Religion.

[Forever Green]

I was reading a book today that offered the opinion that God was a sadist and maybe a bit of a b**tard. At the start he was OK and had good intentions but after a few thousands years he just got bored and started making more natural disasters and breeding boys like Hitler, Pot Pol, Sharon Osbourne and Shay Guevara.

It's a possibility and rather frightening that if you devote your life to God and do good things like giving money to tramps and tending to your neighbour's bush and then when you go up to Heaven God fcuks you about slapping you and all. It's sobering.

WTF

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

I was reading a book today that offered the opinion that God was a sadist and maybe a bit of a b**tard. At the start he was OK and had good intentions but after a few thousands years he just got bored and started making more natural disasters and breeding boys like Hitler, Pot Pol, Sharon Osbourne and Shay Guevara.

It's a possibility and rather frightening that if you devote your life to God and do good things like giving money to tramps and tending to your neighbour's bush and then when you go up to Heaven God fcuks you about slapping you and all. It's sobering.

WTF

Olly, You should apply for that to be included in the Bible, it would fit right in. 

[gerry]

what you all think of the change of mass prayers at the weekend

[Ulick]

what you all think of the change of mass prayers at the weekend

I don't go to Novus Ordo anymore but I assume this is the new translation of the Mass? I thought it wasn't due to be introduced until end of November.

[gerry]

it started with us at the weekend, very confusing

[mannix]

My ould fella would beat us out the door to mass on Sunday and curse us to hell for not going to earlier mass. I never went once I left home but still go for pints Sunday morning when I am in mayo.
Not sure what to think about what my three year old should be taught about religion.

[Eamonnca1]

My ould fella would beat us out the door to mass on Sunday and curse us to hell for not going to earlier mass. I never went once I left home but still go for pints Sunday morning when I am in mayo.
Not sure what to think about what my three year old should be taught about religion.

Tell him it's all a load of cobblers.

[stephenite]

Did you have the child baptized Mannix?

[muppet]

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Abortion/bigger/problem/than/joblessness/says/Catholic/Church/elpepueng/20120101elpeng_3/Ten

The Spanish Catholic Church is also concerned about homosexuality. During his Boxing Day sermon, the Bishop of Córdoba, Demetrio Fernández, said there was a conspiracy by the United Nations. "The Minister for Family of the Papal Government, Cardinal Antonelli, told me a few days ago in Zaragoza that UNESCO has a program for the next 20 years to make half the world population homosexual. To do this they have distinct programs, and will continue to implant the ideology that is already present in our schools."

[Tubberman]

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Abortion/bigger/problem/than/joblessness/says/Catholic/Church/elpepueng/20120101elpeng_3/Ten

The Spanish Catholic Church is also concerned about homosexuality. During his Boxing Day sermon, the Bishop of Córdoba, Demetrio Fernández, said there was a conspiracy by the United Nations. "The Minister for Family of the Papal Government, Cardinal Antonelli, told me a few days ago in Zaragoza that UNESCO has a program for the next 20 years to make half the world population homosexual. To do this they have distinct programs, and will continue to implant the ideology that is already present in our schools."

Population control measures. So, this archbishop is saying people can be talked into homosexuality? Or are UNESCO putting something in the world's water unknownst to us?? 

[muppet]

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Abortion/bigger/problem/than/joblessness/says/Catholic/Church/elpepueng/20120101elpeng_3/Ten

The Spanish Catholic Church is also concerned about homosexuality. During his Boxing Day sermon, the Bishop of Córdoba, Demetrio Fernández, said there was a conspiracy by the United Nations. "The Minister for Family of the Papal Government, Cardinal Antonelli, told me a few days ago in Zaragoza that UNESCO has a program for the next 20 years to make half the world population homosexual. To do this they have distinct programs, and will continue to implant the ideology that is already present in our schools."

Population control measures. So, this archbishop is saying people can be talked into homosexuality? Or are UNESCO putting something in the world's water unknownst to us?? 

If he is only talking about 50% of the world's men, then it mightn't be too bad. Just think of a night in Coppers, the place full, but half of the men that would normally be there are in The George instead. There could be an upside. 

[Billys Boots]

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Abortion/bigger/problem/than/joblessness/says/Catholic/Church/elpepueng/20120101elpeng_3/Ten

The Spanish Catholic Church is also concerned about homosexuality. During his Boxing Day sermon, the Bishop of Córdoba, Demetrio Fernández, said there was a conspiracy by the United Nations. "The Minister for Family of the Papal Government, Cardinal Antonelli, told me a few days ago in Zaragoza that UNESCO has a program for the next 20 years to make half the world population homosexual. To do this they have distinct programs, and will continue to implant the ideology that is already present in our schools."

