For all Catholics on this forum...

[bsniadajewski]

Habemus Papam! (that is, "We have a Pope")

Congrats to Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis.

I hope he does what is needed to fix whatever needs fixing in the Church.

[tek_heretik]

A lot of people were up in arms on Twitter because they (@Pontifex) used all caps to announce the new Pope so...being the poop disturber and poopy-head that I am, I tweeted back: SUBSISTO CROCUS (stop yelling), lol, as a joke of course...I'll be waiting for the lightning strike or a bus to freakishly veer off the road and run me down, lol.

[Achaean]

Habemus Papam! (that is, "We have a Pope")

Petrus Romanus?
Only time, will tell.

[SteveRiley]

a bus to freakishly veer off the road and run me down, lol.

You mean like what happened to this poor schmuck?

[tek_heretik]

You mean like what happened to this poor schmuck?

Ouch! Yeah, something like that, but without the flamboyant song and dance in a diaper first, lol.

[Achaean]

You mean like what happened to this poor schmuck?

No, I don't!
Personally, I'm neither a Catholic, nor a Christian.
I'm an agnosticist, however is not correct to laugh with other people beliefs.
"One thing I know for sure, that I know nothing".
Socrates.

[bsniadajewski]

"One thing I know for sure, that I know nothing".
Socrates.

But, how do you know if you don't know?

[Achaean]

But, how do you know if you don't know?

I don't know either!

[Shimapan]

Not a Catholic, not even a Christian in the first place, thankfully

I really wonder if the new poop, err, pope, will do something about his priest's favourite pastime, abusing little boys. There's been an excessive amount of child abuse by priests, but no real effort to bring any light into it - rather, they fervently tried to brush everything under the carpet.

You mean like what happened to this poor schmuck?

Good one
At least Jesus had a good Last Supper:

[tek_heretik]

I really wonder if the new poop, err, pope, will do something about his priest's favourite pastime, abusing little boys.

I've wondered why they target boys so much, odd for a religion/church that is still fairly anti-homosexual, they sure have a lot of 'gay' priests, lol. It's been said that boys are more reluctant to talk, which is probably why. I am Agnostic, to me, the Catholic church is a cult with a bunch of funny dressed guys with lots of money (gold, priceless art, etc) and pretty buildings.

[bsniadajewski]

I heard that Francis is no friend of the Roman Curia, and he may start to lay down the law to fix the problam of sexual abuse by priests.

@tek_heretik

The Church would be one very large cult. (1.2 Billion worldwide). The LDS would be more of a cult than the RCC, comparatively speaking (no offense to any Mormans on this forum)

[tek_heretik]

I heard that Francis is no friend of the Roman Curia, and he may start to lay down the law to fix the problam of sexual abuse by priests.

@tek_heretik

The Church would be one very large cult. (1.2 Billion worldwide). The LDS would be more of a cult than the RCC, comparatively speaking (no offense to any Mormans on this forum)

I don't want to start an argument or flame war but how are the different religions any different than cults? They use materials that were passed down by mostly word of mouth over several MILLENNIUMS (a lot of strange things went on back then, including disembowelment for the smallest of reasons) which have yet to be (conclusively) scientifically proven, take money from you, etc, cults have been known to molest children too, and marry children off to creepy old men, so how is religion any different than a cult again? I struggle to see a difference.

I heard a theory years ago religion was invented (and the 'ten commandments') to keep lawlessness under control by fear and guilt, ope, sounds like religion again, fear and guilt.

[Achaean]

Ι doubt, if the man needs religion of any kind.
He has been given consciousness and that's enough for me.

My consciousness, tell me what's right and what's wrong.
And I don't need any kind of priest to be my messenger to God.
And I really really doubt, if these corrupted old men (with the unusual sex preferences and the expensive cars), are being closer to God than me or anyone else.
Just my personal opinion.

[Qqmike]

1.2 billion Catholics? or Christians in total?
(" ...As there are reported to be approximately 41,000 Christian denominations ..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._denominations )

Doesn't matter. Point is that there's a hell of a lot of folks in this world NOT of the Christian faith.

List of religions and spiritual traditions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ual_traditions

Who's "right," who's "wrong"?
Everybody right? Everybody wrong?
Some right, and some wrong?

Issues of hypocrisy discolor the professed importance to any religion.

Take one, the Christians. Take away everything (the candles, icons, stained glass, smoke signals, etc.), leave just one thing: the Sermon on the Mount (is that Mathew 5, 6, 7?).
PDS (Pretty Damn Simple). Yet, how many Christians actually abide by it, the most basic teachings of Christ? (Or so we think, based on oral history, how/when Mathew was written, and all the usual editorial qualifications of this subject. Fact is, we have no idea what Christ actually said about anything, and so on ...)

Disclaimer: Not of any persuasion here; just some idle philosophy this Saturday afternoon.

[tek_heretik]

Ι doubt, if the man needs religion of any kind.
He has been given consciousness and that's enough for me.

My consciousness, tell me what's right and what's wrong.
And I don't need any kind of priest to be my messenger to God.
And I really really doubt, if these corrupted old men (with the unusual sex preferences and the expensive cars), are being closer to God than me or anyone else.
Just my personal opinion.

My theory is, because were are 'self-aware', we are 'spooked' by our own consciences and existence, thus creating a deity to blame or ask for help when things go awry and we have no control over. The other side of that coin is science, where people are actually attempting to explain our existence, etc, with FACT, the quest for the Higgs boson particle for example. I'll take science over a guy in a dress yelling at me quoting things from a book that was written when people were more 'spooked' and weirded out then now, lol.