Rather than start a new thread, I thought I would post an opinion piece from right wing retard Gerard Henderson. He writes for various newspapers including the local West Australian.
Linky
The sorry sport of Pope bashing
Gerard Henderson
July 15, 2008
The new sectarianism is quite different from the old sectarianism. Yet it is real enough. From European settlement in 1788 until about the mid 1960s, Australia was afflicted with a prevailing distrust of Catholics - many were of Irish descent - who formed the nation's largest minority. In those days sectarianism was essentially driven by Protestants.
Not any more. As the visit of Pope Benedict demonstrates, the non-Catholic Christian churches have either been welcoming to the Pope or indifferent in his presence.
Nowadays sectarianism in Western democracies is fuelled by what Michael Burleigh terms the "sneering secularists". In his book Sacred Causes Burleigh writes that "much of the European liberal elite regard religious people as if they come from Mars" except when they advance such left-liberal fashionable causes as nuclear disarmament.
The sneering secularists in our midst oppose all the Judeo-Christian beliefs. However, Catholicism cops much of the ridicule because it is universal and the strongest of the Christian faiths. In Australia the sneering secularists - a combination of proselytising atheists and Green Left Weekly reading leftists - have indicated their opposition to the Pope on the occasion of his visit to Australia for World Youth Day. Hence the formation of the NoToPope Coalition.
So far the award for the leading sneerer goes to The Age columnist Catherine Deveny. Writing on June 18, she declared: "It's official. The Catholic Church is fully sick. And so is George Pell." Apparently this was some kind of joke. She depicted World Youth Day as a "week of prayer, trust exercises and rosary bead trading". And Deveny went on to advise that, since the Pope will be celebrating Mass at Randwick racecourse, "all the Bernadettes and Gerards will be able to chill out with The Main Dude". It is inconceivable that The Age would have run a similar article mocking Islam and slagging off all the Aishas and Muhammads.
Although a professing agnostic, I was brought up a Catholic and attended a Catholic school where I received a fine education. Like all organisations, it had its strengths and weaknesses. Yet I retain admiration for the priests involved in my upbringing. Most were fine, intelligent men who gave up material pleasures - including sex and family life - for the God in which they believed. I readily acknowledge that some of the cleverest men and women I have met, or read about, were believers in one of the great religions. They do not warrant mockery.
On the occasion of World Youth Day, the sneering secularists have been given succour by disillusioned and former Catholics who are very strong in the media, especially the ABC. Last year I sent Jane Connors, the manager of ABC Radio National, a note suggesting that it was somewhat imbalanced for Stephen Crittenden to line up three critics of Cardinal George Pell to take the only interview slots on one program of The Religion Report. All Connors wanted to know in her reply was whether this was a formal complaint. I responded in the negative. Complaining to the ABC's audience and consumer affairs department is a waste of time since it upholds (in whole or in part) a mere 4 per cent of complaints compared with the Press Council's 47 per cent. And there the matter rested.
It seems that Crittenden set some kind of precedent for the ABC. Last week Lateline began a campaign against Pell concerning his handling of a complaint of Anthony Jones who, at the age of 29, was sexually assaulted by a Catholic priest, Terence Goodall.
Last Tuesday Pell admitted that he had made a mistake in the manner in which he handled the case. That evening Lateline interviewed a Canberra lawyer, Jason Parkinson, and the American journalist Robert Blair Kaiser. Both were critical of Pell. The former Catholic priest Paul Collins was also heard on Lateline that night. So was the academic Mark Findlay. They were also critical of the cardinal. Apparently Lateline could not find anyone who would put an alternative view.
The likes of Goodall deserve to be condemned. It is a matter of record that Pell stood him down from priestly activity in early 2003. Goodall was convicted in the District Court after pleading guilty to indecent assault, following a trial which was reported in the media at the time. Such crimes should not diminish the good that priests, brothers and sisters - and bishops - have done over the years. The Canberra Times columnist Jack Waterford is a critic of contemporary Catholicism. Yet, in a column on June 26, he conceded that the stigma ignited by a few offenders had cast a grossly unfair burden on up to 80,000 Catholics who signed up for religious duties in Australia over the past century.
