source:  Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2010

Tim Rutten 

By lashing out at the coverage of the sexual abuse scandal, the Roman Catholic Church shows it has learned little from the squalid affair.

This has been a tough Lent for the Roman Catholic Church. Its seemingly endless sexual abuse scandal finally has seeped into the papal apartments, and the Vatican's response to this week's revelations suggests that far too little has been learned from this squalid affair.

source:  WashingtonPost, March 4, 2010

Ex-Hindu monk, professor

Q: Is there a problem with proselytism overseas by U.S. religious groups? Isn't sharing one's faith part of religious freedom? When does it cross the line into manipulation and coercion?

Missionary proselytization has been an integral part of the two main prophetic religions, Christianity and Islam, since early on in the formation of each. It is precisely the reason they are the two largest religions in the world. It is also one of the darkest and most sinister aspects of religion and one of the main reasons so many people have a negative view of anything to do with religion. The basis and justification for proselytization is an extremely narrow minded and arrogant assumption: "My religion is the only right one, I have the only truth, all other religions are wrong, and it is my duty to get others to think and believe like me." This belief has been used by Christians and Muslims for more than a millennium to justify the seduction, coercion, torture, and even murder of countless individuals in trying to get them to convert.