Mandatory reporting laws vs. Confession

[McBell]

I am not grasping at straws. Did you want anecdotal evidence or did you want proper research - and you should be asking yourself why that research wasn't done before mandatory reporting laws were proposed as the solution to the problem.

no need to get your dander up.
I merely falsely assumed you had more than wishful thinking in support of your claim is all.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Confessionals are probably an abomination to God anyway. So let the priests go out and get jobs and the pedophiles rot in prison or burn in hell.

One of the benefits to getting rid of religious exceptions is that we don't have official rulings on the correctness of religious doctrines. It's only when those doctrines start harming people or interfering with valid societal goals (e.g. bringing child rapists to justice) that society as a whole has to start worrying about whether those doctrines should or shouldn't be believed.

As long as a group plays by the same rules as everyone else, they can believe and do whatever they want - subject to the same limits as everyone else - without having society passing judgement on their beliefs and actions.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I think it's pretty messed up: as a University employee, if I am aware of any sexual abuse or violence, I have to report it.
But a priest? Yet another example of unfair, needless, pointless, stupid, and even dangerous religious "special privileges."

 

[idav]

Some churches will excommunicate priests for violating trust but I think the priest should be of moral obligation to report serious crimes based at least on their own conscience.

And we have already seen what happens when religious organizations cover up child abuse.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Some churches will excommunicate priests for violating trust but I think the priest should be of moral obligation to report serious crimes based at least on their own conscience.

And some churches will excommunicate priests for reporting serious crimes based on their own conscience.

And we have already seen what happens when religious organizations cover up child abuse.

Yeah: tax breaks and pandering, mostly.

 

[omega2xx]

A recent case has brought attention again to the way that, in many places, priests in the confessional are exempt from the laws that require people in positions of authority (doctors, teachers, etc.) to report child abuse when they learn of it:

http://deadstate.org/louisiana-supr...-to-report-evidence-of-child-abuse-to-police/

What's your position on this and why?

Personally, I don't see why priest-penitent privilege should be any stronger than doctor-patient privilege (which doesn't shield doctors from mandatory reporting laws).

Thoughts?

IMO if anyone especially a church leader, know of a crime, they should have the to inform the police. They all need to ask, what would Jesus do.

 

[omega2xx]

Your rage is useless since without the assurance of confidentiality the perpetrator will likely never confess.

What does it matter if the confession can to told to the police. What is more important, punishing the crime, which may have resulted in harm to an innocent person or protecting the criminal. IMO, that is not Christian conduct and is the opposite of what God requires. To do it in the name of God is absurd and non-Christian.

I Think the recent scandal of the priest' child abuse not being reported, which led to more child abuse ,should make us all reject the Catholic position on this.