Original Sin?

Quote: Evenbob

Quote: petroglyph

Quote: Evenbob

....Many married women, suffering from domestic and marital frustrations, became addicted to the atmosphere of crepuscular intimacy.”

There's a word you don't hear often. I had a girlfriend like that once. She was surprised that I was both diurnal and nocturnal. She learned pretty fast though.

cre·pus·cu·lar
/krəˈpəskyələr/Submit
adjective
of, resembling, or relating to twilight.

What happened was, when they moved
the confessions from taking place out in
the open, where a priest could fondle
and stroke his victims at will (who would
stop him), when they moved them into
the dark closed box so a physical barrier
would separate them, it got even worse.

Now that the priest couldn't touch them,
he used his skills of cunning and persuasion
to set up times to meet them later, as
is still going on today. Something else
that started in big cities hundreds of years
ago is, priests must give confessions also.
So many of them would wear civilian clothes
and seek a parish not their own where they
aren't known and not inform the confessor
of their priesthood. That's still widely
practiced today if you're a rule breaker.

I remember back when Hoffa was stealing pension money . I knew then that no man could be expected to stay honest when he could dip his hands into a 5 billion dollar cookie jar. Everybody has a price.

And I don't believe priests are any different in that respect. I can't say what I would do if hot horny 19 year old women would come in and confess their desires, again and again? Probably the same for guys [priests] that secretly lust for young boys. Same thing fulfilling our deepest desires.

Obviously the temptation is to much for some. Certainly more than the ones that get caught. The robe does not give them super powers, Neither does god.

It would be safer all around if those that feel the need to confess did it in their own heads, or by mail or internet.

Gosh it is tiring playing wack a mole with Bob alternate universe. After confession rightly became more private the biggest need was annoymity for the penitent. This gave the penitent and actually the priest a way to better protect the one confessing from being known. I actually prefer the confessional box because I don't have to worry about knowing or recognizing the person, it puts everyone at ease and I can just think of the person as just another beautiful soul God loves and forgives. Just always remember the source when Bob talks about the history of confession, or the history of anything really.

Also in regards to priests going to confession, that has always and forever been the case. To withold the fact that you are a priest when confessing comes close to invalidating the Sacarament. It is important and every priest I know not only goes regularly to confession but always mentions they are a priest when going. Why would you not? That is pretty important.

Quote: petroglyph

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It would be safer all around if those that feel the need to confess did it in their own heads, or by mail or internet.

I don't understand confession. I've
never confessed anything to anybody,
nor will I. My business is mine, I would
never give somebody that power over
me. I'm very good at keeping secrets,
there's a certain power in it, keeping
your own counsel.

I find it interesting that on Youtube
there are lots of videos by ex cops
and lawyers who advise never talk
to the police, never answer questions
beyond name and address. They will
use anything you say against you, no
matter how friendly they seem.

That's how I feel about confession, I
certainly disagree that it's 'good
for the soul'. Why would that be so.
You admit weaknesses to another
person, does that elevate you in their
eyes? Hell no.

The people that have confessed things
to me over the years, it's always made
me think less of them. Always. Why a
person does that to themselves is a
mystery to me. Are they masochistic?

My favorite image of Jesus is the "laughing Jesus," but I must admit I don't know what he was laughing about. Any thoughts?

Quote: Wizard

My favorite image of Jesus is the "laughing Jesus," but I must admit I don't know what he was laughing about. Any thoughts?

The super white caucasian 6' tall mid
European fantasy Jesus. In reality
he was probably 5' 2", broad Jewish
nose, bad teeth, who rarely smiled
and never laughed. He was a traveling
doomsday 'End is Near' preacher.
His main theme was, better get
your house in order, these are the
end times, god is coming and the
day of judgement will happen in
this lifetime (2000 years ago).

This was a common theme of
preach for your supper traveling
preachers. Jesus wanted to be
taken seriously, there would have
been no laughter. In fact the NT
says Jesus got angry, or he wept,
or felt pity. But not once does
it say he laughed or even smiled.
He had zero sense of humor. He
was the orig Debbie Downer.

This is what forensic archeologists
think think he really looked like:

Quote: Wizard

My favorite image of Jesus is the "laughing Jesus," but I must admit I don't know what he was laughing about. Any thoughts?

About how he fooled everyone into thinking he was the son of "God" given birth to by a virgin

Quote: Wizard

My favorite image of Jesus is the "laughing Jesus," but I must admit I don't know what he was laughing about. Any thoughts?

That is a great image. There was obviously something different about Jesus that drew people to Him. In Mt. 11:19 Jesus talks about how John the Baptist was so different than Him. He mentions that while John was considered a stoic kind of cold guy and people complained about that, now Jesus is the life of the party and brings joy to people and He is called a drunkard and a glutton. Jesus is always going to dinners and parties with people and He preaches not that the Kingdom of God will come, but that it is here right now! In fact in Mk. 2:19, Jesus says how could we not party and rejoice. Why would anyone fast and not have fun at a wedding with the bridegroom present? Later in Jn. 15:11 Jesus preaches that His joy is in us and that He came to bring our joy to fulfillment. Yep, there is something special about Jesus, His person and His message, so much so that it literally changed the world. You don't do that without the enthusiasm, joy, and uplifting nature that this picture captures and surely Jesus had.

Quote: aceofspades

About how he fooled everyone into thinking he was the son of "God" given birth to by a virgin

At 5pm I put a tenderloin in the countertop
oven and set it for 40 min. I went about my
business, hearing the timer tick, smelling
the cooking roast at one point. I even
looked inside once with a light
to see how it was going.

The timer went off, I grabbed the meat
thermo and opened the door to.. a
raw tenderloin. The oven was unplugged
when I turned it on. I ignored a lack
of orange running light, and no heat coming
from it, even imagined I was smelling it.
All because I started with a faulty premise
and believed it was true.

Now imagine you send a kid to an all
Xtion school at 5 years old. He's pounded
by the religions story day after day,
even at home and on Sunday. If I can
be fooled by wrong thinking for 40 min,
that kid is fooled for life. He's so in the
tank, so indoctrinated, he has zero chance
of breaking away. Some do, but not
many. And those that do have huge guilt
issues.

It's no accident that 85% of all priests
had Catholic parents and went to
Catholic schools. My bro in law is a
Baptist minister and his parents raised
him in a rabid Baptist home. He's
very bright, but sounds like an idiot
when he talks about his religion.

We're so susceptible to suggestion,it's
frightening. I thank Zeus every day
my parents left my beliefs up to me.