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August 28th, 2012
11:53 AM ET
Dolan to pray at Democratic National ConventionBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN)–-Cardinal Timothy Dolan has accepted an invitation to give the closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, next week, which will also feature a nun in a speaking role. Dolan, the archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, also will give the closing benediction at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday. When he accepted that invitation, Dolan said his appearance would be prayerful, not political, a sentiment reiterated by his spokesman in announcing his appearance at the DNC. "It was made clear to the Democratic Convention organizers, as it was to the Republicans, that the Cardinal was coming solely as a pastor, only to pray, not to endorse any party, platform, or candidate," cardinal spokesman Joseph Zwilling said. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories A nun who has been critical of the Republicans' federal budget will also have a speaking role at the Democratic convention, a source with the President Barack Obama's re-election campaign said Tuesday. Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of a social justice group NETWORK, who helped lead a recent "nuns on the bus tour" against Rep. Paul Ryan's federal budget, will speak, the source said. Ryan is presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney's running mate. Stephanie Niedringhaus, a spokeswoman at NETWORK, said that Campbell would speak next Wednesday and that she was out of the country and unavailable for comment. Cardinal Dolan to offer closing prayer at Republican Convention The Vatican has been critical of American nuns recently, alleging that they have not focused enough on hot-button social issues and that they have given a platform for radical feminism at conferences. Typically, a local bishop would speak at a convention like this. Zwilling said that Dolan "consulted Bishop Peter Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte, who gave the Cardinal his consent to take part in the convention that will be taking place in his diocese." Dolan's diocese is one of many in the midst of a lawsuit against the Obama administration over a Department of Health and Human Services mandate that forces employers to pay for contraceptives coverage for their employees. While churches and select other religious organizations are exempt, not all religiously affiliated groups are, and that has riled many religious groups that oppose contraceptives on religious grounds.
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...and God bless Gooby, and...
School has begun, and now more than ever, we have to think about young, impressionable minds. Time to make sure we are building strong minds.
It's really best for all people including children to have an agnostic approach to god, and an atheistic approach to all religion. It keeps things simple for kids, and let's them be all that they can be. They just need to be taught that some things, like all religion, are just made up by salesmen and politicians from long ago; and that other things, like god, we really don't know a damn thing about.
Atheists have strong minds, and don't run and hide their misdeeds within their religion (and by doing so, disserving society).
So instead of praying to make-believe people, get a good cup of tea and go on and sit down and collect your damn thoughts. My goodness.
mama kindless
Too many are misinformed.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
Wow, I hope someone wasn't paid to put that site together that "." mentions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRxr9jxF6mg&feature=player_embedded
Thank you.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
For as long as I can remember (and I’m a bit over 50) every year the pope (Christ’s vicker on earth, the most powerful prayer in the world, Mr. religion himself ) has prayed for peace in the Middle East every Christmas and it hasn’t done a bit of good. He might just as well have wished upon a star. So if decades of praying by Mr. Big doesn’t change anything, then I’ m left to the conclusion that either god does not answer prayer (if not for the big guy then for who?) or there is no god to answer at all.
TR6
The pope is a great snake oil salesman, he is in charge of one of the greatest cons in history.
A is for the awful things they say here
T is for the torment that they spread
H is for the horrors that they swear by
E is for the easy lies they've said
I is for the innocence they've murdered
S is for the stupid lives they've led
T is for the thousands that they've hurt here
... with tortured murders no one did deserve
put them all together they spell atheist
the ones who made this world run red.
@onehippypoet: "T is for the thousands that they've hurt here
... with tortured murders no one did deserve"
Please list the thousands here that have been "tortured and murdered" by atheists here.
Also please explain how atheists made the Srebrenica refugee camp run red when it was Christians that slaughtered 8000 unarmed Muslims in 1995
Oh, oh, oh. I have one too.
B is for the Bullshit they believe in
E is for the Errors they commit
L is for the Lies they tell
I is for the Ignorance they embrace
E is for the Excrement that they are
V is for the Venom they spout
E is for the Evil they worship
R is for the Ridicule they deserve
S is for the Stupidity that they embody
Put them all together and they spell fucking morons.
I'm sorry onehippypoet, but your assertions about atheism are incorrect. Since each one is incorrect, I may be able to help if you will itemize the reasons that led you to this misinformed understanding.
