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March 19th, 2013
05:55 AM ET
CNN Poll: American Catholics approve of new popeWashington (CNN) – American Catholics are very enthusiastic about the choice of Pope Francis to head the Roman Catholic Church, according to a new national survey. But a CNN/ORC International survey also indicates that you shouldn't expect them to pay any more attention to the new pope's teachings on issues like birth control than they paid to his predecessors. "Pope Francis is starting off with a huge reservoir of goodwill in the U.S. Eighty-eight percent of American Catholics questioned in our survey approve of his selection as pope," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. By contrast, an ABC News/Washington Post poll in April, 2005, found only 60% of Americans Catholics approved of the selection of Pope Benedict, the predecessor to Francis. The new poll's release comes as Francis, known until his election as pope last week as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, is inaugurated Tuesday at a ceremony at the Vatican. While they support his election as pope, nearly three-quarters of American Catholics say they are more likely to follow their own conscience on difficult moral questions than the teachings of the pope. FULL STORY |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Kindness
This is my experience... Thank you.
MY personal testimony.
A thought to consider without an ego response
I Accepted Jesus christ as my lord and saviour. You never know how soon is too late. Transcend the worldly illusion of enslavement.
The world denounces truth....
Accepting Jesus Christ (for me) resulted in something like seeng a new colour. You will see it .....but will not be able to clearly explain it to anyone else..... Its meant to be that way to transend any selfism within you.
Also... much the world arranges "surrounding dark matter into something to be debated" in such a way that protects/inflates the ego.
The key is be present and transcend our own desire to physically see evidence. We don't know anyways by defending our own perception of dark matter.
Currently.... most of us are constructing our own path that suits our sin lifestyle. Were all sinners. Knowing that we are is often an issue. But both christians and non are sinners. Even once we are saved by christs merciful grace we will still experience adversity to mold us to adhering to the truth.
We will slip... But not fall of the ship ...carrying us onward to perfection in christs grace.
We don't like to Let go and let god. We want control to some degree. This is what Jesus asks us to do. "Follow me".
It's the hardest thing to do... but is done by letting the truth of scripture lead you (redemptive revelation)... as I said .
Try reading corinthians and see if it makes sense to you. Try it without a pre conceived notion of it being a fairy tale.
See the truth...
do we do what it says in todays society... is it relevant... so many have not recently read and only hinge their philosophy on what they have heard from some other person...which may have been full of arogance pride or vanity..
Look closely at the economy ponzi, look at how society idolizes Lust , greed , envy, sloth, pride of life, desire for knowledge, desire for power, desire for revencge,gluttony with food etc .
Trancsend the temporal world.
Just think if you can find any truth you can take with you ....in any of these things. When you die your riches go to someone who will spend away your life..... You will be forgotten.... history will repeat iteslf.... the greatest minds knowledge fade or are eventually plagerzed..... your good deeds will be forgotten and only give you a fleeting temporary reward . your learned teachings are forgotten or mutated..... your gold is transfered back to the rullers that rule you through deception. Your grave will grow over . This is truth .
Trancsend your egoism and free yourself from this dominion of satan. Understand you are a sinner and part of the collective problem of this worldly matrix... Repent.... Repent means knowing (to change) The Holy spirit (within) will convict you beyond what you think you can do by yourself. Grace is given to those who renounce the world. That are" in" the world but not "of " the world.
Evidence follows faith. Faith does not follow evidence..... Faith ....above reason in Jesus Christ.
Faith comes by Reading or Hearing the word of god from the bible . Ask Jesus in faith for dicernment and start reading the new testament... You will be shocked when you lay down your preconceived notions and ....see and hear truth ... see how christ sets an example ... feel the truth....
Read Ecclesiastes. Read romans or corinthians.
You cant trancend your own egoism by adapting a world philosophy to suit your needs. Seek the truth in Christ.
Sell all your cleverness and purchase true bewilderment. You don't get what you want ....you get what you are by faith above reason in christ.
I promise this has been the truth for me. In Jesus christ .
Think of what you really have to lose. ...your ego?
Break the Matrix of illusion that holds your senses captive.
once you do . you too will have the wisdom of God that comes only through the Holy Spirit. Saved By grace through Faith. Just like seeing a new colour.... can't explain it to a transient caught in the matrix of worldly deception.
You will also see how the world suppresses this information and distorts it
You're all smart people . I tell the truth. Its hard to think out of the box when earthly thinking is the box.
