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Pope says pursuit of money and success is pointless

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adrock3215

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Yeah, but I don't remember JP being as irritating, although that may be because of my age.

Either way, I don't get what he thinks he's doing when he relies on people creating wealth the same way the government does. He's pretty much saying "Stop giving me money." :confused:

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  • 3 weeks later...
This nutjob is at it again. Pope decries selfishness in economic crisis.

Is it possible for an economy to run without some kind of selfishness? I just don't see donations as economically stimulating. Maybe he just wants another Dark Ages where religion and selflessness ruled.

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Pope Benedict XVI warned in his Christmas message Thursday that the world was headed toward ruin if selfishness prevails over solidarity during tough economic times for rich and poor nations.

I wonder if this is the kind of solidarity the pope learned while he was a member of the Hitler youth. He traded his earthly fuhrer for a divine one, how touching. Come to think of it Hitlers message to the German people was pretty much the same as the Popes message to his faithful... trade "world" for Der Fatherland and you have it encapsulated in a single sentence.

Wearing a crimson mantle against a damp chill, Benedict told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square that God's saving grace could "alone transform evil into good"

With a word... Which means evil is what they define it as. It has no form but the form the church and it's hypocritical morality whores give it. Absolution and penance make it all okay. :thumbsup:

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We get it, you're catholic. Bye now. Stop posting the same thing everywhere, we already know what your church stands for, and no one cares.

Why does the Vatican have any wealth by the way, if its pointless? More importantly, why do you?

I'm Catholic, but we were always taught to take advantage of our God given talents. Which can result in success, wealth, and so on. Work hard, be better at something.

Honestly, it just a strange statement from the current Pope.

Totally agree on the wealth of the church too. I know that Boys Town in Omaha operates completely on the interest of their investments. That's a big operation. Lots of real estate too.

Edited by SD26
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If he truly believes that wealth means nothing, then he should give up his palatial abode in Vatican City and wear sackcloth, residing in a cave. I suspect that Hell will, indeed, have frozen over first. ;)

I'd have to agree - the Vatican is holding art work which is literally priceless. I'm baffled how the preacher can advocate charity while he is holding a bag of gold in his safe?

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I'd have to agree - the Vatican is holding art work which is literally priceless. I'm baffled how the preacher can advocate charity while he is holding a bag of gold in his safe?

[pope] "Wealth is Evil, you should give it away before it damns your soul. Oh wait, BTW, since I'm standing here and am such a nice guy, I'll take it off your hands for you. Oh, don't forget, I'm willing to make the sacrifice of taking your money because I LOVE you, and don't forget to tell your friends if they want their souls saved they need to give their money to me as well. What? no, no checks, cash/gold only, K thanx bai." [/pope]

Edited by eesmith4
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  • 2 weeks later...

The pontiff's irrationality is not his rejection of wealth, but his belief in a heavenly life after death. If everything the Bible/Koran/Torah claims is true, then there really is nothing moral about accruing wealth. The only possible use for wealth would be to give it away in bouts of altruism, in the hope that God is watching and will secure you a place in the glorious afterlife. It seems to me that the old catholic practice of selling "indulgences", a monetary purchase securing Gods forgiveness of earthly sins, would be quite rational if you truly believe in Heaven and Hell. Anyone should want to beg/bribe/buy their way out of eternal fire. 100 years of comfortable wealth is pointless in comparison to an eternity of suffering. A true believer should hope to die young, before having a chance to taint his/her soul with earthly sins.

In practice, most religious believers don't strictly adhere to these goals, they go on leading relatively normal lives despite the futility of doing so. As an atheist, I see my 100 years as my one chance to enjoy this fragile, marvelous state we call life. Therefore I pursue wealth as one way of attaining comfort and pleasure for the time I have left. I fully intend to spend my wealth, and my time, with the knowledge that my rational self interest is the only measure of value. If I die and find that I face the judgement of some God, be it Yahweh, Zeus, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, I can stand proud and state that I lived by the highest moral code any human mind could conceive.

-RR

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