Why Punish Me?: Augustine's sinful lust unwrapped
Michael Moloney tells the story of how, as a vulnerable altar boy, he was psychologically and physically abused by Catholic priests. He traces the origins of clerical abuse all the way back to one of the most influential of Church Fathers, Saint Augustine of Hippo.
In 2021 the UK Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published a dossier of abuse in religious institutions, revealing that the church remains mired in safeguarding and clerical abuse scandals. Yet, by law every school in Britain must take part in a daily act of Collective Worship. And every year 20,000 pupils are assigned faith school places against their families' preferences.
The author explores Augustine's 4th century ideology and suggests his teaching on sinful lust might play a more influential role in child abuse and adult mental well-being than has generally been recognised in mainstream social science. This book fills a gap in the shelf, lifting the lid on a story of abuse and religious indoctrination which continues to this day. The lucid descriptions of faith school drill and doctrine will stir readers who suppose Christianity is a benign influence, to think again.
Michael Moloney is the pseudonym of an acclaimed British writer. He served as altar boy and chorister while attending boarding schools in Ireland and England, where he faced abuse. With the Vatican decrying critics of the church as 'Friends of the Devil, ' he thought back to his church schooldays. In this book Moloney shows how Augustine's dark ideas overshadowed his life. Lorna Graham, a schoolteacher for 26 years, brings the classroom to life depicting her struggle to deliver a critically conscious, dialogic education to her pupils.
"It tackles - head-on - an important and pressing subject. It's about how we safeguard young people, how we grow up, how we interact with others, how we see ourselves." - KARL FRENCH, Literary Reviewer. To learn more, please visit the author's website at https: //mike-moloney.com
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