So I'm not allowed to agree with Church teachings? And you've never once told my why you don't agree with any particular Church teaching, you just call me a "sheep" or a "lemming" because I don't disagree with them. Do we all have to reinvent the wheel to gain your respect? How many things have you discovered for yourself that were truly original? How many things have you invented? You follow other people's ideas all the time, on pretty much everything (except maybe sports), but you demand others to somehow come up with "original ideas". And I never quoted the mormon faith as Catholic....I posted several links showing you that Catholics sometimes refer to their Faith as "the pearl of great price". Did the Mormons also use that term? That's possible, but nobody has trademarked that as belonging to any single religion. And if you think NY Post or Washington Post articles are "factual accounts", then you are pretty naive. Or maybe you just cherry pick the headlines that say what you want them to say. And I share my own opinions on NFL players all the time, but sometimes I like to reference the opinions of experts. What's wrong with that?
you gotta be shitting me. this pope is doing a great job cleaning up the mess from his nazi predecessor
well, your pope is attempting some damage control in regards to the atrocities committed by it, oh i guess thats being too liberal, oust him!!!
My comment wasn't directed at you, it was directed at the junior high crowd on here (or those that sound like junior high kids with their juvenile posts). You are one of the intelligent, thoughtful posters on here...there are a handful of people on here who contribute interesting commentary. You are one of them, so thank you for your quality posts. And you sound like a really nice person, so I'm sure you will be fine regardless of what we find after this life. God is a loving and merciful God, and He works in the lives of good people to bring them to salvation. Perhaps you will come to believe some day, but whether you do or not, just continue to be the best person you can be and you will be fine I'm sure. Like the famous Catholic writers Thomas Merton and Matthew Kelly have put it, we are supposed to work to become "the best version of ourselves". That's really the whole point of religion in a nutshell, because when we do that we will avoid sin and be good to each other. The Golden Rule, as Jesus and others taught. But if you'd like to discuss the reasons that you are agnostic, I would be happy to discuss that with you. I respect you and will listen and offer my 2 cents. In other words, just sharing ideas, that's what I intended this thread to be.
It's funny when bible thumpers quote something like this not realizing that Einstein was not in any way referring to god how they think of it, in fact Einstein is quite clear that he thinks there is no way much of the bible could be true and that god is just another word for everything. Hell, it's right in your post what he believes god is.
Yes, if you read more of what I posted, it says that Einstein was a Deist, like Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and George Washington. What that means is that he believed in God, a Creator, but that he viewed Him as an impersonal God who created the universe, then "stepped back" and let it all play out, without intervening at all in human affairs. So you are right, he didn't believe in the Bible, but he did believe in God.
So do you think the pope is lying when he says there are 8000 pedophiles? I don't need you page long diatribes for you to answer questions.
the new Pope's message of a more open church is "too liberal" for truth.. "a mistake". to welcome and embrace divorcees, gays, people of other faith. all people. this is "too liberal" Jesus himself would be considered "too liberal"
Pope Francis is much more likable as a person than his predecessor, Pope Benedict. Benedict had all of the personality of a baked potato. But he was a good man, and he was devoted to authentic Catholic doctrine. That made him appear overly strict at times, but he was considered a brilliant theologian. In fact, he is now referred to as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and he works closely with Pope Francis. Which is probably a good thing.
The Pearl of Great Price is actually a parable in the Book of Matthew. So it is solidly part of the New Testament. And available for any religious fruitloop to latch onto for sloganeering purposes. Apparently Joseph Smith was fond of it. As Truth is. It's still nothing you expect to hear a real Catholic prattle on about.
No, that's not at all what I mean. The Church is, and for the most part always has been, welcoming and compassionate to all people. But there's a big difference between welcoming and compassionate, and condoning people's sinful choices. The whole point of the Church is to teach people the value of self-discipline, and avoiding sin and addictive, self-destructive habits (sinful habits). If the Church just tells people they can do whatever they feel like doing at all times, following their lustful whims and desires, then what's the point of having a Church at all? You can get those same messages from the broader culture. The Church is like a good parent or teacher, there to guide us and teach us the way to becoming "the best version of ourselves". Freedom from sin makes us free to live our lives the way we really want to, unburdened by sinful addictive urges. For example, I might know that I have a big day coming up tomorrow, and it is going to be a great day. But if I am addicted to pornography, I may get hooked on my computer at night and stay up all night downloading photo after photo, or video after video, and I can't stop.....and before I know it, it's 4:00am, I'm blurry- eyed and sore (lol!), and I'm dragging the rest of the day, and I feel depressed. I feel terrible, why did I do that!?? All along, I understood that it was not only wrong because it abuses the sex drive God gave us for love and procreation, but it also wasted so much time, made me tired and depressed the next day, etc, and I could not enjoy what would have been a great day, filled with real joy and happiness! When we are caught in sinful addiction, only the present moment seems important to us, and we don't care about the future or anything else. We don't think about what we really want, or we dismiss it, trade it in for a cheap counterfeit, some cheap thrills in the present moment, fleeting pleasure, and we end up sacrificing much greater inner peace, happiness, and joy. Sinful temptations are a cheap counterfeit, and we end up abusing our real selves in the process. The Catholic Church has all the tools you need to avoid these pitfalls, find the most happiness and joy you can in this life (and the next), and become the best version of yourself.
You don't deserve to hear my views on what I accept and what I don't accept. I don't feel the need to explain myself to obvious sheep. But the fact that you still deny that 1000s of priest have been CONVICTED of raping children, you deserve even less of my thoughts. Sheep. _
Exactly-in all my years of Roman Catholicism I have never heard the phrase used. Google Pearl of Great Price and it comes up Mormon Mormon Mormon The Church of Latter Day Saints. Nothing about the Catholic religion. _
Wtf--gay people don't choose to be sinful. To them it's not a sin, it's who they are. It's how God created them. It's how the were born. But the Church accepts gay priests fucking little boys--THAT'S ok. Jesus Fucking Christ. _
