Church leaders – meeting with their lawyers
The Catholic Diocese of San Diego, which filed for bankruptcy protection rather than face sexual-abuse lawsuits, has failed to disclose all of its assets and has not reported the fair market value of other property, a federal bankruptcy judge said Friday.
Judge Louise De Carl Adler ordered the diocese to explain at a hearing next month why she should not throw out the bankruptcy filing. The diocese, she said, has been “lax, ineffective or indifferent” in its oversight of parishes.
The diocese faces lawsuits from more than 140 people who allege that they were sexually abused by priests. It filed for bankruptcy protection in February, one day before the first court case was set to begin.
One more great example of why this nation needs to lose 18th-Century notions like tax exempt religions.
Update: the wages of sin are lawsuits….
Yes, tax all the non-profits. I’ve never understood why they were not taxed to begin with. Profit is profit.
I also don’t understand why they believe, from the dopey pope on down, that being molested as a child was an important part of the Catholic experience.
Hmm… I understand why churches don’t pay taxes. It’s solidly guaranteed in the first amendment. However, if they are not subject to tax laws, why should they benefit from bankruptcy laws?
#4, Scott, …if they [churches] are not subject to tax laws, why should they benefit from bankruptcy laws?
Can I get a big *AMEN* on that one??
Bottom line: nobody’s afraid of the RCC any more in the 1st world. It was only their ability to intimidate people that kept the lid on till now. Good riddance.
#5 BIG AMEN !!!
#3 – anyone decide which is which?
“One more great example of why this nation needs to lose 18th-Century notions like tax exempt religions.”
Between the Bible thumpers, the sectarian scientoligists and the jewish lawyers I don’t think things will ever change.
#8 – moss
“anyone decide which is which?”
That was the first thing I wondered…
“OK, everybody, break’s over. Back on your heads!”
i’m feeling abused by this thread. 🙂
#5 – BubbaRay
Amen.
AMEN
What’s the difference between acne and a Catholic priest?
Acne doesn’t come on a boy’s face until he’s 13 or so.
However, if they are not subject to tax laws, why should they benefit from bankruptcy laws?
Because they are apparently still subject to tort laws?
The only winners here are the lawyers.
Which ones are the lawyers and which ones are the church leaders?
@ #9
I’ve never posted on this blog before but when I see someone so pathetic as you posting GARBAGE I just can’t let it go.
It’s bible thumpers SMALL B and Jewish lawyers CAPITAL J.
AND YOU ARE obviously anti semetic small dick Angel.
#17 – kaeryn
Why is that when someone writes something that is the slightest negative about Jewish people, they’re automatically anti-semitic?
To be candid with you, Jägermeister, I could ask you a quite similar question; Why is that when someone writes something that is the slightest negative about any ethnic group, they’re automatically against that group?
Think about it while you’re resting…
Love the hypocrisy of Christian haters hating Jew haters.
Funny you should say that, considering that Christianity is not an ethnicity…
#19 – Lauren the Ghoti
When it comes to you, it’s no longer “slightest negative”.
#21 – Lauren the Ghoti – Christianity is not an ethnicity…
Neither is Judaism.
“Neither is Judaism.”
Rilly? As Woody Allen told Joan Collins, “Coulda fooled me.”
#18 – Jägermeister,
Legitimate question so I’ll give what I feel to be a legitimate answer.
First, the Jewish lawyer thing is a classic Jewish stereotype. There are many lawyers that are not Jewish. There are many Jews that are not lawyers. There is likely no correlation between being Jewish and being more or less ethical as a lawyer. So, a slightly negative ridiculous stereotype used in this way is actually bigoted in the same way that making any other stereotypical comment about any other group of people would be.
Second, this was not a critique of the Jewish religion, which could only take place in the context of discussing Judaism. This was a statement of Jews as a race of people rather than as a religion. So, when Angel made that comment, it was indeed racist as well. It is a relatively innocuous racist and bigoted comment as such comments go. I’ve certainly heard worse about many groups. But, it is still bigoted and small-minded.
Many groups that have been victimized repeatedly for generations are a bit hypersensitive to such comments. Think about the recent comment by Don Imus. It certainly generated a tremendous amount of furor over a a racist comment that was only moderate in nature, say about twice as bad as Angel’s. However, given the long history of blacks being victimized by racism, the reaction is understandable.
Does that answer your question sufficiently?
#20 – Billy Bob,
It’s all Zoroastrianism anyway. But, keep in mind, one is hatred for the religion itself, not the people of the religion. The other is hatred for the people themselves, not the religion. The difference is pretty significant.
I happen to hate all theist religions equally. However, I do not hate any individual theist for being a theist. I hate some for their actual personal actions, like shooting doctors, bombing clinics, bombing people of other flavors of religion (e.g. IRA), bombing school buses and hospitals, etc. But, I do not hate anyone for believing in the invisible man in the sky hypothesis.
#23 – Jägermeister,
Judaism has an odd dual characteristic. When one is born of Jewish parents, he or she is very much aware that there are literally millions of people in the world that hate him or her for nothing other than being born of Jewish parents. One may take or leave the religion, but one cannot take away the hatred of others. So, this creates a strange dualism where a person may be an atheist but still know that he or she is a Jew because others want him or her dead because of nothing else. So, is Judaism a race or a religion? Yes. It depends on context.
#17
“It’s bible thumpers SMALL B and Jewish lawyers CAPITAL J.”
So you’re telling me the Bible is beneath the jews?
“AND YOU ARE obviously anti semetic small dick Angel. ”
Uh.. That’s anti semitic; the next time you’re going to insult someone use a spell checker first.
#25
I came to terms with my inner Archie Bunker and stopped pretending to like people.
#28 – Angel,
That’s fine. It’s nice to see you’re so in touch with your inner self. I just hope that you are equally fine when bigots call you a bundle of sticks. Personally, I’m not OK when they do. I find all bigotry offensive, whether or not it is directed at me. But, if you’re OK with other bigotry, I hope you’re OK when it’s directed at you.
#29
You’re taking things out of context, I’m simply saying that I stopped doing that politically correct BS and prefer to speak my mind rather than being a hypocrite.
Any day I prefer a sincere a bigot comment over an ass kissing lie.
#30 – Angel,
You’re entitled to your opinion. However, such bigoted comments spread bad memes and increase the bigoted feelings in more induhviduals. I would prefer the ass-kissing lie to prevent the spread of bigotry. And, yes, I include comments like the one you made, even though I was prepared to let it slide as a minor infraction, as evidenced by the fact that I only responded to others in the discussion initially.