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Sexual abuse and the catholic church essay
Sexual abuse within the catholic church essay
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There are many cases in today's news stories of priests molesting young children. Therefore, how can you tell if a priest is innocent or guilty? That is the main focus in Patrick Shanley’s play, Doubt: A Parable. Based on the evidence provided in the play, I conclude that Father Flynn is innocent because he is a kind man and Donald Muller is lonely. One reason Father Flynn is innocent is because he is a kindhearted man. First, he is not guilty of an improper relationship with Donald Muller because priests are supposed to care for others. If somebody is in need of advice, people should trust the priest and be able to go to him for words of wisdom. However, Sister Aloysius questions the extent of the priests kindness and follows strict church
The play is pretty clear that Father Flynn is innocent. Father Brendan Flynn is a very conservative priest, who wants to help the students. He also tried to make changes such that student would use ball pen and sing frosty the snowman. In the other hand, Sister Aloysius is a progressive nun, who does not like the school to change. Father Flynn caught Donald drinking wine, and to save the boy from getting discharged as an altar boy, he made a promise to Donald to not to tell anyone. Sister Aloysius drove Father Flynn to the point that he had to tell the truth about Donald drinking the altar wine. The church will now have to discharge Donald as an altar boy, which Father Flynn had been trying to avoid this entire time. Before leaving Sister Aloysius’s office, Father Flynn tells her that, “He is displeased with her handling of the situation.”(Shanley 35)
A reputation can be so well established that if one person in power does a wrongdoing people will not believe it. For example when Mrs. Muller says, “Let me ask you something. You honestly think that priest gave Donald that wine to drink?” (47). Donald’s mother is questioning sister Aloysius because she does not believe Father Flynn would do something like that. He has a reputation of being a great priest and his reputation is better than Sister Aloysius’. Mrs. Muller states, “You’re not going against no man in a robe and win, Sister. He’s got the position.” (47). Just by Father Flynn being a male he has a higher reputation than a nun, which he knows and can accumulate for his actions. In the hierarchy of the Church, the head male priest is the most dominant. Therefore, nobody questions what he is doing; he has a reputation of being this influential priest who gives great sermons. He knows that he has the power to do what he wants and has his fellow Monsignor and other men in the ...
... Nonetheless, the signs also point to Father Flynn hurting him, because he was violating him. People’s assumptions are based upon personal experience and gut feeling, also on their upbringing; nature and nurture. Shanley uses inference in this play to create doubt in the audience’s minds'. The verdict is never in, on Flynn; guilty or not guilty. Shanley’s audience is left to be the jury.
In Harry Mulisch’s novel The Assault, the author not only informs society of the variance in perception of good and evil, but also provides evidence on how important it is for an innocent person experiencing guilt to come to terms with their personal past. First, Mulisch uses the characters Takes, Coster, and Ploeg to express the differences in perspective on the night of the assault. Then he uses Anton to express how one cannot hide from the past because of their guilt. Both of these lessons are important to Mulisch and worth sharing with his readers.
In Arthur Miller’s book “The Crucible” there is an inadequacy of honesty which is a very important trait for everyone to learn. In this essay I am writing to prove that the paucity of honesty is negative and was very prevalent in Salem, and that very few people remained truthful throughout the Salem Witch Trials. The dishonesty in The Crucible would soon lead to the deaths and imprisonment of many residents in Salem. Those accused would lie and accuse other people of staying out of trouble from the authorities, but this took the lives of many innocent victims. In Miller's book Dishonesty is expressed by almost everyone included in The Crucible such as Abigail, Mary, and Elizabeth.
The movie Doubt is a very well written and performed movie that explains both sides of a story and makes each side equally believable. The movie shows how a nun believes that the Father of her parish is having an inappropriate relationship with one of the male students, the boy Donald Miller, after a sermon, he gave about his doubts. Although sister Aloysius does not have any evidence to support her accusations, only her certainty goes beyond many things to try and prove it to the people other than herself. The message of the movie is how people often look after to the wrongdoing only to do the good for others but mostly for themselves. As the movie unravels, one is able to see this message taking place as Sister Aloysius blinded by her prejudices regarding Father Flynn do whatever it takes to expel him from his priesthood.
In the book Into The Wild, there is a man that had ventured off when he was about 22 years old. He had a pretty good life prior to him venturing off. His parents had fairly well off jobs; his father being an antenna specialist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and his mother worked as a secretary at Hughes Aircraft. After some time, his mother and father started their own business that was a home-based consulting company that ended up being very successful. His parents, and family friend (who gave him $24,000 to continue into law school) wanted him to pursue the opportunity to go into law school, which everyone had high hopes for him. He had the great grades in college, awesome work ethics, he had it all; but one day he just went off without notice, and went on an adventure to find enlightenment and self discovery. In Chris McCandless’s life, people would argue that his life was about discovery and enlightenment, or ignorance and loss because it does seem that he gives up everything good in his life on a foolish walk-about; but others see that life isn't just about materialistic items, it's more of peace at mind, freedom of doing what you want, not being governed by the rules, or laws around you, and that life is just more than what people give you, it's about being natural, freeing yourself from everything; and I believe that his life was about discovery and enlightenment, and I do think he had found that exact thing.
