Atheist Who Blamed Faith for Sexual Abuse Forced to Resign for Sexual Messages

[rug]

Thursday, June 13, 2013, 10:15 AM
Matthew Schmitz

Noted philosopher of the mind Colin McGinn is resigning from the University of Miami:

Mr. McGinn . . . denies allegations that he behaved improperly. Those allegations were lodged by a female graduate student who has said that the professor sent her a series of sexually explicit e-mail and text messages, starting in the spring-2012 semester. . . Mr. McGinn wrote that he had been thinking about the student while masturbating.

McGinn, a wide-ranging but not terribly careful critic of religious belief, wrote in 2008 that sexual abuse in the Catholic church was “made possible” by “unquestioning obedience to the authority of the representatives of the church, i.e. priests.”

McGinn also has held up the idea of “atheist as ‘role-model’” which he calls a “revolutionary concept”:

[Atheists] make up in morality what they lack in belief; whereas believers have to do so much work to believe that they have no energy left over for morality. The depravity of the Catholic Church is a nice illustration.

Yet the abolition of the priesthood would not mean the end of clerisies, nor would it stop the abuse of authority. As Colin McGinn’s sad case reminds us, a world without faith is not a world without sin.

http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2013/06/13/critic-of-sexual-abuse-forced-to-resign-for-sexual-messages/

http://mcginn.philospot.com/index.php?story=story080423-113633

http://mcginn.philospot.com/req.php?req=comments.php&y=10&m=01&story=story100112-103050

http://chronicle.com/article/Prominent-Philosopher-to-Leave/139613/

"He, by whose writings the heart is rectified, the appetites counteracted, and the passions repressed, may be considered as not unprofitable to the great republic of humanity, even though his behaviour should not always exemplify his rules."
- Samuel Johnson: Rambler #77 (December 11, 1750)

[Fumesucker]

1. Not made possible, made easier

As a victim of sexual abuse myself it had nothing to do with the church but a lot to do with abuse of authority.

Church is simply one layer of authority which has no good reason short of self perpetuation for existing.

Most organizations aren't question or questioner friendly, churches just take that tendency to something of an extreme.

Say Hallelujah!

[rug]

2. I agree with you.

I'm sorry for what happened to you.

[dimbear]

3. A man who is about 63 sends improper email to a woman who is about 21.

Remarkably foolish. But......is it in any way comparable to the scandals we all have in mind?