I feel as though most people intuitively know the Catholic Church is evil - otherwise why does it feature so heavily in horror movies and tales of depravity? I remember being in Rome and visiting several churches (and the Vatican of course) and I felt sickened by it. You'd go up the steps of a church and there'd be a homeless kid there, maybe 17 years old, tattered clothes, emaciated, little hat out for change. You go into the church, just one small church, not even one of the main must see ones featured in the tourist guide, and it was shining with gold, gold ornamentation everywhere, marble, rich luxurious materials, a statue of the virgin Mary on display in the centre, with gaudy Christmas lights around her head. And a priest solemnly crossing himself in front of the altar as he rose to walk out into a back room somewhere.
I was only 18 then, but I remember getting so upset and angry that I cried at the fact that people were suffering and starving and begging on the steps of a church that belonged to an organisation who had laid claim to morality and judgement for the world, who pretended to follow a law about being decent to one another, to put one another above all else - above riches, above false idols - to put other people above everything else except God. And these fucking people were luxuriating in their golden gaudy-lit splendour and seemed to genuinely think that making a cross like gesture or going to confession or saying some memorised lines was what was moral and pure and right, that they were superior to us atheists (I don't believe in the God of the Abrahamic tradition (the God of the Jews, Christians and Muslims) but am opened minded about some creative intelligent force etc) and all the while they let that teenage boy starve on the steps outside.
I just couldn't understand how so many people were oblivious to the blatant hypocrisy and I remember thinking how frightening it was that so many people could be so easily told and so easily blind. And now I'm even more terrified for that same reason!
I think people should differentiate between the leaders of the church and the parishioners. Just like Scientology, lots of great people join but the "leaders" are rotten to the core.
I feel as though your feeling that I'm a bigot with stupid opinions is a strange thing to waste your feelings on.
You don't need to feel offended by my feelings because they don't affect anything one way or another! It's just how I feel. You feel differently and that's okay and that's that. There's no need to be mean is there?
I'm not feeling anything, I'm calling out your bigotry. Sorry, that's what it is. You may wish to consider your blanket hate smear of 1.2 billion people because you had bad feefees when you were a kid on vacation. Can you guess the biggest private charity in the world? You're entitled to your stupid opinion, not being mean.
You didn't understand what I was saying, because I wasn't talking about 1.2 billion catholics, I was talking about the church, as in the powers that be. If I said the American government is evil would you accuse me of bigotry and hate smears against all American citizens? They aren't the same thing. The majority of catholics are really decent kind people, which I know well, having gone to a Catholic school and having many catholics and former catholics as friends.
The bad fee fees you're having now seem to entitle you to put words into my mouth and
Not a Catholic and again not expressing any feelings. Your analogy fails. A personal belief system and religious practices, entirely personal and voluntary decisions and activities, are in no way the same thing as representative government. I understand exactly what you're saying, and what I'm telling you is that you're a bigot, and you fail to understand that because reasons. What you're saying is. "I know you're a decent kind person, Mr. Catholic, but you worship evil and you're at best a fool for not seeing the blindingly obvious evilness of your deeply held intimate belief." When you insult an entire religion, as you've done, you're insulting it's people personally, because a church is nothing but its people. Grow up.
Ok you can think I'm a bigot that's your prerogative. You won't change my opinion about myself though I'm afraid, which is that I'm a nice person and I don't judge individuals on the basis of whatever categories they may fit into such as religion, nationality, gender, whatever, I decide what I think about people based on their actions and then I act according to the opinion. That's the opposite of a bigot. And it isn't bigoted to dislike an institution and what it stands for. If your dislike of the institution leads to you disliking all those who belong to it, and treating them badly solely on that basis, then that is bigotry. If you can't see that then you must have your mind caged in a very small box, to prevent yourself from disliking anything at all that other human beings may identify themselves with. Which is just stupid!
view the rest of the comments →
SpikyAube ago
I feel as though most people intuitively know the Catholic Church is evil - otherwise why does it feature so heavily in horror movies and tales of depravity? I remember being in Rome and visiting several churches (and the Vatican of course) and I felt sickened by it. You'd go up the steps of a church and there'd be a homeless kid there, maybe 17 years old, tattered clothes, emaciated, little hat out for change. You go into the church, just one small church, not even one of the main must see ones featured in the tourist guide, and it was shining with gold, gold ornamentation everywhere, marble, rich luxurious materials, a statue of the virgin Mary on display in the centre, with gaudy Christmas lights around her head. And a priest solemnly crossing himself in front of the altar as he rose to walk out into a back room somewhere.
