Responding to my plea for comments, The Old Man writes:

Maybe you should post something on politics, religion, or sex, or maybe all 3 – that should get things going!

And you know I rarely write about controversial-type topics, partly because there’s already so much of that stuff on the Web, and partly because I abhor conflict. But I have to admit, this latest scandal involving the Pope and his minions has me thinking controversial thoughts — like, maybe it’s time for the Catholic Church to call it a day.

Frankly I just don’t see what purpose the Church serves in the modern world. (Or any organized religion for that matter…but let’s stay focused; I don’t have all day.) That’s assuming it ever did have one; authoritarianism and spirituality have always seemed like a strange mix to me, and while no doubt sincere Catholics and Catholic charities have done a lot of good in the world, in historical context the Church looks more like an instrument of control than a positive force.

In truth I don’t think the Church’s current problems with sexual abuse and cover-ups should come as much of a surprise. The unnatural institution of celibacy is bound to lead to some twisted scenarios, and the rigid hierarchy of the Church is just the kind of setup that breeds dark, festering secrets.

If I wanted to take it a step further, I could point to the damage that the Church’s emphasis on breeding and opposition to birth control have done to the planet. It’s pretty well apparent at this point that the human race is a virus with shoes, and that a lot of our problems are not unrelated to the simple fact that there are just too many damn people placing demands on a finite supply of resources. In a rational world, our governments would have gotten together 60 years ago and started airdropping condoms by the metric ton over every inhabited area on the planet…but no. That would have offended people’s religious sensibilities; so here we are on the brink of 7 billion with no end in sight…until, maybe, some plague comes along to thin the herd a little bit. Not that I’m happy about that idea, but it might be for the best; except, of course, that people turn to religion in times of crisis, and that could be the only thing that saves the Catholic Church at this point.

Well, that’s enough controversial statements for one day…now have at it.