Religious Immorality-Vol 1 Part 1

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Without Religion there can be no morality! This claim is repeated mindlessly, stupidly by so many people, that it really makes you wonder on the sanity of our species. This view is held so dogmatically by those making the claim, that nothing you say or do will change their mind. Talk about sheep! Therefore, instead of trying to theoretically challenge their argument I decided to take another route. I figured maybe it will be easier to make my point if I simply collect and report on immoral behavior engaged in by religious people, or people connected to religion (for it is impossible for us to know if a person really is religious or is merely pretending to be one). Of course, our dear religious nuts will latch onto what I just said and claim that every single person that I will mention, was not really religious. How could they if they acted immorally? They must have been irreligious since they acted immorally, because everybody knows religion is the basis of morality. Don't they?

Story 1 - Ex-Church official sentenced for possessing child pornography.

A former music director at a prominent church in Greenwich, Conn., has been sentenced to 5.5 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

Mr. Tate was choir director for 34 years at Christ Church, creating a music program that gained an international reputation. Former President George H. W. Bush attended the church while growing up, and funeral services for his parents were held there.

Story 2 - Same guy from Story 1 hired a pedophile and

failed to tell the authorities when that man sexually assaulted a choirboy, prosecutors disclosed on Tuesday. Prosecutors said Mr. Tate permitted two sexual predators to remain in the church’s choir at various times. They also said that he rehired an assistant organist who had been dismissed for sexually assaulting a choirboy and that he failed to tell the authorities when the organist assaulted another choirboy.

Story 3 - Retired Priest sentenced for embezzling money

A retired Roman Catholic priest was sentenced Thursday to more than five years in prison for bilking two churches out of hundreds of thousands of dollars while he led a double life as a husband and father.

According to court documents, from September 2002 to August 2006, Mr. Rodis embezzled an estimated $600,000 to $700,000 from St. Jude Catholic Church and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, both in central Virginia, by instructing parishioners to mail contributions to a post office box that he controlled. He then transferred the money to a personal bank account.

He used the money, the authorities said, to support his wife and three daughters — with whom he lived about 50 miles from his churches — and to help relatives in his native Philippines and to buy property there.

Story 4 - Saudi men arrested for flirting

Prosecutors in Saudi Arabia have begun investigating 57 young men who were arrested on Thursday for flirting with girls at shopping centers in Mecca.

The men are accused of wearing indecent clothes, playing loud music and dancing in order to attract the attention of girls, the Saudi Gazette reported.

Earlier in the month, the authorities enforced a ban on the sale of red roses and other symbols used in many countries to mark Valentine's Day.

Story 5 - Suicide bomber kills 25 near Baghdad

A suicide bomber struck Shiite pilgrims as they were resting Sunday during a days-long walk to a Shiite shrine, killing at least 25 people and wounding 35.

Earlier, extremists attacked another group of pilgrims in the predominantly Sunni Baghdad neighborhood of Dora, killing three and wounding 36, police said.

Earlier in the day, a steady stream of pilgrims -- some carrying green, black or red banners -- walked along a highway out of Baghdad en route to the shrine. Among them were many families, including black-robed women and children.

Let's see, so far we got child pornography, hiring and protecting child rapists, financial fraud, being arrested for flirting with girls, and mass murder (get used to this one, it will be coming for a long time over and over and over again!). And this is only the beginning, I assure you. There are more appalling stories to come. Hopefully this exercise in brute force will shut up some of those people who still claim that religion is the root of morality. If you come across any similar stories please e-mail me the links at thoushallthink@gmail.com as I would like to make this a recurring post.