It’s interesting to see the ignorance that people show towards the Catholic faith and other more liberal Christian views. The example of a Jesuit priest teaching evolution may come as a shock to some people but he reality is that most Christians, Jews, Muslims etc are fairly liberal and don’t take the texts as literal.
I hope this thread continues so that people’s ignorance is fought.
I’m not a Catholic, but this story seems quite sensationalized for what really isn’t all that different. Particularly given the scripture that he quotes, it seems that he’s mainly targetting Catholics, and to some extent other Christians, to not be hypocritical and to not put themselves above others. Everyone is capable of doing good work, and we should all recognize and respect that and use it as a means to connect with eachother and work together. After all, if God created all of us in his image, the innate desire to do good is in all of us, theist and atheist alike.
The Catholic faith is hardly “liberal”. Sure, they don’t deny the fact of evolution, but that merely elevates them above bat-shit crazy. Also, it’s been shown in studies that atheists are more informed about religion than even the adherents. Perhaps that will temper your sanctimonious concern.
What happens if you are an atheist who leads a good life, but you actively oppose the Catholic Church, for (e.g.) its policies regarding contraception, and its protection of pedophiles?
I recall reading that Francis, when he was an Archbishop, was famous for making Protestant and Jewish and Muslim friends and trying to promote interfaith dialogue and harmony.
Oh, I think everybody likes Hell jokes whether they believe in Hell or not. “Worst thing in the world” is a very good concept-basis for jokes. Of course you can’t make funny jokes about souls simply burning in fire and screaming in pain, but if you get creative like the Greek gods used to, there’s a lot of material.
Unless “behaving as if God existed” is based on the assumption of future judgment by works rather than faith. You could still be damned. I don’t hear the Pope espousing Universalism here.
It works when you add in the fact that you (or your cited author) is not correctly describing the heresy of indifference if you believe it applies to the Pope’s words.
Right, it’s not really indifferentism. The Pope still teaches that this is the One True Holy Christian Church, THE chosen instrument by which God’s grace of salvation reaches into our temporal world. But someone who is doing good is being inspired by God even if he does not know it, so let’s not be dicks about it going* “nyaaah, nyaaah, you’re all going to Hell”* at good and well meaning people who are not formal followers.
Is he saying that they are good people that are not going to Hell, or is he saying that Catholics should be respectful and just not bring up the fact that they are going to Hell?
But again, the analogy perpetuates the ignorance about what the Immaculate Conception refers to.