If America had to issue an apology to African Americans ...?

Question

for slavery, should the Catholic church apologize...for the crusades?

Second Part.
If teaching evolution in the class rooms is brain washing and "lies" should churches teach all religions in Sunday school, giving children the freedom to accept what ever religion they feel is best as they mature?

Yes I think all Athiest should provide their children with a basic knoledge of all religions so they may choose what is best..

My major concern and I speak only for myself is the brain washing I recived as a child that there was only one correct religion and many of the things that came natural to me as a young person like masterbation is a sin and the damage religion causes to all youth by shaming and brain washing them.

Answer 1

Yes the pope issued an apology back in 2004, so I guess that's "good enough" now isn't it? Took them long enough don't you think?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/06/30/wpope30.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/06/30/ixworld.html

America is controlled by Christians, so they can backtrack and justify anything and everything just to prove their case, but kids are being brainwashed by the church everyday and some don't even realize. "In God We Trust" is on our money, "Under God" is in the pledge of allegiance - which at schools is mandatory to say in most areas (it was only added in 1953 by the Roman Catholic group the Knights of Columbus which was okay'd by President Eisenhower - FYI) and I always felt uncomfortable saying it even when I considered myself a christian.

I have witnessed many children torment other children who say they don't believe in the christian god or belong to another religion. Intollerance is taught at an early age and most christian adults think it's okay. They justify that their children are expressing their freedom of religion when it's really not. I was raised in a baptist household, but never really bought into the faith. I always felt religion should be private and only shared in a common setting (church).

The fact that ID and Evolution are at odds is really silly. Religion is a belief, not a proven fact (neither is Evolution by Darwin's pov, but at least it's an alternative theory to just "believing"--evolution of different species is a fact) - which is one reason why religion is not taught in history class or school. It's mentioned when the horrors of the crusades and the witch hunts are in the lesson plan, which maybe should also be addressed in Sunday school--they tend to leave that unpleasant info out. If more children were taught about the downside to religion, they may be more inclined to think for themselves--which is exactly what the church wants to avoid. Lesser christians mean less money, and they can't have that happening.

The catholic church should apologize for everything. They have control and influence over most countries, no matter that they don't belong to that faith. They should apologize for the crusades (again), allowing their perverted clergy to molest children and just transferring them to another church so they can molest some fresh meat (paying off the families of the molested makes it okay?), condoning blowing up abortion clinics and killing doctors...do you want me to go on? Most of the horrors in history were dreamed up by catholics and christians; damn right they need to apologize.

Answer 2

The Catholic church and the U.S. are 2 distinct entities. What one does in terms of issuing apologies has nothing to do with the other. Now, should there be apologies? I don't think so. In the case of the U.S. and slavery, that practice was abolished about 150 years ago. Slavery was recognized to be an immoral practice and eliminated. Issuing an apology (to whom exactly?) won't make us a better nation. However, ensuring that we strive as a nation to make sure everyone's rights are guaranteed does make us a better nation.
Evolution is not a religion, it is a scientific theory and in case you haven't noticed, a large percentage of the world's religions are found in the U.S. today. So, no problem with children having choices.

Answer 3

Pope John Paul II did in fact apologize to all Muslims for the injustice of the crusades.

As for your second part, I agree with your reasoning.

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Berry123: The asker isn't proposing that Christianity be stricken from Sunday School, but only that other faiths be given a chance too.

Your logic, like that of all creationists (which includes ID folks) is silly.


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Tasha: By your own reasoning (people don't get to choose to send their kids to public schools) ID should NOT be taught. Why should my tax dollars go to teach something that is not only not scientific but something that I disagree with?



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Ivan Y: You're either a liar or confused because science has not disproven evolution. Can you offer citation to the alleged "evidence" of which you speak? Or better yet, can you offer an alternative TESTABLE hypothesis (so God did it doesn't cut it) as to how biological evolution occurs (if natural selection is false)?

Answer 4

No, it is not the responsibility of The Methodist Church to teach all other religions. It is not the responsibility of Muslim churches to teach Christianity.

That seems inane to me.

DO you feel as it all atheists ought to teach their children about every religion in the world.

I have apologized for The Crusades and begged forgiveness, and I am not Catholic. I've been told that an apology is not good enough.


I fail to see what teaching about evolution in a classroom has to do with churches teaching about all other religions.

Answer 5

Should Egypt and Rome apologize for the slavery of every group of people on the face of the Earth?

Every group of people have been slaves at one point in history no one left to apologize too.

I teach evolution as a theory and let my students make up their own minds. A church should only teach what they believe and the children are able to decide what to believe. This happens every day. children grow up and decide what they want to believe.

Answer 6

If there is a line forming for apologists - Americans are going to be way back in the line. Slavery existed (and still does) long before America was born, and still exists in terrible forms in Africa and other nations. The crusades were fought by people who believed they were freeing the "heathens" from false beliefs - but again, it was pretty harsh - just like it was in Central America.
Apologies aside - would it change anything? Would it bring closure? Would the same things occur - committed by others for other "good reasons"? I don't think it's going to happen, nor would it accomplish anything at all if it did.

Answer 7

The Africans never did anything to warrant a lifetime of slavery. While the Crusades were horrible and anti-God, the Muslims had conquered the area through violence and war several hundred years before, defiling Christian shrines and killing Christians (also anti-God was that the RCC didn't care about the Jews who were there). So, there was a more even playing field.

I learned from the 6th grade (that I remember) and it didn't hurt my belief later in life at all. I just don't understand how anyone can believe in the "Big Bang" w/o a Creator.

Answer 8

The Catholic Church has much more to apologize for than just the Crusades: consider witch burning, the Inquisition, auto-da-fe, Galileo, and a host of other evils. With respect to evolution, it is a scientific theory (and also a proven fact), so it is appropriate to teach it in public schools; no other theory is a scientific theory, so it is not appropriate to teach any other theory.

Answer 9

The Catholics seem to sever any ties with the idea of the crucades while clinging to the religion that did them. The problem doesn't lie in whether they apologize or not. All the people they killed and their families are dead and gone. The problem lies in the infallibility of the Pope and that if the pope were to issue whatever that's called when he proclaims a word of God from his chair, Catholics even today have to obey it even if he tells them to kill others. That's the problem.

Don't throw God away because religions have error and sometimes hurt people. I did that when I was young. I was Catholic. When I learned that a lot of what I was taught was a lie I didn't want anything to do with God. But then I sought Him out and I found Him. He's far above any religion. And as far as what's right and wrong, that's between you and your God. If our hearts don't condemn us then we are right with Him. Peace to you.

Answer 10

LOL..
Then you would have the Arabian Muslims apologizing for invading Jerusalem and the Muslim Moors apologizing for invading Spain?
Children will learn the truth despite teachers.
Children should be exposed to both religious and scientific studies....yes?