did admit he never went to authorities after finding out a priest engaged in criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Carlson was deposed last month in a case against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where Carlson investigated allegations of abuse from 1979 to 1994.

During the deposition taken last month, attorney Jeff Anderson asked Carlson whether he knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a child.

“I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,” Carlson replied. “I understand today it’s a crime.”

Anderson went on to ask Carlson whether he knew in 1984, when he was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, that it was crime for a priest to engage in sex with a child.

“I’m not sure if I did or didn’t,” Carlson said.

Documents show that Carlson made a conscious choice to protect accused sex offenders and conceal crimes. Anderson says Carlson uses the words “I don’t remember” 193 times under oath when asked of his knowledge of cases of child sex abuse in the church.

Carlson left Minnesota in 1994 and served as bishop in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Saginaw, Mich., before becoming St. Louis archbishop in 2009.

In response to questions Monday, the St. Louis Archdiocese released a statement that said “while not being able to recall his knowledge of the law exactly as it was many decades ago, the Archbishop did make clear that he knows child sex abuse is a crime today.” The statement also said Carlson’s “moral stance on the sin of pedophilia” is “that it is a most egregious offense.”

The Archbishop’s claim that he did not know it was a crime for a priest to rape a child is unbelievable. The fact that the Catholic church continues to stand by this moral monster is predictable.

This sad episode is yet another reminder of the Catholic Church’s failure to protect children. The moral corruption of the Catholic Church is by now well documented. The Catholic brand is forever tarnished, reduced to a symbol of moral corruption and decay, a symbol of inhumanity, a symbol of broken and dead children.