The most holy thing/person/incident you've encountered

sbsquarepants

ReefBreak wrote: »

I still don't understand what "holy" actually means. Unless there's something different about a "holy" item at an atomic or sub-atomic level, then I would suggest it means absolutely nothing.

Like most religious terms or ideas - when it comes right down to it, it means absolutely nothing!

Pac1Man

This thread is hilarious! I'll admit, I saw the title and had low hopes OP.

Religious crazies still exist in this country. Who would have thought?

JackTaylorFan

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

well i'm delighted that somebody thinks i'm capable of being clever. You've made my day.

...welcome...

JackTaylorFan

osarusan wrote: »

Don't know if it has been mentioned already, but there was a politician running in NI a couple of years ago, Susan-Anne White. Her slogan was 'Biblically correct NOT Politically Correct'.

Here's her manifesto:

I believe she ran again earlier this year... did even worse than she did in 2015

Graces7

Graces7 wrote: »

[/B]

Because they are blessed and sacred is why. Simple. The ashes are made from the palm crosses from last year and blessed oil.

In the form of a cross on your head.

Not to be wiped off like dirt! Sacred and holy.

Same problem seen all through this thread. of a lack of understanding or awareness. Easy to mock then. ?

Thanks but I couldn't care less (and I didn't mock) but I find it fascinating how you and others expect us to know what's behind these displays of piety and lose it when we wonder about these things.

ohnonotgmail

Graces7 wrote: »

[/B]

Because they are blessed and sacred is why. Simple. The ashes are made from the palm crosses from last year and blessed oil.

In the form of a cross on your head.

Not to be wiped off like dirt! Sacred and holy.

Same problem seen all through this thread. of a lack of understanding or awareness. Easy to mock then. ?

It was a straightforward question. there was no mocking.

petethedrummer

In about 1991 as part of pioneer society thing, I went to a table quiz in "The Pub With No Beer" in Armagh.

Though I seem to be the only person in the world who remembers the place..... here is evidence it existed. http://digitalfilmarchive.net/media/the-pub-with-no-beer-1915

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Deleted User wrote: »

Thanks but I couldn't care less (and I didn't mock) but I find it fascinating how you and others expect us to know what's behind these displays of piety and lose it when we wonder about these things.

It seems religious intolerance works both ways.

I am religious and would consider myself a strong, spiritual, practicing Christian but I can accept that many people find our practices and beliefs strange, or even confusing and contradictory at times. I also accept that many people in Ireland today genuinely don't know what those practices and traditions are about and we should accept that they will at times question us on them.

Grayson

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

I still do it. and i'm agnostic. force of habit, nothing more.

I still get an automatic urge to bless myself when an ambulance passes.

I've been to mass in people's houses, had to attend daily benediction in the month of may, had religious retreats, was blessed by Mother Theresa and once sat through a lecture on "the power of holy water" (which never once mentioned vampires).

ibstar

Random middle aged hindu sits down beside me on the train in London, and starts mumbling prayers while spinning his beads inside some glove type bag.

It was hard not to laugh but I managed.

Grayson

Apparently we all might have witnessed God's anointed one in the election of Trump

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/23/cyrus-prophecy-evangelical-support-donald-trump

retro:electro

A woman who refused to hold her newborn grandchild until he was christened.

anna080

anna080 wrote: »

A woman who refused to hold her newborn grandchild until he was christened.

:mad:

I wouldn't say that's anything to do with religion to be honest. I think that's driven by need to control peoples emotions. Anyone really refuses to hold a newborn baby until their will is obeyed is a spiteful wretch, first and foremost. Religion is just the excuse.

retro:electro

Candie wrote: »

:mad:

I wouldn't say that's anything to do with religion to be honest. I think that's driven by need to control peoples emotions. Anyone really refuses to hold a newborn baby until their will is obeyed is a spiteful wretch, first and foremost. Religion is just the excuse.

I agree. Totally disgraceful. I'm not sure if it was religiously driven either but she would be very religious tbh. Always dousing the child with holy water whenever she could. The parents weren't ready to christen him for about two months so she actually didn't hold him in all that time and only held him for the first time in the church for the photos

dreamers75

Playing 5 a side vs a few muslims (2 97 year old ex internationals) in clonskeagh mosque a few years ago, soon as it hit 7pm they all fcuked off to pray.


It was about 93-0 to them at the time, we kept playing without them and when they came back we had just scored to make 93-1, finished about 1897-1 or thereabouts.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

anna080 wrote: »

I agree. Totally disgraceful. I'm not sure if it was religiously driven either but she would be very religious tbh. Always dousing the child with holy water whenever she could. The parents weren't ready to christen him for about two months so she actually didn't hold him in all that time and only held him for the first time in the church for the photos

A big distinction there. She may have been religious but she was far from holy.

sbsquarepants

anna080 wrote: »

A woman who refused to hold her newborn grandchild until he was christened.

As I've said before my partners parents are both super religious. We have 3 kids and it has never been an issue - 2 are christened, the 3rd one will be whenever we get round to it, her mother actually suggested we don't get them christened, as she knows I'm an atheist + the missus is more or less the same and that we are only doing it for school reasons.

