Sunday, March 28, 2010

Episode 65 Scandal

The Catholic child abuse scandal which began decades ago in the United States has now gone international. In the past few months hundreds of accusations have been made in Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany. Alarming new evidence suggests Pope Benedict himself ignored, refused to discipline and even approved the transfer of known pedophiles in the Church. Defenders of the Church claim the anti-catholic media is conducting a smear campaign. Abuse is no greater in the Catholic Church than any similar institution and Benedict, they say, has been at the forefront of efforts to reform church laws and prevent abuse. Join us as we counter these claims by reviewing available research on child abuse, the history of the scandal, and the details of Ratzingers own involvement.

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News Links:


Bottoms, Shaver, Goodman & Qin (1995). In the name of God: A profile of religion-related child abuse. Journal of Social Issues, 51, 85-111

Chibnal, Wolf & Dukro (1998). A national survey of the sexual trauma experiences of Catholic nuns. Review of Religious Research, 40, 142-167

Fones, Levine, Althof, Risen (1999). The sexual struggles of 23 clergyman: A follow-up study. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 25, 183-195

Greeley, A.M. (1993). How serious is the problem of sexual abuse by clergy? America, 168, 20-27

Schaffer, M.D. (1990, August 15). Sex a special challenge for many clergy members. The Denver Post, p.6B

Sipe, A.W.R (1990). A secret world: Sexuality and the search for celibacy. New York: Brunner/Mazel

Sipe, A.W.R. (1995). Sex, priests, and power: Anatomy of a crisis. New York: Brunner/Mazel


Friday, March 19, 2010

Episode 64 Rewriting History

For years the religious right has argued, in clear contradiction of our secular constitution, that the founders intended America to be a Christian Nation. Tired of fighting against history, the Texas Board of Education has decided to simply rewrite it. Topping their list of inconvenient facts that need to be removed from the history books is Thomas Jefferson and the enlightenment roots of his thought. Unfortunately Texas sets the tone for textbooks nationwide. But could secularists be just as guilty of rewriting history? David Bentley Hart thinks so. His book Atheist Delusions: the Christian Revolution and it's Fashionable Enemies, is the subject of this weeks Counter-Apologetics segment.


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Friday, March 5, 2010

Episode 63 Zeitgeist Debunked with guest Tim Callahan

Since its release in 2007 the internet film Zeitgeist has been seen by 50 million people around the world. The film attacks the foundations of Christianity by claiming that the historical Jesus never existed. Jesus was originally a solar deity, whose story closely parallels several other pagan gods. The story of Jesus life is best understood as an astrological analogy. When the first Council of Nicaea met in 325 under the direction of the Roman Emperor Constantine, the Christ myth was rewritten as if it were real historical fact. While some of the ideas in the Zeitgeist film are based in fact, others are pure fiction. Tim Callahan, religion editor for Skeptic Magazine, joins us on the show to share his critique of the film

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For 10 extra minutes of deleted scenes from Episode 63, click here.