Catholic Church as The Matrix

image A Matrix-style poster depicting a Catholic priest as Neo isn't a spoof. The Catholic Church really is distributing these things. It's part of their new recruitment campaign:

The poster's creator, the Rev. Jonathan Meyer, 28, associate director of youth ministries for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, says pop culture is the key to attracting young men to an occupation that has gotten bad press.
"If we can get high-school youth to hang a picture of a priest in their room, that's huge in helping young men to answer the call to the priesthood," the cleric said. "Anyone who is a 'Matrix' guru looks at the picture and automatically gets it."
Crucifix in hand, Father Meyer posed for the poster, rated R for "restricted to those radically in love with Jesus Christ." Running time is "all eternity," and its title reads, "The Catholic priesthood: The answer is out there ... and it's calling you."


I'm wondering how far the Neo as Catholic priest analogy can be extended. In the second Matrix movie, Neo has sex with Trinity. So how are we supposed to interpret that? In one sense it seems appropriate (priests are dedicating themselves to God, or the Holy Trinity), but in another way it doesn't seem to be the message the Church intended. (via Notes From the Lounge)

Religion

Posted on Mon Aug 22, 2005



Comments

>>>Let's not get all worked up b/c 'big bad' churches are doing it too. Calm yourselves.<<<

Hey, know what? I bet you wouldn't be telling people to 'calm down' if YOU had had a clergyman's dick shoved up your ass when you were twelve, like so many other children have.

(Yeah, they rape little girls too. The Chosen of God think they can get away with anything.)
Posted by Barghest  on  Wed Aug 24, 2005  at  07:22 PM
I agree it is a bad idea....on many levels!!! Still, it was kinda wierd to watch the responses go from sane, interesting comments to bizarre, paranoid rantings to just outright "let's all play with our dicks" nonsense. Man, I'm sure none of you will mind is I chose to simply read the initial articles and avoid the "intellectual" bantor.
Posted by Jim  on  Thu Aug 25, 2005  at  11:47 AM
Looking at the whole thing on a logical adult level, the Vatican are showing clear sign's of reverse psychology here! Didn't i hear the Pope Ratarser slag off all the other man-made religious establishment's for bending to commercialism! Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black, or rather, the den of Vice calling the pure Virtue of a clear soul a whore, simply because they havn't got a clear enough conscience to obtain a pure soul for themselve's! Ah! So that's how they turned the Kaaba at Mecca Black, with reverse psychology!
Posted by Ka~Os  on  Thu Aug 25, 2005  at  12:13 PM
My sister-in-law took the picture and designed the poster. The following are my comments...not anyone elses!! It is a marketing strategy to get more to join the priesthood. Using an identifiable look and spoof of a movie is a way to grab peoples interest and get the message of catholic priesthood to the "younger genereation". That's all. No direct link for each scene in the movie or direct comparisons to Keanu Reeves. Get real people. Don't over analize this so much. It is causing a controversy and that is spreading the story of this poster all over the world and reaching more and more people than they probably thought it would.
Posted by kattywac  on  Fri Aug 26, 2005  at  09:36 AM
Enticing young boys into the priesthood is over analyzing things. What, were you on the Jackson defense team???
Posted by Craig  on  Fri Aug 26, 2005  at  09:45 AM
!"Enticing young boys into the priesthood is over analyzing things. What, were you on the Jackson defense team???
Posted by Craig on Fri Aug 26, 2005 at 07:45 AM"

Not entising. Just a "cool" way to get to the young people and show that priesthood is acalling and a great thing to do if you are called to do so. Every religion is gonna get a bad rap here and there. I am just saying that everyone is taking this way to seriously!!!

"the Vatican is getting on the warpath to prick the free will out of all the youth! Posted by Ka~Os on Fri Aug 26, 2005 at 09:39 AM"

Come on!! Warpath...I think not. You think anyone who is getting a calling from God to become a priest is gonna see this poster and all of the sudden his calling becomes clear? No!! Lighten up people!!! The Vatican didnt make this poster. A youth leader who happens to be a priest was told by a 8th grader about the idea and it snowballed from there. Religion (catholic or any) is fullfilling and rewarding and can also be fun and entertaining. Everyone needs to calm down about the Matrix movie part of it and just take it for what it is worth. A "cool" way to possibly get some Catholics to get into the church a little more.
Posted by kattywac  on  Fri Aug 26, 2005  at  03:05 PM
Ka~Os, I'm the one removing your posts because all you're doing is making bizarre rambling attacks on the Catholic Church. The point of this discussion is the validity of these posters, not to serve as a vehicle for your personal diatribes against the Church. When you post on topic, or semi-close to it I don't have a problem, but when you start bringing the Illuminati into it you're totally losing track.
Posted by Charybdis  on  Fri Aug 26, 2005  at  03:54 PM
The dramatic pin-up of Father Jonathan Meyer references the Pied Piper of Hamelin who seduced 130 children and led them to a dark end.
One analysis is that the Piper is a pedophile that sexually abused and butchered the children, placing their severed limbs on tree branches and disappearing into a mountain. The remaining children follow the Piper into the mountain never to be heard from again.
The seductive pin-up of Father Meyer seems to be the production of a media savvy photographer and an enthusiastic young priest in the prime of his life, 28-year-old ego intact and perhaps unaware of the implied violence in his work of art? It
Posted by choco  on  Sat Aug 27, 2005  at  10:51 AM
JOB OPENINGS
Contact: Father Jonathan Meyer
Requirements:
. Anytime hours
. Angel face & no body hair
. Tickle tickle & kissy kissy
. Caca pi pi & YUM YUM
. Pamper change and potty
. Sniff sniff & licky licky
. Healing prayers with Father Meyer
Benefits
. Copper-plated straw crucifix!
. Toys R Us shopping spree!
. Hot T-shirts!
. Free cell phone!
. Free movie passes!
. Free drinks, candy & PIZZA PARTY
. Free puppy or kitty!

