The Practical Parson

 The state of Washington today instituted a new law which claims to seek protection for victims of child abuse; however in reality is a bill that seeks to compel clergy to violate pastor-penitent privilege in order to gain information.  On the surface, and indeed according to the supposedly Catholic governor of Washington state; it would seem a noble thing that there is now a law which requires clergy to break the seal of confession to report any and all instances of abuse brought to the confessional.  In reality though, such a law not only violates federal law ensuring free practice of religion; it also violates the constitution of the United States, which ensures a separation of church and state and also freedom of religious observance.   The long and the short of the sacrament of confession is this- no matter what sins may be uttered, what horrors of a past life divulged; the sins that are brought to the foot of the cross in confession do not belong to the pr...

 Cardinal George Pell of Australia passed away in Rome this past week, and the media has shown its typical classless act of condemning his soul and memory to hell; because he was a Roman Catholic Bishop.  I must preface my opinions on this by reminding the reader that, as a survivor of many forms of abuse myself at the hands of evangelical Christian abusers when I was young; I have a particular insight into the matters at hand in this story.  That being said, here's my take on the BS that has surrounded the liberal outrage and delight on this poor man's passing into the next life: Cardinal Pell was the principle figurehead of the Australian Catholic Church for many years, before he was called to answer on trumped up charges of sexual abuse of 2 choir boys which allegedly occurred in the 1990's, in 2017.  He was convicted, and spent 404 days in solitary confinement before the charges were dismissed completely upon appeal.  Now when you take those facts in isolati...

 Many years ago, when I was but a young child, my parents decided to send myself and my older brother to a private, christian school in North Carolina.  They were promised an academically inclined, superb learning environment for their children, one in which college preparation was well in hand and all students were equipped to succeed after graduation.   What they got, was sadly none of what they were promised.  Instead, their children were mistreated, bullied, abused, and even suffered academically because of that hellhole's agenda.  You see, the agenda of that particular so-called school was not so much to educate young minds for the future, as much as it was to condition our minds into their perfect, ideal, cookie-cutter little evangelical christian soldiers; who would never oppose them and always do whatever they say.   From the time I was in the seventh grade, until halfway through my junior year; I was brutally bullied, abused, and merciles...