All atheist leaders have been despots that murdered, some into the millions atheist Stalin with 60 million tortured and murdered and chairman Mao with estimates as high as 800 million. The term"christian" cannot be honestly applied unless those individuals are born again. It is like saying Germany is a "christian" country implying that ALL the citizens are Christian. That is a false use of the term.Truth be told those so called "christians " you reference were atheists at best.
@linca
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. A little trouble thinking for yourself?
@hal
Not a chance, I've seen your stuff, you ain't that bright.
I'm sorry, "truth be told", but your characterization of atheism is incorrect. Throughout history, communist leaders have acted in the name of communism and in the name of their countries, but not in the name of atheism. Most communist leaders exhibited religious thinking during various periods of their lives. You have therefore provided inadequate information to characterize all communist leaders as atheists. I see you have been corrected on this point numerous times, yet you continue to state this falsehood. Perhaps I can recommend a book for you that might help: I Still Do: Loving and Living With Alzheimer's by Judith Fox.
One more thing, "truth be told". You wrote: "Truth be told those so called "christians " you reference were atheists at best." The book I recommended above might also help you remember who I am. I am not "truth be told", I am hal 9000.
@ lies be told..
Throughout all of western history from at least the 4th century onward, It's long bloody history, up until the 20th century, all of the leaders of every country was undeniably christian. It did not stop them from killing each other, killing their subjects and killing others.
Now, if the period without (arguably) christian leaders – before or after, were any different.... But again , they weren't and aren't.
Who was or who wasn't christian doesn't matter. It doesn't stop bloodshed. It can even be the cause of bloodshed, even christian against christian – 30 years war anyone?
Study history in some depth. Please.
More and more misinformed.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
LinCa...you are the one who is spouting evil. Christians are followers of Jesus, who teaches love and forgiveness. Nothing like the filth you wrote.
Uh oh janey, looks like it time for a bible refresher course.
To nearly every xtian denomination, jesus is god. they are one in the same. Your same jesus that preached love then necessarily slaughtered infants and advocated death for such heinous crimes as: getting raped, believing in a different god (kill the muslims and atheists!), and being a disobedient child.
So yeah, try actually reading your book next time.
@janey33
You said, "LinCa...you are the one who is spouting evil. Christians are followers of Jesus, who teaches love and forgiveness. Nothing like the filth you wrote."
Jesus H. Fucking Christ! You are a fucking hypocrite and complete moron, aren't you?
Completely ignoring what onehippypoet wrote, yet getting your panties in a wad about what I said. It shows that some believers will condone anything "their side" says or does. So before you start to complain about the splinter in my eye, you may want to take care of the log in yours.
Just FYI, the only thing I did was show that the nonsense displayed by the OP can go both ways. I guess you're too dense to grasp a simple concept like that.
So the GOP condones pedophilia? Why didn't they just have Sandusky speak?
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
Don't stay misinformed.
End of days taught people lies are nothing new to Muslims. Mecca just another rock. I married to Mohammad's only virgin wife, Aisha and still have the same in-laws. You insist on Mohammad's lies having wings to fly but you are still a pigeon of Jesus.
Amen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdBJL1c7xUI
WAJ
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
Et tu dems,...
Those Fishead hats are hilarious.
Fish head
And people actually take them seriously spewing out lies and wearing munchkin hats like that.
Religion is the most successful con ever.
@Scott
Never underestimate the power of silly hats.
Atheists wear dunce hats.
But...I wear a g string sometimes, and flog blow up dolls.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
Misinformation to the masses causes confusion.
Praying hey? Isn't that where you think silent thoughts like "please God help me pass my exam tomorrow" and an immortal being that created the entire Universe and its billions of galaxies about 13,720,000,000 years ago, reads your mind and intervenes to alter what would otherwise be the course of history in small ways to answer your request?
That we still believe this utter garbage in the 21st Century is astounding and disappointing. If it is not proof that our education system has been a train wreck for at least a generation, I don't know what is.
becomes atheism
stupid followed to its logical conclusion wrote: "becomes atheism"
EX ENLIGHTENED FORTUNE COOKIE WRITER ALERT!
Just as it is insanity to believe in the 6ft tall green monster in my closet without evidence of it's existence, so is it insanity to believe in god without evidence.
The null hypothesis is that god does not exist. Since there is no evidence to support the existence of god, the null hypothesis remains the logical position, to abandon this position without evidence is to delve into insanity.
2F
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN near Geneva, the premier discovery machine of our age, smashes together protons traveling at nearly the speed of light to study the debris from their collisions.