NOTA BENE: Mature kids between the ages of 1 and 8 are encouraged to apply. Privacy assured! No snitches, crybabies, or bad children PLEASE!

HURRY HURRY boys! IF THIS JOB WORKS OUT FOR YOU, WHO KNOWS WHERE IT WILL LEAD? SECRECY & PRIVACY ASSURED. WHITE, BLACK, BROWN, YELLOW, RED & LAVENDER ENCOURAGED TO APPLY! No snitches PLEASE!
Posted by choco  on  Sat Aug 27, 2005  at  04:59 PM
Oh come on Kattywac, what type of crack are you on! Everyone know's that any advertising material, or any public displaying of anything to do with the RC, has to be approved through certain channel's before anything it released into the media, even if it's student's material. So what your really looking at is a slippery publicity research stunt by the RC, to test their homosexual attractiveness in the male public sector over the female's on the planet by offering them the Keanu Reeves sexual prowess on a silver platter.

The Vatican didnt make this poster. A youth leader who happens to be a priest was told by a 8th grader about the idea.

Get real! Your in the last age's of all man-made religion's fighting for altermate dominating controle over the entire planet, as if they never had enough of shagging all the boy's in the world for century's, promising them eternal life for bendin over, and yet they still die like dog's of Alhzeimer's, Parkinson's, Cancer, and a whole African continant infected with Freemasonry dieing of Aids!!! Do not you have any logical awarness to the fact that the Vatican just a cover up for a world peadophile industry full of monkey's who havn't the brain capacity to stop pocking hole's with their stick's, and you gota bend to recieve it too!
Well, i'm sorry, but i have my own free will, and a hell of a lot higher moralistic virtue's, principle's and standard's than the whole of the RC, put together, to let some half brained interpretation's that the scripture's say, 'to fuck ya kid's, and deny the truth for century's'! Sorry mate, but if your brain can surely except this system of abuse's wearing the white dress of the Virgin Mary to the public's face as a deliberate white wash, then your brain's, or should i say half of one, must have already had your Papal Monkey Stick calling too then!
So where does it say in the scripture's to fuck your kid's up the arse?
Where's it say in the scripture's that fucking your kid's give's them eternal life?
Where's it say in the scripture's that God's into SKAT?
Where's it say in the scripture's that boy's become men when they honour their father's by giving them sexual favour's?

NOWHERE! So what type of man-made religion are you talking about when you talk about the Roman Catholic's? The man-made Vatican Peadophile Video Film Club religion? The man-made Vatican Shit Stabber's Keep Ya Gob Shut religion? The man-made Vatican World Banking Money Laundering Religion? The Vatican Freemason Get Out Of Jail Any Where In The World For Free religion? HOW OLD IS YOUR LIVING CONSCIENCE???????
You must be falling asleep to yourselve's if you condone their behaviour in an adult body! This has nothing to do with God, and nothing to do with Satan, this is the state of the human world today, REPROBATE, and that's a fact!
Posted by Ka~Os  on  Sun Aug 28, 2005  at  04:26 AM
I think that former Archbishop Levada of SF was elevated to the Vatican because he been had YUM-YUM!
Posted by choco  on  Sun Aug 28, 2005  at  02:58 PM
Catholic bishops, priests, nuns, deacons and church employees have already raped over 14,000 boys & girls in the US. Seems to me that the church already knows how to recruit kids so they don
Posted by choco  on  Sun Aug 28, 2005  at  09:59 PM
Let's all stop on the Catholic-hating, please.

Honestly, yes, thousands of people have been raped by people working for the Catholic church, but it's not THE organization doing it, it is individuals that are doing it, just like tons of Pastors and Preachers and Reverends have probably raped people as well.

Raping and child molestation is NOT a requirement or endorsed by the Catholic church, is a mental problem that is in an individual that is in individuals of all races, nationalities, religions, and sexes.

