hen Bill Clinton was in the midst of the Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky scandals, people laughed it off saying, "Well, at least he does his job." In spite of the sexual harassment charges against Clarence Thomas, congress still voted him into the Supreme Court figuring, "Well, at least he’s a good judge." It can be very easy for the public not to allow the questionable moral behavior of those in authority to effect their faith in the system. But what happens when morals and faith are the very backbone of the system being upheld?

In these most recent sex scandals within the Catholic Church, we are no longer merely talking about the indiscretions of a few errant priests. Bishops and cardinals – supposed models and example-setters of Catholicism – have lied and covered for the sins of those whom they are supposed to be in charge of. As a result, the very integrity of the church and the Christian faith as a whole has been put into jeopardy – for believers and non-believers alike.

Not that Catholics didn’t already have ample reasons for questioning their faith in the first place. There isn’t a Catholic alive who doesn’t have a confessional, communion or eating-meat-on-Friday anecdote. It seems that most Catholics tend to wear their religion like a badge, an albatross and a pair of clown shoes. They take pride in it while joking about the very doctrines they feel burdened by. A great deal of time is spent looking for the loopholes in canon law, so as to ease the guilt from any number of sins. (Kevin Smith has done a much better job of expressing this than I could do here.) One of the most common – and most dangerous – absolutions has to be "Well, if the priest is doing it, it must be okay." If the priest is seen drinking a beer, it must be okay to be a drunk. If the priest curses once or twice, it must be okay to have a sailor’s mouth. And, how much easier it is to relieve guilt when a sentence can begin, "Well, if the bishop is doing it…"

For better or worse, the Catholic Church still remains the premier example of Christianity in the world today simply because it is the most visible of all the denominations. Therefore when somebody outside the faith thinks "Christianity," what they are usually thinking of is the Catholicized version of Christianity – which in several notable areas isn’t even entirely biblically based. These people are not going to be the ones saying, "If the cardinal condones it, it must be okay." Instead, what we often hear is, "Well, if that’s what Christianity is all about, I don’t want any part of it."

And thus begins the human instinct of judging an entire people based on the actions of a few. Christians bombing abortion clinics. Christians tying a homosexual to a fence and beating him to death. Christians dressing up as ghosts and lynching blacks and Jews. Christians using their authority from God to seduce young boys and commit emotionally scarring sex acts with them. The same way we need to realize that not all Muslims think it’s a good idea to fly a plane into a building, we also need to realize that quite often, the most visible members of a faith are not necessarily the most model members of the faith.

Jesus himself warned those in authority about leading others astray, saying it would be better for them if they were thrown into the sea with a stone tied to their neck. He was particularly protective of children – those young and impressionable in their faith, or perhaps not yet even born into the faith. The history of Catholicism and Christianity is no stranger to controversy, but the two basic tenets have never changed: "Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself." No matter what their authoritative position, the actions of men can never alter the will of God. My constant hope is that people realize this, and that they don’t compromise their faith, or the possibility of faith because of the actions of those in authority.