Building the collider and its detectors pushed technology to its limits. Interpreting what the detectors see is an equally great, if less visible, challenge. At first glance, that seems rather strange. The Standard Model of elementary particles is well established, and theorists routinely apply it to predict the outcomes of experiments. To do so, we rely on a calculational technique developed more than 60 years ago by the renowned physicist Richard Feynman. Every particle physicist learns Feynman’s technique in graduate school. Every book and magazine article about particle physics for the public is based on Feynman’s concepts.
That's nice, but even if we didn't have all this advanced science, there still wouldn't be a god.
Thanks for sharing
The only opening and closing convention prayer worth saying:
The Apostles' Creed 2012: (updated by yours truly and based on the studies of historians and theologians of the past 200 years)
Should I believe in a god whose existence cannot be proven
and said god if he/she/it exists resides in an unproven,
human-created, spirit state of bliss called heaven??
I believe there was a 1st century CE, Jewish, simple,
preacher-man who was conceived by a Jewish carpenter
named Joseph living in Nazareth and born of a young Jewish
girl named Mary. (Some say he was a mamzer.)
Jesus was summarily crucified for being a temple rabble-rouser by
the Roman troops in Jerusalem serving under Pontius Pilate,
He was buried in an unmarked grave and still lies
a-mouldering in the ground somewhere outside of
Jerusalem.
Said Jesus' story was embellished and "mythicized" by
many semi-fiction writers. A descent into Hell, a bodily resurrection
and ascension stories were promulgated to compete with the
Caesar myths. Said stories were so popular that they
grew into a religion known today as Catholicism/Christianity
and featuring dark-age, daily wine to blood and bread to body rituals
called the eucharistic sacrifice of the non-atoning Jesus.
Amen
(references used are available upon request)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ABSOLUTE BULL SH IT ALERT
Free Will and Future are inherent to all the thinking beings in the Universe. This being the case, it is not possible to alter life with prayers even prayers by the misguided Dolan.
Statistically, your prayer request might come true but it is simply the result of the variability/randomness of Nature..
So put down your rosaries and prayer beads and stop worshiping/revering cows or bowing to Mecca five times a day. Instead work hard at your job, take care of aging parents, volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate to charities and the poor and continue to follow the proper rules of your religion or any good rules of living as gracious and good human beings.
Matthew 26:59
Mark 14:55-59 = Matt 26:59-61
Many contemporary NT scholars have thoroughly analyzed all the NT passages. Most of these in-depth studies have concluded that the referenced passages above are not historical. For example, see Professor Gerd Ludemann's in his book, Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 100-102
WAA
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
God created the universe.
Many billions of years ago, a life form evolved on a planet not so far distant and their scientists deduced the building blocks for life existed in the universe and from it, new life forms could be created.
These ancient ones populated Mars with life and eventually, due to asteroid events over millions of years, life arrived here on Earth. We are a product of that primeval turbulence.
Therefore, we must worship the Aliens, not God. The Aliens have to worship God.
This is all true because I have faith that it happened just this way because it is written down.
Well, it's a stupid story, but at least it is better than the Magic Zombie Invisible Friend In The Sky story.
Exactly, you haven't seen Bippy have you?
Oh Alvin. Welcome back. Rodents Rule.
Ok look Fluffy, the issue with the squirrels runs deeper than just the foul stench. They are like soccer moms driving around talking on their cell phones paying no attention to anything and never using their turn signals. Every morning I back out of my driveway and squish two or three of them because they are too busy listening to J-pop on the their mini I-pods and dancing and they can't hear my SUV backing up. Stupid Squirrels.
Correction, sorry. They are listening to K-Pop now. Something called, "GANGNAM STYLE"
Alien, my friend..
You'll have to take that up with Bippy, the Lesser Squirrel god, of Judging Jesus, or whatever his present t'it'le is. I would like to help you, but Bippy needs the work.
Bippy lives in heaven, so just run them over, it won't be him.
I have the s.u.s.p.i.c.i.o.n Alvin may have ran across him, in the hunt for holy w.a.f.fl.e.s.
Stupid squirrels.
Hey guys, seriously, I'm working on a paper that uses Godel's Incompleteness Theorem, (and Hilbert's ideas), (and a version of Ambrose), to show that an internally consistent proof of a deity inside the universe, (universe meaning "everything that is, not just our's), is by definition, impossible. Anybody here ever worked on that idea ?
I have worked on that idea my whole life. I am well qualified. What do you want ot know?
"This sentence is false".
Ok. Give me some hints ... is it true, is it false, OR, by paying attentiion to the words, are we committing a linguistic "irrelevance" ?
