I’m Catholic and this Sunday I’m announcing that I’m disassociating myself from the Vatican and its pope. I urge other skeptic Catholics to consider doing the same. This is not a step I’ve taken lightly.
I’ll be opting out of Germany’s Kirchensteuer (Church Tax) and will not attend any services in the future. With their latest planned encyclical they are indicating that they have shifted back to the Dark Ages of bad-weather witches, superstitions and Medieval indulgences. Worse, they are openly subscribing to nutty end-of-times theories.
This comes on the heels of a recent announcement that Pope Francis intends to issue an encyclical on climate change. I am not renouncing Catholicism Christianity, rather I am solely renouncing my recognition that the Vatican and Pope are the faith’s administrator and moral compass. It’s the last straw in an unending string of corruption, child sexual abuse and scandals that have raged within the Catholic Church in recent times.
False prophecies based on junk models
The Vatican announces that it accepts a science (but it is one that is built on the false prophecies of faulty climate models made by unscrupulous scientists who claim they can now see decades and even hundreds of years into the future) and that bad weather is now due to the sins of man. It’s back to the dark days of Church-sanctioned witchhunts of the sort that once punished, tortured and burned people for brewing bad weather. Stunningly, once again, this is where today’s Catholic Church is heading today.
We can only speculate on why the Vatican has decided to take this extreme, divisive, and hugely misguided step, especially at a time when climate science is hotly debated and more tenuous then ever. It has elected to ignore the long-term data, the role of the sun and oceans, the complete lack of correlation between CO2 and global temperature, and seems to have declared the debate over among Catholics. It has entered a bargain founded on a monumental lie and bought into the silly end-of-world scenario. Such a Church is no longer worthy of being followed.
Vatican aligning with population control ideology
Even more disturbing is that the Vatican has opted to align itself with those who possess ideologies that are openly hostile to and spiteful of humanity. In May 2014 the Vatican held a workshop where the invited delegates included Naomi Oreskes, Arctic sea-ice crackpot Peter Wadhams, and Professor Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber of the ultra-alarmist Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Pesearch. Strangely it doesn’t seem to bother the Vatican that Professor Schellnhuber once openly stated that the ideal human population for the planet was less than 1 billion people, implying an excess of more than 6 billion inhabitants. He also once said that the planet would “explode” if the population reached 9 billion.
This kind of environmental stewardship is one that advocates the pre-emptive abortion of future generations – a denial of life for future generations – i.e population control. This is hostile to the human race and it is appalling to any practicing Catholic. Either Pope Francis is stunningly naïve, or just diabolically evil.
And don’t expect the Vatican to backtrack anytime soon and to admit that it may have acted too hastily. Recall that It did not apologize to Galileo until 1992 – some three hundred and fifty years after the great philospher’s death. Galileo’s crime: he dared to challenge the consensus of the time.
Poorest urgently need affordable fossil fuels
I can no longer stomach this giant step back to the witch-hunting Dark Ages the Catholic Church is contemplating. The Vatican appears to have unwittingly elected to abandon the poorest among us, and their urgent need for affordable and reliable energy that only fossil fuels and nuclear power are able to deliver. The move by the Vatican risks putting the lives of tens of millions of the world’s most impoverished at risk. This Pope needs to remember that the road to Hell is often paved with good intentions. Though his intentions may be good, they are in this case based on horribly false prophesies peddled by charlatans who arrogantly refuse to debate.
What’s going to be next? An encyclical on the virtues of veganism – based on junk science nutrition?
Defying a corrupt Vatican is the Catholic thing to do
It’s important to keep in mind that rejecting a corrupt, incompetent or misguided Vatican is in fact the most Catholic thing to do. The collection money you give every week will do a lot more good if you give it directly to the needy. The Vatican or the regional Bishop need not send over a minion priest with the errand of saving my soul. Instead the Vatican should worry about its own.
Little wonder that Pope Benedict XVI resigned. The Vatican appears to be well on the way to becoming a cesspool of corruption and self-deceit. I can no longer bear it. The witch-hunting, end-of-world climate encyclical will be the last straw.
I am glad to learn that you are a man of faith! Since I started to believe in God and looking for a sinless way of life my life keeps getting better and better! Happy 2015 and keep the excellent work!
I’m by no means a devout Catholic, and not the sort who goes to church every Sunday. Just to be clear. It is the philosophy I ultimately turn to in times of need and dilemma.
I see, keep the excellent work!
+1
I don’t disagree with what you said but I think this Pope’s embrace of climate alarmism has more to do with the anti-capitalist leanings of many in the climate alarmist camp. He somehow also overlooks that many of those people whose counsel he seeks are also atheists. It truly is strange bed fellows but not unprecedented. In the US back in 2008, Nancy Pelosi, the ultra-liberal speaker of the House of Representatives sat down on a couch with the conservative bomb thrower and former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich to push climate change in a public service announcement. It was uncomfortable to watch. Nancy Pelosi managed to push climate change legislation through the House of Representatives only to see it defeated by the Senate. She lost her Speaker position in the next election. Newt Gingrich tried to make a run for President in 2012 but his couch trip with Nancy Pelosi insured that he would never be taken seriously again by the Republican party faithful. I suspect there will be more damage done to both the climate counselors and the Catholic Church for embracing the support of people that are antithetical to their core beliefs.
Pierre,
You are a brave man, and I applaud you for your stance.
You may have reacted too swiftly. This from the venerable Mr Booker in today’s Sunday Telegraph:
http://alturl.com/pwm7k
His penultimate paragraph expresses my own thoughts that the Pope is likely being used as a pawn, and has no such intents.
Unlike the first commenter I am unable to salute your embracement of faith whether catholic, jewish, hindu, islam or any other, but that does not in any way diminish my respect for the position you have chosen to take.
I do, however, agree with his closing remark: Keep up the good work – and stick to the science, not the dogma. Which could mean you have to reconsider if you really are a catholic.
Brave? If the Church bases its doctrine on scientific nonsense and computer models that have been all wrong so far, then it’s clear that the Church cannot be a serious one – period. But I guess it wouldn’t be the first time that the Catholic church blundered so horribly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_Nazi_Germany
From your reference: The Israeli historian Pinchas Lapide interviewed war survivors concluded that Pius XII “was instrumental in saving at least 700,000, but probably as many as 860,000 Jews from certain death at Nazi hands”. Deák writes that most historians dispute this estimate[356] while Rabbi David Dalin called Pinchas Lapide’s work “the definitive work by a Jewish scholar” on the holocaust.[357]
You clearly don’t understand the Petrine ministry from your comments. The pope can be wrong frequently on secular issues but for you to reject the faith based on his mistakes can only punish you.
Bugs Man
4. Januar 2015 at 16:06 | Permalink | Reply
“Unlike the first commenter I am unable to salute your embracement of faith”
Do you think that there is no spiritual level to existence?
What do you mean by spiritual, Dirk? Whiskey ?
Oh yes and I have been inside several religions and none of them impress me enough to want to mold my life around their actions.
Not all wars have been founded on religion but all religions have been founded on fear, greed and other less savoury activities.
I didn’t ask you, but I’m always willing to answer questions.
“What do you mean by spiritual, Dirk? Whiskey ?”
No.
How about whisky? I mean the real good stuff 🙂
Let’s see what the actual text will say. The leaking might mean manyare unhappy with the draft.
Let’s remember, Pierre, that one of the former Popes destroyed communism. This may be a master move by the present Pope in destroying the Green religion. Many of its adherents are convinced atheists and will hate to be associated with the Catholic Church. As an agnostic I cannot dissociate my self from that institute but would not do it, standing in your shoes.
He did? Well but surely not by embracing it.
Indeed, by embracing them (like a python embraces his prey). The Catholic Church has a long lasting tradition of annexing pagan religions in Europe and later in Third World countries. It is an alternative to religious war. The Green religion should be destroyed in a peaceful way. Sometimes we need institutions when we are powerless as individuals.
After reading comments here and elsewhere, I have the impression that I am the only one with this point of view. Pierre wrote ‘Either Pope Francis is stunningly naïve, or just diabolically evil’. It is my experience that when people see just two alternatives, there is always a third one.
Then it’s about time a pope embraces the communists (aka AntiFa aka Black Bloc) in Germany again. Though I think the German state doesn’t want to lose them as Sturntruppen.
That sounds pretty contorted to me. Unlike Pope Paul’s fight against communism.
Well, we’ll see what the encyclical says, although if I go by what I read in the papers I don’t hold out much hope. This pope hasn’t been the first disappointment in Church history, and he won’t be the last.
Still, my approach has been to make the case within Church circles that many Catholics believe imposing unnecessary costs on reliable energy is immoral. A good perspective comes from a book called “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels” by a young (but, I assume, non-Catholic) guy in California, Alex Epstein. It’s a high-level treatment that doesn’t make many points you and others haven’t made over the years, but it marshals them in a way that militates against throwing up one’s hands and relying on what “the scientists” say.
I may be jumping the gun with statement: “The witch-hunting, end-of-world climate encyclical is the last straw.” Maybe the encyclical will address in general terms the need to be “good stewards” of the planet, and little else.
However, I have a deep suspicion that a deal has been brokered between the Vatican and certain governments in exchange for special favors for the Vatican. If it really comes down to such “deal-making” and data gets replaced by hocus-pocus model projections, then only one thing can be concluded: the Church is indeed irreversibly corrupted.
I find it astounding that the Pope would put so much at stake when the AGW hypothesis may very well just completely collapse in just 5 or 10 years.
“I find it astounding that the Pope would put so much at stake when the AGW hypothesis may very well just completely collapse in just 5 or 10 years.”
Yes, it is a little late to get on the AGW bandwagon now, isn’t it? Especially for an influential person as the Pope. I mean, maybe 5-10 years ago. But now? Really?
As one of the other commenters suggested, this stand my be more about his leftwing leanings than any actual belief in the snake oil.
Yes, you are jumping the gun. Wait and see what the Pope says. I’m hoping it will be along the lines of the alternative you suggest – the importance of being good stewards of the earth. He may then say “If the majority of scientists are right in their fears that global warming threatens the poor of the earth, we are bound to take steps to reduce it”. But those Catholics who think these fears are misguided will have no such obligation – rather a strengthened duty to make the contrary case.
And if (as you hint) your position is based on your suspicion of corrupt ‘deal-making’, I think a taste for conspiracy theories is leading you astray.
Dear Pierre,
I have returned to catholicism under Pope Benedict XVI. And I’m, like you, not happy with his successor. But I would wait a little before leaving again the church. I think that we are approaching the real Apocalypse, i.e. the revelation of the Antichrist. We will see then what’s going on…
I’d argue that it’s precisely because things seem to be getting worse that He is not on the way. A Thief in the night will not come predictably.
Still, adherence to a huge Organisation designed to control People and Capital seems an odd way to worship Jesus, to me anyway. Each to his own, said Mrs Brown as she bent down and kissed the cow… It doesn’t hurt to be ready.
Quote: “I think that we are approaching the real Apocalypse, i.e. the revelation of the Antichrist.”
That quote seems very much like wishful thinking. (ie. The formation of beliefs according to what might be pleasing to imagine, instead of by following the evidence, rationality, and reality.)
In many Christian belief systems, Jesus will appear in his Second Coming to face the emergence of the Antichrist figure. .. However, we must remember that acccording to the New Testament *nobody knows when the second coming will be. … “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13.32)
So it follows that if nobody knows when the second coming of Christ will be, nobody will know when the coming of the Antichrist will be. … Since the events are linked, at least in Christian belief systems.
First Para Typo:
Should be “.. not a step taken LIGHTLY.” [Thanks! -PG]
Just another clue to the fact that the underlying problem of our time is the ascendency of false (and competing) dogmas in the minds of men (especially in the public discourse), over good reason and an honest morality. None of those religiously-held and opposing dogmas–now exhorting and leading a divided mankind towards open war–is sufficient for men to learn and know the truth, either of the world or of one’s own self. And today’s leaders, in every field, are blind to that underlying problem, as are most people–the incompetence is quite general, I have found over and over again over the last 20 years. Our societies now, worldwide, are closed to real progress, which requires above all the simple acceptance of the observable truth, of the definitive evidence.
You will have to take a step back and reconcile: “The move by the Vatican risks putting the lives of tens of millions of the world’s most impoverished at risk.”
with “– a denial of life for future generations –”
How long will it take for the Vatican to accept that family planning is the best and cheapest technology we have for the reduction of poverty?
Why is endless and indiscriminate population growth seen as a good thing?
That’s a myth. “Family planning” has never led to the elimination of poverty. Rather it is the elimination of poverty that has led to people planning their families.
Because Humans are the solution, not the problem.
Go and find Julian Simon’s Ultimate Resource; it’s on the internet.
Pierre, Sie haben Etwas sehr wichtig gesagt. Hochachtung.
Eh…the Christian Cross thermometer illustration is not CAGW-correct. The cross (sic) bar should be up in the red sector.
Several years ago the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, Bartholomeos I, was taking a prominent role in the Global Warming agenda. He attended conferences and was known as the “Green Patriarch,” I am not an upper case Orthodox, but I contacted his offfices and sent information on sound climate science, e.g. Lindzen, etc. Maybe it is my lack of keeping up, but it seemed his push on the global warming agenda faded.
Here in the states we have had the same problem with the president of the National Association of Evangelicals. I don’t know that there has been any progress made in waking him up. He was recently on twitter in a photo op with ‘green’ evangelical groupies.
What I try to emphasize is the effect of non-development on the poor and the useless goal of reducing plant food. This is one of Dr. John Christy’s concerns.
“Global warming, as a political vehicle, keeps Europeans in the driver’s seat and developing nations walking barefoot.” – Dr. Takeda Kunihiko
[…] Pope Embraces False Prophets Of Doom – Why I’m Disassociating Myself From The Vatican And Church […]
Pierre,
Marinate your mind in the New Testament. You don’t need the Catholic Church to follow Jesus. I renounced all Churches years ago – indeed I renounced most large groups associated with anything because they are always permeated with Politicians and Bureaucrats.
I run my own Business (very successfully) and hope I’m a good Christian (that is to say I teach by Example rather than by lecture – God I hate being lectured, so I don’t lecture!) though I fail so dreadfully often at that, I still sleep well and enjoy Life free of the constraining bullshit that Churches impose, and Jesus NEVER spoke about – indeed spoke against.
HUBRIS
This is quite the profoundest article today.
With the greatest respect for Pierre and the work he does, I think his reasoning is more emotional than logical.
Renouncing the Vatican and Pope as the faith’s administrator and moral compass leaves you with a vacuum. Who will fill it? If the Pope is, by Apostolic succession, God’s spokesman on Earth, how can you ignore him?
What is “the faith” anyway?
As you say, you are not renouncing your Catholicism but what is left?
A catholic is a person who belongs to the universal Christian church. This means they belong to the body of Christ, and there is of course only one body. How do we know that? – The Bible says so. All true Christians are catholic (small c).
When you remove the Vatican and Pope, what remains is what is spoken of in the Bible minus the traditions and corruptions of men over many years. It doesn’t change, and it can be trusted.
The Atheist of course disagrees, and his faith (though he won’t admit that it is faith) is in naturalism. Everything happens by natural causes and no super-naturalism is allowed. In this world view their is no place for spirits, ghosts and souls – they are all delusions. The only truth is that everything is an accident, and all life is a mutation of a mutation of a mutation.
Naturalism and supernaturalism do not sit well together. Supernaturalism allows for naturalism but not vice versa.
For the person with “faith”, a trust in God, then they are not so concerned that the Earth is going to fry through climate change. For the Atheist, it is a mockery bring God into the equation when we will all fry if we don’t do something!! Responsibility with faith can be contrasted with responsibility without faith which leads to panic.
If the Vatican and Pope cannot be trusted, it is not because of their position on climate change. If we believe in the existence of the soul and of moral goodness as a goal, and the substitutionary death of Christ, and salvation by grace alone, then these are the reasons to abandon the Vatican.
It’s not like I was practicing the religion to the letter to begin with, i.e. I broke a lot rules that Catholics are not supposed to break. I can’t remember the last time I engaged in the ritual of Confession. I know some people who go to Church on every occasion, and then I’m stunned by how they behave the rest of the time, e.g. sort of like Al Gore’s or Leo DiCaprio’s use of energy.
My point is that I’ve no interest in following a Church that is catapulting itself back to the superstitious Medieval Dark Ages where science gets ignored and suppressed. Blaming bad weather on humans and ignoring the science tells the whole story here. The more I hear about the pope, the more I’m beginning to believe he is not well.
It was at the height of corruption in the Catholic Church that Luther agonised over the meaning of faith. The scientific world we know today is a direct result of the changes that came about at that time because of his stand. The modern scientific way of thinking was born out out of the systematic and logical approach to the scriptures, and the view that Gods creation is one of order and so can be understood logically.
This approach spurred on the industrial revolution and the amazing science that is done today with the incredible minds and dedication.
However, the universal problem of corruption is plain to see. It doesn’t only apply to Catholics, but to all men (and women) and scientists too. Worse than that it includes you and I. As it says in Romans “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – it is the reason why Christ came. He is our priest, we don’t need any others.
Unfortunately, there is a return to mystical experiences, false prophecies, miracles and attributing many things to acts of God in these days. It is like a return to the old Romish ways. Even science has been losing the plot and putting consensus, money, personal gain before the scientific principle. For those who have despised the Reformation, they can be happy that things are going back to where they were, but for those who uphold the scientific principle and the authority of God in the Bible, this is not good.
However, all is not lost. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1 Cor 1:25
I always thought that ‘Dark Ages’ was a term invented by historians to express their lack of knowledge about this period. Moreover, I think that it is a modern myth that science was suppressed by the Church by then and in later times (the Galileo narrative). It is quite possible that today people are more superstitious than in medieval times. Perhaps you can get a copy of Edward Feser’s book The Last Superstition (2010).
http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Superstition-Refutation-Atheism/dp/1587314525/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_4_K97C?ie=UTF8&refRID=12M3YR1J7GV52SQNM3HG
Pierre, spoken from the heart.
Unlike others I think you have done the right thing, on a small scale but an important lead to others. If the Church is as corrupt as you think, and evidence suggests, then loss of revenue will be an important factor in changing their mind.
It was Luther’s attack on Indulgences that brought the wrath of the Cardinals on him. He didn’t leave the Church at first, all he wanted to do was clean it up. The next step is to persuade others to stop paying the kirchensteuer. That will get your message across faster than trying to get an interview with the Pope.
In the meantime take heart; I know you are upset but you are on the same side as the Saints and Angels.
WUWT has also weighed in on this travesty…”The Pope’s Mistaken Moral Calculus On Global Warming” at http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/01/04/the-popes-mistaken-moral-calculus-on-global-warming/
Sad…the world needs Jesus and each one to be brought close to Him. The Pope should know this and it should be the center of his preaching…not getting involved in science without a thorough and critical review of the evidence.
So as a Catholic you were never very keen on papal infallibility, I’m guessing.
I see a new tactic there. Warmists become catholics, say “Yeah, our models suck, but our pontifex is infallible.”
That should do it.
Agreed. I can hear it already: “Even the pope says we need to act!”
David Appell believes in the green socialist religion and accepts the lies they tell to achieve their ends. Maybe, in another era he would have been a member of the SS (they believed in the politics of the Fuehrer and lied when they thought it might help)
Pierre,
I think my comment got sin-binned for coming in from a different machine.
You must be suffering from the conflict in your belief in science and your Church.
You have taken the right action by stopping your Kirchensteuer, just make sure your local priest knows and why. You can debate endlessly with a bureaucracy without success but loss of funding gets immediate attention. If more people follow your path then there will be a quick change of direction.
All my best wishes for you and your family in the future.
It may be as simple as the Vatican having it’s eye on the promised Trillion dollar annual transfer of wealth to “poorer” countries to offset environmental damage- especially Latin America. This is what the UN would like to see, and it plays well with the admirable religious goal of helping the poor masses.
There are two Commandments they first should learn:
– Thou shall not covet.
– Thou shalt not steal.
Thumbs up emoticon!
When government and religion ride together individual freedom suffers. Only states that are secular have been able to maintain the individual freedoms that make economic success sustainable.
Dwight Eisenhower warned us in his farewell speech about the dangers of science driven by govenment patronage. Today this is a huge problem………science and government ride together:
https://diggingintheclay.wordpress.com/2014/12/16/countering-consensus-calculations/
Could things get any worse? They can and they will if government, religion and science all ride together. Evil raised to the power of three.
Hi Pierre,
As an ex-Catholic myself I feel for you. This cannot have been an easy decision for you.
I know how much you must have wrestled with your conscience before taking such a step. You may find it is a slippery slope, which it was for me when I began to question some of the teaching and motivations of the Catholic Church. It eventually led to complete estrangement, and even contempt (not for Catholics, but for their ‘leaders’).
I hope you will find peace and happiness in your new position, though I suspect you have embarked on a more difficult path than you may yet realise.
Science as Thomas Kuhn found out is nowadays the terrain de chasse of “scientists”, that’s to say, what scientists say is true must be reckonned by non-scientists as true. This is the way things are at present, so if a bunch of lunatic swindlers succeeds in taking over a field, non-scientists will respect them anyway and abide by their “theories”. One showcase is the AGW scam. You have also the bigbang, dark matter, God’s bosom, you name it. A lot of what is called Science today is at the end of the day pure and simple dogma. Faith is a commitment that one individual takes with themselves to follow a set of spiritual principles in order to contribute to a better world and to have a better life.
Yes, you are right. I replied to this but it seems to have got lost. Probably in the spam filter.
It would be nice if could read what you had to say. Thanks anyway!
Okay, I will try again briefly.
In 2004 there was an open letter by 33 leading scientists opposing the Big Bang dogma. In 2011 there was a petition of over 30,000 scientists opposing the AWG dogma including over 9000 PhDs. You may have heard of these things, but the interesting thing is that they have had virtually no effect.
In the UK today, even the faith based schools are not allowed to question the big bang or evolution, including down to nursery level. If they do then they will lose their money from the state.
With the Pope, he has now tried to mesh the Roman Catholic dogma with the prevailing scientific dogma, but it is all dogma, and is against free speech, and against opposing ideas, therefore against the scientific process itself.
The science related to evolution, is ideologically naturalism, and this dogma is applied to ensure supernaturalism has no place. The dogma is applied with increasing force.
The science related to AGW is also driven by ideology, but it is a mixture, including Marxism, new age, naturalism, and truth by consensus, an more besides. It is interesting that those who are said to be more right wing, or far right, are usually the ones who are also AGW sceptics. See Farage in the EU parliament for example.
The methods used to put down opposition are the same. It is not scientific truth that matters, it is maintaining the anti-God paradigm and the anti-mankind (man is not special) paradigm. As the Moonies and other cults have done, they justify lying as a means to what they see as a good end. The end justifies the means.
The RC church has been a promoter of many false doctrines as dogmas over the centuries, not for theological reasons but for practical ones. Rome doesn’t want to be seen as backward, or anti-science, and even seems ready to cast off it’s moral standards for the same reason.
They absolutely need evolution, because if there is no continuous “natural” upward development, then the salvation of the human by himself will not work…
I tried a second time, but it failed again.
There must be some key words that prevent the message getting through.
I will try a third time and then give up.
The science related to evolution, is ideologically naturalism, and this dogma is applied to ensure supernaturalism has no place. The dogma is applied with increasing force.
The science related to AGW is also driven by ideology, but it is a mixture, including Marxism, new age, naturalism, and truth by consensus, an more besides. It is interesting that those who are said to be more right wing, or far right, are usually the ones who are also AGW sceptics. See Farage in the EU parliament for example.
The methods used to put down opposition are the same. It is not scientific truth that matters, it is maintaining the anti-God paradigm and the anti-mankind (man is not special) paradigm. As the Moonies and other cults have done, they justify lying as a means to what they see as a good end. The end justifies the means.
The RC church has been a promoter of many false doctrines as dogmas over the centuries, not for theological reasons but for practical ones. Rome doesn’t want to be seen as backward, or anti-science, and even seems ready to cast off it’s moral standards for the same reason.
Pierre…Recently joined the Anglicans (thus in communion with the Roman, Orthodox, Lutheran etc communions of the global catholic church). Your site is on my top five list because of your coherent analysis Thanks for that .
I’d encourage you to stay connected. You are part of the body and ultimately your spiritual life will be stunted by standing outside. Importantly, you can be a great influence inside the parrish. Talk it up, talk to the priest and bishop. You may get an eye roll but when done with respectful, forceful, and if I may – loving – conviction. It will resonate. Your local guy may be the next Karol Józef Wojtyła. Cheers.
Pierre, as an ex-Catholic who needed the beauty and spirituality of the liturgy, I did the same thing as Mace. I hope and pray that you can express your frustration and anger as Mace encourages you to do. You are in my prayers for healing and guidance by the holy Spirit. Blessings.
Angry – no. I’m more shocked and frustrated.
In 1559 there were published ‘The Prophecies of Saint Malachy”. He gave a description of the Popes from Celestine II to the present one. Although the prophecies were rather general they were sufficient to identify all the Popes usuall from their Coat of Armes, it would appear that the present Pope is the last in his list.
Pierre – while I share your concerns, I suggest you wait to see what the Pope actually says. It is usual for the media and Big Green to try to hijack the Pope’s statements before he makes them.
I hope you’re right of course, but I’m not too optimistic. He met with Schellnhuber & Co. and there’s no word he met with skeptics. What should we infer from him meeting with the most extreme and alarmist voices on this issue? Could he be so narrow as to pass judgement without first hearing the case from the other side? It all appears a bit sinister to me.
Pierre – I forgot to mention that Cardinal George Pell from Australia, the number 3 in the Vatican hierarchy, is a longstanding and vocal Global Warming sceptic. He has written the simplest and best articles on the subject that I have read. According to him, the Vatican held a big meeting in (IIRC) 2007 on the subject of Global Warming. No agreement was reached, the Vatican was split.
The Pope reminds me a little of Margaret Thatcher, a chemist like the Pope. She chose to believe in Global Warming when it suited her politically (when she was fighting the main mining union), but after she retired she declared herself a sceptic (too late of course).
I am nervous every time Pope Francis makes pronouncements on economic, fiscal and financial matters. He does not seem to understand markets as they operate in the English speaking countries. Although he is usually deliberately vague, he often appears very left wing, not trusting in individual liberty and free markets, but rather in re-distribution and big government (which I find rather confusing seeing that he comes from Argentina, where government cannot be trusted at all).
All very different to his predecessor.
We shall see.
[…] NoTricksZone, by P Gosselin on 4. Januar […]
The pope is to amalgamate the Roman Catholic Church with the “Church of catastrophic man-made global warming”.
Well, this Roman Catholic is having none of it, and as far as this Roman Catholic is concerned, Pope Francis [ -snip]
This Roman Catholic will never succumb to “environmental vaticanism”. The Pope should be praying to God rather than bowing to the ambitious, arrogant, and unscrupulous ideology of environmentalism, which is the largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy, and prosperity.
Pierre, as one who cannot comment on the central matter here (due to a lack of faith) may I instead remark on what a remarkable set of commenters you have; open-minded, well-informed and genuinely concerned; many of them commenting for the first time, I believe.
Great article. I have always believed in a Prime Creator and need no intersession or permission to do so. We all need to look at religion as a control mechanism and a form of insanity. Religion has caused more wars and suffering than just about any other human action. The human race needs to recognise reality for what it is; one bunch of rich; sick individuals controlling the rest of us.
“Religion has caused more wars and suffering than just about any other human action.”
Hitler, Lenin, Stalin and Mao were not religious and together lead the charts by a wide margin.
“The human race needs to recognise reality for what it is; one bunch of rich; sick individuals controlling the rest of us.”
Do you prefer the “state of nature” as described by Hobbes? THen present-day Libya might be a great place to get started.
DirkH
I am referring to religion as a belief state; in which there is no singular proof; nonetheless a religious fervour surrounds the structure conjured by a group.
Libya would have been fine if left alone to manage it’s own affairs. Instead we have the rich and very sick individuals; such as Hitler et al; inflicting a belief in the religion of war. To the detriment of humanity; but allowing for the tithes to flow in.
Bobby, it is a good policy to consider where your ideas and opinions come from. This phrase about religion and wars is so worn out and patently untrue that it is a bit sad to use it.
In most cases where war and religion are mixed, the religion is used to justify the war but it is not the primary cause of the war. The great war is a perfect example of this as religion was at the forefront, it was in all the propaganda of all sides, Catholic, British protestant, German liberal, Turkish Muslims etc, but this was not the cause. Empires, militarism and some Royal rivalry were the main cause, but as you probably know, it was a complex war. If you look at most wars it is the same, even the Northern Irish conflict, religion is there but is not the primary cause.
The second world war, partly a continuation of the Great war, had very little traditional religious content in the media. However, even Hitler tried to make use of Christianity (which he hated) when he could. At the same time, he was driven by the evolutionary idea and upward development of mankind with the inbuilt requirement to eliminate the more primitive, especially to make more living room for the most advanced. This was in effect his religion and was partly derived from cultism.
Mike Heath
My ideas and opinions come from many years of research and living in this reality. Religion in the broadest sense is what most of us subscribe to; it doesn’t need god to be a religion. All aspects of life require an element of religious belief. The religion of the sciences; medicine and chemistry; as well as law and education. The truth is normally swept under the rug and experiments adjusted to pan out for the investors; back to the rich guys again. I suggest that the people who run things are mostly cultists and although I try not to generalise; it sometimes gets away from me. I like your point about Hitler; I posit that he was a pawn in the bigger game, that those rich controllers use anything that they can lay their hands on to manipulate us, not with truth but with beliefs; hence religion.
Well he was a Eugenicist – just like GB Shaw or John Maynard Keynes or Woodrow Wilson- he had this, like most of his modernist ideas, from the Fabian and Progressive movements of the day.
Eugenicism was invented by the cousin of Charles Darwin, the acclaimed scientist Francis Galton.
Sounds as if you are not completely sure of your Catholic Faith.
Maybe a dose of”WM Briggs Statistician to the Stars” blog will help!
I doubt if the Pope’s opinions on anything oblige anyone to follow him He is a scientist after all and obviously believes in giving everyone a chance to give evidence before coming to a conclusion though he can only pronounce on matters of faith so his scientific conclusions do not bind you.
If you worry about the Roman Catholics try the Orthodox Churches.
Both sectiona of the Church have many scientists even at the top of the heirarchies.
Listen to Ancient Faith Radio and learn the basics thereof Church History
http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/orthodoxyheterodoxy Podcasts
on religions and sects giving and explaining the differences in a pleasant non condemnatory manner.except for, maybe, Scientology