This would work only if all alternatives to Catholicism (including secularism etc) were just as hopelessly inept as Ireland’s political parties!

I really just don’t get it. Do all people who call themself christians think they are better or supperior to people who don’t believe in any god or gods, how arrogent. I don’t believe in any gods but I would not hurt a fly.I would do anything for my neighbours.Unlike some of my so called christian neighbours that would barely bid you the time of day on their way to mass
I really hate the hypocracy of it all.

Yes they do

Not all of them. I agree there are a LOT of ‘so called Christians’ who think themselves the best thing in the world and that everything they say or do is how it should be. Bit not every Christian thinks like that. Some are completely normal and don’t think them any higher than their neighbour.

James, I thinks thats what the protestant are for!

The New Pope needs to be a true Christian and be as inclusive of the people in this world as he can. If not it will remain a closed shop for a select few.

The majority of Catholics around the world don’t think the church needs fixing.
Irish Catholics are different because of the abuse scandals.

I agree with you Helen when you say the next Pope has to be open to change. If she is not the church is doomed.

religions greatest friend is education or lack of it to be more precise. there is a reason uneducated poverty stricken developing nations are more religious in nature. It is also the same reason secular atheists are far more likely to have read the bible that their religious counterparts . Education is the key.

I agree. The greatest gift the catholic church could give to humanity is to disband.

Comment of the week there @Rory Conway LMFAO

exactly! I’d go with the “I Do Not Care” option. Thanks. Who needs them?

Religion is not Faith. Faith is not nonsense. Do you know the difference? Before making sweeping statements you should at least try to learn the difference between these very different concepts.

“Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” – Mark Twain

Irish people were treated like mushrooms, with no access to information (internet) and foreign tv stations (we used to have two stations). The angelus is still on before the news, sigh.
Unless the church can find a way to shield people from information, and find a way to keep people ignorant, they’re going to become irrelevant. They enjoy big numbers of followers in poor countries where the only book in a families home is a bible.
Can any body here, wishing to defend the church, highlight a part of the bible where jesus calls for an autonomous, sovereign state, which prioritises wealth, mysoginy, homophobia and bigotry over charity and human rights?
The Roman empire didn’t fall, it just changed tactics.

Well said Sean, I’ve long held the view that the human race is finally evolving beyond the need for religion. The need for a god seems to be a primative and deep seated psycological need as every civilisation has crated gods and godesses to explain their world from the caveman to the great ancient empires, who’s religions were around a lot longer than the christian one. We, although this seems to be a predominantly western world thing, are starting to evolve beyond our need for “the magic man in the sky” to explain our world and how it works. And to those that say faith is believing in what you can’t prove is or isn’t there. All I can say is, welcome to the church of the tooth fairy, please leave your wallets on the plate by the door as you leave. The Catholic church is, thankfully, in it’s death throws in the western world. The scandals of the last few years have meant the scales have fallen from peoples eyes about the ultimate confidence trick. It is growing in the developing world in much the same way the cigarette companies are by selling it at the schoolyard gate. (get them when they’re young and impressionable!) There has always been a reason the catholic church have provided schools, young minds are easier to manipulate than those of experience. But as far as the west is concerned, the catholic church is a lame racehorse that needs to be put out of it’s misery. A new pope is only going to be a bandage on a broken leg.

“Faith is not nonsense.”

Believing in something without evidence is nonsense. Especially when that belief inspires you to do wicked things – like oppose civil rights for same-sex couples, scare children into believing in a god with tales of hellfire, and historically – justifying slavery and other truly odious acts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law

“the Third Reich could have gotten its business in order if only they had a new Fuhrer.”

It probably could have. If they hadn’t had a manic syphilitic with a Napoleon complex in charge they might not have made some of the mistakes they did make. No second front with Russia for instance.

“he law and its corollaries would not apply to discussions covering known mainstays of Nazi Germany such as genocide, eugenics or racial superiority, nor, more debatably, to a discussion of other totalitarian regimes or ideologies”

Pharmyco
What a nasty contribution. In every part of society today there is a force for evil that is barely suppressed from drowning us and if ever we needed spiritual guidance and moral leadership then the formal churches are the nearest we can get to the correct model but looking at the posts here “daily on both matters political and religious we can see nothing but viciousness and nastiness and negativity and bullying and harassment.
You and people like you make a strong case for the Churches?

