Pope Benedict Retires

[ScotsAlan]

Religion can do good LDV.

 

What would you do first if you were elected Pope?

 

If I was elected Pope, I would follow in the footsteps of Pope John Paul I and ask to see the Vatican accounts

 

Could you not make the the 2ND thing you do?

 

The first you should ensure is a proper investigation into your upcoming death :-)

[wrighty]

Religion can do good LDV.

 

What would you do first if you were elected Pope?

 

Don't know, but it's a great idea for a novel, if only I had the creativity and ability to write the damn thing. Imagine an atheist, a bit like many of the posters here, who decided to fight religion from the inside by faking their way into the highest office in the church (pope, or archbishop of Canterbury perhaps) and then making changes. What would you do to get the whole edifice to implode? Perhaps this is what the last ABofC did with the women priests thing. He always seemed quite bright, such that I wondered if he really believed in god or was just in it for the perks of the job.

 

ETA - I suppose this novel has already been written, like most ideas nothing is that original. If anyone knows of a book with such a plotline let me know and I'll probably buy it.

[ScotsAlan]

Religion can do good LDV.

 

What would you do first if you were elected Pope?

 

Don't know, but it's a great idea for a novel, if only I had the creativity and ability to write the damn thing. Imagine an atheist, a bit like many of the posters here, who decided to fight religion from the inside by faking their way into the highest office in the church (pope, or archbishop of Canterbury perhaps) and then making changes. What would you do to get the whole edifice to implode? Perhaps this is what the last ABofC did with the women priests thing. He always seemed quite bright, such that I wondered if he really believed in god or was just in it for the perks of the job.

 

ETA - I suppose this novel has already been written, like most ideas nothing is that original. If anyone knows of a book with such a plotline let me know and I'll probably buy it.

 

 

There was a film called "shoes of the fisherman". That was very good.

 

There was another called "Habeaus Corpum" ( I think) I have it on my hard disk:

 

But I think the best book for you Wrighty is this:

 

http://www.amazon.co...l/dp/0307473201

 

Somehow I think it would suit you. It's a bloody good read.

 

My link is a bit strange because Amazon.co.uk is blocked in China for some reason.

 

But you can buy the book cheap on your Kindle.

 

It may be be quite revalant to the subject. But I bet you a tenner towards charity that you enjoy it :-)

 

And I bet you a fiver you see some relavance to this thread.......

 

 

 

 

:

[P.K.]

I wonder what the wealth of the Catholic Church actually is? If you go round the Vatican it's very obvious that over the years a lot of plunder found it's way back to Rome. But then how do you put a price on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

[thommo2010]

Errrr thats rich....

 

What do you mean?

[Thomas Jefferson]

I wonder what the wealth of the Catholic Church actually is? If you go round the Vatican it's very obvious that over the years a lot of plunder found it's way back to Rome. But then how do you put a price on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

 

I don't think they're all that rich. I mean, you can assess the monetary value of the Sistine Chapel, but how do you propose it be sold, and who do you propose even owns the collective assets of the Catholic Church? If the Church sold the entire Vatican to a private corporation, how would that benefit anyone? And how would you distribute the proceeds in a way that would have a lasting benefit? I find the entire idea to be silly. Love it or hate it, the Catholic Church is the largest charitable organisation on the planet, and liquidating the infrastructure would render them unable to continue as a sustainable charitable organisation. It's all well and good saying "I'm going to give all my money to charity", but you can give a lot more to charity by not giving all your money to charity -- i.e. by continuing to invest and making more money, or by using your money to continue to invest in the charitable infrastructure.

[Thomas Jefferson]

A woman priest would not be a good thing. Just the same sorts of nuttery but with boobs. Big deal.

 

Better to do away with the religion.

 

 

And replace it with what? Human beings are psychologically oriented toward ritual.

[Thomas Jefferson]

But he is the Pope. He can change the whole thing if he wants. All he had to say is he had a Chat with God. That's his job.

 

He could change things in a flash of a burning bush.

 

What he thinks and believes is supposed to come from Him. If he is too week to believe that then he should not be in the job.

 

I think you overestimate his position. He cannot go against what has already been established as dogma ex cathedra by past church councils. If he suddenly came out and started contradicting established dogma, the church would split apart (again).

[La_Dolce_Vita]

And replace it with what? Human beings are psychologically oriented toward ritual.

Ritual? I wouldn't say that. Would you not be more accurate in meaning disposed to religious beliefs? Replace Catholicism with Quakerism. That is a slight improvement.

[prism10]

Religion can do good LDV.

 

What would you do first if you were elected Pope?

 

If I was elected Pope, I would follow in the footsteps of Pope John Paul I and ask to see the Vatican accounts

 

Could you not make the the 2ND thing you do?

 

The first you should ensure is a proper investigation into your upcoming death :-)

 

I did say I would follow in the footsteps of Pope John Paul I, who after enquiring where the books were kept asked for a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake.

[Lonan3]

And replace it with what? Human beings are psychologically oriented toward ritual.

Ritual? I wouldn't say that. Would you not be more accurate in meaning disposed to religious beliefs? Replace Catholicism with Quakerism. That is a slight improvement.

I would have to agree that ritual is correct. Watch any football match and see the what the specatators are doing - simple chants. communal songs, basic movements such as hand clapping or arm raising - all synchronised. Then extend it to images of Nazi Germany and see exactly the same rituals being performed - as if giving the participants a sense of tribal belonging almost as if the political movement was an alternative religion. Then, finally, observe something like the Catholic mass with its meaningless incantations drawing irrelevant reponses from the congregation; the movements - kneeling, standing or sitting - in unison; making the sign of the cross - all rituals that are very carefully designed to make the participants feel as if they are knowledgeable and accepted members of that community.

Possibly thanks to our tribal origins, there is something that attracts human beings to communal rituals - and the churches have learned how to make that work for them.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I find those observations to be unremarkable if we are talking about ritual itself. They don't appear to mark out a dispostion to those forms of behaviour, just an ability to perform them.

 

If you are talking about something different than ritual, which you later seem to be in a way by mention of 'tribal belonging' then I would agree. But it isn't ritual but about the meaning of particular behaviours and practices which people may be predisposed to.

 

I do agree that ritual helps to create a unified sense of community.

[MilitantDogOwner]

Well its business as usual if the bookies favourite from Ghana is given Popedom.

 

He is in support of the "Kill the Gays" policy in Africa and is as much a bigot as the last Pope.

 

Once again, good to see Religion leading the way to a better future......not

[Lxxx]

But he is the Pope. He can change the whole thing if he wants. All he had to say is he had a Chat with God. That's his job.

 

He could change things in a flash of a burning bush.

 

What he thinks and believes is supposed to come from Him. If he is too week to believe that then he should not be in the job.

 

I think you overestimate his position. He cannot go against what has already been established as dogma ex cathedra by past church councils. If he suddenly came out and started contradicting established dogma, the church would split apart (again).

 

...and that is a bad thing because...?

[prism10]

Well its business as usual if the bookies favourite from Ghana is given Popedom.

 

He is in support of the "Kill the Gays" policy in Africa and is as much a bigot as the last Pope.

 

Once again, good to see Religion leading the way to a better future......not

 

He will say anything to become the first elected black pope

 

I am assuming that the early popes from the middle east were not dark skinned.