Unbridled Charity
Me and the Devil
was walkin' side by side
Me and the Devil, ooh
was walkin' side by side
--Me and the Devil Blues, Robert Johnson
_________
was walkin' side by side
Me and the Devil, ooh
was walkin' side by side
--Me and the Devil Blues, Robert Johnson
_________
Ranger was a little boy. Once upon a time he was a young 2nd grade student in a Catholic school. This fact prompts the following commentary on "Nun Pleads No Contest in Sex Abuse."
"A Roman Catholic nun pleaded no contest to two counts of indecent behavior with a child in connection with accusations from the 1960s when she was a principal and teacher at a Catholic school in Milwaukee.
"The nun, Norma Giannini, 79, faces up to 20 years in prison for what prosecutors say was sexual abuse of two male students."
"The complaint said the assaults included intercourse and occurred in numerous locations, including a convent and a classroom."
First, a comment on the head description of the offense as "Sex Abuse." The criminal complaint describes the incidents as "intercourse," implying penetration occurred. Shouldn't that more correctly be described as "rape"?
Why the double standard -- is it that boys are presumed to always be putting notches in their belt, therefore, if an older woman commits intercourse with a boy, he is only being "educated" (nudge-nudge, wink-wink.) These are 5th grade boys we are talking about. Even if they were to gain erection, the onus is on the adult to prevent that from going anywhere.
Well, as we used to say about the nuns, "just don't get in the habit."
Ranger spent 10 years in Catholic education and was never sexually molested in any manner by nun or priest. But in the 2nd grade a certain Sister Giles forced little future Ranger Hruska to kneel for twenty minutes and and be sprinkled with holy water because, he was told, the devil was in him.
Imagine that! A second grader being told that the devil was in him. Now, this is not sexual abuse, but it certainly is abuse of another kind and was detrimental to the mental health and welfare of a young child.
What allowed this type of behavior? What God condoned such nastiness? Is it any wonder that old Ranger Hruska won't step into a church?
Which is worse, sexual abuse or pyschological? Both scar for life.
So not only was I born with original sin, but Jesus's wife tells me I've got the devil in me. A heapin' helpin' of guilt. By second grade, I'm a two-time loser. So much for the baptism.
Another aside: I remember the nun's wedding bands, signifying their spiritual marriage to Jesus. With this I draw the logical parallel to the Muslim vest bombers, who anticipate their reward of 72 virgins following their martyrdom.
It hit me that Jesus can expect 100's of 1000's of spiritual brides upon their passing. Yet we criticize the vest bombers as being nuts, and consider Jesus to be holy. If one takes this thing literally, Jesus is a bigamist. Which leads to the logical conclusion that the Mormons must be right in their bigamist practice. Maybe Romney shouldn't be knocked out of the ring on the basis of his religious beliefs alone.
By the way, Sister Giles was a Vincentian Sister of Charity. If she is still alive, Ranger wishes her the best. Her service to Jesus was unique.
____________
Follow-on: Seeking the correct word for an adult who engages in sex with a child, we checked out "pederasty : A man who has sexual relations, especially anal intercourse, with a boy." So in common vernacular, there is not a word for an adult woman who engages a boy in sex. What does this imply about our society?Labels: her earthly reward, nun pleads guilty to sexual abuse
posted by rangeragainstwar at 10:09 AM
8 Comments:
Ranger,
In my opinion it should be considered rape only if the boys were unwilling and coerced. I feel sorry for the Nun who was a human being living in an inhuman system.
Also, personally I think it's futile to apply logic to religion. It can be done but it's artificial. The only logic religion requires is the Unconscious logic of social animal tribalism.
I went to Catholic school too and used to day dream in Catechism class of being a martyr, (dying to save the school from an intruder).
I don't think there's anything unique about the Muslim psychology of martyrdom.
Basically all human beings are insane. Reason is a very thin layer on top that seldom determines behaviour. I know you know this but it seems like you keep being surprised and disappointed that this is true. I guess I'm disappointed too which is why I keep reading your blog.
I can't shake the feeling that we should be better. Maybe another part of the Catholic indoctrination?
Kevin in Granville
in the west, especially in areas where there is a substancial native population there is an old hairstyle that is still popular. almost like the high and tight military style this one is very short, or shaved, except for a forelock that is left long. this lock of hair right at the front is called "the government handle" because that's where the teachers and nuns of the government boarding schools grabbed the indian kids before dragging them off for discipline. my schooling on the rez was close to a comparative religions class. we were taught by what ever missionaries decided to brave the extremes of weather and endure the poverty and superstition of the rez. most of the time, 60% of the instruction revolved around what ever faith the missionaries represented. still, if the only book you can get ahold of is a book of mormon or a king james bible, at least you can learn to read and construct a sentence.
i'm bald on the top now. no "government handle" anymore. but, like we say on the rez:
iichá yaa hizdah
chich'ii bitsen yénaldi'ih
(the axe forgets
the tree remembers)
Kevin,
Why do I hear that cheesy tune from Human League--"I'm only Human"--spinning through my head. The nun may be human, but she took her vows, and the kids didn't ask for the molestation. Of course, this may be high sarcasm on your part. . .
