The Hazards of Belief

Kivaro

robindch wrote: »

A Brazilian actor has died after accidentally hanging himself while playing Judas in an Easter Passion play.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17817352

Can the actor playing Jesus account for his whereabouts at the time of this "accident"?

joseph brand

Prayers used to pacify an unruly volcano in Mexico.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17817328


No need for early warning systems or evacuation procedures. Just have a bit of an oul pray.

Penn

joseph brand wrote: »

Prayers used to pacify an unruly volcano in Mexico.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17817328


No need for early warning systems or evacuation procedures. Just have a bit of an oul pray.

Plan B:

legspin

robindch wrote: »

A Brazilian actor has died after accidentally hanging himself while playing Judas in an Easter Passion play.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17817352

That the poor schmuck is dead is no laughing matter but I just couldn't stop myself from giggling uncontrolably at that.

The Mad Hatter

robindch wrote: »

A Brazilian actor has died after accidentally hanging himself while playing Judas in an Easter Passion play.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17817352

In fairness, that's really a hazard of having an incompetent stage manager.

mikhail

joseph brand wrote: »

Prayers used to pacify an unruly volcano in Mexico.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17817328


No need for early warning systems or evacuation procedures. Just have a bit of an oul pray.

Oh, they have those too, but there are still plenty of fairly uneducated Mexicans, and so Christianity and assorted death cults still have a big voice there.

joseph brand

mikhail wrote: »

Oh, they have those too, but there are still plenty of fairly uneducated Mexicans, and so Christianity and assorted death cults still have a big voice there.

Poverty stricken communities who live in huts are easy pray prey. It just depends on which religion gets there first.

mikhail

joseph brand wrote: »

Poverty stricken communities who live in huts are easy pray prey. It just depends on which religion gets there first.

Christianity was far from first in Mexico. Though when it came, it came with well-armed Spaniards.

Galvasean

joseph brand wrote: »

Prayers used to pacify an unruly volcano in Mexico.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17817328


No need for early warning systems or evacuation procedures. Just have a bit of an oul pray.

mikhail wrote: »

Christianity was far from first in Mexico. Though when it came, it came with well-armed Spaniards.

Remember when you could just throw a girl into a volcano?

The Mad Hatter

Galvasean wrote: »

Remember when you could just throw a girl into a volcano?

Cabin in the Woods?

Galvasean

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Cabin in the Woods?

How old do you think I am?

Delirium

Catholic school ‘urged pupils as young as 11 to sign anti-gay marriage petition’

Students at a Catholic state school in south London have been shown a presentation on religious opposition to the government’s proposal to allow gay couples to marry in civil ceremonies which, it is claimed, encouraged them to sign the Coalition for Marriage’s petition against the move.

A student at St Philomena’s Catholic High School for Girls in Carshalton voiced concerns to PinkNews.co.uk that pupils from 11 to 18 years of age had been “encouraged” to sign the anti-equality pledge by the school’s headmistress.

EDIT: British Humanist Association weigh in on the matter

The BHA believe the CES’s actions likely break sections 406-7 of the Education Act 1996, which forbids ‘the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school’, and requires balanced treatment of political issues. This law was successfully used in 2007 to stop schools showing Al Gore’s climate change film, An Inconvenient Truth, without also explaining scientific errors in the film.

Galvasean

Did the same school ask the kids to sign a petition to help get justice for those who suffered abuse at the hands of the RCC?

Stercus Accidit

Blank_ wrote: »

"One of his friends, and his uncle (they did not know each other) both told me that Jesse called them hours before he took his life and that he had lost all hope because he was convinced that God did not exist, and this book was the cause,"

...

Has the theory of evolution effected...

NOPE

Sonics2k

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

Has the theory of evolution effected...

NOPE

So he's basically saying you should believe in the Bible because it's "happier".

Feck off

recedite

It seems the guy (Jesse) who killed himself had told people "the book (The God Delusion) had presented him information that he found to be irrefutable".
Now imagine this was an ex-scientologist who killed himself after finding out the whole thing was a scam. And then the other scientologists started blaming some book or TV programme which had enlightened their ex follower, for causing his death.
Surely the cult itself is responsible for any psychological blow?

It's amazing that those of us brought up believing in Santa managed to get through the time in our lives when we were told otherwise. I assume that I wasn't the only one whose parents had a therapist lined up for when I found out.

Delirium

Priests: We won’t break seal of confession to report sex abuse

CATHOLIC priests will defy a new law that requires them to report sexual abuse disclosed to them in the confession box -- despite the threat of 10-year jail sentences.

