Holy Hypocrisy, Batman!

Georgetown University, a Catholic institution, invites the future pope to
speak at a commencement ceremony--and then acts totally shocked when he serves up some old-fashioned Catholic dogma.

Comments

[joe]

These sentiments do not recognize God's love in the world. Religious understanding, like Democracy, is a human endevour, and must similarly be constantely dragged forward into enlightenment, or sink into a morass.

Are you libertoids all atheists?

[Anonymous]

Is that random rumination supposed to be somehow related to the post, Joe?

[Anonymous]

The subjunctive mood is in its death throes, and the best thing to do is to put it out of its misery as soon as possible.

[Kevin Carson]

Joe,

I'm an agnostic. But I've got sympathies for fundamentalists who feel they are relegated to Coventry for having views out of the mainstream, at the same time the state is politicizing areas of life that were previously autonomous, enforcing a state policy of secularism on those areas of life, and then forcing those same fundamentalists to pay for it with tax money. They're being marginalized with their own money--can't the Marxists expand the theory of alienation to cover this?

If I WERE (apologies for the subjunctive) going to be a religious believer, it would only be because I was convinced that a particular religion was objectively true. If you don't believe in the magisterial authority of the popes and ecumenical councils, or of the consensus patrorum, why even bother putting on uncomfortable clothes and driving across town to a mouthful of bread and wine, when you can just stay home and drink beer?

If something isn't objectively true, what difference does it make if it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy about yourself? If a religion's claims to divine revelation are just hokum, what good are the "smells and bells"?

[Steve]

Someone explain to me what a Jesuit University like Georgetown expected when they invited this guy. I guess to be intellectually honest, I would say that it wasn't terribly appropriate for a graduation, but again....WHAT DID THEY EXPECT!?!?!?

[Lefty]

I'm a recovering Catholic. Did the Altar Boy thing, Mass 7am every day, 9 First Fridays to guarantee a happy death, Saturday morning Catechism (rural area - no Catholic schools), watched my Mom make chocolate pies to sell to help pay the Church bills, cleaned the rectory, put up with eccentric Priests who wanted their prayer book from the right side, not the left, believed and repeated the "one, holy apostolic" thing to the unbelievers. On and on.

When I was 17 I was informed that this Communion thing, which I thought was just a cool way to get together with my friends, was not just a representation - it was the real thing. This eccentric Priest, as well as all of the rest of the Priests, good and bad, who ran churches around the world, actually changed wine into Christ's blood and this little white wafer was actually a piece of his body. A few holy words over them did the trick. If I didn't believe that this was true, I was a heretic and should hit the road. I double checked and, sure enough, that's the Company line. Magic.

I hit the road. People like Cardinal Francis Arinze, Billy Graham and other proselytizers of magic and superstition make me continually glad I did.

[Steve]

Lefty:

Generally speaking, Non-Catholic Christian denominations see the wine and bread as a REPRESENTATION of Christ's flesh and blood and not as the real deal. It allows us to partake of the Last Supper as The 12 did.

[Hank]

I had a funny conversation with Jesus the other day. He said, "Ya know, ese, these hombres are loco, what with the vino being my blood n chit. Chit maaan, I ain't no pinche savior. And mi papa, ja know, God, he don't give one stinkin' gringo chit about this planet, maaan. Don't these fools know He made like fuckin' 100 trillion intelligent races on other planets, too? Chiiiit. Loco." Then he handed me my dime bag and I cruised on down the street, smiling at the marvel that is Creation.

[Nora North]

If the wine and bread are REPRESENTATIONS -- then why, in heaven's name (pun intended) don't they SAY SO! Why all the subterfuge, obfuscation, and legerdemain?

What, people are stupid or something?

[david f]

hey kevin!

greetings. as someone who isn't religious, i don't follow your thoughts, claiming that it's somehow a bad thing that fundies have to provide funding for the secularization (sic) of society.

so what if they do? is it only the christian fundies that whine about that? what about the islamic fundies whose tax dollars fund, say, troops in saudi arabia? or what about those quakers for whom violence is bad. does religion give someone the right to opt out of certain practices? how would the mainstream of this fundamental mass react if these prayers at football games were in arabic or hebrew or hindi?

or what about the ten commandments on schools, courthouses, etc. that's an slam against all non-christians/jews. (that bit of having no other god, etc.).

while the govt should butt out of many of these areas, to be sure, since 1994, i've noticed the default switch to pandering to the christian fundie who cries out "descrimination" or "bashing" the minute there are objections to the spreading of their beliefs.

while people bemoan the government keeping church and state separate, there are many forces in congress right now (gasp) that want to legislate the behavior of consenting adults in their own bedrooms. yet, criticism of that (santorum, bill bennett, etc.) always has to be backed up with "well, my friends are fundies, and..."

keep the religion private, keep the state out of most things, and have a cold beer and a brat. things are pretty cool, afterall!

cheers,
drf

[joe]

Kevin,

There is more than one kind of truth. Inner lives are real.

The fact that clergy stray from their core competency into unrelated areas (law, politics, international relations) does not reduce the truth and value that they bring to their proper sphere.

[Jeff Clothier]

There are two magic words which have successfully baffled every spiritual AmWay saleman ever to approach me trying to add me to his salvation downline - "Prove it!"