In a jaw dropping stunner, not likely to be popular among Catholics... the pope says Atheists get to go to heaven. I know right? Now, I dunno... that was never my takeaway... but for having the balls to promote such a kind message to us, this pope gets my respect and support. I will be more kind to Catholics from this point forward. I will be more trusting of the church and its leadership... and I feel all warm and fuzzy toward Catholicism in general. Not because I get to go to heaven of course... there is no such thing... but that in this popes world, I am in his heaven. That gives me great comfort here on Earth. If I had a heaven, he would be in it too. religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/23/heaven-for-atheists-pope-sparks-debate/ Just wow.
"Eskimo: 'If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?' Priest: 'No, not if you did not know.' Eskimo: 'Then why did you tell me?'"
So if this is important to you at all, you are a liar, not an atheist! - - - Updated - - - The more appropriate question is do oppressors (otherwise known as "liberals") go to heaven? I mean after promoting the mass slaughter of children in utero and lobbying for many many oppressive laws, I really wonder!
If there is a heaven there will probably be more conservatives than republicans, but that's for the big guy upstairs to decide, not a flamboyant man made god like a pope.
The reason it matters has nothing to do with the etherial or metaphysics. It is a human position of inclusion vs assault of what the beleiver conceives of a soul. This is the first time in history that the Catholic church has mentioned atheists... and not followed it with something nasty to say. It is an intellectually honest position that a person who does not believe in Christ, but is good, does not go to the same place as child molesters etc. It was a nice gesture, and so simply and politely, completely changed my attitude toward the Church under his leadership. It was just refreshingly pleasant. It in no way affects my personal beliefs or lack thereof as to a sentient deity or persistence of the "soul". It has profoundly affected the way I view an incredibly powerful church with a history of persecution of people with differing beliefs. Go pope.
A step in the right direction for sure. A little more work to do perhaps? The chosen ones or believers will be fully functional in those beliefs when non-believers are 'redeemed' by their own virtues without requiring processing from the god or gods of the chosen ones. Maybe that's not a possible reality with standard religious thought if there can be only 1 god who is in his/her entirety the exclusive intellectual property of the aforementioned chosen ones. But still, not to retract from a good step in the right direction. Dope Pope!
Yes, Ctrl, you (as an atheist) will be allowed to go to heaven. However, as part of Obamacare, you WILL be required to fill out the following forms prior to admittance: Form 125-65 Form 9984-16(b) Form 2610 Form 118(2)-14b Form 255-98 Form 899-88 Form 666-2013
What about (christian) 7th Day Adventists who pray for Armageddon and Jehovah Witnesses who believe christian holidays are Pagan Rituals ?
Well... Hades is... the OT hell was Sheol, Jewish hell... it is more sad and lonely than torturous... and according to Job (I think, don't quote me) ALL dead go there... until Greek/Roman influence of the NT when their ideas of the underworld were incorporated. - - - Updated - - - Well... they are mostly. Neither of those churches have the sort of power and influence as Catholics.
All of the Christian Holidays were (pagan) rituals as a ceremony to nature and the heavens ... known as the Solstice Ceremonies ... the Christian Catholic Church a thousand years ago merely made them *Holy* So I always get a good laugh at Bill'O the Clown when he rants on the War on Christmas and Easter et al.
Well... that just isn't correct. Some holidays are actually just religious in nature... but yes... the vast majority are leftover pagan ceremonies.
The Pagans (wether druids or saxons or greeks or romans) didn't believe in the God we call God ... they simply believed in some Supreme Bieng(s) that graced or *blessed* them *with all* ... this in fact the only way God is known.
I misspoke. Did not mean to imply pagan religions were not religions. I mean that there are solely Christian holidays... though the focus of many was still to explan natural phenomenon, so established celebrations were co-opted. A great many of them.
Though atheist, I think there are redeeming qualities to most religiosity....specifically, the notion of "otherworldly rewards" for moral and ethical behavior.... which brings me to question the activist atheist's (generally, the progressive left's) motivations for maligning religious contingencies (save one )..... personally believing it's more about exploiting the "victim / oppressor" Hegelian Dialectic in an effort to demonize....and thus ultimately eliminate.... any political opposition or ideological barriers to an authoritarian, centrally planned and facilitated "earthly kingdom" of "fair" and "socially just" womb to tomb security.... regardless of an individual's behavior or worthiness for such "rewards" If that makes any sense.
i don't give a crap what a bunch of old virgin men think is going to happen in the next life. they need to stick to pandering to scared old people and covering up the rape of boys.
I'm just saying Aethiests go to heaven too ... they have a concept of God just like everyone else ... simply because God is *something we cannot understand*
Atheist agnostics maybe... what atheists do not understand is not God, it is simply not yet understood. It is not supernatural, it is the essence of nature. Nature is not God, it is just big and complicated.
