Religion: Catholics, Episcopalians, Atheists, All Are Welcome!

[MissThundercat]

I'm also laughing at the idea the Catholic church is still relevant.

[Kepler]

I'm also laughing at the idea the Catholic church is still relevant.

It is in the Third World, sadly. In Africa and South America the Catholic church's policies continue to lead to untold misery. They are hugely influential with the uneducated, just as they were once in Europe and North America. They could be a force for good if they could just pull their head out of whatever underage rectum it's lodging in.

Religion has its place as a ladder between barbarism and the first rung of civilization. Once you reach competence you have to throw the ladder away because it becomes a burden and a useless vestigial obstacle, but the ladder is still needed by the billions on the bottom who can't jump to the first rung.

Religion is the survey course in becoming human. Science is the graduate course. But most people need to take the survey course first -- only maybe 10% of the population places out of it.

[mookie1995]

A large % of world population needs something to look forward to, cause it ain’t ever gonna happen here

[Kepler]

A large % of world population needs something to look forward to, cause it ain’t ever gonna happen here

Ironically that attitude is what stops it from happening here, as the Haves calculated when they made sure the religions that the masses are exposed to protect their privileges.

[joecct]

I'm also laughing at the idea the Catholic church is still relevant.

After one of the Councils of Vienna in the mid 19th century, the same death knell was sounded. She emerged even stronger.

I'll go for smaller but more effective.

[St. Clown]

After one of the Councils of Vienna in the mid 19th century, the same death knell was sounded. She emerged even stronger.

I'll go for smaller but more effective.

Effective at what?

[burd]

Effective at what?

Hold on to money, power and control by keeping the Fairy Tale alive.

[mookie1995]

Effective at what?

He no help with curveball

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Effective at what?

[MissThundercat]

That would be effective if I were Catholic, but I'm not.

[Kepler]

I'm actually more than a little turned on. It's the crazy ones who are always the wildest ride.

[ericredaxe]

It is in the Third World, sadly. In Africa and South America the Catholic church's policies continue to lead to untold misery. They are hugely influential with the uneducated, just as they were once in Europe and North America. They could be a force for good if they could just pull their head out of whatever underage rectum it's lodging in.

Religion has its place as a ladder between barbarism and the first rung of civilization. Once you reach competence you have to throw the ladder away because it becomes a burden and a useless vestigial obstacle, but the ladder is still needed by the billions on the bottom who can't jump to the first rung.

Religion is the survey course in becoming human. Science is the graduate course. But most people need to take the survey course first -- only maybe 10% of the population places out of it.

Can I plagiarize this?

[Jimjamesak]

I'm actually more than a little turned on. It's the crazy ones who are always the wildest ride.

That’s a dude. Judge Frollo to be specific.

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

He no help with curveball

Are you saying Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?

[Kepler]

That’s a dude. Judge Frollo to be specific.

Don't you judge me, Earl.

[MissThundercat]

This is where I miss Bob Gray and Timothy A. At least in terms of Christianity, they were knowledgeable without pushing their denominations as the be all, end all of the faith. I never heard Timothy say Lutherans were the best denomination or something like that.

But this is something I want joe to understand. Catholic is not the best denomination for everyone. Right now, I'm part of a denomination that says not only am I welcome to worship there, I am welcome to participate. Catholic leadership says while I'm welcome to worship, I'm also part of a "rainbow plague" that's "destroying creation."

[Kepler]

I never heard Timothy say Lutherans were the best denomination or something like that.

Maybe, but he was on record saying atheists couldn't be good people and that atheism was "the worship of nothingness."

F-ck him.

[Kepler]

But this is something I want joe to understand. Catholic is not the best denomination for everyone. Right now, I'm part of a denomination that says not only am I welcome to worship there, I am welcome to participate. Catholic leadership says while I'm welcome to worship, I'm also part of a "rainbow plague" that's "destroying creation."

Virtually every Christian denomination has words of hatred for people not on their Nice list. That's easy to deal with in Protestantism, the whole point of which is an individual communion with God. You just ignore the self-appointed "spokesmen" of the sect and craft your own religion.

But in Catholicism the church bureaucracy is the religion.

I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. -- Matthew 16:18

This makes Catholicism uniquely unsuited for anyone with even a smidgen of personal responsibility, because in being a valid Catholic you're on board with everything the Vatican spews out. You may call yourself a Catholic if you pick and choose but you're a lousy one if you do, by your own Catechism:

Having become a member of the Church, the person baptized belongs no longer to himself, but to him who died and rose for us. From now on, he is called to be subject to others, to serve them in the communion of the Church, and to "obey and submit" to the Church's leaders, holding them in respect and affection. -- Catechism of the Catholic Church 1269

Stay away from the Whore of Babylon. It produces such great scholars because it has to to try to hypocritically unwind from all the casuistic bullsh-t larded onto it.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

This is where I miss Bob Gray and Timothy A. At least in terms of Christianity, they were knowledgeable without pushing their denominations as the be all, end all of the faith.

Perhaps not, but if you weren't a conservative Christian you were automatically a suspicious, or flat-out bad person in their eyes. So I consider any quibbles over "denomination" a rather moot point.

[Kepler]

Perhaps not, but if you weren't a conservative Christian you were automatically a suspicious, or flat-out bad person in their eyes. So I consider any quibbles over "denomination" a rather moot point.

Timothy A. loved both kinds of people: country and western.