Would you attack the Church if you could?

[Catholic_Lady]

Priests are not more likely to molest children than any average man. In fact, the occupation that has been most guilty of molesting children are teachers. So I don't understand the stereotype that priests are molesters when they don't do it any more often than the general public, and in fact less often than other vocations.

Perhaps it's because they're regarded as moral guides, you know. They may or may not commit pederasty at higher rates than non-priests, but I think you and I both agree that anyone who does that loses any claim they may lay to moral insight.

When committed by a priest, pastor, rector, etc, molestation becomes even more insidious, because you have the offender using a position of trust to abet his violation. That his church hierarchy would thereafter act to protect the molester is doubly sinister, and any organization which regularly practices protection of molesters -- as the RCC has done for at least the last seventy years that we know of -- that organization ought to be prosecuted under RICO statutes, so far as I'm concerned.

I agree. I think it is far worse when a supposed "man of God" does evil things than when just any ol'Joe does. They should be held to a higher standard above others, and when they break that trust, it's heinous. And of course, the individuals who committed such acts and those involved in covering up should be reprimadded.

What I'm saying is I just don't think priests in general should be put into a box and stereotyped as sex offenders when they don't do it any more than the average man, and when other vocations do it more yet don't have the same stareotype. It's unfair to all the millions and millions of perfectly decent men out there who are priests. And of course, I'll object to someone saying they fantasize about murdering every person who is a priest, even those who are completely innocent of any crime. As is what the OP did.