I'ts a personal free experience you can do it free anytime . Don't wait till you are about to die.. START PUTTING YOUR TREASURES WHERE THEY REALLY MATTER >
Its awsome and It's just between you and Jesus
my testimony
Romans 10:9
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved
Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
The, looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.
“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and batter all these hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he, and then with twinkling eye,
“The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”
And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed – the hammers gone.
Truth is..exclusive
Americans "approve" of new pope? And here I thouight that ONLY 150 out of all catholics "approved" / elected the pope?
American Catholics would approve of Ronald McDonald had the Vatican made him Pope. Anyone still with the church after all Catholicism has done has drunk deep of the Holy Kool Aid Of Lourdes.
Can you name something, anything that Catholics haven't done which someone else has? The answer is no because the history of modern western civilization is spun around the history of the Church. Without Catholics you got nuthin'
Catholics haven't admitted their responsibility for the pedophilia scandal cover-up.
Limited population growth while sticking to their own principles.
Bill can you name something that could not have been done without Catholics?
Of course everything seems OK now. You'll have to wait and see. The priests molesting those young boys seemed to be OK also. How did that work out?
From everything we read about him, he sounds like a good man. May God be with him as he leads the Catholic church.
Why no credible evidence yet for your god? 2000 years, and nothing?
The meek and humble profess God's existence.
The proud and arrogant say there is no God.
End Religion always slithers in like that talking snake... asking us to doubt God's word.
Don't listen!
@End.. You have to start in faith. There is plenty of evidence. Every believer can attest to this. Try to buddy up with a believer outside this blog, someone who you can talk to within your family/ friends circle. Am sure they will support and pray with you.
@Rachel........Why do we have to start with faith? There is ZERO evidence of gods existence. The "pro life" republicans that the catholic church support want to cut/gut every program poor and elderly need to survive. The "pro life republicans that the catholic church supports is against reasonable gun control. How do you square the church supporting these buffoons?
the proud and arrogant claim to know the mind of god
@Ken
You need to sort your denominations out. Just randomly calling churches republican isn't an arguement.
@ In faith in pseudoscience he must trust
Why would you believe ancient fairy stories over reproducible science?
We don't have any evidence of a species that changes into another species.
We do have evidence that an inteligence is behind life. And that this intelligence interacts with its creation.
Are you spiritually blind?
http://www.spiritualencyclopaedia.org/Articles/S-articles/spiritualblindness.htm
The individual here has lost all insight. This is often the result of excessive intellect activity whereby the individual relies only on the intellect for all his decisions. He has thereby over many an incarnation neglected to use his spirit for his decisions. As a consequence, this spirit became accustomed to not being used and as such lies sleeping and immured within him.
Another reason for this condition is indolence. The individual fails to rouse his spirit to activity and also relies on the intellect for all his decision-making. People with this condition are unable to understand spiritual matters when these are being discussed and are also unable to receive any messages from the spiritual realm. They will also not be able to recognize spiritual messages or teachings or those who bring these messages.
THERE IS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!
Ask God for help!
Keep coming back and good luck on your journey!
@ individual relies only on the intellect for all his decisions.
Is this why so many people on here are rude and obnoxious? They have a spiritual malady?
where is this evidence that this intelligent being interacts with its creation?
The meek and humble profess God's existence.
The proud and arrogant say there is no God.
Atheism Logic (oxymoron) "Why would you believe ancient fairy stories over reproducible science?
I don't. please provide reference to reproducible science you're referring to
We don't have any evidence of a species that changes into another species.
Yes we do. It's been done with bacteria in the lab. Do you know lying is a sin
We do have evidence that an inteligence is behind life. And that this intelligence interacts with its creation.
No you don't. Please provide this evidence, or are you just blowing smoke.
Are you spiritually blind?
Depends on your definition. I've never seen any evidence for unicorns. I've never seen any evidence for UFO's. I've never seen any evidence for leprechauns. And I've never seen any evidence for gods So if spiritually blind means I don't see imaginary things then I suppose I am
pseudoscience that makes planes fly, computers work, lights shine and has increased life expectancy into the 70s. That stuff is just stupid and doesn't work. Makes much more sense to believe a book written 1850 years ago by a bunch of goat herders that thought the world was flat and didn't even have the sense not to use their drinking water as the toilet.
"We do have evidence that an inteligence is behind life. And that this intelligence interacts with its creation."
Who's "we"? And what "evidence" do you think you have of any such thing? Post it and cite your sources.
Some believe the Pope is the Anti-Christ.
Some believe that celibacy is appropriate for certain people, or for certain positions. It's ridiculous. Celibacy is unnatural and will continue to cause problems for the religious institutions that employ it.
