Simple question?

Quote: FrGamble

defended the native people from the colonists, advocated for them to be treated fairly.

All the while holding them against their
will, forcing them into slave labor, and
forcing a religion on them that nobody
in their right mind would want.

Think what your life would be like if you
hadn't been brainwashed since childhood.
You wouldn't have the thankless job of
constantly apologizing for the monster
Church.

It is still going on today: forced conversions in the name of the Catholic religion.

http://www.charismanews.com/world/53917-7-christians-jailed-for-refusing-to-convert-to-catholicism

These sorts of religious actions expose a fundamental flaw common to many religions, a flaw that we have pointed out here many times before.

Whether someone is right or wrong about their beliefs, it is wrong to force others to believe what you want them to believe. This is a common theme in religions, over and over again, forcing others to believe what they believe, threatening them with consequences if they refuse to believe.

This is a fundamental flaw in the philosophy of many religions, and even today their adherents keep rearing this ugly head.

Quote: Dalex64

It is still going on today: forced conversions in the name of the Catholic religion.
.

The Church has always been more of a political
entity than a religious one. And the way
you control things in politics, was to force
everyone to join your majority party. The
Church did it under the guise of 'love' and
saving your soul. What they were really after
was power and wealth, which they attained
spectacularly and held onto for hundreds of
years. Their own internal corruption was
their downfall, as we're witnessing today.

Quote: Evenbob

All the while holding them against their
will, forcing them into slave labor, and
forcing a religion on them that nobody
in their right mind would want.

It is a religion that appeals to everyone. It is about God loving and caring for you. He becomes one of us, shows us how to live lives of peace and kindness. It is about a God willing to sacrifice for us and gives us hope for eternal life. This is the reason it has become the largest religion on the face of the earth and continues to grow.

Quote:

Think what your life would be like if you
hadn't been brainwashed since childhood.

I think I have told you before that I rejected my faith as a child and rediscovered it in college. All you need is an open mind and to objectively and honestly ask good questions and seek the truth and you will one day break free from your prejudice and discover the truth as well.

Quote: Dalex64

It is still going on today: forced conversions in the name of the Catholic religion.

http://www.charismanews.com/world/53917-7-christians-jailed-for-refusing-to-convert-to-catholicism

These sorts of religious actions expose a fundamental flaw common to many religions, a flaw that we have pointed out here many times before.

Whether someone is right or wrong about their beliefs, it is wrong to force others to believe what you want them to believe. This is a common theme in religions, over and over again, forcing others to believe what they believe, threatening them with consequences if they refuse to believe.

This is a fundamental flaw in the philosophy of many religions, and even today their adherents keep rearing this ugly head.

I can say without a doubt and even after reading your article that the Catholic Church never forces anyone to believe anything. The faith from the very beginning as it spread from fishermen and poor laborers during it most explosive time of growth had nothing to do with forcing anyone. In fact for the first centuries of Christianity to believe it meant a death sentence and to be shunned by society. It had nothing to do with force and still does not today.

Quote: FrGamble

It is a religion that appeals to everyone.

It's a religion that's roundly rejected by
the majority of the world. Hindus, Muslims,
Buddhists, atheists, and even Jesus own
people, the Jews, reject it as ridiculous.

2/3 of the planet is non Christian, why
do you think that is. The 'love' that you
think is love, isn't love at all. It's something
perverted and controlling. It's the exact
opposite of what real love is supposed to
be.

Quote:

I think I have told you before that I rejected my faith as a child.

A rebellious Catholic youth, how common. But
obviously the brain washing stuck, because you
got sucked right back into it when you got older.
'Get em when they're young' has been the Church
mantra for a thousand years.

Quote: Evenbob

2/3 of the planet is non Christian, why
do you think that is. The 'love' that you
think is love, isn't love at all. It's something
perverted and controlling. It's the exact
opposite of what real love is supposed to
be.

That means according to you that 1/3 of the world's population is Christian, making it the largest single religion by far in the world. That is pretty amazing for a religion you think is ridiculous. Are you calling 1/3 of the world's population ridiculous. Actually you are calling just about everyone ridiculous because you don't even believe in God, wow that is crazy.

Anyway love is the opposite of perverted and controlling. Love is selfless and freeing. It is a willingness to desire the good in another, to serve them, and to allow them to be the best version of themselves.

Quote:

A rebellious Catholic youth, how common.

I think most youth are rebellious don't you?

Quote:

But obviously the brain washing stuck, because you
got sucked right back into it when you got older.

Actually it was getting passed the brainwashing of the culture's rejection of God that worked. Once I realized that the world was offering a bill of goods that would never make me or anyone truly happy I began searching for something that would.

Is the following something else the Catholic's got wrong?

Quote:

How does the Roman Catholic understanding of “saints” compare with the biblical teaching? Not very well. In Roman Catholic theology, the saints are in heaven. In the Bible, the saints are on earth. In Roman Catholic teaching, a person does not become a saint unless he/she is “beatified” or “canonized” by the Pope or prominent bishop. In the Bible, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. In Roman Catholic practice, the saints are revered, prayed to, and in some instances, worshipped. In the Bible, saints are called to revere, worship, and pray to God alone.

http://www.gotquestions.org/saints-Christian.html

Quote: FrGamble

That means according to you that 1/3 of the world's population is Christian,

In name only. 90% of Catholics no longer
go to mass on a regular basis. 90% of
Catholic women use birth control. More
than half of Catholics see nothing wrong
with Gay marriage. I could go on and
on.

Quote:

Once I realized that the world was offering a bill of goods that would never make me or anyone truly happy

True happiness is a myth, an urban legend.
If you're happy this minute, be glad. It has
nothing to do with religion, marriage, job,
family. It comes and goes, in fits and starts.
A sunny day can make you happy. Feeding
some birds can make you happy. I was happy
a bunch of times today, it had nothing to
with anything.

It reminds my of one of my favorite zen stories.
A zen master was walking and slipped and
fell off a cliff. He was dangling there, hanging
onto a root protruding from the side of the
mountain. He saw a strawberry growing nearby and
plucked it and ate it. Ahh, he thought, happy at
how sweet it tasted.

The lesson is obvious.

misfire