Maybe it's a UN-funded project towards improved population-control??

[mannix]

Did you have the child baptized Mannix?

I did, and I was baptized,made the communion, still have my confirmation money and I got married and will be buried after mass too, but I still don' t believ for one second in god. When I do go to mass I daydream.
Should I teach a 4 year old about something I don't believe in? They do not have religious classes in her school as there is all sorts of gods involved with different kids there.she asked me if we were Jewish or Hindu on Christmas eve, I turned away and changed the subject.
I would be thinking that the christening and marriage thing is more of legalizing something than actually doing it as religion.
Since the girl asked me about her religion I am leaning towards just teaching her to be a good person and be nice to others and animals.

[Eamonnca1]

Mannix, why do you go to mass then? It's okay to just stop going if you don't believe in it. By admitting to yourself that you don't believe you've already taken the first step in standing up for yourself against theocratic bullying. You don't have to feel brow-beaten into going to the chapel.

[johnneycool]

So the bould jesus may have had a wife!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19645273

'Wife of Jesus' reference in Coptic 4th Century script
A previously unknown scrap of ancient papyrus written in ancient Egyptian Coptic The text reveals early Christians' concerns about sex and marriage, Harvard scholar Karen King says
Continue reading the main story   
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An ancient scrap of papyrus makes explicit reference to Jesus having a wife, according to a renowned expert in Christian history.

Harvard divinity professor Karen King unveiled the 4th-Century Coptic script at a conference in Rome.

She said researchers had identified the words "Jesus said to them, 'my wife'", which might refer to Mary Magdalene.

Christian tradition holds that Jesus did not marry - but Ms King said in early years it was subject to debate.

The provocative find could spark debate over celibacy and the role of women within Christianity, she added.

But the announcement sparked scepticism from some theologians.
Continue reading the main story   
"Start Quote

    It is not evidence... that Jesus had a wife... (but evidence that)some Christians... thought that Jesus had a wife"

Karen King Harvard divinity professor

Jim West, a professor and Baptist pastor in Tennessee, said: "A statement on a papyrus fragment isn't proof of anything. It's nothing more than a statement 'in thin air', without substantial context."

Wolf-Peter Funk, a noted Coptic linguist attending the same conference as Ms King, said there were "thousands of scraps of papyrus where you find crazy things," and many questions remained about the fragment.
'Worthy disciple'

Ms King said the document, written in ancient Egyptian Coptic, is the first known scripture in which Jesus is reported to cite his wife.

She said the 4th-Century text was a copy of a gospel, probably written in Greek in the 2nd Century.

She said initially she was sceptical about the yellowish brown papyrus, and started from the notion that it was a forgery - but that she quickly decided it was genuine.

Several other experts agreed, she said, but the "final judgment on the fragment depends on further examination by colleagues and further testing, especially of the chemical composition of the ink".

A video filmed by Harvard University reveals experts were "sceptical" before examining the ancient scrap of papyrus

Ms King said the script was not proof of Jesus's marital status.

"It is not evidence, for us, historically, that Jesus had a wife," she said.

"It's quite clear evidence, in fact, that some Christians, probably in the second half of the 2nd Century, thought that Jesus had a wife."

Ms King said it revealed the concerns of early Christians with regards to family and marriage matters.

"From the very beginning, Christians disagreed about whether it was better not to marry, but it was over a century after Jesus's death before they began appealing to Jesus's marital status to support their positions.

"What this shows is that there were early Christians for whom sexual union in marriage could be an imitation of God's creativity and generativity and it could be spiritually proper and appropriate."

Bible scholar Ben Witherington III, a professor in Kentucky, said the term "wife" might simply refer to a female domestic assistant and follower.
Private owner

According to Ms King's research team, the text also quotes Jesus as telling his followers that Mary Magdalene is worthy of being his disciple.

This, in turn, casts new doubt on the long-held belief that Jesus had no female disciples, and raises issues about Mary's biblical role as a sinner, the researchers said.

Ms King presented the document at a six-day conference held at Rome's La Sapienza University and at the Augustinianum institute of the Pontifical Lateran University.

The faded papyrus is hardly bigger than a business card and has eight lines on one side, in black ink legible under a magnifying glass.

The private collector, who owns the fragment, has asked to remain anonymous because "he doesn't want to be hounded by people who want to buy this", Ms King said.

She said he had contacted Ms King to help translate and analyse it.

Nothing was known about the circumstances of its discovery, but because of the script used she had concluded it must have come from Egypt.



I in particular liked the bit in bold (my doing) about a pastor and professor questioning its 'substantial context'. No doubt he doesn't preach anything on a sunday which lacks this substantial context he talks about.