Many of the people from these same institutions advocate against abortion, but don't understand the realistic benefit of the morning after pill or even basic contraception; their unrealistic wishful thinking is causing the death of many at the hands of disease. Realistically, many abortions could be avoided if a morning-after pill were not viewed as such an evil option. Many of these same people bring children into the world at a high pace, and then would prefer that the rest of society take over and educate their children in their particular brand of religion when they don't plan well.
In the U.S. recently we learned of the head of Lutheran CMS chastising a minister of that church for participating in a joint service for the victims of the Newtown school shooting.
One sect calls homosexuality an abomination while the next one in the same denomination is already performing gay marriage.
One sect, the Westboro Baptist Church believes Americans are being killed at war because America is too kind to "fags".
One sect believes that Jesus and Satan were brothers and that Christ will return to Jerusalem AND Jackson County, Missouri.
One sect believes women to be subservient, while another sect in the same denomination promotes equality between the sexes.
Conflicted right from the very beginning, Christianity continues to splinter and create divisions and more extremism as it goes.
=================================================
Has anything improved with Christianity since 200+ years ago?
Thomas Jefferson, POTUS #3 (from Notes on the State of Virginia):
Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.
James Madison, POTUS #4, chief architect of the U.S. Constitution & the Bill of Rights (from A Memorial and Remonstrance delivered to the Virginia General Assembly in 1785):
During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution.
John Adams, POTUS #2 (in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, 09/03/1816):
I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved – the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced! With the rational respect that is due to it, knavish priests have added prostitutions of it, that fill or might fill the blackest and bloodiest pages of human history.
Ben Franklin (from a letter to The London Packet, 3 June 1772):
If we look back into history for the character of present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practised it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England, blamed persecution in the Roman church, but practised it against the Puritans: these found it wrong in the Bishops, but fell into the same practice themselves both here and in New England.
Thomas Paine (from The Age of Reason):
All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.
_-_-_
Hey y'all, this isn't annoying is it? Chomp chomp chomp.... mmmmmm.... ribs. Chomp.
No clairty education works chomp chomp on that fake origin story
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okWkmgkS00w&w=640&h=360]
Peace
I'm created in God's image and I am accountable to him?
Or, no God created me... I'm just an accident. There is no God's or commandments to obey. I can create my own morality.
Helll, yea, I'm going to be an atheist. That sounds easy (and I'm a hipster so it gives me cred).
I can become a law all to myself.
Matthew 19
You like to advertise that you're a jerk, eh?
Adam is just an ape with a soul put into him. Jesus words mean nothing. Love is just a product of biology, not a gift from God. You love your kids because of a chemical reaction in your brain. We are children of darkness.
Nope. Souls don't exist and there was no "Adam." You've got a lot to learn, so try a little more humility.
A bird can turn into a horse. A dog can turn into a mouse. Macro Evolution, baby. We have proof of species changing to other species. Yep.
You have a soul.
Evolution is a fact. Souls are imaginary and do not exist. When something like god or souls are completely invisible and undetectable, the most logical opinion to hold about them is that they are only a product of some human's imagining.
Atheism Logic (oxymoron): "A bird can turn into a horse. A dog can turn into a mouse. Macro Evolution, baby. We have proof of species changing to other species. Yep."
Well that was a big bowl of stupid. (Someone doesn't understand evolution.)
Naturalism rules. Nature is the whole show. There is no God. There is no such things as miracles. The laws of nature are the explanation of everything.
Thou shalt assume there is a natural explanation for everything....
And the second commandment is just like it...
Tho shalt not even ponder the possibility that something could operate outside this explanation.
This natural world is ALL THERE IS.
What we can see is all there is and all there will ever be.
Nothing can operate outside of this understanding.
We must exclude everything we can not measure!!!!
Actually, even with all the scientific equipment available, we can only observe about 3% of "all there is." And that's if we're calculating it correctly. So no, we only see a very small slice of reality. There are no gods or evidence for gods in what we can observe and test.
What cannot be measured is mere conjecture; there's no need to "exclude" those possibilities, but there's no reason to call them anything other than "conjecture," either.
Absence of Change in fossils...
It looks like these life forms were just planted here.
Where are the fossils of beings with little stubs that evolved into wings and fins?
Fossils actually support creationism, not evolutionism. Wait, what?
Some fvcking moron has no idea what evolution is. I won't name any names.
We were all made by the same creator. It would make sense that a creator would make us all similar. Humans and apes were both given noses to smell, eyes to see, ears to hear...