@Fluffy
Well Fluffy, as you know this is a classic paradox. Sorry it is taking me a while to tipe this cuz i m drink.
If (A) is true, then "This statement is false" is true. Therefore (A) must be false. The hypothesis that (A) is true leads to the conclusion that (A) is false, a contradiction.
If (A) is false, then "This statement is false" is false. Therefore (A) must be true. The hypothesis that (A) is false leads to the conclusion that (A) is true, another contradiction. Either way, (A) is both true and false, which is a paradox.
However, that the liar sentence can be shown to be true if it is false and false if it is true has led some to conclude that it is "neither true nor false". This response to the paradox is, in effect, the rejection of the claim that every statement has to be either true or false, also known as the principle of bivalence, a concept related to the law of the excluded middle.
Cool. That helps a lot. At least I can start thinking about it.
The fact that they even say "excluded middle", tells me that the "middle" could be anywhere in a range, and thus even the "middle" is not really a help. They could "almost all" be false, (or true). An almost true god, is meaningless.
I'm just starting, and something feels "fishy" about any internal statement, presuming an intuitive method, without seeing the universe from the outside. .
There is no Bippy, only Zool.
I don't think the man is competent to conduct a major symphony orchestra...
=
–
=
–
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
Prayer changes things .
Hi Prayerbot
Hi HS
Tommie tom *cough* scotty I you know I am not the prayer person, I have told you many times on these blogs, just look back through the last week of posts. I don't understand how gas stations keep their bathrooms so clean. I hope you like worms where you are going.
Amen.
--–
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
Yay!
Do these mini-popes carry one of those magic wands as well?
End of days taught in Jesus' truth is nothing new to Christians. Another rock. Nothing new under the sun. I have been married three times and still have the same in-laws. You insist on your lies having wings to fly but you are still a pigeon.
Amen.
HS: " Another rock. Nothing new under the sun. . ."
A stick, a stone, his funny hat will make you atone, . . .
@ ,o,
This is a test from God. Do you have what it takes to pass? Serpent is just one of the multiple names of Lucifer aka satan. I keep the flea and tick soap in the shower. The big bang and evolution are lies against Jesus’ truth to cause doubt, creating confusion.
Amen.
HeavenSent
....... I have been married three times and still have the same in-laws.\
>\
So you married your own relatives 3 times...how Southern of you.
@Mystical Pizza
Horrors, earth quakes, floods, disasters are God's wrath against all of us. I don't need logic, I don't require a single shred to define my beliefs. My urine soaked granny panties are so stiff I can use them as a door stop. Humble yourself and ask Jesus for forgiveness.
Amen.
You married three times and kept the same in-laws!!! let me guess you are a Mormon priest?
u
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
The idea that the Cardinal will speak at the Democratic convention, after a activist nun, patently pro Omama, is foolhardy. To share the platform with a president who voted to allow babies to be killed after they survived an abortion proceedure is a scandal. Each Sunday we are asked to pray for religious liberty and freedom from government control of religion, but because of complaints by Catholic liberals (Sebilius is one) the Cardinal promises to be non political at the most critical time for being political. I won't be mouthing the required prayer for religious freedom on Sunday, but I will be speaking against and voting against an evil administration, led by Mr. Obama.
Evil. Yeah right. Name all the evil things the Obama administration has done.
This should be good for a laugh.
Vincent sure got quiet, didn't he? Almost like he couldn't answer the question.
@Vincent Falcone
"The idea that the Cardinal will speak at the Democratic convention, after a activist nun, patently pro Omama, is foolhardy. To share the platform with a president who voted to allow babies to be killed after they survived an abortion proceedure is a scandal."
All authority in heaven was given to Jesus. He gave authority to the apostles. Through apostolic succession, that authority has been passed down to our clergy.
From whom, exactly, did YOU get any authority at all to judge anyone? Are you without sin? Do you have the authority to absolve or not?
"Each Sunday we are asked to pray for religious liberty and freedom from government control of religion, but because of complaints by Catholic liberals (Sebilius is one) the Cardinal promises to be non political at the most critical time for being political."
Our bishops ARE non political. Go join the evanfundateabaglicans if you want fire, brimstone and the 700 club.
Synod of Bishops of 1971: "It does not belong to the Church,
insofar as she is a religious and hierarchical community, to offer
concrete solutions in the social, economic and political spheres
for justice in the world."
