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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill who wrote (46896)	5/9/2002 12:52:31 PM
From: one_less	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

The breadth of the problem is not really at issue for me. I am not Catholic but this issue seems to strike at the foundations of the religion. You must believe the priesthood is the embodiment of God's word, ordained not simply of their own accord but by God. Right? Last year there was an incident of an "Islamic Cleric" some place in a remote corner of the world ordering a public whipping for an adulterer. She died, tragically, and the issue brought many questions to bare on the religion of Islam. I pretty much wrote off most of the criticisms of the religion that were based on this issue, since there is no hierarchy in Islam between God and believers. I am not sure what is meant by the term "Islamic Cleric." Whatever that person is, they do not represent someone ordained by God to represent or speak for the rest of us. In other words, they acted entirely on their own behalf. If it was a bad interpretation of God's word, that person and that person alone takes credit for it; not God, not Islam, not other Muslims. Catholicism is different and I have asked Catholics about this issue for many years (in a polite way). How is it possible for such a group to be ordained to represent God. I never get much more than a shoulder shrug and assurances that they themselves are concerned about this. If it were one person who was an terrible liar and had snuck into the church it would be different. Of course, I understand that hypocricy is as much of a reality in religion as genuine saintly characters are. There are other types of "corruptions" that are not as sensational as the current issue as well. Maybe neocon could pick this issue up?