Where are the fossils that show the change? Why the absence?
vestigial organs? vestigial organs? vestigial organs?? vestigial organs???
There are 0 vestigial organs.
Appendix is part of the immune system. It is useful to young children.
Text books need to be changed then?
If you were truly interested in the answers to your fossil questions you'd not be acting as you are and "asking" those questions, here. Either do some honest research and find the correct answers, or be lazy and faithful and satisfied with stupid bvllsh!t you already believe. With your level of stupidity, I hope you stay a christian and go around acting out your stupidity everywhere you go. That's the best option for your side and mine, I think.
Don't rednecks know enough to put parental controls on the computers that their children use?
"There is no God's or commandments to obey. I can create my own morality."
Religious people find it very annoying that people don't need God to be good, as science has now incontestably proved.
For millennia, we've been brainwashed into believing that we needed the Almighty to redeem us from an essentially corrupt nature. Left to our own devices, people would quickly devolve into beasts, more violent, tactless, aggressive, and selfish, than we already are.
Today, we know that this isn't true. With the discovery of mirror neurons by Italian neuroscientist Giaccomo Rizzolatti in the 1990s, we now have physiological proof of why - and how - our species became hard-wired for goodness. Mirror neurons are miraculous cells in the brain whose sole purpose is to harmonize us with our environments. By reflecting the outside world inward, we actually become each other - a little bit; neurologically changed by what is happening around us. Mirror neurons are the reason that we have empathy and can feel each other's pain. It is because of mirror neurons that you blush when you see someone else humiliated, flinch when someone else is struck, and can't resist the urge to laugh when seeing a group struck with the giggles. (Indeed, people who test for "contagious yawning" tend to be more empathic.) These tiny mirrors are the key to most things noble and good inside us.
It is through mirror neurons - not God - that we redeem ourselves, achieve salvation, and are "reborn" in virtuous ways once co-opted by religions. Evolution knew what she was doing. A group of successful cooperators has a much higher chance of thriving than a population of selfish liars. In spite of what we read in the headlines, the ratio of bad to good deeds done on any given day across our planet holds at close to zero any day of the year. Although we are ethical works-in-progress, the vast majority of us are naturally positive creatures - meaning not harmful to our environments - most of the time in most of the ways that matter. And God has nothing to do with it.
Spirituality does but God doesn't. Evolutionary psychologists tell us that our brains are hard-wired with a five-toned moral organ that focuses on a quintet of ethical values - one of which is purity, or sacredness. In a world that can sometimes be disgusting, we evolved an upper tier of emotional longing - the aspiration for purity - to keep us balanced in this satyricon of carnal delights (where animality beckons and frequently wins). Our need for sacredness is part of our ancient survival apparatus, and manifests in what we call faith, the need to connect with that sacred dimension. This has been the primary purpose of religion, of course - to congregate people for the Greater Good - but God has been, in fact, the divine carrot. The important part was communion, a context in which to transcend ourselves, if only for an hour on Sundays. Without this ability "to turn off the Me and turn on the We," moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt tells us, our species would still be wandering around as groups of nomads, unable to create a civilization.
Aside from mirror neurons, there's oxytocin, the molecule of connection (also known as the molecule of love). It's fascinating to learn that the vagus nerve produces more oxytocin when we witness virtuous behavior in others that makes us want to be better people ourselves. We are wired by nature to be elevated at the sight of other people's goodness, mirror neurons and oxytocin conspiring to improve the species. Miraculous though it is, this natural human phenomenon has nothing to do with theology.
Where is the missing link?
I've seen drawings and models, where they construct some primitive being from a small piece of a jaw bone....
But why aren't there tons of skeletal remains with the slight species changes that is required for human evolution from a monkey (or ultimately a fish).
They don't exist.
Talk about faith.
I'm an atheist, a man of faith.
Apes mutate into human beings all the time.
We can observe this. It is science.
(I know that is faith, we can't observe it, and we have no proof).
I know there is absence of fossils that support my claims, that is why I have FAITH in science. I trust my text books.
Evolution = positive mutation + natural selection + enough time
DNA mutations that create new species occur all the time.
(They don't but I have FAITH that they have)
So we have NO EVIDENCE of one species turning into another species.
NONE?
Yet, we believe that we changed from apes... because... of faith?
Natural Selection –
Winners: Species with superior traits
Losers: Species with inferior traits
Superior species pass on their superior traits... as this process goes on... evolution takes place.
Species DNA has never changed. It takes a lot of faith to believe that it does. We have 0 evidence of it.
Wow.
