This isn’t meant to be a post about religion or faith. You can read TD thoughts on his faith in his most awesome post. My response to the judgers is “Some like it hot”…*owned but TD stole it and I’m too tired to chase him down.* I tend to avoid churches except for the psalm 22 week and Good Friday. I end up a disaster after each attendance. I respect everyone’s idea of faith.
When I was 3, I ran around the house with a towel over my hair I would yell “Look ma, I’m a nun!”. I even went as one that year for Halloween. I don’t know if a 3-year-old knows the concept of irony but that comes pretty close. The next year and every year thereafter, I went as something scary. The world once again became in balance…digression.
This week the Pope resigned. The first time this has happened in 600 years. I’ve heard a number of opinions. He should have died first (um ok?)….God chose him so he shouldn’t have resigned (um ok?)…He looks old, decrepit and unhealthy…good for him (um ok). I don’t know the protocol on how things work. From what I understand, he is elected by the College of Cardinals. That makes it a popularity contest, not a Divine proclamation. It would be funny to see God whispering in one cardinal’s ear “he’s the one”…then moving around the room and whispering in another “no, he is”.
My aunt has been dreading this moment. She says the next Pope will not be a real one and will help usher in the End Times. She called me and implored me to go to church. A friend of mine is freaking out…the event that somewhat gave me chills was the fact that the Vatican was hit by lightning. Not sure how often this happens or if I should be scared. What to do what to dooo?
And my question to you all is what are your thoughts, if any on this event? Is the world coming to an end yet again?
1J1
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Eh, I doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. I don’t care much for the church or what it does. However, if the man doesn’t think he’s physically fit enough to perform his duties then he’s probably not and should step down. It’s damn near unheard of, but I respect his decision.
Thanks for the comment. Personally, it doesn’t matter to me. He has looked pretty bad. I live in an area that is largely populated by Catholics, so it was all the story. I’m just wondering if there was more to it. The timing of the strike was pretty eerie but coincidences happen all the time.
1J1,
I personally doubt the pope is stepping down on his own accord. He was never quite popular among the followers, and I suspect in the Church too. This being said, the man is 85, and being the pope of the Roman Catholics must not be an easy task in today’s world, I am just thinking about their stance on contraception, abortion and homosexuality, for starters. Even if your Faith is strong, the constant attacks must be hard to digest with an 85-yr old stomach.
Le Clown
Hi Le Clown. Thanks for commenting. It is like the high ranking executive that “resigns effective immediately”. Read between the lines, or take it as truth? Usually, it is the former. The hypocrisy would be difficult for anyone to digest.
The Vatican was really struck by lightening? I haven’t heard this.
Hey. Yes, it was. From people who have commented and those around me, I guess it happens quite often.
Wow!
The world has been coming to an end for millions of years.
And eventuality it will. Thanks!
I am not religious and so couldn’t really care less about the pope or religion in any form really, each to their own and all that, my full opinion on religion is a little more…erm… longer than that but this is your blog so I’ll leave that at the door.
If I had to have an opinion it say kudos to the guy, he thinks he is getting too old for it and if I read that at face value and that is the reason he resigned then fair play to the guy, when you look at pictures of him you kinda have to agree with his decision.
Hi Steve. He has been looking pretty bad. I wouldn’t mind reading what else you have to say.
Hi 1jaded1, It is a touchy subject for a lot of people, people are obviously free to believe in what they wish and I am not going to tell anyone otherwise, just because I just don’t get it, doesn’t make me right.
I suppose a PC version would be that I can understand that when people thought the world was flat and didn’t know what the Sun was that they would worship an invisible entity, but I cannot understand that belief in the 21st century. (although I suppose whether that is PC or not is also open to debate).
As an aside, George Carlin did a sketch on religion once and that is pretty much my opinion on the matter.
I’m going to revisit George Carlin and see if I can find something online. He was one of the greats.
Theism explains, among other things, the origin of the universe ex nihilo, the fine-tuning of the universe, and the origin of life. Atheism’s attempt to explain the origin of the universe ex nihilo is usually to posit a multiverse or claim that the universe popped into existence uncaused and out of absolutely nothing (atheism used to claim that the universe was eternal and therefore needed no cause, but that has since been proven wrong). Atheism’s explanation of the fine-tuning of the universe and the origin of life depends on sets of events occurring, with each event having an infinitesimal probability of occurrence.
If you would like to understand how these kinds of arguments lead us to believe in God in the 21st century I would be happy to point you to examples of such arguments.
Hi Null… no examples needed thanks. religion and what people do or do not believe have been contested points for… well forever, and will probably still be long after my lifetime.