You're right, we're all basically nuts, and reason seldom trumps the unconscious drives that actually guide us. We have momentary forays into awareness (meditation, long soak in the bath, etc.), then slip back on auto-pilot, doing the things we've always done.
Jim is a perennial romantic, who has successfully shoved that always-frustrated impulse far inside, so that it only manifests as a scholastic exercise in awe at poor behavior.
I think people should be better, but they are not. Some individual people are better, and some hypocritical people are better with those that matter to them.
Overall, I do not believe that most people are observant, in the visual sense of the word. We see what we want to see, or what we are capable of seeing, which is largely determined by our our own experience.
Jim: All religions seem based upon a level of archaic and tribal consciousness that does not apply to the 21st century.
I am not surprised, just presenting facts. If nuns or priest want to get laid, they should renounce their vows. Until their is a papal bull allowing for marriage, as Father Andrew Greeley so argues for. In any case, sex with kids is pedophilia, and a serious societal and legal no-no.
MB,
And of course, you had no option but to attend the missionary schools, whereas I was sent voluntarily.
The saying you append is quite appropriate. Thank you.
my own personal theory with the catholic church is based on the assumption that sexuality is not a choice thing but a dna thing. i would imagine that many folks who find that what they are attracted to (homosexuality or even pedophilia) would be attracted to the doctrine of celibacy. after all, if one's sexuality was abhorrent or deemed aberrant then renouncing sex altogether would sound like a fix for the problem. too often though, they would find themselves in the company of other fellow travelers. talk then actions would tend to ensue. having a high percentage of folks in denial about their own sexuality in the hiearchy of the church would also tend to explain why their first response so often seems to be protecting the offenders rather than the victims. there is really no way to judge how many monsignors and bishops who protected a priest caught up in an abuse case were in a psychological way protecting themselves. . .
anyway, to me it makes sense in a very grim fashion.
MB,
We were just discussing this tonight. I have to agree--who would be drawn to a job (I know, "a calling") where one would have to be celibate. It would seem ripe for those who are conflicted or in denial, and as you say, you then have fellow travelers.
But why not just stick with adults of the same proclivities? Homosexuality is not criminal; pederasty is. I s'pose in the eyes of the church, both are prohibited, so equal in terms of offense--in for a penny, in for a pound (?)
Also, I am with you on the genetic basis for the sexual affiliation. Also, their is data to suggest a gestational/developmental correlation. It seems unlikely that many would choose for homosexuality in a society which is so biased, at least here on the East Coast.
i think the biggest indication that it is not a choice of "lifestyle" but something that is innate in human nature is that the percentages of homosexuality and other orientations remains pretty much the same no matter what culture the individual is born in. there are almost the same numbers in repressive societies as in open societies. the only the that changes is the opportunity for a full and happy life.
my cousin, the brilliant attorney for the apache nation, could have chosen to become an attorney anywhere he wanted to be, for considerable money. his law degree is from harvard, he got straight A's in law school, was on the editorial board of the law revue and had offers from many of the most prestigious firms in the nation before he had even graduated. he chose to come back to the rez because it was about the only place he knew of in the entire world where his homosexuality was not something that would be held against him. to the white mountain apache it really doesn't matter in the slightest. i think that the centuries of warrior culture led our elders to a place where they decided that each life is a precious thing. also with the high value the apache society places on individual autonomy and personal freedom, how could we then place arbitrary restrictions on the freedom by dictating what kind of love is proper and sought by an individual. there really isn't a "native american" perspective on this. there are indian nations that traditionally killed homosexuals in their own populations, much like the iranians and saudis do. there even isn't a consistent approach among the apache. the jicarilla, for instance, place a higher value on their homosexual members, encouraging them to become healers, and mystics, while the mescalero don't mind one way or the other as long as the heterosexual marriage obligations are fulfilled.
in the white mountains, we simply don't care.
MB,
Thank you for your heartfelt and enlightening response.
Yes, not only does the incidence of homosexuality remain fairly consistent among human societies, but it also occurs at fairly consistent rates in the rest of the animal kingdom (along with many other fascinating permutations, which arise as needed.)
I have often wondered about the reason various Native American groups accord their homosexual members special roles as soothsayers or healers. Is it that those members can see from "both sides," as it were? Or is it that because they are on the periphery of mainstream society, they can see a broader vista due to their non-engagement with the usual distractions of a life?
The White Mountain Apache sound especially evolved in this case, in that sexual orientation is a relative non-issue.
After reading your statement:
"How could we then place arbitrary restrictions on the freedom by dictating what kind of love is proper and sought by an individual"
it seems positively absurd that anyone would have the temerity to tell anyone how and who they should love. "Love" is the word of the N.T., and certainly, "Judge not, that ye be not judged (Matthew)."
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