...der further than what we have in front of us. We want to impose our opinion on everything. We want to relate to it in a way that can only be done through out imagination. So, due to this, when we are not given the flexibility, then the context no longer becomes entertaining. The viewers do not want to be told how to think. Given these points, if they are influenced to believe that Sister Aloysius is a cruel individual like the movie portrays, then at the end of the movie and book when Sister Aloysius says, “ I have doubts! I have such doubts!” they will take that as a confession from her, and be further lead to believe that the accusations against Father Flynn are false. I think John Patrick Shanley chooses specific diction to create a conflict that has no precise resolution,he wanted the reader get lost in story and enter into their own story manifested within.
Doubt: A Parable follows Sister’s Aloysius, the principal in a Catholic School, as she investigates Father Flynn, who she suspects of molesting a student, Donald. Sister Aloysius is certain that Father Flynn is guilty, but does not have any evidence to prove that guilt. Shanley is depicting that one does not need evidence to be certain of one’s guilt. Sister Aloysius enlists in the help of a younger nun, Sister James to gather evidence and confront Father Flynn. However, Sister James finds difficulty in believing Father Flynn’s guilt, and harbors doubt and uncertainty. The characters’ position on doubt vs. certainty divides their personalities. Sister Aloysius is a strict and strong-willed character, while Sister James has an insecure and innocent
During this meeting Sister Aloysius started asking Father about his relationship with Donald and Flynn says at first that he does not feel comfortable: “Well. I feel a little uncomfortable. [To which Sister Aloysius asks] Why? [Father replies with] Why do you think? Something about your tone” (Shanley 32). This is showing that Father Flynn is not wanting to talk about his relationship with Donald and that he could be hiding something that he does not want to get out. It could be as bad as having made sexual advances on Donald or as small, but still bad, as giving him the altar wine he was caught drinking. Either way it is still incriminating evidence against Flynn. Flynn does not just mention Aloysius’s tone once though, he mentions it a couple more times during the meeting and also tries to sidestep the Sister’s questions. When Sister Aloysius asks him what happened in the rectory Father Flynn replies with: “I don’t wish to continue this conversation at all further. And if you are dissatisfied with that, I suggest you speak to Monsignor Benedict…” (Shanley 33). This is showing that Flynn is trying everything he can to not talk about his conversation with Donald in the rectory in fear of being caught. He also mentions that Sister Aloysius go speak with the Monsignor if she is dissatisfied which she is trying not to. She chooses not to do this because she knows that if she does he will just ask Father Flynn and believe whatever he tells him. A common argument that people might give is that he could just be following his priestly duties by not saying anything and that he has nothing to hide, well I think
It is not long before the local priest, Father Gonzaga, becomes involved in the situation and the theory that he may be an angel begins to circulate...
In the chapter regarding the “Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale,” Margaret Hallissy gives readers background on the religion in the Middle Ages and what it means to be a medieval Christian. The section also reveals the motives, intentions, and dishonesty of everything the Pardoner does. Hallissy makes it plain to see that the Pardoner is an evil man with corrupt morals by pointing out numerous examples of persuasion, deception, and exploitation of naïve men and women who feel the pressure of having to buy his pardons and false relics. It is also brought to the reader’s attention that the Pardoner uses Christian authority to his advantage and not to benefit the spirituality of his audience. Further evidence to support his evil nature is provided
There is nothing as wonderful, then as to hearing the actual truth. Truth is when there is an undisputed fact, but to Tim O'Brien truth is never moral and doesn’t hint towards models of proper human like behavior. The truth is what creates memories and history of events that actually occurred not like in books were its story truth because it occurred in the book. Tim O’brien makes it seem like a war story that has bravery and self sacrifice is so honorable it makes it true even though it doesn’t.
No matter what religion a person practices, everybody has gone to church whether it is on a regular basis or for an occasion such as a wedding or funeral. When you look up at the altar and see the priest, you don’t question their morality because society is taught not to question a higher authority figure. Why would such a symbol of purity and sanctity have anything shameful to hide? All of the sudden the man at the altar has lawsuits being filed against him. Child molestation is presenting itself as an issue that is becoming recurrent in society and more of an epidemic within the Catholic Church. In the past, the priests involved in these incidents have not been subjected to a punishment equal to the crime they committed. A priest involved in such deplorable activities should immediately be defrocked and subjected to criminal prosecution.
McEwan presents to the reader the confronting and unpalatable qualities of the guilt that is in falsely accusing a person of a crime of this magnitude, and the inedibility of the outcome