Talk about corporal punishment in Catholic schools! I had my mouth washed with washing soap by Mother Directress for saying "oh, shut up" to another girl. I was nine. Cried myself to sleep in the dorm with a washcloth under my cheek. So, I practised saying "get outta here" instead from then.

Last year I saw a most shocking documentary, with actual live black and white movie clips.
It was about unwed mothers in Ireland, I think it took place between the years 1920 and 1950! (I'm not sure about those dates)

These women were outcasts from their families and society. They were put into factories run by Catholic nuns. There they were treated as slaves and prisoners. They worked at least 15 hours a day, weren't allowed to talk, and were treated like dirt. After giving birth to their babies, they were allowed to keep them for about a year. Then the children were brutally taken away from there mothers and put into orphanages. The terrible heartbreaking scenes, how the mothers screamed for their children, still gives me chills. After the mothers were released, they had no place to go and couldn't find any work. Most of them ended up as prostitutes.

And all this was run under the Catholic Church's name.

Has anyone seen this documentary? It wouldn't surprise me if it were banned in some countries.

Is there a time on this earth when women were not brutalized by someone??? Think about it! I believe however that when women brutalize other women thats the most dispicable.

Hannelore, the nuns you are referring to were called the Magdilenes(Maggies)...and the last convent of that type was only closed as late as the late 70's. Most of the babies were sold to wealthy adoptive parents( BY THE PARISH PREIST) from middle to upperclass families. Most women never left the service..ending up istitutionalised and at the mercy of preists who would abuse them further than physical...in the name of God! Those that did escape...did so only if a man would marry them. They would also be told by there families that they would be 'came for'...but that rarely happened. The media portrayal is horrific but somewhat romaticised.

I was taught by the Sisters Of Mercy.....nothing I could say was mercyful about thier teachings! It was the singlemost damning influence on my life, emotionally, educationally, socially and spiritually. We have t-shirts sold here at home saying 'I survived a catholic upbringing'...I am serious. It's supposed to be funny/ironic....I ain't laughing. Clerial abuse is not amusing or ironic...it's real and the horror of it is only touching the surface here in Ireland today.

Po(of Perpetual Guilt...not!!!)

The beating as punishment and as a means of control was across the board in this country well scotland catholic and prodesent. It was government allowed regardless of religiouse belife or perswasion.

That being said i know only to well of the abusive situasion of the catholik run instituasions.

My father was educated by the Christian brothers and left when he was about 14 he couldn't stick it ...he became a buisness man as he had no qualificasions, his brother became an arcuteck from the educasion he did manage to get...The educasion was and still is good the means however dosen't justify the ends

My grandfather had a nerviouse brakdowen at 13 or so and had to be sent back home to Italy....due to the school treatment. The more sensitive the worst it was on certine people.

A frend had her baby taken by the order hannilore refered to the baby thirty or so now but her and her Mum reunited and getting on fine.....My frend had to waite for the preist to die before she was given the informasion as to wear the baby was placed....after all that time the baby had growen up within twenty miles of wear she lived....My mate aint a big fan of the ordeer and felt it more to do with the whole stigma and shame of being pregnant and unwed at that time.....She came from a good family and when she came out after given birth she was sent away to another country for six mounths but at lest she got out. She a good fine woman today hurt terriblie by the ordeal but a good woman nethertheless.

My mum was placed in the nun's care when she was a teenager, she'd been sexuly attacked and the thought at the time was she was now damaged goods....so send her away for her owen protection.....Instead of care and support maybee councelling this is the care that was given....my mum live'd and died in fear of god and terror of nun's and the whole religiouse system and could't rebell agenst it for fear of her mortal soul..... they got you all way's. their is nuthing more powerfull than controlling minds and actions in this world and in the afterlife.

My biggest gripe is the harm they do to a persons idea or image of god!!!!

I have a whole harted love and belife in god.....i have an strange attitude to the GOD FEARIND squade. ....think on it ...Should it not be GOD LOVING thats what i want my child to have a love of god and the belife that god love's him not this fear based nonsence.

i better go before i get more cross
celtic_flame

You said it ladies. It's appalling what is done in the name of God, no matter from what religion.

Yes, your right Popea, I recall that name; Magdilenes . It is shocking that they practiced their power till the 70's. Just shocking. But what is more shocking is that it was kept secret for so long. I'm glad we are talking about this in the forum. At least we are taking a tiny part in making those church crimes public.

