"Man, Did I hit a raw nerve or what?"
I had no idea the comparison between the scandals at Penn State and the Catholic Church would be such a hot topic yesterday. Within four hours, my post on that subject received more page hits than anything I've ever posted before. By the end of the day, yesterday's post had received five times as many views as any previous post. Wow. I was totally unprepared for that.
I know that I am appalled by the goings on at Penn State. I was appalled at the Catholic Priest abuse scandal too. But I had not idea that so many people were relating the two together.
For the record, all Catholics - or even all Catholic Priests - should not be held accountable for the perverse and unthinkable actions of a few. Not all Arabs or Muslims should be considered terrorists. It is bogus to associate the Penn State football fans, obviously disappointed by Paterno's termination, with the terrible things that happened there.
This is exactly what Catholics and other conservative groups have done to the gay world forever. And it's just wrong.
There are indeed creepy gay guys, just as there are really creepy straight guys, really creepy Catholic priests, really creepy Muslim terrorists and really creepy football coaches. But to associate the whole people group with the creepiest elements of that group is always a catastrophic error.
There are really good, quality Catholics (and Priests), football coaches, Muslims and gay guys. We need to look for these guys and give them the respect and acclaim they deserve. To cut these people down to the level of the creepy people inside of any ethos means we miss out on a lot of good things that good people from all walks of life have to offer.