Playing Dumb – Tom Petty’s New Song About Abuse Of Children In The Catholic Church

Rocker Tom Petty is not holding anything back in his new song about the Catholic Church “Playing Dumb.”

He told Billboard Magazine that he wrote the song about the decades of sexual abuse against children and the elaborate efforts to cover up the crimes.

“I just felt that I was being asked to play dumb – that, ‘OK, well, they paid some money, so it’s all over.’ I don’t trust that,” Petty said. “I’m fine with whatever religion you want to have,” Petty said, “but it can’t tell anybody it’s OK to kill people, and it can’t abuse children systematically for God knows how many years.”

Petty commented that he doesn’t understand why people are still donating to the church. He points out that millions of dollars have been paid out in legal settlements to the victims of the priests who are guilty of sexually abusing children.

“If I was in a club, and I found out that there had been generations of people abusing children, and then that club was covering that up, I would quit the club. And I wouldn’t give them any more money,” he said.

Petty added “Religion seems to me to be at the base of all wars. I’ve nothing against defending yourself, but I don’t think, spiritually speaking, that there’s any conception of God that should be telling you to be violent. It seems to me that no one’s got Christ more wrong than the Christians.”

From Billboard:

During his hard-fought, ascendant career, Tom Petty has often been labeled as intense. The artist wouldn’t disagree — and a corrosive new track called “Playing Dumb” won’t change anyone’s mind. Though the song didn’t make the new album — it was hard to sequence with the rest of the tracks, says Petty — it will be included as a bonus cut on the accompanying vinyl release.

Kimberley A. Johnson (BIO) is the author of The Virgin Diaries and an activist for women’s rights. Like her on Facebook, Twitter or follow her on FB HERE.

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