Speaking of "PedoRay...."

Like Superman could've ousted Mighty Mouse as the false savior.

Consider the context of the times. Start with a very small group of criminals, running for their lives from the Romans and the Sanhedrin. Most were illiterate or barely literate (one was a physician, another a tax collector, but the Boss Man - Peter - was a fisherman who probably had to dictate his epistles to a scribe), they were scattered across a great deal of geography, and the "news media" consisted of fast runners, or people riding donkeys/camels 10-20 miles a day at best.

You've then got a guy who's Roman-educated (and a Roman citizen, which gave him immunity from becoming lion lunch meat), knows powerful people, and has the cachet of a pop star in his time and place. He writes fast, he writes prolifically, he owns a horse, and he's everywhere, while poor ol' Peter's stuck in Rome (probably hiding out from the wife he dumped to follow Jesus).

If only the 12 had had Tapatalk...

Or if that fall from the horse had killed the sumbitch instead of turning him into an instant celebrity...

Catholicism is a belief system. The Catholic Church is an institution.

The two are obviously related, but they are not the same.

Question: Who else practices Catholicism, other than Catholics, who are members of the Catholic Church?

They are unquestionably related. Closely related.

But is everyone who registers under a particular political party liable for the actions of all of that party's elected officials, even those committed by officeholders in a completely different state for whom they never voted?

Is everyone who lives in Pennsylvania liable for the actions of Jerry Sandusky because they live, work and contribute to the economy of the state that funds Penn State?

Is everyone in the military liable for the actions of the people at Abu Ghraib?

[YT="The list of atrocities starts at about 1:50."]ilfSlpENb2Y[/YT]

Where is Bernard Law, anyway?

[YT="The current Pope loves protecting rapists, but hates women and gays!"]yfZfXfs7tDc[/YT]

This isn't stuff from centuries ago. This isn't stuff from decades ago. This is stuff that happened in the 21st century.

Most of the Catholics I know are pro-gay, support female priests, and think the pope is full of shit.

Why the shit are they still Catholics, then? Stockholm syndrome? Force of habit?

Serious question. At least Muslims have the excuse that they might get killed if they try to leave Islam. Catholics have no such excuse.

Being killed in this life is one thing. Going to Hell in the afterlife is another.

Of course, in Catholicism, you can always go to confession. Even a serial killer can go to confession, get hit by a bus on his way out of church, and get into Heaven.

But leave the church, and you're denied that out-clause.

Catholicism is a religion of lawyers. Not for nothing does the Vatican hate the Jesuits.

I love Jesuits, they like Scotch.

I'm not sure what the connection is between those two statements.

Cats?

So you do finally recognize the difference between the extremist Muslims and what you paint to be the most extreme of Christians? It's funny to watch you contradict yourself. You don't even try anymore, do you?

If memory serves (it's been a LONG time since I went to Sunday School), Peter and Paul were aware of each other and disagreed with each other. Peter wasn't happy with what Paul was preaching, but never went as far as openly denouncing him. I think getting arrested and Crucified by the Romans took up too much of his time.

The only reason Paul's letters and instructions got so much press was because Constantine decided to focus on it more than the other early Christian writings of the time, and forced it through as the Nicean Crede. And since Paul was already dead at the time himself, I think Constantine took advantage and added a lot to Paul's writings to give more power to the church.

I don't know. Who's more extreme? The group whose members are threatened with death for not participating, or the group whose members participate willingly?

There are actually many Christians who don't follow the Roman Catholic Church but describe themselves as Catholic. The Eastern Orthodox Church for example is officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church. I have also met Christians who see no problem with being labelled Catholic who have no connection with Roman Catholicism, seeing Catholicism as instead being part of the original church, which they believe they are in their own way.

So what makes a Catholic a "Catholic"? I'm not sure I understand the word. Are they Christians or are they Catholics, and what's the difference?

Don't hold your breath on there being logic involved.

The word "catholic" (lower case) means "universal." I forget which Vatican Council adopted the term, but it was a way for this upstart religion of peasants and slaves to declare its legitimacy.

First you establish the brand, then you market it.

"My god's better than your god. But, hey, why don't we put your god's statue in our church and give her a new name? Sulis? How about Brigid? That work for ya? Now, no sneaking off into the woods to worship her under the old name. You know what'll happen then."

Well, yeah, that's the rationale for the hucksters, but there's no reason for the little guy to go along with it these days, except seemingly for raw emotionalism.

I forget if it was here or elsewhere, but Anglican and Lutheran pastors can accept confessions under the same authority, as they were ordained by bishops that were themselves ordained... yadda yadda yadda, originally ordained by Roman Catholic bishops. The unbroken lineage is there, and they're perfectly willing to hear confessions if that's what you're into.


Regardless, it takes a special sort of cognitive dissonance to believe the god that gives authority Roman Catholic church is the same god that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Never mind that the answer to that personality change on the part of God is usually given as people not being ready for his true message yet, apparently the ancient Jews were the most primitive people on the planet by that explanation.

Think of anything you were taught with absolute authority by the adults in your life before you were five or six years old, and how long it took you to work your way through to recognizing it as bullshit. Now acknowledge that there's still some trace evidence of that bullshit on the back walls of your mind, and that you'll probably never scrub it off completely.

Then think of how much more difficult it would be to get rid of that bullshit if the adults told you that even thinking that way would make you burn in hell forever.

Then consider the fact that, to quote Agent K "people are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals," and most of 'em never examine the things they were taught as kids all that closely.

Yeah, I know, but that doesn't put me on the hook to treat them like toddlers who believe in Santa.

There are more productive things to do with your life than pissing in their Christmas stockings, Mr. Grinch.

Considering the things Santa is ordering them to do, I'd say it's very productive.