The Hazards of Belief

I don't want my child's body to become a temple of TB, whooping cough, diphtheria, polio, chicken pox, HPV-related cancers...

The only thing that might knock a bit of sense into these idiots is a good old-fashioned polio epidemic :mad:

I know that. I'm not making light of it (and I remember seeing polio victims too, there were epidemics in the 50s) but some people are so fcuking thick that they need to have the consequences of an action to be visible right in front of them before they'll acknowledge that it exists.

Ever so slightly harsh perhaps to come down on this guy for "abusing" the christian label for marketing purposes, when churches rake in billions tax-free and "prosperity gospel" charlatans criss-cross the globe by private jet.

Whatever about belief itself, religion is marketing - marketing belief, selling salvation by the pound.

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

That's why there is also the much more selective term "real Christian". Anyone from a different place on the spectrum is a Christian when big numbers help the argument, but not a "real Christian" when shown to be awful in one way or another.

That's fair. He could be a Christian and be horribly misguided. Or he could be a charlatan. Either way I think we can agree that his stance on vaccines is completely wrong.

I don't think they should get a cent of tax money, but I don't think they should be banned.

Muslim, CofI, Catholic... none of them.

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Hail Mary voted Ireland's favourite prayer at Ploughing Championships

The Hail Mary has been voted Ireland's favourite prayer at the National Ploughing Championships in Co Carlow.

The competition was held at stand 399, which was run by the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, and had the theme 'Digging Deeper – Rooting For Christ'.

Visitors chose their favourite prayer from a shortlist, which included Our Father and the Rosary.

Hail Mary received 61% of votes, while O Angel of God (the Guardian Angel Prayer) received 39%.

No surprise that the shorter prayers won

Two men in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh have been arrested for allegedly killing two Dalit (formerly untouchables) children who were defecating in the open, police say.
Roshni, 12, and Avinash, 10, were attacked on Wednesday while defecating near a village road, they said.
The children's family told BBC Hindi that they have no toilet at home.
Millions of poor Indians defecate in the open, which especially puts women and children at risk.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49835830

Irony, much?

But Reverend Deirdre Mackrill, Assistant Curate of St Keverne Church, said that clairvoyance poses a risk to people's mental health and that her prayer group was only trying to help.

She said: "There's always a risk when people dabble in the occult, calling on spirits.

"I know of three people who have gone down that route and suffered long-term serious mental health issues, some of whom might have been quite vulnerable if they have lost a loved one."

She added: "I think from a Christian's point of view there's plenty of biblical evidence about why people shouldn't engage in those kinds of activities. It's in fact wrong and dangerous.

"The power of prayer is immeasurable. When two or three, and we were more than two or three, gather together we have the power of the Lord God himself."

A family who spent nine years in a basement "waiting for the end of time" have been discovered by police in the Netherlands after one of them turned up at a local pub, reports say.
A man, 58, and six adults - aged 18 to 25 - were living at a farm in the northern province of Drenthe.
They were found after one of the six ordered beer at a bar in the nearby village of Ruinerwold.
He then told staff he needed help, broadcaster RTV Drenthe reported.
The older man was initially assumed to be the father, but local mayor Roger de Groot later told reporters that was not the case. Nor was the man the owner of the farmhouse, Mr de Groot said, adding: "I've never seen anything like it."
The public broadcaster said that the family had been living in isolation waiting for the end of time.
Bar owner Chris Westerbeek described how one family member had come in, ordered five beers and drunk them.
"Then I had a chat with him and he revealed he had run away and needed help... then we called the police," he said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50054044


Terrible state of affairs if you can't have a few scoops waiting for the end of the world.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-50081466



The Vatican is hoping to pull in tech-savvy youngsters with the launch of an "eRosary" bracelet.

The gadget, which costs $109 (£85), can be worn as a bracelet and is activated by making the sign of a cross.

It is connected to the "Click to Pray eRosary" app, which is designed to help Catholic users pray for world peace and contemplate the gospel.

The app tracks a user's progress, and contains visual and audio explanations of the rosary.

The traditional rosary is used to aid prayer and meditation. Its beads are counted as prayers are recited.

Users can choose from three ways of praying. There is the standard rosary, a contemplative rosary or a thematic rosary.

The rosaries are made up of 10 black agate and hematite beads, plus a metal cross that detects movement.

"This project brings together the best of the Church's spiritual tradition and the latest advances of the technological world," a Click to Pray press release said.

Taiwan-based tech company GadgTek Inc developed the gadget, which is water-resistant and compatible with Android and iOS smartphones.

This is not the first time the Catholic Church has attempted to attract young people with technology.

In 2018, a Catholic evangelical group launched "Follow JC Go!", a Christian take on the hugely successful Pokemon Go gaming app. It let players "catch" saints or Bible characters, instead of monster characters.

No to the Yoga. Givin people ideas, so it is.

Bishop of Waterford & Lismore Alphonsus Cullinan has written to schools across Waterford City & County warning against the teaching of Yoga and mindfulness. In the letter, which was sent on October 10, Bishop Cullinan said that “Yoga is not of Christian origin” and was not suitable for a parish school setting “especially not during Religious Education time”.

https://waterford-news.ie/2019/10/18/bishop-warns-against-yoga-and-mindfullness-in-schools/?fbclid=IwAR1o_agVO9S5lBrXrT4j6pnusXXzVC_Ixrv5GPrTj_y_p0w_stRwh_gfFuY

The Bishop concluded by asking teachers and principals to encourage children to “pray the Rosary” and help them spend time with Jesus in “adoration or in quiet meditation” in the classroom.

Is Phonsie for real?