Moron, If you have attended school, science and logic would not be beyond your grasp. There is plenty of literature and videos on evolution which you clearly have no comprehension of. From your posts you appear to be proud of your ignorance but it's never too late to learn.
Where are the transitional forms of man evolving from lower creations?
Did Christians hide them from the scientists?
A L,
" I'm going to be an atheist. That sounds easy ..."
Actually, your fantasy scenario sounds a lot easier. Butt-kiss a monstrous tyrant and live in bliss for eternity! Slick!
It's much more difficult being on our own and having to figure things out rationally.
"The Gish Gallop, named after creationist Duane Gish, is the debating technique of drowning the opponent in such a torrent of half-truths, lies, and straw-man arguments that the opponent cannot possibly answer every falsehood in real time. The term was coined by Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education. Sam Harris describes the technique as "starting 10 fires in 10 minutes." "
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Gish_Gallop
Is it possible for a believer to hold on to creationism, but hold onto the old universe idea?
The answers to your questions about evolution are out there, but you've not done any serious inquiry where the answers would be found. Instead, you prove yourself to be incredibly stupid by acting as if your questions are witty and show the evolutionary model to be incorrect. You don't "believe" in evolution because of your stupidity, and I hope you're a christian, too, for the same reason.
By all means, keep on telling everyone how stupid you are. You've done an excellent job so far.
Relax – I'm just listening to this and taking notes.
[audio src="http://www.wittenbergmedia.org/audio/Creation_vs_Evolution_Debate_-_Rhodes.mp3" /]
I'm amazed at the absence of fossils that show the change..
...we atheists depend on faith, too. Wow.
Of course you can believe in an old universe and be a creationist. Creationists believe all sorts of different, stupid sh!t. There's no limit to the combinations of right and wrong that a creationist can cling to.
I mean no offense to your God (science, reason, or whatever you use to live your life by)
Moron, "Where are the transitional forms of man evolving from lower creations?"
Read a book called "Your Inner Fish" by Neil Shubin, it will explain what the DNA shows, i.e. that is worse than you imagine. You snicker at having a common ancestor with apes, but it's a whole line of mammals preceded by fish.
If you're really "amazed" at the lack of fossils then you're even more stupid than I thought.
Because we have a Creator we have science...
...if everything just happened randomly, if we are just the product of postive mutations from lower species.... science couldn't be reliable.
Without a god no good science can exist.
I'm far from offended. I'm DELIGHTED that such a stupid dipsh!t as yourself is both amazingly stupid and willing to advertise it so freely. Keep up the great work, and thank you!!
@ You snicker at having a common ancestor with apes, but it's a whole line of mammals preceded by fish.
Have we observed a fish change into a dog? Can we do this scientifically? Or do we need faith?
@ Moby Schtick
Jerk.
Moron, "Have we observed a fish change into a dog? Can we do this scientifically?"
We can see traits in the DNA unless you don't believe that science either. You use the internet (or know someone who enters your dictated rants) so presumably you're OK with science that suits you.
Have we observed a woman being created from a man's rib?
Have we observed a talking snake?
Have we observed or seen any evidence of a planet-wide flood?
Have we observed a woman turning to salt?
Why would you believe ancient fairy stories over reproducible science?
No, but with God we can understand these things.
But fish turning into mice? You crazy Santa!
Moby Schtick
Did you say souls are imaginary and do not exist in direct contravention of modern human psychology which says it does? Also do you know that this modern psychology view of humans is confirmed by the Tabernacle in the OT? My next door neighbor is a neurologist and we've discussed it at length so are you sure I should take a retired theologian turned atheist's view over that of the good brain doctor who is also a professor of neurosciences?
@formerly Nii
"Did you say souls are imaginary and do not exist in direct contravention of modern human psychology which says it does?"
Really? Well then, cite for us exactly the peer reviewed journals and articles backing this claim of yours.
Hawaii
Have you ever heard of the Id, Ego, Alterego, and superego? This is the concept of the human soul in the Bible too. That is why bodily resurrection is so important to Christian theology. You can look them up in a Psychology dictionary or online whichever pleases you.
P.S I have searched for you on several posts to tell you I have reacted to your accusations. I am off to bed. Its almost midnight.
@formerly Nii
Sorry, but you spinning concepts of how people generally think doesn't equal a soul. The word "soul" has a lot of supernatural baggage that psychology does not even hint at. That's more dishonest than you usually are.
Hawaii
How people generally think?
And supernatural garbage?
Oh boy you have not read much on why some Jewish and Christian sects do not believe in the immortality of the soul, have you?
