How is the assumption of guilt as to Catholic priests today, any different then the Salem Witch Trials?

Question

Surely 99.9% of all Catholic preists are good and honest people. Assuming guilt as to one being a witch was wrong, so how is the assumption of guilt as to Catholic preists any different then that?

lindsey p, the question is about the crime not the punishment. Bet the "p" stands for petty, right?

Bluto, I seriously doubt that there is any DNA evidence in alleged crimes that are
usually over ten years past. and many times 20 or 30 years past.

Bluto, I seriously doubt that there is any DNA evidence in alleged crimes that are
usually over ten years past. and many times 20 or 30 years past.

Darwin, how could you possibly know that. Don't forget, today this is a get rich quick crime for the alleged victim. And I am sure that you "know" Michael Jackson was guilty, right? It had nothing to do with money that drove the "victim."

E soak, why is most of you MISS the point? IT IS NOT ABOUT THE punishment, it is about assuming guilt.
And for those of you that say these are real crimes always, how can you possibly know that? You don't. It is mostly about money, "poor victim" gets a couple of million.

Shugga, again it not about the punishment, the question is about assuming guilt. How many priests have been falsely accused? How many more will be? In the name of money?

Answer 1

It isn't any different at all. I am no longer Catholic but it has nothing to do with the actions of a few priests. I was raised in Catholic school and was never once harmed in any way by the priests or nuns. There are really very few cases of molestation in the Catholic church but for every 1 real accusation, there are 100 bandwagon jumpers just lying for dramatic effect. The profession with the highest rate of child molestation is PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER but I guess its just not as much fun to hate them as it is to hate priests.

Answer 2

The witch trials were pure hysteria. There was nothing evil going on in that town. Or the towns around it. All the people who were tried and executed were innocent.

Those who confessed to witchery simply to get out of being tortured - were still innocent.

In the case of child and teen abuse - many of these cases are genuine. Yes - a number of innocent priests get accused as well. People looking to make a buck.

It's the same as women who falsely accuse men of rape. It makes life very difficult for the women whe actually were raped.

30 and 40 years ago when all of this was going down, we (people in general) had very little knowledge of the predatory type. And those in charge of these predators didn't have any CLUE as to how they should be handled. It is not like an adult situation where removing the individual makes ANY difference what so ever. Adults drawn to other adults is not a sickness. Adults drawn to children and teenagers is.

PS: Dear "Soak" - 99% is not "being generous" that is the actual percentage. Less than 1% of priests in the past have gone wrong this way.

Answer 3

A lot of people are reacting to the Los Angeles thing like it is something entirely new and is in addition to what has already been brought to light. The Los Angeles Diocese just finally settled. All of the cases are old situations.

I think the problem is a lot of good priest are being treated as witches, because of the actions of a few. Hopefully we can get this matter behind us.

Bluto allows for email. He'll probably never see your additional comments about the DNA. He probably like a lot of others thinks these are a lot of new cases.

Answer 4

We have no idea - in the "crucible" which was based on it, but not actually factual, she ran away and became a prostitute. Here is the scenario referenced in "Echoes Down the Corridor" which is at the end of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller) it says that "The legend has it that Abigail turned up later as a prostitute in Boston." However, given the use of the word "legend," it is presumed the accusation is most likely false. The last claim states Abigail died from a common Sexually transmitted disease in colonial Massachusetts during that time period. Although there is no definite evidence of what happened to Williams after the trials ended, one reference stated she "apparently died before the end of 1697, if not sooner, no older than seventeen." I don't think you can make a 5 page paper out of that, you'd better find a different subject.

Answer 5

Hi....But the question should be "how many of these individuals were actually witches?" Hundreds of woman and a few men were either hanged, buried alive, or set on fire due to these assumptions that these individuals were witches or had some type of contact with witchcraft. How can one say that these so-called priests weren't using witchcraft as an excuse to murder innocents? I'm sorry but when I was a child growing up I looked up to nuns and priests, they were the individuals that could be trusted if no one else. To me they were the angels of God. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I don't feel that way any longer. Neither do a lot of others that felt the same way as I did. I don't know to be realistic if one can compare the witch trials and what has occurred today with the priests and their crimes of passion but it's a very interesting question. Have a blessed day!

Answer 6

There isn't much difference. The problem is that it's not politcally correct to be Catholic these days as you can verify from several answers above me. So the Catholic church is singled out when this happens just as much everywhere else. The priests that actually do that sort of thing should be burned, but like you say, it's a very small percentage. A priest in my old parish was accused, and although he was found totally innocent, it really messed up his life. I guess that's the american justice system for you.

Answer 7

Well, for one thing, the Catholic priests being accused are getting a trial, instead of being tortured into confessions and possibly killed or maimed in the process.

For another, while there is a certain amount of suspicion of Catholic priests, it's due to proven, verifiable misconduct on the part of some of the priests and the organization as a whole, not because some hysterical girls started throwing wild accusations around and were taken seriously instead of being smacked down for lying.

If a particular priest is not guilty of any crimes, then he won't suffer more than a bit of embarassment at being viewed with suspicion, and he will be able to regain his social standing with a little patience simply by doing what a priest is SUPPOSED to do - providing a good example of the way a Catholic is supposed to live his life. This is VERY different from the victims of the witch trials, who were usually financially ruined and always spent the rest of their lives as social outcasts.

Do your research before you make comparisons like that.

Answer 8

A majority of the people going after priests are just looking to get money. That's basically how it differs. A handful of priests did a very bad thing and lots of people decided to cash in on their mistakes.

Answer 9

You would think they learned their lesson the first few times with this, but it seems some Christians like to judge others, even other Christians freely. Catholics seem to be fair game lately which is a shame. It's actually a very visually pretty denomination.

Answer 10

mmmm, 99% think thats a tad generous. and like the others said, when was the last time you heard of a priest being tortured for days then being hung or burnt even tho they WERE actually guilty??? its a thought mind.