Okay, despite my serious and deeply seated dislike of any organized religion, but more specifically Christianity, particularily Catholicism, I've never ever gone out of my way to condemn people who believe in them. I don't feel as if I should, because I live my life according to how I see fit, just as I believe everyone should. So if people find stregnth or hope or whatever it is they get out of religion, more power to them.
But, without going into overkill details, this concerns me greatly, and really places fuel on the fire of my approaching hatred of the Christian Church.
Pope Condemns Same Sex Union as Attack on Society
Saturday, December 18, 2004, reported by Reuters.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul on Saturday condemned same sex marriage as an attack on the fabric of society and called on Catholics to combat what he said was aggressive attempt to legally undermine the family.
"Attacks on marriage and the family, from an ideological and legal aspect, are becoming stronger and more radical every day," the 84-year old pontiff said in the unusually strong statement.
"Who destroys this fundamental fabric causes a profound injury to society and provokes often irreparable damage."
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage between a man and a women is sacred and that homosexuality is a sin.
That stance has been under pressure in some of its core constituencies, including the United States and Catholic Spain where the socialist government in October approved a controversial draft law to legalize gay unions.
But a counterattack has begun. In the United States, President Bush was swept back to power in the November elections with help from U.S. evangelicals and Catholics who agree with the Pope.
Votes for Bush included solid support from the religious right and his win was interpreted by some as a victory for conservative Christians on issues like gay rights and abortion.
The Polish Pope on Saturday also condemned abortion, artificial procreation and equal status for cohabiting couples as undermining the marital state.
"These things that are presented as civilized progress or scientific conquests, in many cases are in fact a defeat for the dignity of human life and for society," his statement read.
The reason that this a)upsets me, b)frightens me, and c)causes me to worry is simply boiled down into three words: Humans are idiots.
While I may dislike the church, or any church, greatly, I do respect people who can take their religious perspective, but still think on their own and not let some beurocratic "leader" command their thoughts and actions. Though I have always been amazed by how many people can follow blindly a man that claims to have a direct link to "God", I've never said anything about it.
I'm saying something now. Too many people follow blindly without just cause or action. Take, as an extreme example, Nazi Germany. One man orchestrated the deaths of millions of people because he claimed he knew the way and word of God. Another example, as serious to me as that of Nazi Germany, is the reelection of George W. Bush. I may be overdramatic, but I can certainly see different sort of Holocaust being created in the next four years; indeed, it has already begun.
So my issues with the fact that the religious "leader" of one third of the world's population has now publically and officially condemed us as being dangerious are simple: I fear for my self, for my life, and for our future as a species. I only hope that others take into account that they do indeed have their own minds and their own rights to act and think and feel and love of their own accord before marching behind these practices blindly.
But, without going into overkill details, this concerns me greatly, and really places fuel on the fire of my approaching hatred of the Christian Church.
Pope Condemns Same Sex Union as Attack on Society
Saturday, December 18, 2004, reported by Reuters.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul on Saturday condemned same sex marriage as an attack on the fabric of society and called on Catholics to combat what he said was aggressive attempt to legally undermine the family.
"Attacks on marriage and the family, from an ideological and legal aspect, are becoming stronger and more radical every day," the 84-year old pontiff said in the unusually strong statement.
"Who destroys this fundamental fabric causes a profound injury to society and provokes often irreparable damage."
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage between a man and a women is sacred and that homosexuality is a sin.
That stance has been under pressure in some of its core constituencies, including the United States and Catholic Spain where the socialist government in October approved a controversial draft law to legalize gay unions.
But a counterattack has begun. In the United States, President Bush was swept back to power in the November elections with help from U.S. evangelicals and Catholics who agree with the Pope.
Votes for Bush included solid support from the religious right and his win was interpreted by some as a victory for conservative Christians on issues like gay rights and abortion.
The Polish Pope on Saturday also condemned abortion, artificial procreation and equal status for cohabiting couples as undermining the marital state.
"These things that are presented as civilized progress or scientific conquests, in many cases are in fact a defeat for the dignity of human life and for society," his statement read.
The reason that this a)upsets me, b)frightens me, and c)causes me to worry is simply boiled down into three words: Humans are idiots.
While I may dislike the church, or any church, greatly, I do respect people who can take their religious perspective, but still think on their own and not let some beurocratic "leader" command their thoughts and actions. Though I have always been amazed by how many people can follow blindly a man that claims to have a direct link to "God", I've never said anything about it.
I'm saying something now. Too many people follow blindly without just cause or action. Take, as an extreme example, Nazi Germany. One man orchestrated the deaths of millions of people because he claimed he knew the way and word of God. Another example, as serious to me as that of Nazi Germany, is the reelection of George W. Bush. I may be overdramatic, but I can certainly see different sort of Holocaust being created in the next four years; indeed, it has already begun.
So my issues with the fact that the religious "leader" of one third of the world's population has now publically and officially condemed us as being dangerious are simple: I fear for my self, for my life, and for our future as a species. I only hope that others take into account that they do indeed have their own minds and their own rights to act and think and feel and love of their own accord before marching behind these practices blindly.
From:
no subject
*nods agreement*