As I said I don't intend to bicker and claw with you? What is written is written. The supernatural garbage as you call it can be found further up on the thread in Ron's post.
Mind that just as others say we are wired for God, science agrees. Whether this is an evolutionary adaptation is a different matter.
Science is not supernatural garbage too is it.
The Bible only affords the easiest way to spirituality. If you can read and understand it in the predominant scientific language of the day- metaphysics.
If you can't just love your neighbor as yourself. It will land you in the right place.
@formerly Nii
Wow, so you apparently don't have any reading comprehension in addition to not actually addressing anything.
We've got the fossils (millions of them, of extinct species), so creationists have lost the argument. Scopes or otherwise, it's just that simple.
I definitely approve of the new Pope, especially his humility and common touch. I read somewhere that in Argentina he has not been as dogmatic as his successors on the Catholic Church's ban against birth control. My opinion is that birth control (I am not speaking of abortion) is a good thing because it prevents a lot of human suffering, especially in Africa and other poverty-stricken areas, where AIDS is rampant. Also, from working in social services, I see numerous children that are unwanted, mistreated, and abused. Having as many children as you can, which the Catholic Church advocates, is sinful to me–even a rich family cannot give a child the attention it deserves when there are also several siblings involved. To me, it is a sin to bring children into the world when a person does not intend to protect and nurture them. It has been my experience, though, that most American Catholics ignore the church's ban on birth control and usually have only about 2-3 children.
Some believe the Pope is the Anti-Christ.
Some believe that celibacy is appropriate for certain people, or for certain positions. It's ridiculous. Celibacy is unnatural and will continue to cause problems for the religious institutions that employ it.
Many of the people from these same institutions advocate against abortion, but don't understand the realistic benefit of the morning after pill or even basic contraception; their unrealistic wishful thinking is causing the death of many at the hands of disease. Realistically, many abortions could be avoided if a morning-after pill were not viewed as such an evil option. Many of these same people bring children into the world at a high pace, and then would prefer that the rest of society take over and educate their children in their particular brand of religion when they don't plan well.
In the U.S. recently we learned of the head of Lutheran CMS chastising a minister of that church for participating in a joint service for the victims of the Newtown school shooting.
One sect calls homosexuality an abomination while the next one in the same denomination is already performing gay marriage.
One sect, the Westboro Baptist Church believes Americans are being killed at war because America is too kind to "fags".
One sect believes that Jesus and Satan were brothers and that Christ will return to Jerusalem AND Jackson County, Missouri.
One sect believes women to be subservient, while another sect in the same denomination promotes equality between the sexes.
Conflicted right from the very beginning, Christianity continues to splinter and create divisions and more extremism as it goes.
=================================================
Has anything improved with Christianity since 200+ years ago?
Thomas Jefferson, POTUS #3 (from Notes on the State of Virginia):
Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.
James Madison, POTUS #4, chief architect of the U.S. Constitution & the Bill of Rights (from A Memorial and Remonstrance delivered to the Virginia General Assembly in 1785):
During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution.
John Adams, POTUS #2 (in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, 09/03/1816):
I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved – the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced! With the rational respect that is due to it, knavish priests have added prostitutions of it, that fill or might fill the blackest and bloodiest pages of human history.
Ben Franklin (from a letter to The London Packet, 3 June 1772):
If we look back into history for the character of present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practised it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England, blamed persecution in the Roman church, but practised it against the Puritans: these found it wrong in the Bishops, but fell into the same practice themselves both here and in New England.
Thomas Paine (from The Age of Reason):
All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.
Hey! Just as there are different religions and different theologies within a religion, there are different sects of atheists: libertarian atheists, Marxist atheists, scientific determinist atheists, existentialist atheists, humanist atheists, Nietzschean atheists, etc., etc.
Feel all better now?
So – I'll let the readers determine who is crazy. At least I've provided some things to consider.
Is this thing on?
your microphone is working!
I prefer Popa-Pola Classic. New Pope tastes funny.
CNN Poll:
Vaitcan doesn't give a flying fig what American Catholics think of new Pope.
Rogue nuns, government funded birth control, abortion, rampant onanism – buncha yankee doodle apostates!
Why the fuss over a man no better or worse than any human who ever existed?
Tis mind boggling that this man and his religion can be brought down to earth in less than ten seconds. With this in mind should not the moderators/editors of this blog and their buddy Stevie P be looking for new jobs?
Again for the new members:
To wit:
Putting the kibosh on all religion in less than ten seconds: Priceless !!!
• As far as one knows or can tell, there was no Abraham i.e. the foundations of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are non-existent.
