False accusations and defamation

I’m asking the mods to take a look at Sisyphus—this guy jumps at every single chance to bring up religion or the Catholic Church just to accuse people of "downplaying crimes against children" committed within the Church, regardless of where in the world they happened.

He won't back down, even when people try to clear things up—I know I've tried personally—by explicitly condemning those exact crimes... but apparently, in his twisted logic, being a member of the Catholic Church makes you automatically responsible for every crime some priest commits, especially when it comes to cover-ups.

It’s the exact same kind of warped reasoning used by someone like Andrew Visinski, that infamous Soviet prosecutor who carried out Stalinist purges.

I intend to take this a step further by formally requesting a partial ban for this specific user, given their constant pattern of hostility, veiled insults, disparagement, and incessant arguing that creates an utterly intolerable and mentally draining atmosphere across nearly every discussion they join.

Their modus operandi has remained unchanged for years; they begin a conversation politely, but the moment you say something they disagree with, they proceed to harass you for days on end, manipulating context and consistently addressing their interlocutor as if they were some sort of newly deranged individual.

Even the most composed person could be driven to a breaking point by such psychological terror, as this is clearly a case of continuous, insidious bullying spanning several years. I am honestly unsure if there is a single active member on this platform who hasn't been stepped on by them. The difficulty lies in filing a report, however, because they choose their words with such precision that there are no overt slurs—only subtle, twisted insults and condescension.

Brian Gonzalez24 said:I’m asking the mods to take a look at the massive body of work from @Sisyphus Quote

hiddenhound3 said:Honestly, I’d go even further and call for a partial ban.

He's on my block list. You guys can do the same. ☕

(*I only see his stuff when I'm reviewing PDFs for moderation duties, mostly just because I have to.)

Chris Myers said:That individual is on my ignore list*. You are more than welcome to follow suit. ☕

(*I only occasionally encounter his writing when I'm reviewing PDFs for moderation purposes, strictly out of a sense of duty.)

I am certain you aren't the only one who has him blocked. Personally, I refrain from using the feature because most of what someone says eventually resurfaces through others quoting their posts anyway.

If you don't mind me asking—what exactly prompted you to put him on your ignore list?

hiddenhound3 said:If I may ask—why are you ignoring them?

Maybe that should just stay between Sisyphus and me.

Chris Myers said:That guy is already on my ignore list*. You guys should probably do the same. ☕

(*I only ever see his stuff when I'm reviewing PDFs for moderation work—mostly just because it's my job to keep things orderly)

Could be, but hiddenhound3 pointed out why a lot of people on the ignore list still show up in threads... and honestly, I’m totally with her description of how feralranger acts. Nothing more to add there.

One more thing... would you (or any other mod) suggest blocking someone who writes off an entire nation as a bunch of lowlifes just because a few government officials committed horrific crimes? Or even worse—someone who identifies with that nation and gets personally attacked on the forum as if they were covering up atrocities, or "downplaying" them, simply because they identify as an American, a Mexican, or a Canadian? Just because of their heritage.

Just an example... look at the conflicts we had back in the 90s here in the States.

If that kind of rhetoric was allowed to spiral indefinitely on a topic like that, what would this place turn into?
Into pure hate speech in its worst form... and from what I know, that's strictly forbidden around here; people get flagged and banned for that stuff for good reason.

If anyone thinks I'm playing favorites, let me be clear: I'd want the same rules applied to someone calling all atheists immoral parasites, or someone attacking an atheist on this forum for "downplaying" atheist actions.

As for my views on crimes against children or anyone else—and the need to punish and stop criminals from hiding—I've said my piece before. I've tried to provide explanations (not excuses!) for such horrors.

So, I'm asking the mods to penalize feralranger for this kind of posting. Because if that isn't hate speech, then I really don't know what is.

Also, don't let his praise for Pope Francis or certain "decent priests" fool anyone.
What does it matter if he thinks the vast majority of believers—specifically Catholics—are total moral bottom-feeders?

