tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250195226200160668.post7939744568063774719..comments2023-07-07T04:02:25.375-04:00Comments on Sane Political Discourse: A Little Blasphemy is Good for the SoulPatrick Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16377933168305160179noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250195226200160668.post-11487561105891887102010-01-19T21:59:55.499-05:002010-01-19T21:59:55.499-05:00Shaw: Incorrigible is a wee bit of an understatem...Shaw: Incorrigible is a wee bit of an understatement, I think. I've been that way since my Catholic school days.<br /><br />My problem was never really about the indoctrination (which I grew away from eventually). But after my experiences in the travesty that was my Catholic school years (due to the fact I don't really conform to anything), even if I was still a devout Catholic, I'd send my kids anywhere other than a Catholic school. It was bad enough that the local government school would have been an improvement.<br /><br />But that brings me to the frustrations of the Catholic Church. A perfect example is birth control. Most Catholics I know do the right thing and not the Papally-sanctioned right thing. In the end, the Church will fudge things as long as you're not too loud about it and it keeps asses in seats (and $$$ in the collection (I used to usher/count cash)).<br /><br />Rocky: You'd think that if we are all reading the same book, we'd at least be able to agree enough not to scream "heretic" over every disagreement. <br /><br />I think that's what drove everybody that's commented so far away from organized Christianity (specifically Catholicism for the rest of us). If it were as obvious as the fundamentalists (pick your flavor) thought, we wouldn't see any need to challenge, then be disenfranchised, then go seeking answers elsewhere.<br /><br />Saty: None of us would have caught that typo, you know.<br /><br />But that brings me to a point I didn't really touch on (but will now): Anyone who prays for God to deliver a win or cash or anything selfish (I'm guilty of it too) is wasting a whole lot of time, because prayer really doesn't work that way. That's why I kept exploring - because if prayer worked that way, God would have answered. <br /><br />If prayers are answered at all, the answer is as intangible as the Deity who answered them.Patrick Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16377933168305160179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250195226200160668.post-2885446934773987862010-01-19T16:53:49.500-05:002010-01-19T16:53:49.500-05:00LOL. Got the apostrophe in the wrong place with t...LOL. Got the apostrophe in the wrong place with the Baha`i. It's all good.Satyavati devi dasihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13980257934310271457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250195226200160668.post-24801856807898758422010-01-19T16:52:06.554-05:002010-01-19T16:52:06.554-05:00You know my background. I went on a 12-year missi...You know my background. I went on a 12-year mission to learn as much as I could about theology and religion, with the ultimate result that I ended up where I am. Additionally, I can quote the Bible better than the average Baptist and I know more about Vatican II than the average Catholic. I know the difference between a Jain and a Sikh and who the B'ahai are. I learned the difference between Theravadan and Tibetan Buddhism. I find religious beliefs to be intensely interesting and important... ALL of them.<br /><br />The whole controversy in my opinion was a red herring to draw attention away from the actual point, which I'm figuring caused some discomforture amongst the readers, who may possibly be proponents of the currently popular 'prosperity gospel' teaching. The thought that God might not be interested in augmenting their portfolios and blessing them with a new Lexus might be too much to take.<br /><br />Instead, it was just easier to call me a heretic for saying 'shit'. Then everyone can rest in comfortable mutual assurance that God will, indeed, secure their profit margins and ensure that their accountants find the latest loopholes when they file with the IRS.<br /><br />The Inquisition lives!Satyavati devi dasihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13980257934310271457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250195226200160668.post-89042244191577092010-01-19T16:18:00.499-05:002010-01-19T16:18:00.499-05:00Before I moved beyond organized religion entirely ...Before I moved beyond organized religion entirely and reached the higher spiritual plane of deism, I attended a fundie Christian church which became a breeding ground for offenses both real and imagined, but mostly imagined.<br />It got to the point where every time the church met, one or more people would stand up and recite some offense committed by another church member.<br />It got so bad the the preacher was more referee than pastor. I began calling it "The Church of the Offended" and it wasn't long before I was out of there!<br />I try not to be deliberately offensive to other people and their beliefs but it is amazing how many "Christians" jump all over me and insult my spirituality because it doesn't conform to their "true" beliefs.<br />I try not to let the venomous attacks get to me. I'm very content and confident in my beliefs but it makes me wonder why anyone would be part of a religion that encourages that kind of hate and intolerance.rockynchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00772988855661101621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250195226200160668.post-20231296802185974392010-01-19T14:22:18.101-05:002010-01-19T14:22:18.101-05:00Patrick,
LOL!
You are incorrigible!
I, too, w...Patrick,<br /><br />LOL!<br /><br />You are incorrigible! <br /><br />I, too, was raised a Catholic. We all have funny stories to tell about our religious indoctrination, but my personal favorite was when my second child was born and I wanted my sister-in-law, who was a Catholic, and her husband, who was a Protestant, to be the godparents. This was the age of ecumenism, and I believed there would be no problem. When I went to make arrangements with the local parish priest for my child's Baptism, I volunteered the information that the godfather was not Catholic. The priest told me this: "When you bring the child to be baptised, just tell the priest who officiates that the godfather is Catholic."<br /><br />I swear to Darwin, he told me to LIE about my child's baptism!<br /><br />Really.<br /><br />My favorite story. I have many, many more.<br /><br />I'm not bashing Catholicism. I still like to hear the Latin Mass, and the music, and the smell of the incense coming from the thurible during Mass.<br /><br />I like some of the rituals, but I do not have a belief in any supernatural beings.Shaw Kenawehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08637273000409613497noreply@blogger.com