Christmastime is here

Just this morning my wife told me we are done, so I am ready, and it was easy peasey, all I had to do is let my wife handle everything.

Except for, I did do the outdoor lights, utilizing the Clark Griswold approach to Christmas Lights. People in the neighborhood need to wear sunglasses when they drive by, they say only two manmade structures are visible from outer space, the Great Wall of China, and my house at Christmas time.

I am muslim raised, so I never got to sit on Santa's lap and wiggle.

Muslims dont believe in santa, so muslim kids miss out on a lot of presents. tho muslims do have some other holiday where they give money to kids, but that doesnt pay off as much as christmas.

Can Muslim children celebrate Christmas?

For many traditionalist Muslims, doing anything even remotely Christmassy is forbidden. There's the understanding that some Christmas traditions have pagan origins, such as the festival of Norse Yule, and in Islam, partaking in anything with pagan connotations is forbidden.

Yeah, muslims are more programmed to hate other religions. this is why you will see Christians including Paganism in their religion such as Halloween, but you wont see muslims doing this. While Christians did eradicate a lot of Pagan Europe, a lot of their symbols and customs come from paganism, and islam is specifically islam-focused. Even muslim magic is about djinn from islam and not from paganism of ancient world where djinn were something else entirely.

Muslims as a whole are not trying to destroy Christmas. While there are security concerns in some European cities regarding threats to Christmas markets from extremist individuals, this does not represent the actions or beliefs of the vast majority of the world's 1.9 billion Muslims

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Here are the details regarding different perspectives:

1. Religious Views: Islam honors Jesus (Isa) as a prophet, but most Islamic scholars advise against Muslims celebrating Christmas because it is considered a religious festival outside of Islam and, crucially, because it celebrates Jesus as the "Son of God," which contradicts the core Islamic tenet of the oneness of God (Tawheed).
2. Cultural Participation: Many Muslims, especially in Western countries or secular-leaning nations, may participate in the secular aspects of the holiday, such as exchanging gifts, enjoying the festive lights, or taking time off work, without treating it as a religious event.
3. Safety and Extremism: Some security incidents or threats targeting Christmas markets in Europe have been linked to radicalized individuals. However, these are acts of terrorism, not a general initiative by Muslims to abolish the holiday.
4. Misinformation: There have been instances where videos have been inaccurately circulated on social media, misrepresenting unrelated protests as anti-Christmas demonstrations. 

In many countries with diverse populations, including some with Muslim majorities, Christmas is celebrated, or Christians are given time off to observe it. 

I will teach my children Santa is Satan rearranged and that Yeshua the Christ was born in September most likely, not December.

Happy Christmas if you dedicate the wrong date to Christ though. Be sure to attend Mass on the Eve and the Day.

I have Muslim colleagues and they were all keen on the works Christmas party.

Yes, getting kiddies to wiggle on Santa's lap is a Roman Catholic tradition.

Yes happy solstice and all hail the returning Sun.

No it isnt. Santa Claus is a Protestant innovation stemming from Norse and Germanic Paganism.

Caths even today avoid Santa, elf and reindeer depictions in their deoiction at Christmas.

The clue it isnt Catholic is that SANTA EVEN GOT THE TITLE of FATHER!! A holy titlw Catha save for Clergy, one's male parent and also of course the Lord God himself.

St. Nicholas is venerated solely as a Saint by Catholics. Not as a bearded Pagan magician that rides a sleogh in the sky helped my flying reindeer nor by Pagan Elves. That was Protestant doing.

@GG.

Yes...Santa is the result of a mish mash of both pagan and Abrahamic stuff, as are most seasonal festivals such as Christmas and Easter.

Though the reference was playing on the Roman Catholic churches woeful past record of kiddie fiddling priests, endorsed by Rome.

It was never ever endorsed by Rome. Nobody is as against it as the Catholic Clergy because they are even against lust outside marriage in and of itself.