Brian Gonzalez24 said:One more thing... would you suggest ignoring (either you or other mods) someone who describes an entire nation as a bunch of losers just because certain government officials from that nation committed truly terrible crimes? Even worse, if someone identifies as part of that nation, personally they'd be smeared on this forum as someone covering up crimes or "downplaying" them, even if they didn't participate... simply because they identified as American, Mexican, Canadian, etc.

On the subreddits I moderate, I don't allow that and obviously I hand out punishments, but that user hardly ever shows up there (Travel—don't recall seeing them there at all; General Discussion or Linguistics—maybe, but very rarely...).

Just post examples here so the supermods can see them (you have to realize the site admins really don't have enough time to review every single post every day).

Brian Gonzalez24 said:It's possible, but hiddenhound3 pointed out why a good portion of users on the ignore list still remain visible...

A "mental" ignore fixes that, I guess.

Brian Gonzalez24 said:Furthermore, let no one be deceived by his glowing praise for Pope Francis and certain "decent priests."
What possible value is there in such sentiment if the vast majority of the faithful—specifically Catholics—are viewed as moral voids?

I was merely stating the facts as I see them. The clergy within the Catholic Church has systematically covered up crimes; exceptions were exceedingly, exceedingly, exceedingly, exceedingly rare, and a true turning point only occurred when the secular media finally stepped in.

I simply pointed out that "the emperor has no clothes" and that "something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

In short, this wasn't a matter of sporadic cover-ups; rather, the Catholic Church leadership has engaged in systematic concealment... had even a mere 1% of the faithful actually reacted, these crimes could never have reached such staggering proportions... it all stems from that specific religious mentality that boils down to "Let us just pray, forgive, and sing to Jesus" which effectively translates to doing absolutely nothing, and frankly, that is deeply wrong. The consequences are well-documented.

And the Pope, in those particular words, does not sound like your typical believer; he isn't relativizing the issue, nor is he attempting to advocate for the institution either directly or through subtle obfuscation:

“Some of the victims have been driven to suicide,” the pope acknowledges. “These deaths weigh on my heart, on my conscience and that of the whole Church. To their families, I offer my feelings of love and pain and humbly, I ask forgiveness.”

...which is precisely why I offered praise for the Pope's words (though whether he is truly sincere remains to be seen, a hope I can only hold onto). Nevertheless, these are words steeped in compassion and genuine remorse, rather than the usual relativism or wrapped-up legalistic defense one typically hears or reads from the bulk of the faithful.

feralranger said:I’m just stating the facts here. KC believers have been systematically covering up crimes—there were very, very, very, very few exceptions—and the whole thing only flipped once the mainstream media finally stepped in.

What? Believers in KC? Everyone... Which ones got their initiation sacraments at KC?

"Somewhat more devout" believers? You mean the people who show up to church maybe a couple times a year?

"Even more" devout? You mean the ones whose families are tight with certain priests—or even the ones who are personally buddies with them?

Are they... everyone You religious types... Just some laypeople.So they were just shuffling priests who abused kids around to different parishes? Seriously?

So you’re basically accusing me of being a hypocrite? Because I was actually involved in my local parish life—and like, "above average" at that?
I didn't catch that in how you write—not like I'd actually ask for or expect it to be the same—but why the hell are you so obsessed with pointing fingers? everyone Catholic believers?

I just said "the king is a fraud" and "something's rotten in the state of Denmark."

That’s what a lot of people around here have been saying—Catholics and non-Catholics alike—including me.

Nah, you’re out here acting like a total Stalinist executioner—basically saying, "if you can't prove you're innocent, you're guilty." Real classy.
Look, I get that this whole inquisitorial vibe was a thing back in the day, but seriously—can we just drop it already?

Look, this wasn't just some random cover-up here and there—it was systematic. The KC faithful were actively burying these crimes. If even 1% of them had actually spoken up, this wouldn't have spiraled out of control. It’s that whole religious mindset where everyone just decides to "pray about it, forgive and forget, and leave it to Jesus"—which really just means doing absolutely nothing. It's messed up. We all know the fallout.