• As far as one knows or can tell, there was no Moses i.e the pillars of Judaism, Christianity and Islam have no strength of purpose.
• There was no Gabriel i.e. Islam fails as a religion. Christianity partially fails.
• There was no Easter i.e. Christianity completely fails as a religion.
• There was no Moroni i.e. Mormonism is nothing more than a business cult.
• Sacred/revered cows, monkey gods, castes, reincarnations and therefore Hinduism fails as a religion.
• Fat Buddhas here, skinny Buddhas there, reincarnated/reborn Buddhas everywhere makes for a no on Buddhism.
Added details available upon written request.
A quick search will put the kibosh on any other groups calling themselves a religion.
e.g. Taoism
"The origins of Taoism are unclear. Traditionally, Lao-tzu who lived in the sixth century is regarded as its founder. Its early philosophic foundations and its later beliefs and rituals are two completely different ways of life. Today (1982) Taoism claims 31,286,000 followers.
Legend says that Lao-tzu was immaculately conceived by a shooting star; carried in his mother's womb for eighty-two years; and born a full grown wise old man. "
TLDR
For those who are reading-challenged:
THERE NEVER WERE AND NEVER WILL BE ANY ANGELS I.E. NO GABRIEL, NO ISLAM AND THEREFORE NO MORE KORANIC-DRIVEN ACTS OF HORROR AND TERROR LIKE 9/11.
THERE WERE NEVER ANY BODILY RESURRECTIONS AND THERE WILL NEVER BE ANY BODILY RESURRECTIONS I.E. NO EASTER, NO CHRISTIANITY.
:
ABRAHAM AND MOSES AS BEST ONE CAN TELL NEVER EXISTED.
Added details upon request.
I'm requesting that you stop pasting spam.
I am a christian and i agree with you religion is a hypocrisy and fake. But God is real and he's reading your comments. God loves you and offers all who walk the earth salvation through his son jesus christ and that is the true church. And christ is also the salvation of moses,abraham and any other biblical people you denie. The bible also talks of ceaser and pharoh so from what you said they must not exist either.
eggtrust
The Ceasars and pharaoh s have seperate independant validation.
God does not. neither does Jesus.
Your book was written by men, and was cobbled together from earlier versions of the stories.
Also do your homework and see that science says that the events described in the bible of pharohs time have a stricking reseblence to all other scientific facts of the time. And just so you know some of the books of the bible were written before ceaser and in the time of pharoh so you are telling to trust modern sciences views instead of writings from when the events really happened.
eggtrust
When which events really happened? That's part of the problem that you have...the record keeping at the time was poor at best, then you have people actively changing what actually happened, destroying some record, some altering or creating new history. You have no idea what "actually happened".
Your book is not viewed as being historical at all, since nearly none of it can be confirmed. Believe in hat book , but if you really examine where and why it came from, you will find yourself opretty silly for believing it.
Ok so if what you say is true then we have to believe that other than some artifacts found from these times every other account of the time period is just fiction.
Only for the those interested in a religious update:
1. origin: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E1EFE35540C7A8CDDAA0894DA404482
“New Torah For Modern Minds
Abraham, the Jewish patriarch, probably never existed. Nor did Moses. The entire Exodus story as recounted in the Bible probably never occurred. The same is true of the tumbling of the walls of Jericho. And David, far from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem into a mighty capital, was more likely a provincial leader whose reputation was later magnified to provide a rallying point for a fledgling nation.
Such startling propositions – the product of findings by archaeologists digging in Israel and its environs over the last 25 years – have gained wide acceptance among non-Orthodox rabbis. But there has been no attempt to disseminate these ideas or to discuss them with the laity – until now.
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, which represents the 1.5 million Conservative Jews in the United States, has just issued a new Torah and commentary, the first for Conservatives in more than 60 years. Called "Etz Hayim" ("Tree of Life" in Hebrew), it offers an interpretation that incorporates the latest findings from archaeology, philology, anthropology and the study of ancient cultures. To the editors who worked on the book, it represents one of the boldest efforts ever to introduce into the religious mainstream a view of the Bible as a human rather than divine docu-ment. “
prob•a•bly
Adverb: Almost certainly; as far as one knows or can tell.
2. Jesus was an illiterate Jewish peasant/carpenter/simple preacher man who suffered from hallucinations (or “mythicizing” from P, M, M, L and J) and who has been characterized anywhere from the Messiah from Nazareth to a mythical character from mythical Nazareth to a ma-mzer from Nazareth (Professor Bruce Chilton, in his book Rabbi Jesus). An-alyses of Jesus’ life by many contemporary NT scholars (e.g. Professors Ludemann, Crossan, Borg and Fredriksen, ) via the NT and related doc-uments have concluded that only about 30% of Jesus' sayings and ways noted in the NT were authentic. The rest being embellishments (e.g. miracles)/hallucinations made/had by the NT authors to impress various Christian, Jewish and Pagan sects.
