In Reply to: your logic posted by Realist on January 31, 2010 at 17:43:19:

That's what's called a straw man argument. You set up a false premise and claim that I proposed a particular viewpoint and then presumably you will try to argue against it to prove me somehow 'wrong'?

But everyone knows that family members, friends, neighbours are the most likely to abuse kids, rape women and to kill their nearest and dearest. The Lillis case this week a case in point (but then you obviously have not lived in Ireland for aeons so you may not get this without having to consult google).

So is that an argument against marriage? Or just against parenthood?

If we had a one-child policy like China there would be no cases of abuse of children by their uncles. Sibling ince$t would be impossible too. And likewise you could not even marry your cousin. So that could be a neat solution to some of the abuse problems.

The question asked was whether you wanted religious to run our national schools. A national poll across the country agreed quite well with another poll held recently with a significant majority (61% or 70%) saying they would prefer to have state run schools.

Now somehow you want to argue that because familial abuse is more likely to happen than abuse by a 'celibate' religious teacher we should ignore this latter as a problem?

Are you are arguing that we should just sweep it under the carpet and pretend that the Church authorities did not try to protect them (the clerical abusers of children) and to this very day refuse to admit their failures? Are you pretending that the bishops have come out and admitted their failures and all fallen on their swords? They have not. Even the Pope is complicit in the ongoing denial.

The poll today on castlebar.ie asking whether priests should marry is a straw in the wind - I have not heard about abuse by the Anglican or Jewish clergy and I submit that this is because they are not expected to be unnaturally celibate. But hey! If 40+ people vote and 85+ percent of them say that priests should be allowed to marry who the flip cares? You can't believe in polls.