You will find that when Protestants do that stuff, they simply don't get labelled as Protestant on the reports, idk why.

https://www.crimrxiv.com/pub/p1afmq2i/release/1

https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/1/27

Very interesting germany-specific reveal:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/over-9-000-children-young-people-sexually-abused-in-german-protestant-churches-study/3118678

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/over-2000-people-abused-german-protestant-church-study-2024-01-25/

Several Roman Catholic priests have become infamous for sexually assaulting children, particularly due to their roles in widespread scandals and cases of cover-ups by church hierarchy.

Key individuals highlighted in reports include:

1. John Geoghan (United States): A central figure in the 2002 Boston Globe investigation that exposed the systemic cover-up of clergy abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston. He was accused of abusing more than 130 children over 30 years.
2. Marcial Maciel (Mexico): The founder of the Legion of Christ, who sexually abused at least 60 children and fathered children with multiple women. Despite reports of abuse dating back to the 1950s, he was only forced to retire by the Vatican in 2006.
3. James Porter (United States): A former priest in the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, who admitted to molesting over 100 children over 30 years. His case caused a national outcry in the U.S. and helped bring the issue into the spotlight.
4. Eric Dejaeger (Canada): A former Oblate missionary convicted of numerous sex crimes against Inuit children in Nunavut between 1978 and 1982. He has been convicted multiple times for offenses against children.
5. Brendan Smyth (Ireland): A Norbertine priest who abused at least 20 children in Belfast, Dublin, and the United States between 1945 and 1989. His case and the subsequent handling of it caused a crisis in the Irish government.
6. Paul Shanley (United States): A Boston priest accused of sexually molesting boys as early as 1966 and associated with the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA).
7. Dale Crampton (Canada): A priest in the Archdiocese of Ottawa who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting seven altar boys in the 1970s and 80s, and was later linked to at least 16 victims. 

These cases are often noted not just for the abuse itself, but for the practice of "priest shuffling" or "parish transfers," where church officials moved known abusers to new parishes rather than reporting them to law enforcement. 

Enough with the pederasty.

We can point to cases this happens anywhere.

It's obviously wrong, but that doesn't make the institutions in which they happen wrong or false.

You seem to recognize this happens everywhere.

Something that barely gets covered is how severe, violent, touching vs full penetration etc occurred.

I am very sure that most of the worst cases in what physically was done, were Protestant by a large margin. I base this on legitimate reasoning from both how Prots approach lust vs Caths and how bad on average Prot nations have rape cases vs Cath. I am also sure Orthos have had very severe cases given how much human trafficking and abuse has gone on in their nations for centuries.

I have very little doubt that on top of that, Cath Clergy as it is so rigorously organised, has clamped down entirely on such cases. In contrast, since Prots are barely organised they cannot clamp down on Prot sexual abuse properly because they don't have enough systematic apparatus to rigorously check on all of their clergy the same way.

Yeah, Protestants often present a gnostic view of the body. They just see Jesus as a way to escape the lusts of this world, instead of Jesus helping us get through the times in this world when we may have to resist lust. This is all part of rapture theology. But at the same time, they don't have a concept of celibacy either. They hate lust and like it at the same time.

With regard to the scandals, it's just the devil at work. The devil wants to attack the truth. He wants to profane God's holy place.

Based on available studies, research on child sexual abuse by religious leaders indicates that while cases occur across all denominations, a significantly higher proportion of reported cases have occurred within 

Catholic organizations. 

Key findings from research and investigations include:

1. Australian Studies (2024): A major study published in Child Abuse & Neglect found that of those who reported child sexual abuse by religious leaders, 71.9% occurred in Catholic organizations, compared to 21.8% in other Christian denominations (including Anglican, Jehovah’s Witness, and Orthodox).
2. Scale of Incidents: Investigations in Australia (2017) and France (2021) revealed systemic abuse within the Catholic Church, with one report indicating 7% of Australian Catholic priests were accused of child sexual abuse between 1950 and 2010.
3. Protestant Denominations: While Catholic institutions have had more reported cases, some studies suggest that abuse in Protestant churches may be more common than public perception suggests, sometimes reporting higher rates of accusations, but with less consistent, centralized tracking compared to the Catholic Church.
4. Prevalence Comparison: A 2014 study indicated no significant differences in the nature of abuse between Catholic and Protestant groups, but noted that victims of abuse in Catholic settings were more likely to report being abused by someone in a position of power.
5. Trends over Time: The prevalence of child sexual abuse by religious leaders has declined significantly over time, dropping from 2.2% of men aged 65 and older to 0.2% of men aged 16–24. 