If you only listened to the sneering secularists you would get the impression that Catholicism is somehow responsible for high birth rates and the spread of HIV/AIDS. In fact, population growth is highest in the Middle East and sub-Sahara Africa where the Catholic Church is not strong. Likewise, there is no correlation between the spread of HIV/AIDS and the strength of Catholicism.
It is welcome that the Pope has said sorry for the sexual abuse perpetuated by some Catholic priests and brothers. But it is appropriate for others to say a warm thank you for what the Catholic religious have done in educating the young, looking after the sick and caring for the dying here and overseas. You will not hear such praise from the sneering secularists. Nor will you find a school or hospice in a foreign land that is run by the Green Left Weekly or the New Left Review.
Gerard Henderson is executive director of the Sydney Institute.
This guy tends to write articles which consists of blatant strawman tactics, poisoning the well, accusing others of bias (nice adhominem there) and to top it all off, he doesn't find the Chaser funny. Maybe because he is the joke. I don't have want to spend too much time taking this apart, but a few pointers,
The sneering secularists in our midst oppose all the Judeo-Christian beliefs.
This is a bad thing because.... hey it couldn't be the homophobic bigotry, anti science attitudes and anti knowledge attitudes, discrimination against women, and covering child sex abuse scandals could it? No sirree, its clearly a because of the EVEL secularists. Oh sorry, Evil LEFT WING secularists.
However, Catholicism cops much of the ridicule because it is universal and the strongest of the Christian faiths.
Clearly those anti-pope t-shirts all had emblems saying, "attack catholicism because they are the largest Christian group".
So you mean those "Chief homophobe" t-shirts were all a smokescreen. The real reason they attack catholics was because they have such huge numbers. Once again Gerard Henderson amazes me with his power of observation, correction, power to pull shit out of his arse and declare it factual.
So far the award for the leading sneerer goes to The Age columnist Catherine Deveny. Writing on June 18, she declared: "It's official. The Catholic Church is fully sick. And so is George Pell." Apparently this was some kind of joke.
Because you know, child sex abuse and covering it up is clearly the sign of healthy individuals. Oh wait....
It is inconceivable that The Age would have run a similar article mocking Islam and slagging off all the Aishas and Muhammads.
Name the fallacy. Oh wait, its an ad hominem tu quoque. I give Henderson kudos for once again displaying his mastery of logical fallacies, but I seem to remember him doing this before.
Hint for the mentally challenged - even if a charge of hypocrisy is true, it just proves the Age writers are hypocrites. Attacks against the Catholic church stand and fall on their own merits, and not the characteristics of the authors.
Although a professing agnostic, I was brought up a Catholic and attended a Catholic school where I received a fine education. Like all organisations, it had its strengths and weaknesses. Yet I retain admiration for the priests involved in my upbringing. Most were fine, intelligent men who gave up material pleasures - including sex and family life - for the God in which they believed. I readily acknowledge that some of the cleverest men and women I have met, or read about, were believers in one of the great religions. They do not warrant mockery.
Their religion itself and the organisation which runs it should be subjected to the same criticism as other ideas and organisations. Why should religion get a free pass because some of its believers are intelligent?
Hey I have an idea. Why don't just call this mockery, "love the Christian but hate Christianity". So we are really not attacking the person per se, but rather the silly beliefs they hold. Hmm. This sounds familiar, almost like the self serving "love the sinner, hate the sin" argument Christians use as they villify and bully gay people so bad that some of them feel the need to commit suicide. Given Gerard Henderson obviously dislikes hypocrisy, he shouldn't have a problem with this line of criticism, right? Am I right?
It seems that Crittenden set some kind of precedent for the ABC. Last week Lateline began a campaign against Pell concerning his handling of a complaint of Anthony Jones who, at the age of 29, was sexually assaulted by a Catholic priest, Terence Goodall.
Last Tuesday Pell admitted that he had made a mistake in the manner in which he handled the case. That evening Lateline interviewed a Canberra lawyer, Jason Parkinson, and the American journalist Robert Blair Kaiser. Both were critical of Pell. The former Catholic priest Paul Collins was also heard on Lateline that night. So was the academic Mark Findlay. They were also critical of the cardinal. Apparently Lateline could not find anyone who would put an alternative view.
