Happy May Day, Beltane, and Easter (Eastern Orthodox Church), however, for some on this most beautiful planet earth, this is not a season of celebration, but a time of suffering and tears as witnessed by the pain of the ones that have been caught in the web of chaos that has been spun by the arrogant power brokers of church and state.

There are no excuses for the sexual abuse of a minor, or in fact anyone, but especially a youth. And there are absolutely no excuses for covering it up and then allowing it to continue in an ever-widening stone crested wave of stolen youth and shattered trust. The literal destruction of the potentiality of a young person developing a healthy sexual expression, spiritually, mentally and emotionally, as well as a healthy adulthood, may be deemed one, if not the most, evil deeds that a religious person, or any person, may commit. A pedophile priest, hiding behind the illusion of being a moral and spiritual leader, is literally a doorkeeper to the realms of hell. And with every abuse, the slime covered doors are thrown further open and the victim is shoved deeper into an earthly spiraling darkness of fear, shame and guilt that instantly wears and eats away at the spirit and soul of the young one, whose only fault was that they trusted and believed.

Where lie the seeds and roots of this blot on humanity? Look no further than the arrogant institution of patriarchal organized religion. Sexual impropriety is always the first barrier to overcome in any persons or institutions spiritual development. The greater the sexual dysfunction of a culture or society, the greater the spiritual hollowness discovered within the core fabric of all things human. However, a sexually healthy institution and culture is also a spiritually heightened one.

Historically the Catholic Church has no precedent for it’s sexual reality (sex other than procreation is sinful and celibacy) that it has forced through illusion, ignorance and fear on its followers and servants. “Priests were married for Christianity’s first thousand years. Jesus’ Apostles had wives and families… The forces that pushed the church toward its 12^th-century stand on celibacy were political as well as spiritual, including the worry that sons of clergy would inherit church titles and property.” (Newsweek, May 6 2002)

Why would any religious organization establish dogma that limits, restricts, deems sinful and prohibits something that is so basic and healthy for ones total development as a human being? One word—Control.

The most wondrous and greatest desire that we have as divine human beings is to return to the source of our heavenly existence where we symbolically marry and merge our male and females sides into an oneness of being. Sex allows us this experience while on earth. This is sacred sexuality, the earthly moment when we may merge with our opposite and become one, if only fleetingly. The sex drive is like a magnetic force that strives to unite the opposites to achieve a wholeness and completeness of existence. To deny this drive or to make it a sin goes against the very core essence of life.

Turning sex into a sin will be recorded as one of the truly greatest evils that have been committed on earth. And it is clear that creating sin out of sex has the reverse effect of increasing the amount of sexual abuse not only in the general society but also in the same very religious institutions that have promoted these wrong beliefs.

Patriarchal systems, whether they are religious or secular, are wrong, rotten to the core and are out of balance eventually resulting in an ever-widening circle of abuse, pain and suffering. Wake up and realize that the only pure systems that mirror existence and creation are systems of equality that recognize the male and female evenly and justly.

As a Divine Human Being, we are responsible for our own healthy sexuality. And we are responsible to stop inappropriate sexual behaviors, to cause no harm (emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically) to others and to heal any past sexual transgressions. We need to listen to our hearts, not our minds or our genitals. We need to be a guide and a role model to our youth, not a betrayer, as the church is, to them. And last but not least, we need to be open, expressing divine love from our hearts, and we need to respect—all others and ourselves.

June 2002