Some people... just can't help themselves. Religious folks have been systematically covering up the crimes within the KC—I wouldn't even call them believers at this point. If they’re acting like that—and we’re talking mostly about the KC hierarchy and priests here—then they’ve straight-up trampled over the Bible and wiped their feet all over it.

You can only really speak up if you actually know what kind of crimes we're talking about—and I’m pretty damn sure about this one, since it's not exactly some minor bullshit... I mean, unless someone wants to tell me I'm wrong, people weren't exactly throwing wild parties in the middle of Mass.

This whole "devout" mindset—where people think being religious just means "let's pray, forgive everything, and sing songs to Jesus"—is such a joke. It’s not even how actual Christians who actually bother reading the Bible operate. They actually follow them.... and I already gave you the proof for that.

It’s just that classic mentality—blindly following authority and acting like they can never be wrong... Idolatry—it’s all just pure idolatry.So, anyway...

Look, we're talking about a massive issue here—but it’s not some religious thing. It’s about the actual social conditions in a country, which basically boils down to its cultural and political baggage.
The centralized hierarchy at the KC is a massive burden—but only because it makes it so damn easy to cover up crimes. It’s not like most believers are just quietly nodding along to everything that happens... if that were true, it would basically mean they don't give a damn about their own kids' futures.

What even defines a "typical" Catholic to you? You just declared it a "fact" out of nowhere... probably because it fits your little narrative perfectly.

Chris Myers said:Just drop some examples here so the supermods can take a look—you gotta realize the forum admins don't have enough free time to comb through every single thread every day.

Fine, whatever... I'll get to it once I'm actually free.

Brian Gonzalez24 said:Which believers in the KC? Everyone who received the sacraments of initiation in the KC?

"A bit more active" believers? You mean those who grace us with their presence at Mass a few times a year?
.

I am referring to those who actually attend Mass, participate in prayer, and join church gatherings—the colleagues of the clergy, if you will—those who haven't succumbed to a willful blindness. I am certainly not talking about the "casual" believers who exist solely as entries on a census and act practically as outsiders to the community itself...

...however, never once did I use the word "all." What you are doing here is nothing more than a blatant straw man argument, much like the entirety of this provocative little topic of yours. If one examines that massive sample size of thousands of cases, it becomes quite evident that exceptions were exceedingly rare and that it took the secular media to finally bring any real shift to light.

Brian Gonzalez24 said:Sure thing, happy to help... as soon as I get there.

But please, let's refrain from pulling things out of context and manipulating the narrative again.

Chris Myers said:Just drop some examples right here so the supermods can actually see them—you gotta realize the forum mods don't have all day to dig through every single post every damn day.

Following @Intermezzo's advice, I'm dropping the link to that Philosophy thread...

...plus there are other posts over in the Psychology section, specifically in that locked thread , and then some stuff in Religion from earlier this year over at

In response to those specific examples requested by the moderator Intermezzo, I maintain that everything I have stated remains valid, provided that my words aren't being manipulated or stripped of their intended context regarding the body of work produced by Brian Gonzalez24 to which this pertains.

My broader observations also hold up, primarily because I haven't resorted to sweeping generalizations—I certainly didn't claim "everyone" acts this way—and given that the sample size is massive, spanning thousands of instances globally, it is a well-documented fact how minuscule the percentage of KC believers actually is when it comes to reacting to atrocities occurring right under their noses. That number is so staggeringly small, or perhaps even non-existent, that any meaningful outcry had to be driven by outsiders from the secular media.

The truth can't be libel.

I was wondering if I could ask for a favor—since my previous post where I was just agreeing with what Flora and Brian Gonzalez24 had to say was already taken down, would you mind deleting this comment above it as well?

Sisyphus is still stuck in his usual loop...

- Sisyphus - said:No matter how many times you keep spinning these webs of lies and making excuses, I'm just gonna lay out the facts.

- Sisyphus - said:You—along with most of those Catholic Church followers posting here or anywhere else—don't sound anything like it. You don't have a conscience, you aren't ashamed of anything; instead, you just muddy the waters, make excuses, and hunt for some "loophole" to downplay the horrors that actually happened.