I was only 18 then, but I remember getting so upset and angry that I cried at the fact that people were suffering and starving and begging on the steps of a church that belonged to an organisation who had laid claim to morality and judgement for the world, who pretended to follow a law about being decent to one another, to put one another above all else - above riches, above false idols - to put other people above everything else except God. And these fucking people were luxuriating in their golden gaudy-lit splendour and seemed to genuinely think that making a cross like gesture or going to confession or saying some memorised lines was what was moral and pure and right, that they were superior to us atheists (I don't believe in the God of the Abrahamic tradition (the God of the Jews, Christians and Muslims) but am opened minded about some creative intelligent force etc) and all the while they let that teenage boy starve on the steps outside.
I just couldn't understand how so many people were oblivious to the blatant hypocrisy and I remember thinking how frightening it was that so many people could be so easily told and so easily blind. And now I'm even more terrified for that same reason!
bopper ago
Welcome to the whore of Babylon.
ALDO_NOVA ago
The Exorcist was filmed at Georgetown :)
JimALFixIt ago
I feel as though you're a bigot with stupid opinions.
Freemasonsrus ago
I think people should differentiate between the leaders of the church and the parishioners. Just like Scientology, lots of great people join but the "leaders" are rotten to the core.
SpikyAube ago
I feel as though your feeling that I'm a bigot with stupid opinions is a strange thing to waste your feelings on.
You don't need to feel offended by my feelings because they don't affect anything one way or another! It's just how I feel. You feel differently and that's okay and that's that. There's no need to be mean is there?
JimALFixIt ago
I'm not feeling anything, I'm calling out your bigotry. Sorry, that's what it is. You may wish to consider your blanket hate smear of 1.2 billion people because you had bad feefees when you were a kid on vacation. Can you guess the biggest private charity in the world? You're entitled to your stupid opinion, not being mean.
SpikyAube ago
You didn't understand what I was saying, because I wasn't talking about 1.2 billion catholics, I was talking about the church, as in the powers that be. If I said the American government is evil would you accuse me of bigotry and hate smears against all American citizens? They aren't the same thing. The majority of catholics are really decent kind people, which I know well, having gone to a Catholic school and having many catholics and former catholics as friends.
The bad fee fees you're having now seem to entitle you to put words into my mouth and
JimALFixIt ago
Not a Catholic and again not expressing any feelings. Your analogy fails. A personal belief system and religious practices, entirely personal and voluntary decisions and activities, are in no way the same thing as representative government. I understand exactly what you're saying, and what I'm telling you is that you're a bigot, and you fail to understand that because reasons. What you're saying is. "I know you're a decent kind person, Mr. Catholic, but you worship evil and you're at best a fool for not seeing the blindingly obvious evilness of your deeply held intimate belief." When you insult an entire religion, as you've done, you're insulting it's people personally, because a church is nothing but its people. Grow up.
ArthurEdens ago
"Grow up" is the new pedo saying. Biden, Colbert, and you buddy.
SpikyAube ago
Ok you can think I'm a bigot that's your prerogative. You won't change my opinion about myself though I'm afraid, which is that I'm a nice person and I don't judge individuals on the basis of whatever categories they may fit into such as religion, nationality, gender, whatever, I decide what I think about people based on their actions and then I act according to the opinion. That's the opposite of a bigot. And it isn't bigoted to dislike an institution and what it stands for. If your dislike of the institution leads to you disliking all those who belong to it, and treating them badly solely on that basis, then that is bigotry. If you can't see that then you must have your mind caged in a very small box, to prevent yourself from disliking anything at all that other human beings may identify themselves with. Which is just stupid!