https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sexual_abuse_cases

could be an issue with raping children and moving priests to other parishes rather than assist the law do their job and punish the ones doing it.

or the asylums set up for women who had kids... found some mass graves of children in Ireland near one of these a few years back.... lovely stuff really.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalene_asylum

In fairness, the Catholic church is more like a cult than a gang. But, they certainly have, as an institution, committed countless unspeakable crimes over centuries. The church is due no sympathy. As for individual catholics..... at this point in time, everyone knows of the evils of the church. So, if you wish to continue associating yourself with that organization, you're also due no sympathy.

Catholics have long been shit on here in the states as we're predominantly a protestant nation with those strong catholic populations (Irish, Mexicans, Italian etc) being looked-down-upon immigrants at some point or another.

The pedophilia thing definitely reignited the hate after they had started to become accepted following JFK and Pope John Paul II, who were both popular in the states. Francis certainly seems to be rehabilitating their image and is quite popular even among those who generally dislike the church, but they'll really need to finally get that pedophilia thing completely dealt with if they want to leave that reputation behind.

Allowing for female priests and for priests to get married would be a huge step in that direction, but for whatever reason that still looks unlikely.

really doesn't help when things like this are unveiled outside a Catholic School in the later half of 2017 as well....

They really did a good job on the childs hands cupping the bal.... bread, it's bread.....

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/statue-suggestive-saint-child-adelaide-catholic-school-australia-blackfriars-priory-school-simon-a8069071.html

In addition to what others are saying, too, is you're religious, the Bible mentioned long-suffering. It means exactly that as well as self-restraint. Moreover, don't mind the earthly things but be above it. Let God deal with vengeance.

Therefore, it's essentially saying, "Deal with it".

Nah, fuck off. No religion is above criticism or parody. If you limit things in that way then you kill free speech.

Since its pretty easy to debunk all religions as nothing more then myths and fairy tales all religions should be criticized more and more often.

I think the pro catholic bullshit needs to stop. But I guess we have to agree to disagree on that.

It's just tiring. So very very tiring. And all of it supported by poor and terribly tought out arguments echoed around.

"The church did terrible things". Sure they did, but for everything they were directly responsible for, they didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Nothing that any other group hasn't done. Can I remind you people the church did many a good thing too? Maybe did a whole lot more good then bad? Do you people realize what the middle ages would have looked like in Europe without a binding faith (it would be a whole lot worse). Do you all realize the church was often a moderating force in Europe's colonial past, without which many more atrocities against natives would have been comitted. Do you realize in many a time no-one would take care of the poor and orphans of not for the church? There.

And then there are still people who like to "debunk" religion and go around "God doesn't exist". Well? Try me. I'm in the moral sciences. I've read Aquinas Quinque Viae and I know the Cosmological argument inside out. "God doesn't exist" isn't a scientific or philosophical statement, it's not even applied reasoning. It's just a strawman argument not even worthy of consideration.

"We should be able to criticise religion". Sure, but many of you know that isn't the problem. If I would go on an anti-atheïst rant you know I'd get tons of flack. Free speech works in both directions, realize your own position is flawed as well and many of you aren't as "tolerant" as you think. Free speech is not the right to insult.

Ok, I'm going to stop here.

The scientific statement is "there is no proof of a god". Believing in something without any verifiable proof is something US presidents do and is generally nothing that could be recommended to the general public.

All the good things the church once did aren't things that couldn't have been done by other institutions. Being socially minded is not something the Church invented, you know. I don't see how commending the Church for sometimes showing human decency does somehow absolve the net negative effect religion had on humanity.

If we completely ignore all the terrible and positive things Religion has done in the past we will still come to the conclusion that right now in today's society, religion has a negative effect on basically everything, human decency included. Nothing any Church does today cannot be done by any other institution, yet we're still stuck with all the negative things it brings.