Should we be allow to celebrate Christmas

[dogtowner]

Dawkinrocks. As Christians are smart people we know Smart people know they just St nicked it off pagans. What the church try to do was to make the mid summer festival more responsible with less debauchery. We know that Christ was born on that date but it was a good date to bring this event to the notice of a pagan world.

I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and to those of my faith a Holy Christmas.

hopes that you and yours have a joyful anniversary of this blessed occasion.

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

It isn't blessed and most christians celebrate it with pagan imagery and gluttony

It is a paean to consumerism where already impoverished people see their children bombarded with adverts for things they then go into debt to get for them

And in a world where a billion people go to bed hungry every night

In which 80 million children have no school to go to

Happy yuletide

 

[Aus22]

We had a happy Christmas. Some of was in the pagan images that Dawkinrocks mentioned. But mostly was at Christian services both Catholic and Protestant. We even help the poor with special collections..But some people did throw things at us from cars.

 

[Openmind]

It isn't blessed and most christians celebrate it with pagan imagery and gluttony

It is a paean to consumerism where already impoverished people see their children bombarded with adverts for things they then go into debt to get for them

And in a world where a billion people go to bed hungry every night

In which 80 million children have no school to go to

Happy yuletide

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all people of good will.

And a special thought for the families of the 20 children and the other victims of this senseless crime.

 

[dogtowner]

We had a happy Christmas. Some of was in the pagan images that Dawkinrocks mentioned. But mostly was at Christian services both Catholic and Protestant. We even help the poor with special collections..But some people did throw things at us from cars.

good. glad it was a good Christ filled one for you.

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

The best way the roman catholic church could help the poor is by stopping taking money from them

Oh and stop fucking their children

 

[Aus22]

The Catholic Church runs the biggest charities in the World. It gives far more to the poor than it takes.

On Pedophilia, the Church like all groups dealing with children has some members who have conmited crimes. They are being punish now by civil authorities. But the majority of members are not responsible.

 

[Cruella]

We are going to see a lot of good Catholic and other religious organizations close down because of Obamacare.

ObamaCare Mandate May Force Little Sisters of the Poor to Leave U.S.

 

[dogtowner]

The Catholic Church runs the biggest charities in the World. It gives far more to the poor than it takes.

On Pedophilia, the Church like all groups dealing with children has some members who have conmited crimes. They are being punish now by civil authorities. But the majority of members are not responsible.

and it seems in a smaller degree than the general population and no worse and perhaps better than non-catholic clergy.

is it a terrible thing ? of course and the RCC (and others) have to answer to efforts to conceal the events but its apparently a societal matter more than a Catholic one.

 

[Openmind]

This is ridiculous! Doyoureqlize that Catholoc organizations all over the world have been providing birth control coverage to their employees all over the world. . .EXCEPT in the US,

This is so hypocritical! Even Italy, the back yardofhe Vatican, maybe the highest percentage of Catholics in the world, has birth control coverage in their national health care!

And what isthemost important in the eyes of Christ?

Caring for the poorand the needy?

Or allowing the people who take care of the poor and the needy to becovered for birth control. . . Wich by definition should reduce the need for abortion?

 

[Openmind]

The Catholic Church runs the biggest charities in the World. It gives far more to the poor than it takes.

On Pedophilia, the Church like all groups dealing with children has some members who have conmited crimes. They are being punish now by civil authorities. But the majority of members are not responsible.

That is such BS! Do you really think it is by giving to the poor more than what they got that the Vatican ammasses so much wealth? Do you contibute to a parish? Have you received those monthly envelops designated as "contribution to the diocesis" and "contribution to the keeping of the church". And " contribution to the missions overseas". Ad "contribution to the keeping of elderly priests and nuns" and at last, contributions to Catholic charities?

I have. And i have no illusions where the bulk of my money goes.

 

[Dawkinsrocks]

The catholic church is a mafia bank

It pays no tax in Italy and yet consumes loads of national resource

It is super rich whilst getting most of its money off people who live on scrap heaps in south America

It is headed by an ex member of Hitler youth who wears a dress and provides sanctuary to pedophiles

It does some charity work to fool idiots so that this utterly evil organisation can carry on its disgusting work

 

[Aus22]

The catholic church is a mafia bank

It pays no tax in Italy and yet consumes loads of national resource

It is super rich whilst getting most of its money off people who live on scrap heaps in south America

It is headed by an ex member of Hitler youth who wears a dress and provides sanctuary to pedophiles

It does some charity work to fool idiots so that this utterly evil organisation can carry on its disgusting work

Dawkinrocks, you seen to be going to great extent to blame the Catholic Church for everything. The Church in Italy has always opposed the mafia. It is true some mafia might claimed to be Catholic but this is rejected by the Church leaders. The Church including the Pope have been in the forfront of asking people to care for natural resources.The Vatican is in favour of regulation of carbon to slowdown global warming.
While the Church is strong in South America most of its income comes from rich countries. Australia amongst others contributors to the support of the church and charities in South America.

