Hirsi Ali Ayaan, author of Infidel and noted advocate for the reform of Islam has been quoted as saying, Islam “needs a reformation similar to the reformation that Christianity went through in the 16th century.”Ayaan also unabashedly states that Islam is not a religion of peace and the American west must recognize this if we are to aid it’s much needed transition from “the dark ages.” Do you agree with Ayaan? Does Islam need to be reformed?
Well of course, we can’t have a conversation about children and religion without talking about the Pope’s visit. Does your child know who the Pope is? They should!! This is a great time for religious literacy in action. Whether or not your child participates in religion, they should know that others do. They should also know why he is respected the way he is. And depending on your child’s age and maturation, you should dive into the Church abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic faith. This is a perfect opportunity to discuss safety, dangerous looking people, as well as the ethical and moral issues involved with following a faith that has been accused of such an immoral crime. Whatever you do, don’t miss the opportunity for your child to have learning in action! What do you think?
I confess that, as a critic of religion, I have paid too little attention to the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. Frankly, it always felt unsportsmanlike to shoot so large and languorous a fish in so tiny a barrel. This scandal was one of the most spectacular "own goals" in the history of religion, and there seemed to be no need to deride faith at its most vulnerable and self-abased. Even in retrospect, it is easy to understand the impulse to avert one's eyes: Just imagine a pious mother and father sending their beloved child to the Church of a Thousand Hands for spiritual instruction, only to have him raped and terrified into silence by threats of hell. And then imagine this occurring to tens of thousands of children in our own time -- and to children beyond reckoning for over a thousand years. The spectacle of faith so utterly misplaced, and so fully betrayed, is simply too depressing to think about. continue reading....