Fall of the Catholic Church

I don't claim to have an answer for the reason for childhood cancer, you do.

Do you not think it is a bit odd to build your whole life's value system and actions on something that you just can't explain?

Evolution. Science.

And yes, live, die, bang - that's it. This is it. This life is what it's all about. There is no second chance.

The state has decided that every child should recieve sexual education and that it should be based upon facts and evidence not beliefs. The state is free to make such an assertion in law if it considers it to be necessary for the general welfare of its citizens. The ethos of the school is secondary to this duty of offer fact based sexual education to all pupils and the constitution doesn't prohibit this.

I was at a communion yesterday, where the priest was telling the children about their new imaginary best friend, Jesus.

Reminded me of an old Jimmy Stewart movie "Harvey" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvfXvW2wsuQ

@jmreire, If you haven't already, I suggest you read Richard Dawkins "The God Delusion", or for a more concise evisceration of the sky fairy myth watch Christopher Hitchens on YT.

Oh, and the reading, St Paul's letter to the Corinthians...again!!!

So we have the two Gods, the Religious one, and the scientific one.... Yet, neither you or anyone else can explain what caused the Big Bang???? And that is the biggest scientific question of all time. everything, literally, hinges on it. and until its solved, science is incomplete. And you query why I base my life's value system that I cannot prove??? Well, I have no problem with believing that Jesus rose from the dead.

And no, I don't believe that death is the end. That would not make sense to me. We are all part of something bigger.

You don't seem to know much about the bible's origins or the facts that it has been tailored by Rome down the centuries.

To be honest I think you like playing the martyr and your beliefs are quite shallow.

Why do I think most of the clergy don't believe their own message? Well if they truly believed in sin and hell and eternal damnation they wouldn't have committed so many atrocities over the decades and centuries. Those clergy in Ireland that helped cover up abuse (and continue to do so) would have shouted stop or revealed the abusers. Look at Cardinal Brady and oath of secrecy. The career was seemingly more important than honesty, integrity and a 'pure soul'.

The Vatican itself was a haven for corruption, murder and vice. I am often reminded of my favourite pope Pope Formosus.

Formosus was pope from 891 until 896 when he died. The story, however, did not end there. In early 897, Pope Stephen VI and Lambert ordered that Formosus’s corpse be disinterred and brought to San Giovanni in Laterano for the proceedings. The trial was convened as a synod with all the cardinals, bishops, and other ecclesiastical dignitaries in full attendance. Dressed in his official papal vestments, the dead pope sat propped up in a chair. The accused cadaver was assigned a defense lawyer, and the charges were read to him. His nomination as pope was illegal, one of the charges ran, because he had been Bishop of Porto at the time. This flouted canon law, the accused was told. Addressing the corpse directly, Pope Stephen’s counsel asked it: “Being Bishop of Porto, why did you, with great ambition, usurp this See of the Apostle?” A deacon was appointed to speak for the deceased. Sources say he mostly read from prepared statements. It is unknown if the dead pope’s counsel dared to mount much else in the way of a defense. In any case, the sentence was not open to appeal. The synod signed the order to depose Formosus, and then condemned him and revoked all his appointments, so that all clerics ordained by him were forced to repeat the appointment process all over again. Formosus’s corpse was then stripped of his papal vestments. The three fingers he had used in consecrations and blessings were chopped off. The body was then dressed in common clothes and buried in a pauper’s grave. Not content with that outcome, Stephen VI had the body dug up again and thrown into the Tiber.

Great bunch of lads.

Inside the Cadaver Synod, the trial of a dead pope's body (nationalgeographic.com)

Yup. I'm no expert in Theology, and I'm not disagreeing with any thing you have mentioned, they were some pretty crazy things going on, and yes, I've heard of them too. and all in the Name of Christ. The Dark Ages were aptly named. And as I have already mentioned a few times, that many so called Christians and Followers of Christ were anything but!!!. Religion was just a means to an end to them. But from where I stand, and based on my own personal Life experiences, ( and these were many, over the years ) and a lot of thinking, I came to the conclusion that God exists. And that's it. Maybe that's a problem for some people, but I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything.

So deaths all being the end doesn't make sense, but you're happy enough with the talking snake, the magic apple and the two boys procreating with their mother?

So god doesn't believe in forgiveness? Isn't that a huge part of catholic teaching?

Andrew, again, the Man I follow was the one who after 3 years preaching the new Testament, was crucified died and was buried. On the 3rd day, he rose again from the dead. You don't believe any of it I take it???

Which gospel version of him rising in the bible is your favorite? The gospel has an ould contradiction or two in the telling of it I do hear tell.

Don't forget the council of Nicaea had a hand in the final product too while you're at it.

So would you be in favour of the previosuly mentioned German-style religious tax? In which case, yes, you do.

But not at the expense of someone else.

And again with the derogatory remarks........ Yup, watched and read both Dawkins and Hitch, and if St Paul says homosexuality activity is a sin, that's it. Its a sin. Wont change my mind on what I believe though.

You are in Luck, another poster has just posted that information in a reply to me....for the new Testament re homosexuality, read St. Pauls letter to the Corinthians.