Why the Disparity in Reporting?

1. Power Structure: Experts suggest the Catholic Church's centralized, hierarchical structure and the high status attributed to priests may have allowed for easier abuse and concealment, particularly in the mid-to-late 20th century.
2. Cultural Factors: The Vatican has defended its record by pointing out that abuse is also common in other religions and secular organizations, and that recent reforms have aimed to increase transparency. 

While the data shows a higher number of reports in Catholic contexts, experts warn that underreporting is a major issue across all religious organizations, making it difficult to determine the exact, definitive rates. 

Underreporting definitely is a factor among prots and orthos

We cannot assume either.

Might just prove that religions in general, have a tendency to attract certain types to their ranks.

Or it might just prove that procreational necessity is actually a dominant physiological force, and that religious bunkum is what it is...And also that Roman Catholics are no different to anyone else.

The urge to beat someone up that has wronged you or someone you know is natural and innate also, for males especially.

Natural =/= Good.

Yes, to a degree, though survival might dictate that other options are preferable.

Revenge is more of a conceptual thing and sometimes best kept that way.

Which isn't to suggest that mind is any less natural than instinct is.

The intellectual mind is much more from and encouraged by God. Instinct is from God but warped by Satan Satan (not entirely at all, you need them and emotions help lead to God).

Satan has corrupted us. We are in a very bad state.

The trouble with the popular Abrahamic GOD/Satan stuff is that it seemingly serves no greater purpose other than itself...Which is fine, but nonetheless a tad pointless...Though a pointless eternity in heaven or hell is a bit daft, and as I often say, I'm not sure that an omniscient omni-sensible super-intelligence would be so daft.

Something that barely gets covered is how severe, violent, touching vs full penetration etc occurred.

I think any priest who touches a boy in any way should no longer be a priest. Bible clearly bans homosexuality in all forms, so to have literal gays who obviously feel gay urges work in church is completely against Bible, and anyone who covers it up is guilty of even worse sin of destroying reputation of church. It doesnt matter how severe it was. that matters to a victim, of course. Church needs to put in place a system to make sure people with those urges dont become priests, or that priests never spend time alone with boys. When I think about it, I dont even know why a priest is allowed to spend time alone with boys in the first place. It just helps bad priests do bad stuff. And that drives many to atheism, because reputation in life is everything.

Nearly 1,700 priests and other clergy members that the Roman Catholic Church considers credibly accused of child sexual abuse are living under the radar with little to no oversight from religious authorities or law enforcement, decades after the first wave of the church abuse scandal roiled U.S. dioceses, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Nearly 1,700 priests and other clergy members that the Roman Catholic Church considers credibly accused of child sexual abuse are living under the radar with little to no oversight from religious authorities or law enforcement

I read about case where some priest who knew about boys being abused in church claimed he didnt even know that was illegal.

Now, one can understand how someone isnt familiar with laws of very country he lives in. It happens. But how someone isnt familiar with Bible he studied for whole life, that is really amazing.

Person actually has to be mentally retarded to think Bible allows priests to abuse boys. But I think a lot of these priests are mentally retarded, because there is no other explanation for why they covered up abuse. Even forgiveness of sins doesnt mean covering up sins and keeping an evildoer as a priest.

And this is especially in case of abuse of boys, because Bible literally in multiple verses clearly bans all homosexual acts and adultery, so to let that keep happening in church when you know its a sin is insane.