Character Assassination

A friend yesterday commented about my blogging, or rather, the lack of it. Summer is a long, hot, prolonged, messy affair here in Malta, so sitting down to write my thoughts is not too close to the top of the heap that festers in my head.

Rather, my musings tend to gravitate towards catching up on reading while at the beach (sipping a beer or two), watching catch-up of sit-coms with my kids in air-conditioned comfort on the sofa(Bazinga!), and last, but certainly not least or any less important, going out with my wife, simply enjoying a nice cold one wherever we find a bar or a pub (plentiful here!).

But today, my thoughts aren’t gravitating towards being cool. Rather, it is a somewhat more sinister side that seems to be consuming our very fabric of life here in Malta. Let us go with the fact that our country has always had strong ties with religion… whatever shape form or colour, religion has had a hold on our people for as long as anyone can remember… I am nearing my 50th year of existence on this planet, and even as a nipper, I always recognized the power of the church here.

Now it is only fair to say that with my late father being a serviceman in the British Navy, we spent quite a bit of time abroad when it made more sense to be with him than without. Be that as it may, the point I would like to pass on here is that religion was never in my life. I admit, I have tried so hard to integrate or to try and understand why people are so devoted, and while accepting the possibility of a deity, I could not understand the need of attendance. Why is it? I have no answer. Primary school I attended was run by nuns. For secondary schooling I attended one tun by priests. There is no need to say that I had had my fill of bull, and naturally, I rebelled against all the whole system.

I mean, it was plain crazy wasn’t it? In religion classes (actually catholic classes!), we learnt about how supposedly God created Adam and Eve in his image, bla bla… while just popping over to the class opposite, we learnt, from science, how man was descended from the apes. I had no doubts that the science classes were true, and really could not understand how such close-mindedness could exist (Adam & Eve). But it seemed that they either lived in harmony, or else, the priesthood simply elected to ignore the truth. anyway, the long and short of it is that I grew to hate religions as such. I could be spiritual, but not religious.

Later on in life, struggling with my feelings, and riding the crest of a wave, or dipping low in its depths, I tried to integrate myself into a society where religion was a big deal. For a time, I thought I could understand it all, but after the initial highs (which I used to get somewhere else), the warm feeling eventually petered out. The rebel inside me, once again, took command. In cold hard light I could see that religion was nothing but a sham, nothing but a power to be wielded against the weak, against those who could not think for themselves. Even in philosophy classes, the first question asked is ‘Did God create Man? Or did Man create God?’

I sincerely believe that it is the second. Man, in his ignorance, HAD to explain away strange phenomena that were happening in the early days of human growth. What better way to explain these than by the creation of various deities to which certain happenings could be attributed?

With the exponential growth of the brain, and the absurd explosion of scientific knowledge, these phenomena were explained away with cool, clear, logic.

The older generation still believes that everything happens with the Grace of God (except where an operation goes wrong, in which case they sue the surgeon….madness!)

All of the above would have been a moot point if I did not say that the true scope of this post is to enquire about what is happening in the world these days….

Let’s say that I truly, absolutely, resolutely deny any belief in religion and all that hogwash. The church is made up of people. Some of these people are priests, and while I cannot understand the feeling of being a priest (if God had wanted people to enter his service, he would have made them sexless no? Why would anyone need plumbing if you have no water?), I have to admit that I do have friends who went on to enter the priesthood. To this day, they are still my friends, whom I respect. Greatly!

I mean, they are selfless workers, being patient with all kinds of people, and understanding. True, this is not attributable to the 100% of them out there, but what is? I’m sure there are horrible parents out in the world…

So I was pained to read in the news these last two days of a member of a noted and revered religious society whp has been accused of defiling a minor in public. Apparently, and i quote the actual words ‘grabbing the child while in the water and lifting him, brushing his genitalia as he did so’…

This is what really happened. While indulging in horseplay, the guy (who I happen to know), lifted and threw the child in the water. Now this was in a group of kids and their leader.

This kind man has been vilified in the press (I hate journalists as much as religion!), arrested on the voice of a ten year old boy, and DENIED BAIL… can anyone believe this crap?

Denied bail, on suspicions of being a pedophile… It seems as if these days everybody is hell-bent on getting his name in court. This is nothing else if not character assassination. A gentleman who cannot even protest his innocence.

From this day onwards, I have made a pledge to never even look at kids again, don’t talk to the little bastards, and if you see one of them drowning, leave the little fucker to drown! That’ll teach them… as for this boy’s parents, I wish I could have MY five minutes with them.

Case closed.