Yes I agree Peter. If these God haters have their way our world would become a place of horrors and selfishness would be their new God. Crouch’s are made of people. People are human so human weakness and mistakes will always be made. The Catholic Church needs to change radically but then again Jesus was a radical. We have never seen this true face of the church because of corruption and power but that does not mean its founder was wrong. A real Christian is radical. Stands up for what is right in the face of wrong and always has love and mercy in their life. There are people out there who despise any church because they stand up for good in this world. Yes they are human institutions and so flawed but Faith is not flawed. There are people who believe in a good God who wants to change this world from hate to acceptance and tolerance and inclusiveness. For some strange reason this seems to be enormously threatening to those with NO faith.

Apologies for spelling error. I meant Church’s are made for of people.

Christopher, I’m not a god hater. I’m a church hater.

I also have to ask god why he allows the vatican to represent him. We cant ignore its history….from the very birth of the vatican it has bathed in shame, scandals and blood. These are recorded events but so many turn a blind eye and follow!

“If these God haters have their way our world would become a place of horrors and selfishness would be their new God”

Eh? The vast majority of horror and selfishness in the world today is carried out by religious radicals in God’s name.

“We have never seen this true face of the church because of corruption and power”

If we’ve *never* seen it, then there is absolutely no justification for thinking it even exists, let alone that it might be the “true face”.

Yea im sure there is a cross hanging in every abortion clinic

Eh? The vast majority of horror and selfishness in the world today is carried out by religious radicals in God’s name”

You can’t be serious. So the church is responsible for all the crime in the world? Those who broke the law as religious or priests are a tiny minority of the Priests and religious. Another sweeping general statement designed to promote the usual myths that anyone who believes in God is somehow evil. To say this is wrong. Many priests and religious do great work and you never hear about them. The reason why we have never seen the truth face of the church is because it is not humble. I was talking about the institutional church Calum and the Hierarchy. The real church,( people doing their best in life because they believe in God) is very visible in the thousands of Christians doing their best daily and who use their faith as the basis for doing good. Not those who parrot simply that they are a Catholic. There is a massive difference. The true face of Christianity is in people not Institutions. Thats what I meant when I said the true face of the church has never been seen. Never in the Institutional church but in christian kindness yes.

Lads,

God is a myth, did you not get the memo? It was passed around by Charles Darwin. It was fascinating. You should pick up a copy.

“He created the heavens and the earth” Ha! Good one. Bunch of jokers!

Ruairi I agree with you here i question the vatican totally. If you ask me it should be sold and the money given to the poor. I think the problem is definitions. people are mixing up what the church is. I do not speak for the institutional church or hierarchy. In my opinion they have destroyed peoples faith in Christianity.

@ Christopher Gardiner “Vatican should be sold”

Who would buy it?

From Chris: “The real church,( people doing their best in life because they believe in God) is very visible in the thousands of Christians doing their best daily and who use their faith as the basis for doing good.”

People doing ‘good’ work, under threat of eternal damnation in a fiery pit of lava and hooks and sharp pointy stuff. Plenty of atheists do good work, but at least they do it for the right reasons, not selfish (trying to get into the cloudy paradise in the sky, replete with dead family members and other good stuff) reasons.

Have you felt jesus inside you?

Nasty beats stupid hands down

If real Christians are radical and the least radical organisations on the planet being the Catholic Church……draw your own conclusion

I don’t hate god because I don’t believe he exists but you have to agree that the god in the bible is a complete cu*t

My mother knows more about morals than the catholic hierarchy. She told me when I was 11 there was no such place as hell. And since that day the whole ridiculous edifice has in my mind simply crumbled under some very simple questions. Just as surely as a labour leader on 125k pa can’t call himself a workers activist neither too can an old man in a palace talking to the thin air be the voice of morality, sexual conduct or sense for that matter . As a last thought anyone ever read anything bad about the period when there was an Irish church? They were good days apparently

“Who would buy it?”

Disney?

Yet it was Ian Paisley that tried to warn us about the evils of the Catholic church.It’s a funny old world we live in…

Jesus was the world’s first documented magician. He performed tricks on ignorant goat herders. When David Blaine steps inside a box, and seconds later appears somewhere else, nobody thinks “he’s the son of god!!” Same goes for Paul Daniels.

Good for you. Some of us are Catholic and have to work through all the bullshit in the church but we hold on to out Faith because faith is more important than any church.

I’m not a catholic anymore but it absolutely has a lot to do with me. In the town where I live, the catholic church controls the vast majority of the primary schools. There is no option such as educate together for parents such as me here.

You don’t have to be a member of something for it to affect you.

@ Chris:
You forgot to write the word ‘blind’ before the word ‘faith’.

