Comment

Comment by doone on April 23, 2012 at 7:41pm

Comment by Dallas the Phallus on April 23, 2012 at 6:14pm

Heh!

Comment by doone on April 23, 2012 at 5:51pm

You Come Back Later

Apr. 23, 2012

No… no… Mr. Jesus no es here…

Comment by doone on April 23, 2012 at 1:02pm

Scumbag God

Apr. 23, 2012

Comment by doone on April 22, 2012 at 2:07pm

The Non-Believing Clergy

Daniel Dennett sympathizes with them:

There are many paths into this predicament, we find, but a common thread runs through most of them: a certain sort of innocence and a powerful desire, not for social prestige or riches, but rather the desire to lead a good life, to help other people as much as possible. The tragic trap is baited with goodness itself.

Here is how it often works: teenagers glowing with enthusiasm decide to devote their lives to a career of helping others and, looking around in their rather sheltered communities, they see no better, purer option than going into the clergy. When they get to seminary they find themselves being taught things that nobody told them in Sunday school. The more they learn of theology and the history of the composition of the Bible, the less believable they find their creed. Eventually they cease to believe altogether. But, alas, they have already made a substantial commitment in social capital - telling their families and communities about their goals - so the pressure is strong to find an accommodation, or at least to imagine that if they hang in there they will find one. Only a lucky few find either the energy or the right moment to break free.

Comment by Neal on April 22, 2012 at 11:46am

Always good to see a rift develop between the religious, makes them think, albeit only slightly.

Comment by doone on April 22, 2012 at 10:32am

The Vatican vs American Nuns

This week, the Church cracked down on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents 80% of American nuns. How Barbie Latza Nadeau frames the dispute: 

[Sister Beth Rindler of Detroit, who is part of the National Coalition of American Nuns as well as a member of the LCWR] believes the Vatican is focused on the American sisters because they tend to be more independent than their European, Latin American, and African colleagues. While nuns in the rest of the world still wear conservative habits and head covers, the majority of American nuns stopped the practice shortly after the Second Vatican Council reforms.

Many American nuns also live independently and reach high education levels—all while still serving the church. Rindler says she believes that the hierarchy in Rome is really worried that the American nuns will influence other sisters around the world. “That’s why the men in the Vatican want control, what they see as influence, we see as enlightenment,” she says, adding that some nuns are brainwashed into thinking they are lesser beings than their male counterparts. “What woman truly believes she is not equal to a man?”

I don't think the bishops will either ever forgive the nuns for backing universal healthcare as the highest priority rather than the control of women's contraception. Their witness to a balanced and sane Christianity put the cramped authoritarianism of Dolan et al in an unflattering light, and Dolan takes his orders from Rome. An example of the nuns' alleged "doctrinal problems":

Read On »

Comment by Michel on April 21, 2012 at 10:48am

I had forgotten about Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.

Woman is the creation of man - how's that for denial of reality =)

Comment by doone on April 21, 2012 at 9:44am

A good quote from Thomas Jefferson

Comment by doone on April 20, 2012 at 3:36pm

Is God On His Way Out?

A new report (pdf), "Beliefs About God Across Time And Countries," takes a global look at the question. Waldman pores over the research:

[T]he variations are enormous. In the Philippines, 83.6 percent of people say, "I know God exists and I have no doubts about it." In Great Britain it's only 16.8 percent. Even among some similarly developed countries there can be a wide variation; 38.4 percent of Spanish people have no doubts about God, but only 15.5 percent of French people feel the same. One fascinating result comes from Japan, where only 4.3 percent have no doubts about the existence of God, but only 8.7 percent say they don't believe in God at all. So almost nine out of ten Japanese are in the believing-ish category.

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