It came after Justice Minister Alan Shatter confirmed the mandatory reporting requirement would apply to priests hearing confession.

Fr Sean McDonagh of the Association of Catholic Priests, which represents 800 clergymen, warned last night: "I certainly wouldn't be willing to break the seal of confession for anyone -- Alan Shatter particularly."

keane2097

koth wrote: »

Priests: We won’t break seal of confession to report sex abuse

Stops just short of saying "particularly not for a Jew".

They should be required to sign an oath of some sort to confirm they will adhere to the law, or else they should be precluded for presiding over confessions.

seamus

Just follow through and start jailing priests for failing to disclose crimes and the church will come up with some ecumenical loophole in their knotted bull**** that allows them to break the seal.

Would also be worth starting court proceedings against anyone who advises priests not to break the seal, for encouraging them to break the law.

dmw07

seamus wrote: »

Just follow through and start jailing priests for failing to disclose crimes and the church will come up with some ecumenical loophole in their knotted bull**** that allows them to break the seal.

Would also be worth starting court proceedings against anyone who advises priests not to break the seal, for encouraging them to break the law.

Or we could just ignore their law. Seeing as how priests don't work for the vatican like....

Bloodwing

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=14128

There's currently a discussion going on in the christianity forum in relation to the churches view on IVF treatment. It really does amaze how backwards these people are and it infuriates me more and more each day.

recedite

Wait till they discover the next stage...genetic enhancement http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2010/12/supercomputers-and-mystery-of-iq.html that will really give them something to whinge about.

robindch

Catholic church speaks with forked tongue in India:

Story 1: Catholics like blasphemy legislation - Catholics successfully indict an Indian skeptic for pointing out that a weeping catholic statue was weeping due to capillary action and not due to interaction with the hereafter: (story posted before)

http://boingboing.net/2012/04/13/indian-skeptic-charged-with.html
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/04/14/indian-skeptic-charged-with-blasphemy-for-rationally-explaining-a-miracle/

Story 2: Catholics don't like blasphemy legislation - apparently the blasphemy legislation leads to harassment.

http://www.cbcisite.com/cbcinews5125.htm

Catholic Bishops of India wrote:

Church leaders have long charged that the blasphemy laws are being abused for personal gain and to harass non-Muslims.

What is wrong with these people?

Nodin

He was glad they censored Life Of Brian, he wanted Clash Albums banned....how ironic then, the fate of 'Father Trendy'

(none of the 'thats not irony' stuff, please)

Father Brian D'Arcy, one of Ireland's best known priests, has been censured by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican.

.......

Today he said he was "disappointed" that there is not a better respect for the freedom of speech in the church to which he has given 50 years of his life.
.......
Fr D'Arcy was recently awarded a lifetime membership of the National Union of Journalists.
He described himself today as a priest of good standing. He said he had been living with the censure for the last 14 months and was doing his best to do so successfully.
But he added that as a journalist he must have some ability to speak freely.
He said when his newspaper articles concern matters of faith and morals, he now has them checked by a qualified theologian.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0426/brian-darcy-censured-vatican.html

What exactly was he done for anyway?

Genghiz Cohen

Nodin wrote: »

He was glad they censored Life Of Brian, he wanted Clash Albums banned....how ironic then, the fate of 'Father Trendy'

(none of the 'thats not irony' stuff, please)


http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0426/brian-darcy-censured-vatican.html

"qualified theologian."

0_O

Nodin

Deleted User wrote: »

What exactly was he done for anyway?

Good question. I'd say its an accumulation of offences. I know he's said they should "rethink" priestly celibacy on a few occassions, didn't follow the exact line on contraception
http://www.sundayworld.com/columnists/father-brian.php?aid=6267
plus he criticised the hierarchy. Any one of those is enough. Not a church for free thinkin.

Nodin

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

"qualified theologian."

0_O

'Rooting Out Wrongness Since 1542'

kylith

recedite wrote: »

It seems the guy (Jesse) who killed himself had told people "the book (The God Delusion) had presented him information that he found to be irrefutable".
Now imagine this was an ex-scientologist who killed himself after finding out the whole thing was a scam. And then the other scientologists started blaming some book or TV programme which had enlightened their ex follower, for causing his death.
Surely the cult itself is responsible for any psychological blow?

True. It may not be The God Delusion which drove him to suicide, but the realisation that he'd been fed a lie all his life, the fear of familial backlash, and a lack of anyone he felt he could talk to and confide in.

Either way, poor guy.