Ok. So the six million dollar question is what can be the defense for George Pell's handling of the case? If the best wankers, er sorry "snivelling religious apologists" like Henderson is come up with, is the ABC is bias but not actually come up with anything remotely addressing the CRUX of the matter, ie George Pell's mishandling and outright lying, er I mean mistake on the case... well lets just say it doesn't bode well for him does it.
The fact we spends more time accusing the ABC of bias, rather than actually attacking the supposedly unfair criticisms of Pell should say something to people who aren't fucking morons. Like, how about, YOU HAVE NO CASE.
The likes of Goodall deserve to be condemned. It is a matter of record that Pell stood him down from priestly activity in early 2003. Goodall was convicted in the District Court after pleading guilty to indecent assault, following a trial which was reported in the media at the time.
Obviously Henderson forgot the part about George Pell's letter to the victim. You know, where the criticism actually coming from. You remember that letter. The one which said your claim is bullshit and no allegation against said priest has been substantiated (even though it had been by the Church investigations). But right wing idealogues view things through rose tinted glasses right?
Such crimes should not diminish the good that priests, brothers and sisters - and bishops - have done over the years.
Such good deeds should not diminish the bullshit and wrong things the church has done over and the years and still do.
Back in 2001 when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, the future pope had already sent confidential letters to bishops reminding them of the strict penalties facing those who referred allegations of sexual abuse to outsiders.
Linky
How does these good deeds diminish the homophobic view the church still holds?
How does this diminish the anti condom message in Africa which includes outright lying about condoms, in a continent ravaged by HIV?
How does this diminish the church villifying pagans for the holocaust, when you know they actually coddled up with Hitler.
And of course, since the Church is allowed to fall back on the good things it did over the years, by the same token criticism should be allowed of things it did before. You remember, the crusades, inquisition etc. But you don't see people use that as a criticism of the CONTEMPORY church do you, as opposed to historical criticisms.
If you only listened to the sneering secularists you would get the impression that Catholicism is somehow responsible for high birth rates and the spread of HIV/AIDS.
I know this is a hard concept for "snivelling religious apologists" to grasp, so I will explain it very slowly. Condoms help stop the spread of HIV. Wow. Holy shit Batman. Can I collect my nobel prize now? Catholics by opposing the use of condoms and even outright
lying about it helps discourage condom use. Now what do you think is going to happen in regions where the virus is rampant and condom use goes down. I can imagine Henderson's head exploding trying to put that one together.
In fact, population growth is highest in the Middle East and sub-Sahara Africa where the Catholic Church is not strong.
This just beggars belief. Not because its false, but because it totally misses the point. I mean, does he think because the RCC is not the ONLY or MAJOR cause of something, it must have zero effect.
Likewise, there is no correlation between the spread of HIV/AIDS and the strength of Catholicism.
Don't strain your brain too hard trying to figure this one out, since others have already done it for you.
But it is appropriate for others to say a warm thank you for what the Catholic religious have done in educating the young, looking after the sick and caring for the dying here and overseas.
I suggest he watches
Christopher Hitchens doco about that bit. Hey, maybe Henderson may be more receptive to Hitchens, since they are both right wing people and all that.
You will not hear such praise from the sneering secularists.
Yeah, I guess the big bad secular government providing those services aren't good enough.
Nor will you find a school or hospice in a foreign land that is run by the Green Left Weekly or the New Left Review.
I love how he changes his attacks from secularists in the previous sentence to now attacking the Left in general. It might have something to do with the fact that most schools and hospices are provided for by the secular government?
I have a challenge. Maybe Mr Henderson can find a organisation run by Green Left Weekly or the New Left Review which
1) abuses kids and then tries to cover it up,
2) helps spread HIV / AIDS by lying about condom use,
3)accepts money from people on the proviso that it would be used to help others but keep it in bank accounts while the actual facilities to help people become run down shit holes,
4) prevents rape victims getting abortions (Ireland, I am looking at you), and
5) commits fraud by selling bogus medical treatments, er I mean blessed Lourdes water.
Come on, you can do it.
Never apologise for being a geek, because they won't apologise to you for being an arsehole. John Barrowman - 22 June 2014 Perth Supernova.
Countries I have been to - 14.
Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, USA.
Always on the lookout for more nice places to visit.
