Peewee Loc: San Antonio, TX

Thanks, PennyLynn, hopefully, we're chastised and will do better in the future. The only apology I owe to anyone is Doc who responds to a question with reams of Catholic doctrine instead of his personal opinion, I let that get under my skin. I've just haven't ever heard of the Vicar of Christ walking on water, raising the dead, or healing anyone so I had questions. Like some disciples were married so how come priest can't marry and it might cut down on the priest messing with children. And that's when the fight started. So I haven't replied to any of Docs posts in months. Hey, Doc, wherever you are, I apologize for my heated words and for hurting your feelings, I should have just walked away.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

I have tried to impress upon you, asking questions is the right way to go.

As for as miracles..... I see them all the time and performed by doctors who revives someone who's heart stopped beating, firefighters who breath life back into a fire or accident victim, a Priest that comforts someone in need, a stranger that gives a blanket to a homeless, music.... a thousand things and they are not done with banging drums and a call to the media to watch. When I was in Greece and Chernobyl accident happened, I watched men and women ascend a hill on their knees praying all the way, knees bleeding, but they went on.... and then the winds came and the cloud that was heading laden with fallout took a turn and went to the sea. A bomb heading to Israel, suddenly turns and stops, falling without harming one person.... I saw a statue of the Virgin Mary cry.... I saw Ganesha a statute of Buddhist deity cry milk in India. Oh yes, miracles happen... it is our modern expectations of someone flying or walking on water that blinds us to those things. Magicians in Las Vegas can walk on water and they can fly.... does that mean they worked a miracle or are holy? Even in the time of Moses... magicians could turn walking rods into snakes....

Pedophile priests... my my.... yes, horrible. Just in June a ring of 2300 on line sex offenders were arrested under Operation Broken Heart and it was not 2300 Catholic Priests. Muslims sexually abuse children daily. Even in my own faith, do you not know of Jeffrey Edward Epstein? A Methodist Minister, Lane Hurley. The Jehovah Witness has a published policy, after recognizing their problem. Rev. Bill Keane blew the whistle on a fellow Southern Baptist minister. Bhutan's Buddhist monks were accused of sexually molesting boys.... and I could go on. My point... there are horrible people in every walk of life.

Is it the religion that incubated child pedophiles... or were these men sick before they entered the priesthood? Do we condemn the entire church, regardless of the belief, because of some... or do we recognize it and keep a diligent watch to protect children? And do we, as parents and grandparents, friends.... teach our children how to handle such an encounter and who to tell? Yes... we need to be more active in the lives of our children.

When we point fingers, especially when angry, we go blind. Then it is blind leading blind and nothing can be accomplished. I can only say... we (Jews) hate the sin, but never the person. We know that we have some horrible examples of humanity in our ranks... and we were to be the Light For The World... Was G*d wrong? Perhaps.

Ask your questions.... but do it with the knowledge that you can ask without anger, without blame, without hate. Ask as if you were a child again, pure curiosity.... not as a judge.

If I were you, I would send Doc a PM.... tell him person to person that you now understand that you could have asked your question without trying to harm him as a person. This is not an apology for being curious, but the way the question was approached. And afterward, I guarantee that you will feel lifted... filled with peace. He may reject your apology.... and that is fine. In my faith, if our heartfelt apology is rejected, we wait and try again... if after the third time they still reject, then we are automatically absolved for our mistake. And we learn from this... and we are more careful when dealing with others. I could go on, but I have "lectured" too much already.

After reading this, you may be angry with me. You may think that I am on "his/her" side... okay, I accept that, although I am not taking a human side. As your friend, these things had to be said.