You’re just angry because we had a wet summer last year, which was terrible for fruit and vegetables. I will ask the spirit of Charles Darwin and the Flying Spaghetti Monster to guide the clouds away from our shores this summer.
His Noodley Highness be with you.

Blasphemy is what last year’s leaf screams at this year’s bud.

Well said James….This pope retiring hysteria makes me sick.”Who will be his successor?!”, they shriek excitedly. Who cares?! The brainwashed people of the world who believe in “god” and all the rubbish that goes with the belief, should open their eyes and ask themselves whats really lacking in their own lives that they have to continue deluding themselves.Just accept that when you die that is it.over.nothing.how weak are you that you need to belive that youre going to a better place after this earth?! Crazy stuff.Whats even worse is they are handing down their sick beliefs and traditions to their children and the cycle of lies, guilt and deception continues. I for one have broke the cycle with my own kids.”no you wont go to hell,it doesnt exist!!!!!!!!!!..no youre not born with sin in you-its made up! “etc etc, but it is only a drop in the ocean im afraid. At least by educating my kids,stopping this brainwashing from such an early age and breaking all these crazy catholic traditions; lets me sleep easier at night.

Bit like Obama with the Senate!

Fr. Flannery is not in good standing in the Vatican and is a member of that ridiculous Association of Catholic Priests.

But the bible was written by men and had been edited by man dozens of times!

And when do you celebrate the birth of your saviour? Decmber of April?

Funny how Jesus never write sh@t . You think the Son of God would have recorded something in all his 33 years on earth. Everything that has been written about him is hearsay . Maybe “Jesus” was illiterate .

He was a Chippie, a cross between a carpenter and a hippy!

Stephen that is some amount of malarkey even by your normal standard.

To me Stephen you may as well be talking about the gnome people that live in your attic for all the sense you made. It’s so strange to me that because you share your irrational believe with millions of people you’re generally accepted to be sane but in isolation you’d probably be committed to a mental hospital. Easily the most bizarre thing about religion.

I pity anybody who would waste their life believing in this nonsense.
At least you will never know you are wrong. Cause, ya know , once you die, that’s it.

Or woman?

Women have a role in the church and that is all to the good. But being Pope? No no.

@khaosan… Why?

@Karolyn

Hearken to the word of God.

@khaosan ….. who?

It is because of the lady bits about you…these thimble ringers get nervous in your presence. Women brought us the hearth, and that started civilization…when we didn’t eat the kill here it was killed…we brought it home to the hearth.

Hi Khaosan,

Please flag comments as being inappropriate.

Kind Regards,

Paul

The ones were the paypil are sayin’ that the next Pope should be a wimmin… Haven’t we enough problems an’ all without de naggin’ behind our back.

My dear fanatical friend…please see my comment above, which states the best definition of Blasphemy: You are last year’s leaf screaming to the new buds. Blasphemy got us out of the caves and is our best hope…no religion can stand up to the laughter of the masses.

The doctrine of blasphemy is ridiculous. There is nothing wrong with any faith defining what is, or isn’t, “blasphemy” – but the idea that anybody other than G-d can call a person to reckoning for it is possibly blasphemy in itself.
Of course, if you want to bring back public stoning, floggings, amputations etc. fell free to lobby your Dail representative, I’m sure they’ll be most helpful.

If God doesn’t exist how can there be any blasphemy?

If God does exist then why he delete the blasphemous comments himself?

Perhaps because we are supposed to live in a tolerant society where we can criticise ideas and the often very different and conflicting beliefs of different religions without getting locked up… If different people’s belief systems contradict one another, then surely criticising the beliefs of anybody else could be seen as sacrilege… If an atheist says that belief in god is a fiction, are they blaspheming or expressing their own beliefs? If a religious person says an atheist’s non-belief in god is wrong, is the religious person committing blasphemy against the atheist? If a Buddhist person says belief in god is wrong because Buddhists do not believe in god, are they committing blasphemy by adhering to their own religious beliefs??? Are dissenters within a religious community also committing blasphemy?

Blasphemous comments! Oh feck that gave me a laugh :)
Erm, religion doesn’t deserve any special place and can be criticised just like anything else. Except the Flying Spaghetti Monster and Pastafarians of course, though shalt not blaspheme against His Noodly Goodness.

Stephen. You’ve read that article in the Mail on Saturday which considers options which include honing the no of Catholics to include only those who don’t use contraception and don’t live together ‘in sin’. Don’t be such a fraud and try to think of something original to say. And remember, mental health does not equate with imaginary friends in the sky.