We Have A Pope!

[SlartyBartFast]

in other words if you are going to post on a related topic, please educate yourself first so that i dont have-to babysit this thread.

Pathetic. That's why religion is doing so badly in the educated parts of the world.

If the apathetic masses would vote, the one issue fundamentalists would hold less sway in American politics too.

If you feel you have to "baby-sit, feel free to get lost. Morals, rights, society, theology are all matters of intelligent discourse. You may be too small minded to understand the concept, but no one has the one and only correct answer.

Wrap your mind around the idea that if YOU are correct and only one interpretation of gods message is correct, it might be YOU that's wrong and maybe it's only the Mormons, Jews, Protestants, or some bizzare little jungle sect that's going to heaven.

The link you posted?

Standard circular arguments and tautologies.

God gave man a mind powerful enough to question authority. To not question it is to go against God's will. If God was testing you, do you really think the correct answer is always don't question, do as you're told?

[Target Practice]

Im just representing the authentic catholic viewpoint. I havent responded to any of the catholic bashing remarks, and yet when i imply that your ideas are unfounded i am flat out insulted?

Once again i never said i was catholic.

anyway its my lunchbreak ill be back later.

So, wait. You may not be Catholic, yet you feel you have the right to speak out on *my* genuinely Catholic viewpoint.

Okay, new rule for the thread: Before your inane drivel gets any weight, you tell us if you are indeed a Catholic. Because if you aren't, you are 1) a edited out by TSC and 2) totally ungrounded in your position.

So, let's hear it. Put up or shut up.
In a perfect world, you'd do both.

[Lohman446]

The Pope and power... Stalin was known to ask his advisors, in regards to offending the church "how many divisions does the Pope command?"

[SlartyBartFast]

The Pope and power... Stalin was known to ask his advisors, in regards to offending the church "how many divisions does the Pope command?"

But let's remember the only reason the Vatican exists is because it once did command a large army.

Henry the VIII and other King as head religious figure types just weren't as good at spreading their churches as the Popes were at spreading Catholicism.

[Thordic]

Nice try, but that one doesn't hold any water. The catholic church cannot be compared to a nation-state.

You're absolutely right. Its bigger. Also, name me a nation that has been around for going on 2,000 years.

[SlartyBartFast]

You're absolutely right. Its bigger. Also, name me a nation that has been around for 2,000 years.

No. As a "state" it is tiny.

As a political influence, it does have a huge potential when people give up on the idea of separation of church and state and start enacting their beleifs as laws instead of protecting universal rights.

If it's wrong for the Imams, clerics, and Ayatollas to dictate Muslim political policy to the Muslim world, it's wrong for the Pope to dictate political policy to the Catholic world.

[WickeDKlowN]

I didn't read the entire thread since it's not a subject that I really care about so this might have been said but shouldn't that have picked someone that's oh, I don't know, not 80? They're going to have to go through it all again in a couple years.

[Target Practice]

I didn't read the entire thread since it's not a subject that I really care about so this might have been said but shouldn't that have picked someone that's oh, I don't know, not 80? They're going to have to go through it all again in a couple years.

That's the point. They're avoiding another 25-year papacy.

[Thordic]

The average career of a pope is something like 5-10 years. Somewhere in there.

[CaptaiN_JacK]

wtf? in our newspaper today (but written by the AP), the headline states: "black smoke at the vatican again signals cardinals' failure to elect a new pope" The story starts out: "black smoke emerged from the sistine chapel chimney again tuesday as the scarlet-robed..."

did someone make a mistake, or did i read something wrong?

[SIGSays]

yeah, you can't speak for all of us catholics... i'm catholic too... but i'm not a very good catholic.... blah!

[BobTheCow]

wtf? in our newspaper today (but written by the AP), the headline states: "black smoke at the vatican again signals cardinals' failure to elect a new pope" The story starts out: "black smoke emerged from the sistine chapel chimney again tuesday as the scarlet-robed..."

did someone make a mistake, or did i read something wrong?

There was a whole flurry of conflicting stories earlier today, they must have decided to go to press at the wrong time.

[SlartyBartFast]

There was a whole flurry of conflicting stories earlier today, they must have decided to go to press at the wrong time.

Uhm, they have to go to press when the paper is due out. The first votes in the morning were black smoke (remmaber that morning in the US is early afternoon in Italy).

[Hasty8]

if he alienates them they arent catholics, catholicism isnt conservative, its catholicism, theres a dogma that you follow or dont follow.

period.

revealing god isnt about forming him to your ego its about revealing who god is. like he changed because our generation NOW thinks its ok to have permiscuous sex.

if you want to pick and choose what you want to believe, there are a hell of a lot (what is it around 20 thousand now?) of protestant churches out there that do just that.

edit: oh yeah, and hoorah for Benedict the XVI!

By this arugement Jake, I take it you still find it acceptable to burn witches?

I find it very scary when people believe that they need a middle man to have a relationship with god.

As for dogma's they contructs of man, not god.

While it is true that the Pope is a Catholic position, the Catholic church does have major influences in almost all facets of religion. Whether other religions agree or not, they are affect in some way, shape or form.

Becuase the Roman Catholic church is currently the worlds largest land owning institution and also the strongest financial entity. They have a significant amount of power.

I don't mind religions having this status until they try to use it to control other people.

Well, I would argue that the election of British Prime Minister or Russian President is far more important in terms of world politics, but you never see this kind of attention lavished on those events.

And frankly, I think the importance of the Catholic Church in affecting world events is greatly exaggerated.

OKay Steel. then tell me why Bush is not allowing furthur expansion of the existing stem cell lines for research.

Nice try, but that one doesn't hold any water. The catholic church cannot be compared to a nation-state.

Oh my god. (no pun intended). Steel, how may leaders of the most powerful nations were in attendance of Karol's funeral? Bush was the first President to even attend a funeral which is a very powerful message in and of itself.

The Church has significant weight and should not be taken lightly.

[chefstevie]

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Jakedubbya are you my religion teacher? but seriously why get in an arguement....if u dont like him fine if u do fine...but no one asked for ur opinion