If she (or anyone else) had taken an attitude like that they would quite simply never see either me or the kids again. It's disgusting!

Permabear

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Zubeneschamali

Permabear wrote: »

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I'm an atheist myself, but I am definitely a Catholic atheist. Some of those Protestant atheists are knobs altogether.

Lady is a tramp

Permabear wrote: »

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I agree - it's not all bad.

I'd have more reasons than most to hate the Catholic church (serious physical and sexual abuse, from the age of three, by a member of the clergy who also happened to be a relative.)

I mentioned earlier in the thread that I was in a Catholic addiction treatment centre for a significant amount of time. While I went along with the masses and rosaries etc, I'm far from converted!

But. I met a priest there, a recovering alcoholic himself. And me and him became besties! He's a really lovely dude, I miss him a lot. I tend to think in black-and-white a lot of the time (due to my C-PTSD as a result of the abuse), and I never imagined that I could be so comfortable to someone who - in my mind - was "one of them", in the same category of the man who abused me. But he helped me an awful lot. And you know what - just for the sake of it, I decided to do a full and thorough "Confession", or Sacrament of Reconciliation, with him, to clear the slate, as such. I told him everything, and he granted me Absolution, which was actually kinda nice. Like, me and god, we're all cool now.

I asked the priest to give me a million hail marys for Penance afterwards, he wouldn't give me any! He said I punish myself far too much as it is.

There are also a couple of nuns there who I became very close to, including Sr Consilio (she's a bit of a celebrity in certain circles, so some might recognise that name!) I was very honest with her about my lack of belief in a god or any of the other Catholic stuff, and she told me I didn't need to believe in any of it - that she believed enough for both of us! She's such a good and understanding and compassionate person, a literal living saint, as anyone who's ever encountered her will know. She embodies all that is good about the Catholic church in Ireland. And you know, you look into her eyes and she sees straight into your soul, and that's a holy experience in itself. I'm really lucky to have met her.

I've come to believe in goodness rather than any god. And believe me, that's a massive leap for me. I've come to believe in true, selfless, unlimited, completely unconditional love. It's not something I've experienced before in life, not until the past year or so. It makes life worth living.

corner of hells

I've a born again Christian work colleague who objects to horror films being watched as according to her " that's how Satan gets into you" also finds tattoos objectionable because " our bodies belong to God".

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

ReefBreak

Lady is a tramp wrote: »

I agree - it's not all bad.

I'd have more reasons than most to hate the Catholic church (serious physical and sexual abuse, from the age of three, by a member of the clergy who also happened to be a relative.)

I mentioned earlier in the thread that I was in a Catholic addiction treatment centre for a significant amount of time. While I went along with the masses and rosaries etc, I'm far from converted!

But. I met a priest there, a recovering alcoholic himself. And me and him became besties! He's a really lovely dude, I miss him a lot. I tend to think in black-and-white a lot of the time (due to my C-PTSD as a result of the abuse), and I never imagined that I could be so comfortable to someone who - in my mind - was "one of them", in the same category of the man who abused me. But he helped me an awful lot. And you know what - just for the sake of it, I decided to do a full and thorough "Confession", or Sacrament of Reconciliation, with him, to clear the slate, as such. I told him everything, and he granted me Absolution, which was actually kinda nice. Like, me and god, we're all cool now.

I asked the priest to give me a million hail marys for Penance afterwards, he wouldn't give me any! He said I punish myself far too much as it is.

There are also a couple of nuns there who I became very close to, including Sr Consilio (she's a bit of a celebrity in certain circles, so some might recognise that name!) I was very honest with her about my lack of belief in a god or any of the other Catholic stuff, and she told me I didn't need to believe in any of it - that she believed enough for both of us! She's such a good and understanding and compassionate person, a literal living saint, as anyone who's ever encountered her will know. She embodies all that is good about the Catholic church in Ireland. And you know, you look into her eyes and she sees straight into your soul, and that's a holy experience in itself. I'm really lucky to have met her.

I've come to believe in goodness rather than any god. And believe me, that's a massive leap for me. I've come to believe in true, selfless, unlimited, completely unconditional love. It's not something I've experienced before in life, not until the past year or so. It makes life worth living.

This is such a great post.

I plead absolutely guilty to being an atheist that has no time for irrationality of any sort - whether its religion, spiritualism, astrology, or "alternative medicine". This comes solely from an interest in astronomy, space and science. However, my direct dealings with the clergy have always been positive. I've never had any bad experiences with them - they were fantastic when my late Mum was in a hospice, similarly with a seriously ill family member. Even as an alter boy for a few years, it was all Father Trendy types - decent priests that did great work in the community and never laid a finger on any of the alter boys (as far as I know).

On the other hand, I simply can't reconcile astronomical evidence with the absolute lack of monotheistic evidence. Perhaps I'll change as I get older, just in case. Who knows.

please helpThank YOU

GLENSTAL ABBEY CO LIMERICK Is Heaven on earth. it is so holy I am going this weekend Amazing place .