The 30% of the NT that is "authentic Jesus" like everything in life was borrowed/plagiarized and/or improved from those who came before. In Jesus' case, it was the ways and sayings of the Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Hitt-ites, Canaanites, OT, John the Baptizer and possibly the ways and sayings of traveling Greek Cynics.
earlychristianwritings.com/
For added "pizzazz", Catholic theologians divided god the singularity into three persons and invented atonement as an added guilt trip for the "pew people" to go along with this trinity of overseers. By doing so, they made god the padre into god the "filicider".
Current RCC problems:
Too many pedophiliac priests, an all-male, mostly white hierarchy, atonement theology and original sin!!!!
2 b., Luther, Calvin, Joe Smith, Henry VIII, Wesley, Roger Williams, the Great “Babs” et al, founders of Christian-based religions or combination religions also suffered from the belief in/hallucinations of "pretty wingie thingie" visits and "prophecies" for profits analogous to the myths of Catholicism (resurrections, apparitions, ascensions and immacu-late co-nceptions).
Current problems:
Adulterous preachers, pedophiliac clerics, "propheteering/ profiteering" evangelicals and atonement theology,
3. Mohammed was an illiterate, womanizing, lust and greed-driven, warmongering, hallucinating Arab, who also had embellishing/hallucinating/plagiarizing scribal biographers who not only added "angels" and flying chariots to the koran but also a militaristic agenda to support the plundering and looting of the lands of non-believers.
This agenda continues as shown by the ma-ssacre in Mumbai, the as-sas-sinations of Bhutto and Theo Van Gogh, the conduct of the seven Muslim doctors in the UK, the 9/11 terrorists, the 24/7 Sunni suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the 24/7 Shiite suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the Islamic bombers of the trains in the UK and Spain, the Bali crazies, the Kenya crazies, the Pakistani “koranics”, the Palestine suicide bombers/rocketeers, the Lebanese nutcases, the Taliban nut jobs, the Ft. Hood follower of the koran, and the Filipino “koranics”.
And who funds this muck and stench of terror? The warmongering, Islamic, Shiite terror and torture theocracy of Iran aka the Third Axis of Evil and also the Sunni "Wannabees" of Saudi Arabia.
Current crises:
The Sunni-Shiite blood feud and the warmongering, womanizing (11 wives), hallucinating founder.
4. Hinduism (from an online Hindu site) – "Hinduism cannot be described as an organized religion. It is not founded by any individual. Hinduism is God centered and therefore one can call Hinduism as founded by God, because the answer to the question ‘Who is behind the eternal principles and who makes them work?’ will have to be ‘Cosmic power, Divine power, God’."
The caste/laborer system, reincarnation and cow worship/reverence are problems when saying a fair and rational God founded Hinduism."
Current problems:
The caste system, reincarnation and cow worship/reverence.
5. Buddhism- "Buddhism began in India about 500 years before the birth of Christ. The people living at that time had become disillusioned with certain beliefs of Hinduism including the caste system, which had grown extremely complex. The number of outcasts (those who did not belong to any particular caste) was continuing to grow."
"However, in Buddhism, like so many other religions, fanciful stories arose concerning events in the life of the founder, Siddhartha Gautama (fifth century B.C.):"
Archaeological discoveries have proved, beyond a doubt, his historical character, but apart from the legends we know very little about the circu-mstances of his life. e.g. Buddha by one legend was supposedly talking when he came out of his mother's womb.
Bottom line: There are many good ways of living but be aware of the hallucinations, embellishments, lies, and myths surrounding the founders and foundations of said rules of life.
Then, apply the Five F rule: "First Find the Flaws, then Fix the Foundations". And finally there will be religious peace and religious awareness in the world!!!!!
well, at least he doesn't look like the emperor from star wars like benedict did. francis looks like a fat mr. magoo. i approve of the new Vatican Crisis Manager. francis said they would install lube dispensers in all the confessional booths because choir boys were complaining about chaffed b.uttholes. see? he's already proving to be a great and compassionate church leader.
amen.
Americans are always an open minded people; they are the biggest noise maker too, on BB. Although, I don't support him, good luck with your new job Jorge
Of course they do they know he is going to do nothing about the abuses being done by the church.