"I won't be mouthing the required prayer for religious freedom on Sunday, but I will be speaking against and voting against an evil administration, led by Mr. Obama."
If your priest leads this prayer during mass, again what is YOUR authority to deviate from the mass? RE: your voting and activism, I call your attention to "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States provides a framework for Catholics in the United States", a copy of which you may download from http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/ Obviously, you need to read and internalize it.
I am confused. Should I kill myself or bomb a church?
Too bad your one issue nonsense could lead to FAR greater evils. Too bad you don't listen to YOUR own bishops who have condemned Ryan's budget. Too bad YOU demand religious liberty, while shoving your's down others throats. Too bad you, as most in your church are a Cafeteria Catholic.
You are not "asked to pray". YOU are a captive audience. Has aNY priest ever said, "don't join in if you prefer to not". YOU are forced to pray, and submit.
@ Fluffy the Gerbil of Doom:
You wrote: "
You are not "asked to pray". YOU are a captive audience. Has aNY priest ever said, "don't join in if you prefer to not". YOU are forced to pray, and submit."
While not being completely false, this isn't really true either. Vincent, as a Catholic, is obligated to attend mass. Once there, he (as we all are) are part of the mass – which is why it is a holy obligation. He is not forced to pray any more than he is 'forced' to be a Catholic. As a Catholic attending mass, he is both part of the mass and part of the body of Christ so he doesn't get to change the mass by not participating while present. Quite frankly, by the angry tone of his post, I'm not quite sure that he's really got a handle on what it means to be a Catholic.
Chic-a-dee,
Agree. One could just stand there. But why go at all ? If the authority says what to think in this case, and it's dismissed, why listen about the attendance, either ? However the entire paradigm of top down, authority, is essentially un-biblical.
The assumption is that being in church, one agrees with the authority. There is no structure in place, currently, to allow the
Holy Spirit to work, bottom up. Even if I was a believer, and I'm not, that fact of the messed up authority, (which was NOT how it worked, originally), would tell me to stay away.
If the REALLY believed you were the Mystical Body, they would respect you enough to ask your opinions. The ONLY reason that authority model is in place, is secondary to historical accident.
@ Fluffy the Gerbil of Doom:
You wrote: "Agree. One could just stand there. But why go at all ?"
Because attending mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation is one of the precepts of the Church. These precepts are defined by cannon law, not divine revelation. It is the one thing you do, at the minimum even if you fail to pray in all other forms because the celebration of mass is an opportunity for worship, praise, adoration, learning through scripture and gospel readings, prayer, meditation, participation in the Sacrament of the Euchaist, fellowship, and, most importantly, the sending forth ritual is to remind us to go forth and spread the gospel message of love through words and deeds. I know I need a fairly constant reminder of this. Given the state of the world, it seems like I have LOTS of company in that regard.
II. The Precepts of the Church
2041 The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. the obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:
2042 The first precept (“You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.") requires the faithful to participate in the Eucharistic celebration when the Christian community gathers together on the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord.
You wrote: "If the authority says what to think in this case, and it's dismissed, why listen about the attendance, either ? "
1) The word authority can be defined in a number of ways. It sounds as if you are perceiving this as "a person or body or persons in whom authority is vested" as if the clergy is able to just make up things as they go along. The authority of the Church is, rather, the noun's other definition: "a power or right delegated or given". That power does not belong to the Church. The Church only safeguards it. That authority is God's. Non-Catholics get confused all the time on this point, which is why they don't understand why the Church just doesn't modernize. Yes, the Church is able to modify its man-made laws – like this precept. They could say, the obligation is to attend mass twice a week or only on Sundays. No, the Church is not able to modify divine law. The sacraments were each insti.tuted by God and the Church has no authority to change them. That is why there will never be women priests, there will never be a redefinition of marriage, there will never be any changes to any of the sacraments. Period. Not open for discussion here – as in anyone who doesn't like the way things are must pray for the spiritual gifts required to understand what can be learned and accept what cannot be understood at this time.
Next you wrote: "However the entire paradigm of top down, authority, is essentially un-biblical." So? - as in So what? Biblical and un-biblical are only important concepts for people who are trying to figure things out on their own with only a copy of a version of 'the bible' and perhaps some unauthoritative teaching. Catholics have the traditions (because the Church's teachings pre-date recorded history. The teaching of revelations began as oral tradition). We have the magisterium, –
mag·is·te·ri·um [maj-uh-steer-ee-uhm]
noun Roman Catholic Church .
the authority and power of the church to teach religious truth.