Its so sad, Celtic-Flame that your mother had to die with the fear of God within her.

I have found a peace inside of me. It's just me and God and nature. I discovered I need no institution to tell me how to pray, what to pray, and when. I understand and respect that this doesn't work for many of the ladies in this forum, but it works for me. I am at peace with myself and believe that we have the God given ability to decide for ourselves, how we should live our lives.

Pope, I had Sisters of Mercy in high school. How about that? Grade school was the School SIster of Notre Dame.

Celtic, my Mom once confessed that she was using birth control. The priest told her through the dark confessional screen, "You might as well be a cat in the alley."

This turned her away from the church for years. She was so hurt. All she did was confess which is what we are called to do. I never knew this as a child, but she told me later in life.

Anyway, fortunately, we had a family friend priest who met with her many times while she was battling cancer. He once came out of the room from visiting with her and said, "It's taking me forever to un-do the hurt and make her realize she is worthy of heaven.

I am not knocking Catholicism. This type of thing happens within all denominations and it's miserably sad. Religion has gotten in the way of Christ's message.

yea religion and spirituality two diffrent things for me, i find it the biggest contradiction that all thats been horrible about religion (and it's been going on for centuary's) has been dune in the name of god....the loving god then you have their agents on earth doing pricisly the most unloving thing their is to do to other people.

The whole harted aim to instill fear or guilt into someone as a means to control their behaviour on earth gotta be in contradiction to whatever that higher powers purpise is....

Whatever religion you go to christion or not seems to be a commun unity regarding love and peace and respect for all others.

Then you get the prist like your mother got.....i think it's a human failling that we create laws then try and humiliate or terrifie followers into obidience.....consiquence for one's actions and hell fire and damnasion two diffrent things in my eye's.

i think and it's just my view that having people feel loved and secure and that they have personal choice and are acountable for their actions a better way for them to belive the love of god. and let them free to experience the world in all aspects of human nature.....becouse we all do wrong and even if at the time we dont feel it ...then later i certinly feel the consiquence of my actions...

I staye away from my own church ...but i served them for years and happily served them. I do get lonly for the company of others to talk bout spiritule things bout and as hannilore said nature a great comphort, i feel the presence of the devine their......I just had enough of you'r a sinner attitude or people's ego's getting in the way of any spiritule message. I am sure enough people have explaning why their such a turnning away from churches towards a more personal and solitory expression of spirituality.

I don't know how others reconcile the matter?

One matter thats short i promise lol

In NI their no choice but to send L (the child) to a christion school.

I know that unless their's such a major turn around in this country he's going to be tought that his mummies are commiting imortal sin's, and we are burning later for sure ......How when the time commes do i try and explain life choices to him then ask the wee soul to take a view and a stand agenst all that he's been tought...Or at the lest not to worrie for us and our soul's in the afterlife?

It's one of the central tennants running throw all of christianity, which i think has a fine teaching when it's not being poluted with the likes of the old school priest and nun's we been talking about.

Over heer their such a degree of funfimentalisum that their open and quite viciouse protesting in the street's ....Unless their big changies i don't know how to counter this fundementalisum. My frends with older children counter it and as far as i can work out then the kids could't reconcile the diffrence and the potencial consiquences ....so the result's a whole sale dumping of the religion???by the kids.

I took religion very seriously as a child...if L be like me then chance he might be worried sick...i know i would have been.....

Anyone from a christion background got any tips or suggestions, that dosent entail i stop living the life i lead lol.....i am already having nightmares bout it on his behalf...

Celtic_flame

Heya Ladies....gosh these threads have gone all around the houses...and I have to admit yesterdays post(mine) made me feel angry and upset...with a mild emotional hangover lurking today.
Dotsie, you called me Pope.....that made me giggle!!! I do not regard myself as knocking any organised religion either. I remember as a very young girl going to my first Irish mass(I was pretty good at our mother tongue back then....until they stopped the teaching of by law...and we were taught French instead!!!!).It was so beautiful...the full glory of the rituals in the mass was there to be seen. The spoken gealic mass was not a direct translation of how it was said in English and most could not understand it...sad I know. It was in this type of mass I could see hear and feel the true and pure message. The masses only happened once or twice a year.
I try hard not to harbour ill will and remember that such purity only became tainted by the powerful and greedy.


Popea