I would like to make a few points:
First, I think that one should keep in mind that the Jesuits are the perfect targets for anti-Catholics. They are, in many ways, the intellectual branch of the Catholic Church. They intellectually fought the Protestants in the Reformation, and they continue to produce sound scholarship today. Jesuits are perhaps the most educated individuals, not only in the Catholic Church, but also in the world. Naturally, anti-Catholics love to defame the Jesuits.
Second, while I know there exist many Jesuits who are loyal to the Church, I also keep in mind that Jesuits today engaged much more frequently than in the past with a secular world which utilizes a post-Enlightenment rather than a Christian mindset. In addition, many Jesuits, especially those at universities, become exposed to certain secular academics. Naturally, it is unfortunate that there are some Jesuits who, because of their academic positions, take more “liberal” stances than other Catholic priests. So, there might be some truth in what Jack Chick says about Jesuits being a little more liberal in morals than others I nontheless doubt, however, that Jesuits are at the forefront in establishing a Third World Order, as Jack Chick suggests. Jack Chick is not a reliable source, and he often overaggerates and expands to the whole Jesuit order certain negative characteristics found in that Society. So, if you want the full truth, avoid Jack Chick and focus on better-researched works.
Third, the issue of homosexuality is most probably a problem for the Jesuits. However, this problem does not affect them alone, but indeed it affects the whole celibate clergy. I mean, with 15% of the male population as homosexuals, you are bound to get a few gays in the Order. Perhaps the problem is greater in the Jesuits if there are more “liberal” theologians in that Order than in other orders. There is a good book, co-authored by an ex-Jesuit, called *Passionate Uncertainty. *It presents numerous interviews with Jesuits and ex-Jesuits, and the book addresses many of the accusations made against the Society of Jesus. However, the book primarily covers the 1960’s-70’s, so the book is not necessarily representative of the present status of the Jesuits.
The best thing to do is recognize that there probably is some truth to several of the accusations. However, recognize that anti-Catholics will latch onto a scandal and attempt to blemish the whole Society of Jesus.
Personally, I have made up my mind that with the Jesuits, like with the Anglicans, it is best not to presume what their beliefs are, and to instead gauge the orthodoxy of each Jesuit as an individual priest.
