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November 7th, 2013
12:30 PM ET
Even atheists love this PopeBy Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-editor [twitter-follow screen_name='BurkeCNN'] (CNN) - With his penchant for crowd-pleasing and spontaneous acts of compassion, Pope Francis has earned high praise from fellow Catholics. Hell, even atheists love him - as amply demonstrated by the surprising displays of affection tweeted after the Pope publicly embraced a severely disfigured man on Wednesday. MORE ON CNN: Why the pope's embrace of the disfigured man is so powerful Here's what some atheists had to say on Twitter:
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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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Great Pope! Everyone should get a bath time pope-on-a-rope-soap and we can all enjoy him ;} 🙂 :[
Catholicism isn't going anywhere in my lifetime. It's nice to see the head of it be focused on good will. This guy makes JP2 look like a conservative.
Now let's get the Shia a Grand Ayatollah that thinks the same way.
Whoa there, one step at a time. Actually, if we can get the Ayatollah and Fred Phelps to bone each other, then we know everything will be just fine.
He seems less of an authoritarian stone age dictator than the last bloke. I don't have to dislike someone just because they are deluded. But he still leads an oppressive system designed to enslave people to the will of a powerful few by using lies and coercion. There is no magic, there are no gods, no devils, no spirits. The catholic church is an international pseudo nation. That is all.
well put Chris!
There's something weird here. These tweets use phrases like "devout atheist" and "staunch atheist". It's like they're still fighting something inside, or else these are planted comments. If you are atheist, well... you simple are atheist. No devotion or whatever. That's for belief systems. Atheism is a non-belief.
People have sometimes written to our local newspaper with claims like "I used to be a Democrat, but now I'm a Republican because of such-and-such" Then they make some bizarre statements that obviously come from a long-life Republican. They're just pretenders, as I think these so-called atheists are.
This pope is presenting a nicer facade, but the problems with belief systems are still the same. I was raised Catholic, by the way.
Yes, it's like those tweets were from those who think atheism is a religion so I find them quite suspect to have come from an atheist. They are probably really from Christians, liars for Jesus being deceitful.
Of course atheists love him... he preaches Political Correctness, not the God of the Bible. I used to be Catholic, but the Catholic Church has gotten so weak over the past decade that their message has drifted far away from the salvation requirements (yes requirements) set forth by the God of the Bible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz6tc9hG9AU
So, because he teaches to love an respect everyone (even people you may think are doing obvious wrong), you quit being Catholic? Hmm....
These photo ops and him saying atheists and gays will go to heaven is no accident. The church has no choice but to play down their arrogance and disdain for their sheep and utilize the mass, gullible media to their benefit if they are to hold onto their hordes of gold and power .
People see this man in a dress hug this pitiful man and all the sudden 2000 years of raping children and destroying civilizations is forgotten! Pathetic.
You are a very sad, jaded soul.
So brave.
Hey JJ-suck back and re-load will you.Your anger is not doing any good here.For most atheists,religious faith can be difficult to understand and it can be frustrating when talking to the believers,but hating is not the way to go.You have to admit this pope seems like a pretty nice guy and the fact that he's surely ticking off the old guard must give you some comfort.No?
if there is a love, it isnt for a man its for this dude their high leader calling them hypocrites as he should.
Mr Jesus never told these hypocrites to hate fellow humans, never told them to judge them, never told them to look down upon them, never told them to go forth and massacre and convert them... yet here we are.
This atheist does not love him.
No, we don't love him. He is certainly more publicity savvy than his predecessor, but he runs the wrong show anyway, and we don't see any real reforms yet that would make Catholic church slightly less irrelevant even to the believers.
As an atheist I see the Pope as just another person. A good person. A really good person that uses his stature and position in life to help others.
The Pope is showing the type of kindness we all should show, no matter what you believe.
"Like"
Is this a Joke, one Atheist tweets, makes here wanna be a catholic, other says truly embraces the teaching of christ?
is this a joke?
curious how did those nuts even became an atheist in the first place?
whats next this pope promising atheist salvation and atheist joining the flock?
weak minded atheist they are eh?
I believe you've confused "weak minded" with "open minded".
I believe he already said that atheists can get into Heaven.
They are already among the flock...closeted atheists who would be ostracized if they spoke up about their true beliefs.
The joke is, that all of the tweets in this story are from atheists. Can't you count?
Joke never said there was only one. Can't you read?
Typical religious politician trying to look good in the public eye and gain trust. Why not kiss babies and embrace the least of these for the camera? Makes you look really good. It's the faithful few who are willing to serve others quietly without broadcasting it because of their love for God that get my attention. Not because they want to show off how pious they are. The pope's group is very rich and they can certainly use their money to help the poor without displaying it.
I'm confused...so atheists like Christianity now?
No... we like Christ-like behavior. Unfortunately, that's sorely lacking in Christianity.
Do we? I personally don't care for hippy carpenters who threaten me with eternal torture.
"They're just pretenders, as I think these so-called atheists are" LOL
NO thrrrt. promise
So u actually believe Jesus was real? lol
go back to being a Catholic, ur too brainwashed to be on our side.
