The "Cult" of secularism...

The Right Reverend Patrick Rooke, the Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry

So, the Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland have united together against this Secular society...Link

The Right Reverend Patrick Rooke, the Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry wrote:

The real enemy for all of us gathered here is the secular society of which we are part. There is no escaping it and we have seen in recent times what happens when the greed it encourages is allowed to fester and get out of hand. Whether we like it or not, secularism is growing rapidly in this country and others and to a large extent we only have ourselves to blame.
Secularism is a cult which argues that more is better, those who live by this philosophy alone look out for ‘me and mine’ first and everyone else far down the line. More money, more power, more possessions, more influence and the more the better, that is their philosophy.
This event would not have taken place some 29 years ago when I was last in this church taking duty. Let us not underestimate the progress which has been made but let us also acknowledge the size of the task ahead as together we confront the ravages of secularism.

Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary wrote:

Bishop Patrick has rightly alluded to the secular agenda which is promoted at every opportunity and as we reflect on this it provides us with a great opportunity to acknowledge the essentials of Christianity. In the past the churches tended to emphasise what differentiated them but today however the secularist approach enables our church to recognise the essentials of true religion

Dades

Secularism is a cult?

This from a crowd of secretive, chanting, flesh-eating, robe-wearing old men?

I give up. I really do.

Rowley Birkin QC

The Right Reverend Patrick Rooke, the Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry wrote:

More money, more power, more possessions, more influence and the more the better, that is their philosophy.

Knasher

Yeah, back when I was a good little christian, this was an opinion I heard expressed a number of times from the pulpit on Sunday. Never an explanation of exactly what or why they were objecting to it of course, just a vague assertion that it was somehow evil.

Hardly surprising that they might dislike a society that affords them less power and privilege. Back when this lot entered the seminary the priests could pretty much order people around however much they liked.

kylith

Secularism is a cult which argues that more is better, those who live by this philosophy alone look out for ‘me and mine’ first and everyone else far down the line

Kind of like all those schools picking and choosing children based on who has a birth cert then?

sensibleken

they really are getting desperate now arent they

goose2005

Seems odd that the American Catholics are always pro-secularism - until you realise that religious types can be very conciliatory when they don't have the whip-hand.

eoin5

They only say this tripe so they can get their pictures in the alive paper.

nozzferrahhtoo

Secularism is a cult which argues that more is better

Erm no, Secularism is just an idea that entirely unsubstantiated claims should be kept out of our public decision making process. That is all. Where do these people get these insane claims?

Is it possible he meant Capitalism and not secularism and just doesn't know the difference? That would at least make his diatribe make SOME sense, though not an awful lot.

robindch

cynical-ru wrote: »

[...] we have seen in recent times what happens when the greed it encourages is allowed to fester and get out of hand [...]

Secularism means "I want money"?

The good bish must have been at the altar wine again.

smokingman

robindch wrote: »

Secularism means "I want money"?

The good bish must have been at the altar wine again.

I'd say it's more to do with a low level of intelligence.
...but hey, that's just me

"ok, you're going to be a bishop"
"Do I have to do maths or anything?"
"Just addition, we don't do subtraction"
"derp"

robindch

smokingman wrote: »

"Just addition, we don't do subtraction"

So long as they don't multiply.

Logical Fallacy

I think we need to sort out if we are in a Cult or not.

Once and for all.

Being in a cult is bound to have some pretty cool advantages...like secret midnight meetings held at specific times of the year. Maybe some days we can have special diets to show our devotion. A really ****ing cool one would be where we all drink pretend blood and eat pretend flesh.

Sounds pretty hype i have to say.

BluntGuy

...Whether we like it or not, secularism is growing rapidly in this country and others and to a large extent we only have ourselves to blame...

In some ways he's not particularly wrong here. :pac:

Penn

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

I think we need to sort out if we are in a Cult or not.

Once and for all.

Being in a cult is bound to have some pretty cool advantages...like secret midnight meetings held at specific times of the year. Maybe some days we can have special diets to show our devotion. A really ****ing cool one would be where we all drink pretend blood and eat pretend flesh.

Sounds pretty hype i have to say.

I think a few hundred people saying in unison "It is right to give him thanks and praise" at a guy in a dress standing on raised flooring is pretty much all the evidence I need as to whether it's a cult or not. Had to go to a family Mass at the weekend (long story) and got shivers up my spine at that bit.

Galvasean

So what religion is secularism a cult of?

Insect Overlord

Reading this thread in the afternoon after watching the original "Wicker Man" the night before makes it all the funnier.

robindch

Galvasean wrote: »

So what religion is secularism a cult of?

It's a cult dedicated to the abolition of behaviour which benefits cults.

No wonder the Vatican's worried.

Daftendirekt

Galvasean wrote: »

So what religion is secularism a cult of?

Atheism, of course.

<runs away>

Undergod

Do we have some freaky-ass initiation rite? If not, why not?

ShooterSF

We'll see who has the last laugh when both of them end up in secular hell.

sensibleken

ShooterSF wrote: »

We'll see who has the last laugh when both of them end up in secular hell.

Ive heard its just like the passport office

Sarky

Undergod wrote: »

Do we have some freaky-ass initiation rite? If not, why not?

Well, there's Crossing The Desert and The Unblinking Eye.

Actually come to think of it, they're both pretty similar. And so is The Paddling Of The Swollen Ass.

MagicMarker

sensibleken wrote: »

Ive heard its just like the passport office

It's exactly like the passport office, except there's pictures of Jesus on the wall.

Logical Fallacy

Sarky wrote: »

Well, there's Crossing The Desert and The Unblinking Eye.

Actually come to think of it, they're both pretty similar. And so is The Paddling Of The Swollen Ass.

And they're all EXACTLY like The Wreck of the Hesperus.

Newaglish

MagicMarker wrote: »

It's exactly like the passport office, except there's pictures of Jesus on the wall.

Ah, you mean like the social welfare office?

lazygal

I'm in a cult? Where's my special robes and why wasn't I asked to participate in the TV3 programme on cults?

Feel incredibly cheated now.