Just how messed up is religion?

[Rareboy]

You're wrong the OP is very strong in his hate for Christians.

I know a lot of true 'Christians' who have the same contempt for the extremist, fundamentalist nonsense in the so called 'Christian' churches.


to me this sounds sectarian...the old protestant rant against the Catholic Church.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

The topic:

[BlueStar]

Thanks to religious crap, I can't undress any of the 300 guys at my school.

Topic closed :tongue:

[Hardheaded1]

to me this sounds sectarian...the old protestant rant against the Catholic Church.

That's a broad brush.

Martin Luther, Prime Rantor? I don't think so.

[J0shuaRay7]

How does a man that shaves regularly, wears bozo the clown shoes, and pretends to control who gets to live in the clouds taken seriously when he talks about what's natural? Is this entire planet that naive? How does no one see the hypocrisy? He pretends to represent what the creato wants, when according to the Old Testament, the creator didn't want any representation of God on earth, whether it be a graven image or person. This entire planet is worshipping men and for most that man is the Pope. There is nothing natural about the Catholic Church. It's congregation acts like zombies mumbling the same thing ever Sunday and kneeling to men.

[MikeW]

...There is nothing natural about the Catholic Church. ...

So, don't be a Catholic.

What's it to you what other people do or don't do, believe or don't believe? What's the point? You're not going to change any of that, ever.

As for what's "natural"… Is it natural for humans to wear clothing at all? Is it natural for humans to build civilizations -- with all the signs and symbols they're made up of? It's all in what people "think"… They think, "I am this, and I am that, and I'm not this other thing or that other thing…" But these are all just thoughts in the head, right? Is it "natural" for people to make stuff up, to create their own realities?

Apparently it is, we do it, all of us, every moment of every day. SO… what?

Best to stay focused on one's self, being aware of one's self, what is taking place in one's self. It isn't about "other people" -- it's about who we are, yeah?

[Bhp91126]

So, don't be a Catholic.

What's it to you what other people do or don't do, believe or don't believe? What's the point? You're not going to change any of that, ever.

As for what's "natural"… Is it natural for humans to wear clothing at all? Is it natural for humans to build civilizations -- with all the signs and symbols they're made up of? It's all in what people "think"… They think, "I am this, and I am that, and I'm not this other thing or that other thing…" But these are all just thoughts in the head, right? Is it "natural" for people to make stuff up, to create their own realities?

Apparently it is, we do it, all of us, every moment of every day. SO… what?

Best to stay focused on one's self, being aware of one's self, what is taking place in one's self. It isn't about "other people" -- it's about who we are, yeah?

If God wanted man to "think" he would have given him brains

There is so much good stuff in all religions which always gets lost in the fiery debates about which God is better and who's more depraved.
Love thy neighbor,
do not steal, murder, adulter, lie, covet,
honor your parents,
forgive each other

Just to name a few.

And of course, nobody needs a religion, church or god to live by any of these.

[J0shuaRay7]

Because ignorance and fake people are annoying. No one should be able to control the lives of others based on whats natural, when they arent. The control their religion has on this planet smothers the natural need for progress and real solutions to real problems. They have everyone praying for clouds and spinning in circles. And if they had their way, the world would still be a flat surface.

[J0shuaRay7]

The original beliefs of the church were base on the idea that the world is flat and there is heaven above and hell below. The pope was the voice of God. Earth was the center of the universe. And the pope was the center of the earth threarening anyone whose discories threatened his control on the minds of people. It was a bad religion from the start. Its foundations werent realistic and solid.

[Hardheaded1]

Your reckoning too conveniently begins with the ascent of Rome. There is serious doubt that Peter ever went to Rome, and the Writ speaks nothing of it.

The "original church" had neither a unified theology, a bible, nor a systematic hierarchy. They evolved.

The Scriptures describe the early church as a house church, with a focus on the miracles and teachings of the Son of Man. Railing against the current pope, a caring and revolutionary leader, seems misguided. So many things in the world are broken and failed, and amongst all that, you find it notable that His Holiness' shoes apparently remind you of a clown's shoes. Ok. That says something about your priorities, doesn't it?

As for worship, President Lincoln is depicted on money, yet we do not worship him. Catholics venerate their priests and bishops and cardinals and popes, but they do not pray to them. That is certainly a basic requirement of worship in the Christian tradition.

But your comments really put you back into the need to defend Moses' law. You embrace the Ten Commandments. That puts you in the unenviable position of having to defend the injunctions prohibiting the eating of shrimp, the blending of wool and cotton, and the ban against cooking meat in milk. As the Lord plainly pronounced, to violate any of the law is to violate all of it.

None of us are without our failings and transgressions. Why is it your calling to decry the faults of the Holy See rather than those of the man in the mirror? You seem to have the need to blame someone, but not to own your share of the failings of man. Is it really all out there, the problems with the world?

Pope Francis has served with humility and warmth. It has caused millions of humans to listen to him with renewed interest, and the messages he has been presenting have been positive and inclusive. He convenes the bishops and cardinals and chides them for their power games and lack of vision. All of that has marked him as one of the most effective popes in the history of the Vatican.

Where is the Good News in your message? What word do you bring to encourage the poor, console the dying, or love the sick and lonely?