Who said anything about Jesus being a real person? You don't have to believe that Jesus existed to sympathize with and appreciate the behaviors attributed to him in a book, any more than you don't need to believe Atticus Finch or Henry Drummond were real people in order to think that they behaved decently. Time to clean out the ears, Magda...
There's no evidence for Socrates having ever existed, but that doesn't negate doubt as a valuable quality.
Actually, Christ-like behavior is very common among Christians. Far more common than among atheists.
Yep, it's rare for an atheist to gleefully wish eternal torture on others.
I have met only two or three Christians in my ENTIRE LIFE that seem to make ANY real effort to live in a "Christ-like" manner at all! Most so-called "Christians" that I know do not seem to be aware of what their own imaginary prophet allegedly said and preached! I have read the entire old testament as well as the new testament twice in two different translations, so I DO know what I a talking about!
In light of what I have personally witnessed throughout my rather LONG life, I strongly disagree with your presumption about "most" Christians living in a Christ-like manner! You and I must have a VERY different impression of what YOUR bible really says! You might want to read it some more and think REAL HARD about how YOUR actions fit into those scriptures...
Some do, most don't. Same as always.
Anyway, I know many Protestants who think Catholicism is just as bad as atheism and don't consider it Christian at all.
I am a Catholic, and I don't care if anyone thinks I am a Christian or not. God knows that I am, and that's enough for me.
Well, he doesn't exist, but good for you anyway. I don't blame you for believing either. Free booze and cardboard is a sweeeeeeeeeeeet deal.
No, atheists appreciate a moral, compassionate person (at least some do).
No, we just like those that actually follow the teachings of the bible. Too many self-proclaimed Christians never show the compassion and kindness that Pope Francis does.
Could everybody please stop saying 'we' to describe stuff unrelated to atheism? The only 'we' statement about atheists is that 'we' reject belief in deities. Everything else is superfluous.
These days most Christians believe in everything about Jesus except what he taught. Humanists believe in nothing about Jesus except what he taught.
Like eternal damnation?
Far from it honestly. I do appreciate seeing this pope being a little more open minded and trying to give his cult a better name, now all he needs to really do is admit the bible shouldn't be followed and maybe turn all the known pedophile priests over for persecution.
Being an atheist does not necessarily mean rejecting most of the beliefs about love, charity and decency that are embodied in Judeo-Christian faiths. In fact, most atheists are firm believers in these traits. It is the idea of a divine god that is rejected.
Some Atheists... so far. Not most.... just wait.
So few Christian leaders try to be like Jesus. The world would be all Christian if more acted like this good man
No it wouldn't.
We have a winner in Most Ignorant Comment of the Day.
Dude – most folks in the world don't even know who this Jesus' guy was, and I guarantee they ain't got no interest in 'being like him'.
It's fine that you have some obsession with a man, but not the rest of us. If you like chicken – eat chicken. I'm sticking to beef. So please, don't tell me how you know that chicken is better than beef.
Jesus was not even real, there is overwhelming evidence against his existence. he was the the creation of the romans, ps u can even use apostle Paul's own statements to disprove Jesus's existence.. google it, research it on your own, maybe ur just a typical mindless religizombie.
Humm...regardless of your faith, Jesus having been a real person is pretty well established. He shows up in almost every religion including Judaism and Muslim faiths. He just played a different role in their teachings, but existed non the less. The book that we now call the bible is comprised of writings from before the Roman occupation, which yes they helped choose which parts to publish, but the writings themselves were much much older than when the "Bible" was created. Learn some real history, wikipedia is not always correct you moron.
The ONLY thing about the mythical Jesus that is well established is the fact that there were MULTIPLE individuals who lived during this approximate time period whose name was Jesus. Whether or not ANY of them was the alledged "prophet" referred to in the Gospels has NEVER been determined! So, NO there really is NO evidence nor consensus that there EVER was an actual "prophet" named Jesus who did and said any of the things attributed to him in the Gospels. It is still pure speculation with NO tangeble evidence to support it. sorry!
or perhaps you know nothing? that's a possibility....
Love is a pretty strong word. I truly respect his approach to religion and his respect for his fellow man. If all the so-called religious leaders in the world, including evangelical "pastors" and radical imams possessed half the humility and goodness that this man exudes, there may yet be hope for mankind and a peace on earth.
Free people can be more tyrannical and oppressive than the government, seeking to control what you express and communicate. Good example of what I mean:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/group-asks-high-school-change-arab-mascot-article-1.1509017
I'll have a bit of respect for this Pope (or any) if he would admit the cover-up, turn over all of their known pedophiles and all information pertaining to these crimes and fully cooperate in the investigations. If just one Pope would put their "money where their mouth is" I'd give a little respect.
Have you seen the Pope's views on Pedophiles in the church? In addition, and more importantly, he has ordered all Catholic churches to act decisively to root out pedophile priests. It is a start in the right direction.
I have not seen that .. so thanks for informing me! If that is true he has a little respect from me, but I'm holding out for the whole 9 yards.
He is doing it.
They had a pedophile priest recently that was reported to the Vatican – and the Vatican notified the police! Rather than hide the whole thing, they reported it. So it does seem that he's getting real results.
I'm an atheist and as a former Catholic I like the new Pope. Eventually the church may even support the use of contraceptives which is the most divisive issue facing the church.
Except that is never going to happen.