Steve, I agree that the debate between theism and atheism probably will not be resolved in our lifetimes. Nonetheless, I think it is important to understand the arguments for and against theism and atheism so that one’s beliefs can be based on as much evidence as possible. Whether theism or atheism is true the implications are hugely significant: if atheism is true then theists are wasting a lot of their time and money on false beliefs, and if theism is true then atheists are potentially in a lot of trouble when they die.
The pope is indeed elected by the College of Cardinals in a papal conclave (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_conclave). Calling it a popularity contest is, if anything, a bit of an understatement — the history of the papacy is filled with political intrigue. The last pope to resign, for example, did so involuntarily to end the Western Schism (two different men claimed to be the “pope”, and there was even an “antipope” at the time — see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Schism).
Your aunt’s fear of the end times is based on the so-called “Prophecy of the Popes” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy_of_the_popes). It is a description of all the popes which ends with “Peter the Roman”, who is said to be the pope when Rome is destroyed and God judges humanity. Based on the numbering of the popes and their descriptions, Benedict XVI is supposed to be the direct predecessor of “Peter the Roman”. However, some of the popes’ descriptions in the so-called prophecy have dubious connections to the real popes, and the prophecy itself is doubted. The problem with such a prophecy is that it can be easily avoided if the Cardinals never choose as pope a man named Peter with a connection to Rome, and if every pope with a connection to Rome simply avoids choosing the papal name Peter (which would be an unprecedented choice anyway).
I wouldn’t worry much about the lightning striking St. Peter’s Basilica. It was in the middle of a storm and the dome of St. Peter’s is one of the tallest structures so it isn’t surprising that lightning would strike it. The media are just making a big deal out of it to freak people out and generate page views.
For the record, I am a Catholic but I do not subscribe to the dogma of papal infallibility.
Hi Null. Thank you for the comment. Yeah, the fact that people elect him solidifies the fact that it is political. I will read the links. Thanks for the info about the storm. A friend of mine says “coincidences were meant to happen”.
The last time I was at church was for my wedding, and I regret that we even got married in the church. I kind of want to get my marriage annulled and then go to Vegas and get married again. I agree absolutely that it’s a popularity contest with the selection of the pope. I haven’t been an observant Catholic in many many many years, and even then I didn’t buy into the idea of the pope as the leader of the church on earth. Pope Benedict wasn’t very popular, so I’m sure not everyone is unhappy about him stepping down. The only thing I liked about him was the fact that he loves cats. And I just hope the next guy doesn’t screw things up even more than they already are.
Hi. I never really followed him. The only time I venture in to a church this time of the year is because the subject matter is so sad.
I’m going to miss the hats and shoes. He has great fashion sense and always wears such cute hats and shoes. Really I’m a bit torn to be honest. One does not simply resign as Pope. It is not done. But now that this first has been achieved, what other firsts are on the way? Contraception? Women in the clergy? Who knows? I definitely don’t think the world is ending any day soon.
Maybe he was getting tired of being called the ‘Nazi Pope’ all the time.
Could be! I never knew that is what people called him.
Well, I don’t know if people still call him that. I know that after he was elected there were some people who threw a fit because, as a child growing up in Germany, he was a member of the Hitler Youth. The Hitler Youth, if you didn’t know, were the Nazi version of Boy Scouts. Back then, boys joined that group for one of two reasons: One, they believed in the Nazi ideals, or two, they were afraid that if they didn’t join, the Nazis would do very bad things to them.
The people that supported him said he joined for reason two, while the people who didn’t said it was for reason one.
Membership in the Hitler Youth was mandatory for Aryans like Ratzinger, so he didn’t have a choice whether he actually wanted to join or not.
I doubt we’re going anywhere anytime soon…
This world doesn’t rise or fall based on the actions of one man, regardless of who he is.
Great post! I love your style!
Thank you. That means the world to me.
I’m not big on the Catholic church or the fact that they elected to their highest office the man who had hidden pedophiles for decades. Don’t let the screen door slam you on the way out.
As to whether the world is ending, I guess yesterday’s meteors were just shots across the bow!
Hi Elyse. It will be interesting to see who they elect next. Whoever is shooting those meteors can keep that job. Their aim sucks
.
And I obviously have not kept up on my news. I’m going to puke now.
Lightning hitting the Vatican is only a sign if people want it to be one.
I’m giving points to Pope Benedict for saying “I can’t do this job anymore”. If there were more people in the church and in other organisations with the guts to stand up and say “I can’t continue with this” then firstly, other people would have to take up those roles, and secondly, it would give new blood a chance, while the elders get the respect they have earned, by setting the example of knowing when to stop.
Thank you. That makes sense.