It’s been a lively month for Catholic and Islamic communities of faith.
Visiting Ireland on the first Papal visit in 40 years Pope Francis found a country utterly changed from the Ireland his predecessor visited. The dark, suspicious theocracy of the 1970s has given way to a modern, tolerant nation where a plebiscite permitting gay marriage won and divorce, contraception and abortion are now legal. They even have a gay, foreign born prime minister. Welcome to progress, Eire!
One reason for this turnaround is the progressive arc of history – everywhere is more liberal now and it is a trend which will continue. Another reason is that in Ireland the Church has unwittingly caused its own demise. Various scandals about pedophile priests, the appalling treatment of unwed mothers and the suffering of Irish women under the yoke of Christianity so horrified the public they repudiated their old ways and values.
Additionally, in Pennsylvania, another – another – huge priest scandal has blown, so to speak. There’s no reason to suspect the green hills and abandoned coal mines of Pennsylvania are anything exceptional: that there’s something in the water. Readers can expect a gathering storm of similar horrors elsewhere.
As Bill Maher rightly pointed out: Imagine if the Catholic Church were a Fortune 500 company: Jiffy Lube, say, with hundreds of pedophile employees they protected. What would the public reaction be then? Pretty much what it should be now, and will be when 49 other states shine sunshine on this factory of human suffering imprisoning millions of the gullible in the name of “faith”.
There are two theories as to why so many priests, numerically way out of proportion, find kiddy fiddling so damn fun. One theory is understandable, the other is so horrid it quietens a room.
Human sexual tastes are pretty much set in stone by our early teens, our gender preferences much earlier. They are stable personality traits and unalterable. Pedophiles know they’re attracted to children in their teens so they’re faced with a terrible dilemma. Both theories allow a pedophile priest to “get away with” not being married. When it comes to the actual sexual attraction to children, a pathology afflicting fewer than five percent of men worldwide but many more priests, let’s examine the two readings of this terrible situation.
A more charitable reading is that knowing their unacceptable proclivities and tastes they actively select a lifestyle that is celibate. Optimistically, with some magical thinking (“prayer”) and the sprinkling of a little Jesus dust on their “little problem,” they hope to live a decent life where no children are harmed: “The Lord will give me power to not act on my dark desires.”
A less charitable reading is, upon realizing their pedophilia, they actively enter the Church simply because that’s where the kids are. They’ll have supervision over them, free communion wine to ply them with, Bible camps, a get out of jail free card due to the collar they wear, and….. bring on the kids! For priests there are more grooming opportunities than Jesus can shake a loaf or fish at.
Think of how far we have to travel, ethically, here: that we give a pass to an institution which gives shelter to these repugnant practices. Why? Because its members are “experts” in Bronze Age fairy tales and fantasies – and wear a collar.
Moving right along …..to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where it’s Hajj (pilgrimage) season: excellent description here. There’s a psychological explanation as to why so many people find the Hajj and other religious rituals so appealing. Strictly, only 2.3% of the population suffers from hard core Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but about a tenth exhibit strong symptoms. They find rituals of all kinds, like circling the Ka’aba (black stone in Mecca) seven times and other complicated Hajj obligations incredibly rewarding, as well as the sense of fellowship and unity.
Interestingly, according to primatologist/neurologist Robert Sapolsky, there are four main activities OCD patients obsess over. Firstly: body hygiene – the Koran and Torah are bursting with personal hygiene rules and actions – Islam even dictates protocols for going to the toilet. Secondly: dietary obsessions (see Kosher, Halal, etc.) Thirdly: entering “sacred” spaces, and finally numerology – Judaism has an obsession with the number 18, Hinduism with 108 and Islam has its own numerological ideas. This is where OCD meets faith.
We all have rituals. Your correspondent wakes at 5am to watch the sunrise over Manhattan, puts on coffee, takes the dog downstairs via the elevator for a leak, then comes back and drinks said coffee, reads the New York Times and themoderatevoice, etc. Even the dog has his rituals – notice him circling around before he beds down at night, or again, circling, finds the exact spot to poo on 8th Avenue. Most people have little rituals of their own if they admit it: they’re incredibly comforting for mammals and are what psychologists call “egodystonic” – anxiety reducing.
The problem isn’t with the rituals – the dog isn’t about to hijack a plane or burn a witch if he doesn’t circle his bed at night – the problem is with the rest of the 1,300 or 2,000 year old faulty mental software that does hijack planes, obstruct women’s freedom, their health, and stem cell research, deny science and reverse human progress. The rituals become complicit in an immense amount of needless suffering.
Similarly, working with people’s emotions and spirituality (by a licensed therapist, say) isn’t a bad thing at all – but it becomes bad when it is part of a child rape enterprise like the Catholic Church.
David Anderson is an Australian-American attorney living in New York City. His education is in politics and psychology, his career on Wall St. and in the law. His dog is an atheist and enjoys rituals.