Lastly, we have holy scripture. The bible is the compilation of of the 73 books that the Catholic Church set as the canon of Scripture at the Council of Rome in 382 AD. Here's a link to a short history of the bible.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/28/dolan-to-pray-at-democratic-national-convention/?replytocom=1664525#respond
Next you wrote: "The assumption is that being in church, one agrees with the authority. There is no structure in place, currently, to allow the Holy Spirit to work, bottom up. Even if I was a believer, and I'm not, that fact of the messed up authority, (which was NOT how it worked, originally), would tell me to stay away." –
The Holy Spirit is one of the persons of God. God doesn't have to be "allowed" to do anything. He created it all and doesn't need part of His creation telling Him how to do things. As the all powerful Creator, God in the Holy Spirit could "work, bottom up" if He wanted to. It doesn't happen that way because that's not the way He inst.ituted the Church. He hasn't set up a suggestion box in the lobby and is not sitting around waiting for you or anyone else to given Him an opinion on whether or not He set up the Church the 'right way'.
Finally, you wrote: "If the REALLY believed you were the Mystical Body, they would respect you enough to ask your opinions. The ONLY reason that authority model is in place, is secondary to historical accident."
As an American, I'm sure the temptation to think that democracy is wonderful colors perception of everything. If I knew how to get this to italicize, I'd do so for emphasis – – The Church is NOT a democratic organization and God is under NO obligation to explain Himself on a timetable demanded by humans.
v
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
Greetings folks. Everyone is cordially invited to visit – thestarofkaduri.com
The Universe ceases to exist at the moment of your death.
Likewise, the Universe springs into existence at the moment of comprehension.
“Reality” is personal. It is not universal. What I believe, is true. What I perceive, is real. Therefore, there is an infinite number of realities (call them universes) both coming and going at all times for infinity.
The reason physics breaks down as we get close to that frightening truth is because we realize at that point that WE are the God we seek. We create our reality only to destroy it and start again for all of eternity.
Nothing can be proven beyond the existence of the self. No perception felt by the mind can be regarded as truly verifiable, and so its existence is not certain. Hence, nothing outside the mind of the observer can be rationally confirmed.
No, you are ignoring the difference between subjective reality and objective reality. From a scientific point of you, reality does not depend on the individual to exist. It exists before, and it exists after each of us.
Your position is just solipcism. Solipcism has nothing to do with physics, and physics certainly does not "break down" because you lose consciousness. Solipcism is nothing more than mental masturbation, with silly claims like" you can only prove yourself."
I am not the God I seek. I seek no God, nor would I ever want a supreme being to be as limited and mercurial as any human. Reality does not need me to exist.
Stop being so narcissistic.
@You can do better than that
I cannot verify your existence therefore it is futile reasoning with me.
I have decided to convert from atheism to Solipsism. The ceremony is going to be a blast, I will be having all my friends and family over and un-validating their existence. Then it will just be a free-for-all. I will also be getting a tattoo of my own face on my a.s.s.
One day we will all find out the truth...I am 100% sure in my position...I hope others have the same faith. Blessings to all.
@alien orofice
How will people know which is your ass ?
If there is no God or afterlife, Jim, you will never learn that you were wrong and that you wasted your life on a fantasy. You will just stop . . . which is what death is.
100% sure. Really? That's pretty deluded.
@chris hitchens
Well chris, I have invented a little thing I like to call t.i.thing. See, you can give me money and I will tell you I am real. Pretty slick really. then you can look at my a.s.s all day long.
uuu
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm
***Sister Campbell is an unholy hypocrite–easy for her to advocate for government programs paid by other peoples taxes while the church is tax exempt. Disgusting.
The entire MO behind the atheist is to throw out as many lies and see what sticks. Debating is the atheists game. I tried to give the Salvation Army my furniture but they declined. Satan impregnated Eve with Cain. I know you atheists to be fools.
Amen.
@ Louis:
Sister Campbell is well within her legal right as an American citizen to advocate for policies she believes are of benefit to our society. As a nun, she has dedicated her live to assisting the less fortunate, as Jesus taught us to do.
What, exactly, have you done to help society in general or a fellow man in particular?
@Chick-a-dee
Jesus is a myth. What she does she does of her own accord, as I do.
@ Alien:
Was that loud pop the sound of you pulling your head out of you orifice?
@Richard Dragin
Hmm, interesting question. If I were a christard, then yes, that is possible. But since I have a brain, most likely you just s.h.i.t yourself.
vuv
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm