Kentucky Atheists Re: Dead Pope

[Synnical]

KENTUCKY ATHEISTS NEWS & NOTES Date: 04 02 2005 (01)

Kentucky Atheists, P.O. Box 48, Union, KY 41091; Email: [email protected]

Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; Web: http://www.atheists.org/ky/

Edited by:

Edwin Kagin, Kentucky State Director, American Atheists, Inc.

(AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for
nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church and state; and
addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.)


To: Unidentified Recipients:

In Re: Dead Pope

That "Pope," who assumed the name of John Paul II (J2P2 for the
sarcastically inclined), avoiding April Fool's Day, died today, April 2,
2005, right on schedule, in time for the nightly news and Sunday sermons,
with an audience waiting outside his window, and the press waiting at their
delivery systems. Today, prior to his death, the electronic news, and even
the morning newspapers, were speaking of him in the past tense. If he had
not died today, there would have been inconveniences.

Opposed to birth control. Opposed to the rights of gays. Opposed to the
rights of women. Opposed to the right to have an abortion. He made a virtue
of human suffering, rather than working for meaningful ways to prevent human
suffering. He sought ways to deal with the persistent problem of so many
priests of his church raping children-mostly same sex children. Perhaps he
could have suggested that they obey the law. He exonerated Galileo, and he
apologized to Jewish people for his church having not condemned, and maybe
even having helped, their un-excommunicated communicant Adolph Hitler.

Many of the faithful thought he was correct in all things. And they obeyed
him. Except when he condemned capital punishment and the war in Iraq. The
Pope, they figured, got it wrong on those-that abortion is god-prohibited
murder, but that killing people in prisons and on battlefields is fine no
matter what the Vicar of Christ had to say on such matters. The just today
dead Supreme Pontiff also thought the teaching of evolution was okay. Many
think he was wrong on that too, and that they are more qualified to decide
where people came from than the chief primate.

The President of the United States is lowering the flag of our country to
half staff for this foreign religious leader who is also the head of a
foreign state. Our American President said god sent this person as a "hero
for the ages." There is talk of making him a saint. He made more people
saints than any other previous Pope. He reinstituted, after a lapse of some
centuries, teachings on how to perform exorcisms. Apparently, demon
possession is on the upswing.

At least the news put the aftermath of the Terri Schiavo death on the back
burner.

Vatican Hill in Rome had been the headquarters of the religion of Mithraism
prior to Christianity being made the official religion of the Roman Empire
in 325 C.E. Now you know why the home of the Pope is called "The Vatican."

One might muse just why the Vatican has not been required to register as a
foreign lobby when its leaders are attempting to force their views into
American laws and to force our lawmakers to vote as the Vatican thinks they
should. And just why the representatives of the Holy See are not charged
with a crime when they try to intimidate voters into voting for persons
thought acceptable to the faith.

Did you know that before a Pope is pronounced dead, he is smashed in the
head with a silver hammer to make sure? My Helen, the doctor, says "Why
didn't they use a stethoscope?"

Why didn't they do a lot of things differently? If they had, we might
inhabit the stars by now.

A replacement Pope will be selected soon. Watch for the white smoke. If you
don't know what that means, you are about to find out.

Edwin

Edwin Kagin

April 2, 2005

[Fenris]

1. "He made a virtue of human suffering..."

"rather than working for meaningful ways to prevent human suffering."

Someone pointed out in a Schiavo thread that Catholic opposition to the court's findings were indicative of the sort of suffering fetish which seems so prevalent in Catholicism. Not an totally inaccurate observation, but it was removed nonetheless.

[BiggJawn]

2. Sure seems that way, doesn't it?

Especially in the last several weeks where they were making much of the Pope declaring that his crapping-out body was some kind of example of "Christ's Suffering" for all Christians to follow.

Gotta go now, have to take NSAIDS and heating rub for my overindulgence on the pedals today.

*I'M* not into pain!

[Dookus]

3. The notion that suffering is redemptive

is one of the most offensive tenets of the church. It excuses all sorts of horrors.

[Fenris]

4. Come to think of it, I believe it was you to whom I was referring.

:)

[beam me up scottie]

5. I'm not the only atheist in KY?

I thought it was illegal. Between that and waiting for the villagers to come for me with torches, I almost don't dare to go outside anymore.
They think I'm armed, it's got to be the only reason there's not a burning cross in my yard.
I'm from Vermont, I don't belong here, I wanna go hoooooooooooooooomme
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
:cry:

[GOPFighter]

6. Thanks! I really, really, REALLY needed that.

Refreshing after the bewildering cacophony of Pope-mania in the media these past few days.