Science and God

Quote: rxwine

I chuckled at this. First thinking of a venerated bed sheet. Then the slang of "sheet".

That's a common name for it in Spanish. "Sabana Santa."

Quote:

Would they really make a shrine to a holy turd.

I've seen shrines to dolls.

Quote: FrGamble

Finally, I am concerned and puzzled by the insistence that religion is somehow about control and/or power. .... In my experience I spend my life in service for my parishioners. I don't begrudge not having a family so I can be more available to them. I rejoice and am happy to do whatever they want me to if it will help them to grow closer to God. There is no quid pro quo and I go willingly to the sick bed of someone who doesn't put money in the collection. I live to serve them and all people who are in need. I fail to see what is powerful or controlling about that.

Ask the Bishops about those golden thrones and elaborate mansions ... as with any cult, the new members support the existing organization. And those in control of the purse strings are tight lipped. Just look at "The Bankers of God".... suspicious suicides, stolen documents, swiss bank accounts.

Quote: Fleastiff

Ask the Bishops about those golden thrones and elaborate mansions ... as with any cult, the new members support the existing organization. And those in control of the purse strings are tight lipped. Just look at "The Bankers of God".... suspicious suicides, stolen documents, swiss bank accounts.

Golden thrones? Mansions? The Pope lives in a couple of hotel rooms in the Vatican.

Quote: FrGamble

Golden thrones? Mansions? The Pope lives in a couple of hotel rooms in the Vatican.

I don't think he's talking about the pope.

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/08/us/american-archbishops-lavish-homes/

The current pope is a bit of an exception, isn't he? Before him, they lived in a "Apostalic Palace"

An article from 2016 showing how much things haven't changed:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-bishops-italy-residence-luxuryf_us_56cf696de4b0bf0dab315eba

I found those articles interesting. The first mentions that with some of the cases like New York, Baltimore, etc. the buildings cannot be sold and are over 100 years old and on the historical record. Some of the other examples are indeed scandalous, thank God that out of all the many, many dioceses in the United States such examples are few and far between. I also like the examples given already about how the Pope is changing things and had already inspired Archbishop Chaput to find more simple living arrangement than he inherited.

The second article I found laughable. It is about the Villa Strich in Rome and is the home away form home for American Priests working in the Vatican. I was aware about the improvements to the common living areas but what you don't see and don't hear anything about is the simple living quarters of these priests. They have a simple suite and a bathroom and that is it.

Quote: FrGamble

I also like the examples given already about how the Pope is changing things and had already inspired Archbishop Chaput to find more simple living arrangement than he inherited.

Or we may find years from now he's paying for two apartments. The nice one where he lives, and the modest one he uses for show ;)

It's like what His Most Royal Serene Highness the Second and Third Coming of the Lord and Savior The Most Excellent And Exalted Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Hallowed Be His Name did when he was King -I mean "Mayor"- of Mexico City and he boasted of moving around the city in a cheap, subcompact Nissan. He did not say it came with a driver and an armed body guard in the front seats, plus lead and chase escort SUV's (three or four, I think), with more armed body guards.

Given the HUGE expense when His Most Royal, etc. incurred when moving around the city, the cost of his car would have been minor in comparison if he'd picked a luxury sedan instead. But that's how the gods show off their humility to us mere mortals.

"can not be sold" is bs.

And surely they could serve a better purpose than having one high ranking church official fully staffed and living in luxury.

That is not at all what the purpose of those buildings are, did you read your own article? There are many people living there, plus offices, and also meeting space for various functions.

Yes, I read the whole article, not just the parts I wanted to see.

Read it again, not all of them are dual purpose with offices and meeting space, and I don't know what you mean by many, I would say that some of them are occupied by few, certainty a smaller number than is in a typical family.

There are different examples out there too, about how these people are spending their money on luxury for themselves.

https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/how-much-bishop-worth

With the salaries quoted in that article, it just doesn't add up, does it?

Science Fiction and "God":

Suppose an expedition to Proxima Centauri finds the wreck of an alien ship. The crew are all dead, or gone, but they left many items and a full effing big library of records behind. Some of the machines for reading the data still work (suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure, why not?), and a very superficial survey of it makes it clear they visited Earth.

In particular there's video of Roman cities of the 1st century CE. Now, if you've ever opened an SF book, you know where this is going. The question is : how fully does the Jesus myth get debunked?

Me, I'd stay away from the really controversial parts, and simply show him performing a "miracle" that, on video, can easily be seen to be stage magic.