The Equalizer

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By The Equalizer - Sun 12th Feb 2012

 

As a devout Agnostic, educated in a C of E school, it obviously means that I have absolutely no interest in religion whatsoever, and have a healthy disrespect of anyone who tries to force their bigoted or uneducated views down the throats of anyone too polite to punch a zealot in the face.

I fully appreciate that many religions offer hope and comfort to the needy, dish out soup to the hungry etc... etc... but then again, so does Noel Edmonds, and I can’t help but feeling that the world would be a much better place if all religion was outlawed.

Taking Spain and Catholicism as an example, in less than 12 months there barely seems to have been a month goes by without some Priest putting his foot firmly in his mouth and showing his faith to be even more out of step with reality than they already are.

In short, I have been left wondering.....

1.) In the middle of what is perhaps the worst recession in recent memory, and with record levels of unemployment, the Pope was invited to host the Wold Youth Day in Madrid, costing the City an estimated 60 Million Euros.

2.) During the course of the week-long event, the Pope gave 6’000 priests special dispensation to take the confessional from the faithful and ‘forgive’ abortions. Odd that this seemed to be a ‘one-off’ just for that particular week.

3.) In May of last year a Priest subordinate to the Bishop of Getafe had been accused of having a homosexual relationship with a member of his congregation. The Bishop called for his Priest to undergo a HIV test (as though this would prove something either way...), whilst the Priest offered to have his anus measures (again, as though this would be proof of something either way...)

4.) In his Christmas Eve mass, the Bishop of Tenerife went on say how the victims of child abuse were to blame for 'provoking' their assailants, and how homosexuals were to blame for 'future problems in society'.

5.) In December a Jaen Priest refused to accept a Homosexual man as the Godparent at a Christening, stating that they would be an inappropriate role model for the child.

6.) Last Month a teacher at a Catholic school won a court case over unfair dismissal following being sacked after being found to be married to a man who had previously been divorced. Even though the teacher was eventually paid compensation, the Bishop of Almeria refused to let her have her old job back.

7.) In June of last year it was reported how the Church had been surreptitiously registering properties of unknown ownership in their own name, citing a little known and antiquated law which basically allowed them to do so. It was revealed that in Navarre alone, over 1’000 such properties were grabbed for the church, whilst the press reported that that an estimated 10 Million Spaniards are living under the poverty line.

8.) In January the Bishop of Tarragona offended the nation by referring to Homosexuals as “Inadequate in Society”, describing how Women’s role in Society “is limited”, and on being asked his opinion on female priests commented “A woman cannot serve Mass because we all have our own duties in life. There are things that I can't do, such as give birth, like women."

It was recently revealed that although the country considers itself to be Catholic, just 15% of Spaniards regularly attend mass. I wonder why ... ?