And now for another installment of Matt's infrequent "Let's Bash Religion" column.

Said Pope "Eggs" Benedict upon arrival in the U.S. today (according to Fox News): "Pedophilia is incompatible with the priesthood." 

Well thanks for putting all our fears to rest, Captain Nazi-Sympathizer  That's a huge relief.  A more intelligent statement would have sounded something more like: "Pedophilia is incompatible with ANY KIND OF NORMAL BEHAVIOR." And, for the record, I would definitely not qualify "priesthood" as normal behavior.  So, even more proof for you that that statement is about as well-thought-out as lighting a match in the dark to see if there's gas in the gas tank. 

This I use to serve as an intro for a few comments Bill Maher made on his HBO show this past Friday (I know I keep coming back to him, but he's on a roll these days).  This pretty much summed it up for me:  "Cults get raided, religions get parades."  I absolutely cannot fathom how apologetic people get about this shit.  Yes, Maher said it, and I agree, and I don't care how much it may offend your sensibilities about Christianity, but the Catholic Church is absolutely no better than these polygamist whack-jobs.  It's almost uncanny how well-timed the Pope's trip here was.  It's almost like he knew people might use those critical thinking skills and put 2 and 2 together to see how religion can be a horribly destructive, negative force.  I mean fuck, they have a massive compound and wear ridiculous outfits, and so does the Pope.  What more do you want?

You know what else is child abuse?  Not as bad as physical, sexual abuse, no.  But teaching your children it is ok to hate a person because of their sexual preference, political affiliation, or skin color is child abuse, if you ask me.  Just teaching children to hate in general is child abuse.  (I want to quickly thank my parents for never teaching me to hate anyone or anything and instead encouraging critical thinking and open-minded attitudes).  Sending your child to a summer camp where they bow down to cardboard cut outs of president bush and learn how to drive out demons is abuse too.  Abuse is religion's bread and fucking butter.

This whole thing makes me so terribly angry that I don't know what to say about it.  And everyone knows how I can go on and on about things, but the rage that wells inside of me about this, it completely overwhelms me. 

Why can't people just realize that there is something after this?  Life is not like the board game, when you get to the end of the road, count up your money, and see who was the 'winner'.

The human race has to survive after you are gone, after you have died.  So what did you do to make sure that we evolved and progressed as a species?  You tied 15 year old girls to the bed to rape them then called 5 or 6 of them your "spiritual wives"?  You sexually abused the children of families who trusted and relied on you to be a guiding force in their lives?  Well, yes, yes you did.  But what made you think you were going to get away with it?  Really?

Because all you have to do is convince them you're a messenger of god.  You're a prophet; a holy, infallible man worthy of respect, revered and appreciated and looked up to as a leader...  a vessel of spiritual salvation.  But you're none of that.  You're a fucking con artist, a predator that preys on people's inherent weaknesses and instincts and exploits them in the name of perverted sexual satisfaction.  You are scum, that's what you are.