Really important stuff

[soubriquet 0]

My family was nominally Catholic. The nuns who taught me to write used to beat me for using my left hand. Look up "sinister". Being thrashed for being in league with the Devil didn't help my literacy and didn't stop me being left handed.

 

As an adolescent, I used to sing in a Protestant church choir. I loved the singing, but I jacked it in because I couldn't stand the church elders trying to stick their dicks up my arse.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/29/anglicanism.religion

 

"The 300 bishops and archbishops, who attended the Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem, the meeting that led to Foca's inception, have denied wanting to split from the Anglican Communion. A formal schism would involve tortuous legal procedures over the ownership of churches and other properties.

 

However, they revealed plans for a new "primates council" comprising senior bishops and archbishops who had attended the Jerusalem summit.

 

In a statement they said: "While acknowledging the nature of Canterbury as an historic see, we do not accept that Anglican identity is determined

necessarily through recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury."

 

Their rejection of Williams marks the end of "colonial" domination and

shifts the power to the African churches, which have already removed

references to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

 

Details of Foca were finalised this morning in Jerusalem, where the

reading of the statement was greeted with standing ovations and singing.

 

The existence of a new communion will have a profound impact on Anglican churches all over the world by providing disillusioned conservatives with a powerful network of allies.

 

The Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, said the Americans

"committed an extraordinary strategic blunder" in 2003, when they

consecrated Robinson, because they thought there would be no consequences.

 

"The consequences have been unfolding over the last five years, now their church is divided; it looks as though there will be permanent division, one way or the other.

 

"All around the world the sleeping giant that is evangelical Anglicanism

and orthodox Anglicanism has been aroused by what happened in Canada and the United States of America. It was an act of folly.""

 

Really? Who cares? Not me.

[soubriquet 0]

Religion is basically perverts trying to control the weak-minded.

 

Catholic beatings didn't work. At 5 I was pulled into the head's office and thrashed. Trying to run away didn't work. Two adults (one male, one female) in the room and the door was locked.

 

Protestant shaggers weren't in the same league. They never caught me.

 

Christians killing Jews killing Muslims killing Christians killing Jews killing Muslims. All reading from the same book and worshipping the same God.

 

Farkwits.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

No arguments from me mate. I agree 100%

[HelperElfMissy 42]

If you want to start a hot debate then all you have to do is bring up politics, sex or religion - Soubs! You managed to do all 3 in one thread!

 

Personally I certainly agree that flogging children, abusing children, guilting the masses into obedience (or appearance of obedience) and killing people in the name of religion are all BAD BAD BAD.

 

I do however feel that the belief in something bigger than yourself (whether you call it God, Allah, Buddha, or Karma) reassures one and keeps one living right and living well.

 

It seems that when all spirituality is lost that people often become despondent and lawless....they lose respect for humanity and environment.

 

You do not have to be "religious" to be spiritual.

 

Just my humble opinion arrived at after journeys through Christianity, Aethiesm and Buddhism.

[JA2340 16]

Originally Posted By: Mamabear

I do however feel that the belief in something bigger than yourself (whether you call it God, Allah, Buddha, or Karma) reassures one and keeps one living right and living well.

It seems that when all spirituality is lost that people often become despondent and lawless....they lose respect for humanity and environment.

The difference between spirtuality and "organised religion" is significant. Many of the X killing Y killing Z troubles occurred not because of the spirtuality but because of fanaticism of a small section of the religion for whom it is "right and proper" to convert the non-believers by whatever means, even if that means a war and killing them. (although how making them dead helps to save them, I have long wondered)

None of the so-called holy wars have been initiated by the general masses of believers but by some rabid enthusiasts whose belief transcends logic and reason.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Ohh absolutely!

 

When you lose the ability to listen to others perspectives and consider them due to your own fanatacism you are on a very slippery very steep slope to trouble.

 

Religion aside - you see people who pigheadedly and irrationally stick to thier guns about the most stupid issues on a regular basis - I think they would rather be right than happy. That is sad.

 

Image in my head right now:

A woman losing it with a teenaged shop assistant in a candle store last week.

Woman moved away from the counter and browsed the store. Confused Sales girl suspended her sale and served the next customer thinking the lady wanted more time to shop. lady didn't - she was just amusing herself while the girl rang up her items, so she was livid when she came back to the desk and found her sale had not been completed yet. Boy did she pay out on this poor girl. See....rather be right than happy.

[JA2340 16]

There are some of those on every public forum (possibly even here??) BIG

[brit-gob 9]

Surely no!!!!

[soubriquet 0]

God mins us

 

The Nazis had God on their side. There was a vicar blessing them while they murdered women and children from the wrong faith.

 

Lord save us from Christians.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Yup ...fanatics.

 

The Nazi story is also interesting in the examples of group dynamics - and how guilt is lessened and apathy encouraged when there are others also aware of circumstances. People do the most horrid things in groups - things that they would never do by themselves - the 'mob mentality". SCARY.

 

And yes - I also see the connection between the social psych group theories and organised religion.............

[soubriquet 0]

30 years after de-colonisation, Africa is still heading downhill. Tyrants are getting rich while the poor get poorer. The "Church", the voice of "morality" are faffing about homosexuality in America while the continent is dieing from AIDS.

 

Where is the Black African leadership? How long do we have to wait for someone to stand up and speak out? The Church has no authority here, they've lost their morality.

[soubriquet 0]

Alan Bond was the first person to go bust selling beer to Australians. He's making millions in Africa.

 

The "Church" is only interested in investigating the collective anal sphincter. How do you spell "irrelevant"? Or self-serving for that matter. After all, the money rolls in, and all you have to do is front up for an hour per week.

 

Where's mahatmacoat?

[js 0]

Also obvious is the absence of the UN - AGAIN!

 

Sometime after the Korean War, the UN lost all it's usefulness.

[Rag-Doll 0]

God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best.

 

Voltaire is a great guy to read when it comes to religion. He really does say it well.

 

Religion in any form is more than absurd, it is down right dangerous. The very notion that one ought to suspend rational enquiry and simply believe absolutely, is criminally irresponsible.

[soubriquet 0]

Mugabe has turned the bread basket of Africa into a basket case. Mbeki thinks AIDS is a western construct while 20 million people die of preventable disease.

 

The "Church" has its finger up its arse, debating the activities of American sausage jockeys while millions die and tyrants strut their stuff. Tragic, but utterly predictable.