The pope was once a member of Hitler group as it was compulsory when he was young. But most Church leaders came from other other places and are too young to be members of Hitler youth.
If wearing a dress is a crime than many others who wear similar uniforms, would also be guilty. It is just the mode of dress of clergy dating back to the Middle ages.

Some church leaders might have provided too much protection for pedophiles in the past but now all have agree to co operate with the Government investigations. In Australia there are three government investigations and the Australian church leaders have agree to co-operate even given names to government bodies and allowing those found guilty to be jail. It is not a sanctuary for pedophiles.

 

[Aus22]

That is such BS! Do you really think it is by giving to the poor more than what they got that the Vatican ammasses so much wealth? Do you contibute to a parish? Have you received those monthly envelops designated as "contribution to the diocesis" and "contribution to the keeping of the church". And " contribution to the missions overseas". Ad "contribution to the keeping of elderly priests and nuns" and at last, contributions to Catholic charities?

I have. And i have no illusions where the bulk of my money goes.

Openmind. I am not sure what you are getting at. I contributed to two envelopes that clearly say where the money is going.

One is for Priest support. This includes according to the envelope, to support Priests of this parish and meet normal household expenses.
To support sick and retired Priests.
To support Priest in needy Parishes. (if you are not a needy parish yourself)
and to support the Archbishop.
Last week This raised $964 according to our newsletter.

The second envelope is for Church support.

To pay our Parish operating costs .(including debt repayment_)
To support the growth of Parish and Diocesan services
To provide for charitable works.

$1,545 was raised for this last week.

There are also an occasional collection for St Vincent De Paul and other charities.
I do not think these collections make the church rich.Very few people can live on less than a thousand dollars a week. Let alone a Priest who is on duty 24 hours a day seven days a week.

The pope gets one collection a year from our parish.

 

[Openmind]

Openmind. I am not sure what you are getting at. I contributed to two envelopes that clearly say where the money is going.

One is for Priest support. This includes according to the envelope, to support Priests of this parish and meet normal household expenses.
To support sick and retired Priests.
To support Priest in needy Parishes. (if you are not a needy parish yourself)
and to support the Archbishop.
Last week This raised $964 according to our newsletter.

The second envelope is for Church support.

To pay our Parish operating costs .(including debt repayment_)
To support the growth of Parish and Diocesan services
To provide for charitable works.

$1,545 was raised for this last week.

There are also an occasional collection for St Vincent De Paul and other charities.
I do not think these collections make the church rich.Very few people can live on less than a thousand dollars a week. Let alone a Priest who is on duty 24 hours a day seven days a week.

We get more envelopes than that. . .and I VERY MUCH resent that the POPE gets ANYTHING from ANY parish! Do you realize how many parishes there are in the world? Do you realize that the pope (or the Vatican) makes HUGE profit just from visitors to the Vatican?

And why should the bishop (any bishop) live like a prince? you talk about your parish. . .and that's great. I know that our parish (a small one, without even a dedicated priest, since we have to share it with another parish) collects a lot more than that every week, because of the community where I live which is very upper middle class.

I am sorry to disappoint you, but I have been raised in Catholic school for 12 years, and have been very familiar with the Catholic Church in general. I will concede that the Catholic hospitals do a lot of good for many people, and I have NO PROBLEM helping with that. I do have problem with the Catholic Church being run as a business, but counting on the "charity" of their parishioners to "pay" their staff (the priests!) and to provide a retirement fund for that same staff (the old and disabled priests and nuns).

I do not believe that Jesus Christ would have approved of the wealth that is contained in the Vatican, or in any of the "big cathedrals" . . .while people around the vatican and around those cathedrals continue to fight for their survival.

The Catholic church in Europe does not expect their parishioners to support the priests to the level they do in America. In fact, it is expected that people going to a weekly service will give the equivalent of $5 for the cleaning and upkeep of the church where they attend service, the rest (and there is a second collect) is totally at the discretion of the parishioner.

I also resent the fact that the Catholic in America seems more concerned about the "politics of social issues" and trying to block gay rights, women's rights, abortion rights etc. . .than they are about caring and advocating for the needy. I am really angry about some Catholic Hospitals in the US having been found guilty of "dumping" elderly patients who could not pay for their own care. ..in spite of the law against dumping.

Daily Kos: (update) Sacred Heart Hospital In PA Dumps Patient In ...

www.dailykos.com/.../--update-Sacred-Heart-Hospital-In-PA-...
Jan 14, 2012 – (update) Sacred Heart Hospital In PA Dumps Patient In Cold Street ... I will continue to fight for a patient advocate at Sacred Heart if only because there were, and will be more victims to this ..... Shame on the Catholic Church

There are a lot of good, devoted Catholic people, and there are a lot of good, devoted Priests and nuns. But I have very little respect for the higher hierarchy of the Catholic church, and I do not believe they are truly serving the interests of the needy, as Jesus Christ had intended.