Rhea

Well yes, Amos, I do think they are responsible for writing and preserving the Bible. (Although note I said "Christians" not "Catholics")

Another thing they are responsible for is sweeping this under the rug - not facing the responsibility of the message of their doctrine.

And what does THAT make them?

(And how did they get past baptism and confirmation without receiving a bible as a gift? )

Amos

Yes they did write it and put a censorship on it to protect the flock from arriving at the wrong interpretations that would send them to hell. To prevent this perversion they fought many revolts but, regretfully, they lost the last one and that is the cause of your agony today.

You look at it from an American perspective where the whole nation is glowing from the fires of hell. Catholicism is a tradition and not a rational religion that seeks salvation in a book. However, I can see why many Catholics would look at the bible for themselves to prepare a defense against the attacks of marauding religions.

At Baptism we, in my tradition, get a candle and never ever get a bible. Do you ever see Catholics packing a bible around? I was a Catholic for 36 years when I first looked at it and never really knew that there was an OT and NT, or what the difference was between them.

Rhea

I got a Bible at my confirmation at age 13 (I think it was). As did all of my siblings.

I look at it from the perspective of what the bible says.

I don't have any agony today.

Amos

Could be. All I remember is slap in the face when I was confirmed. I was about 11 or 12 then. There was probaly 200 kids to get done that afternoon by one bishop.

I understand.

Autonemesis

The thing I see missing from your vision is this: a point. What was God lacking that prompted him to Create anything in the first place? And I haven't even gotten to the absurdity of a God that sacrifices himself to himself, in order to pay a debt that is owed to himself, on account of rules that were broken by creatures created by him expressly for the purpose of breaking the rules and incurring the debt! It makes no sense whatsoever.

Invoking God explains nothing. It only removes the question of existence to a realm of discourse in which nothing can be elucidated. The idea of God brings obfuscation, not clarity.

Biff the unclean

I think that as disturbing as apes were to Christians, when we thought that they just looked like us, they are even more so now. In the past 30years a tremendous amount has been learned about the relationship between humans and apes. Not only is our genetic make up almost identical but their intelligence isn't far from our own. Take, for instance, the work that Dr Penny Patterson has done with Koko. Koko has a vocabulary of almost 2000 words, which she can sign. She can also read and write. On IQ tests she consistently scores in the high 80's while the average human scores in the high 90's.
That pretty much puts the old cabosh on our created in the image of God status, unless God is a Western Lowland Gorilla.

spacedOut

I don't remember a picture of David collecting all those foreskins in my children's bible...

Shake

*shudder*
Several years ago, this image probably wouldn't have phased me, but now, having a small child of my own, the thought of that scene absolutely sickens me. Did any of these mothers attempt to comfort their children by saying that god would take care of them?
*deep breaths* "Calm down, Shake. It's only a story." There, much better.

I'm not sure if you really know any Catholics at all! Nearly every Catholic I know has a (at least one) bible in their house, and most of those can quote from it! I get emails from Catholic friends which quote bible verses all the time!

Oh, do I think Catholics are responsible for it? I'd be surprised if they weren't completely without blame.

scombrid

Yeah, the bloated corpses are conspicuously absent from my illustrated living bible. It has doves and giraffes and white people in nice white robes.

I think all the dead first born in houses that forgot the goats blood on the door need to be illustrated.

Amos

But I go to Church often enough to know that Catholics don't read the bible except for one or two small study groups that do this so they can post in the local paper that "yes" Catholics do have bible studies.


If you think Catholics are so well versed why are they prime targets of fundy evangelist? It is in defense of their faith that they will pick up a bible and otherwise they would never.