All of your spouting of unintelligible hatespeech is just making you look stupid because you can't even form a logical argument against the Church beyond, "THEY'RE BAD!"
Posted by Dewie  on  Sun Aug 28, 2005  at  10:55 PM
^
The Vatican actively covers up molestation incidents.
Posted by Jorge  on  Mon Aug 29, 2005  at  05:43 AM
Admit it, the Vatican uses the disguise of the Knights Templar's just to run a global peadophile ring, and brainwashes all it's Freemason Brotherhood into paying any crackhead to do their dirty work in getting rid of witnesses, while their Brotherhood, clergy, judge's, lawyer's, doctor's,police officer's, banker's, the Hollywood film industry, sit playing with all the kid's, that's a fact! So where's the Godly Virtue in man? Where's the Godly moral's in man? Where's the the Living Conscience in man for his abuse's of the purity and innocence of the children of this age? The Vatican isn't a church of any godly nature i know of, that's for sure! They've turned your brain's upside down on yourselve's, and not one of you would know how to get a Hey Day if you tried!
Posted by Ka~Os  on  Mon Aug 29, 2005  at  05:57 AM
Hey Folks, check out this page re: Bishop coverups in the US behind priest sex abuse of children. It's never OK to sexually abuse boys, girls or vulnerable adults. The Catholic church does not need a poster to recruit boys for the priesthood, the clergy already knows how to sniff them out. No new perverted posters are needed! If talking about the sexual abuse of children and the sick ways that the Catholic church sets up kids for abuse is "bad", then lets talk.

http://www.dallasnews.com//cgi-bin/bi/dallas/2002/priests.cgi
Posted by choco  on  Mon Aug 29, 2005  at  01:08 PM
Wow. Reality check, people. Its a poster borrowing from pop culture to show an idea to young people today.

Thats all. Like most of todays pop culture references, its not a complete analogy. Its just a picture.

Also, some people apparently have a lot of anger aimed at Catholics or organized religion in general, hard to tell. In reality, the priests who molested kids were a small minority, a tiny minority of priests. It was a horrible tragedy, an abuse of power. Its been exposed and those people are being punished. In no way is that behavior typical of, and certainly not endorsed by, the Catholic church or any other Christian religion.

Its a poster. Recruiting priests, not children. Chill out!
Posted by chyca  on  Mon Aug 29, 2005  at  06:40 PM
What exactly does
Posted by choco 2  on  Mon Aug 29, 2005  at  08:19 PM
Wow! There is a lot of hatred here. I am a personal friend of Fr. Meyer. He is one of the coolest, holiest, funniest people you will ever meet. The point of the poster was to just look cool, not imply any sort of paralells between the priesthood and the movies(except the whole cool thing). And by the way, you guys are the biggest bunch of sick, twisted, perverts ever created. You are such stereo-typing idiots it is not even funny. Are you even aware that the child molestation reate for teachers is TWICE as high as it is for clergy. I don't here any violent slams about teachers! You have obviously not done any REAL studying of the Catholic Faith. All of the made up oppinions and dogmas are a bunch of crap! I can't believe I am even taking the time to respond to your blog of crap! GEEZ!!!
Posted by G. Lorenz  on  Tue Aug 30, 2005  at  09:08 AM
choco2 said:
Posted by chyca  on  Tue Aug 30, 2005  at  10:00 AM
I stand corrected KA-OS, the number if 94%... GO KA-OS! There is a lot of booty to educate in this world, do it!!!
The poster is not about teachers MS., it's about recruiting meat for pedophiles. Chill. Check out what pedophile priests have done to indians.

http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/history/faculty/roberson/course/1493/readings/Native American Schools.htm
Posted by choco3  on  Tue Aug 30, 2005  at  12:11 PM
I would not be surprised if the real person that posed for the pin-up is none other than G. Lorenz, boyfriend to Father Meyer Fess up boys! Are you two an item?
Posted by choc4  on  Tue Aug 30, 2005  at  12:42 PM
We of the Conscious Collective do not need to see what priest's have done to other's, we know the truth!
Posted by Ka~Os  on  Tue Aug 30, 2005  at  01:17 PM
Yes, and the truth hurts! So be it....
Posted by choco8  on  Tue Aug 30, 2005  at  03:27 PM
Lorenz, have you heard about David & Jonathan? Well I think the poster is about Little boy and Jonathan! Pervert.
Posted by sygle  on  Tue Aug 30, 2005  at  09:09 PM
Hello,

I know the priest in this poster. In fact I know him quite well. He is an excellent priest and his whole plow with this poster was that he thought it would be something to get high school boys to step back and discern if they are called to the priesthood. He was simply taking a pagan thing and turning into a holy thing. The Church has been doing this forever. Take for example December 25th, it was the pagan holiday for their sun god. So Catholics use it for the celebration of Christ's birth. Taking something pagan and making it holy.

Also some information for all of the childish remarks about molestation in the priesthood. less than 2% of all priests were charged with sexual abuse cases (you could find that in any job, especially in the United States.) Interestingly enough, of that less than 2%, 95% were homosexual priests who had never dealt with their problem of being a homosexual. And, to think that some people are out their campaigning for "gay rights" when we can clearly see that effects of the psychological disorder of having homosexual tendancies.

Thank you for reading this and understanding. May God bless you and I'll pray for you.
Posted by Adam  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  02:54 PM
What do you mean by "pagan"? What people are pagans? How have you come to believe what pagan's do is unholy"? Racist? I don't know? Splain it pleeeeze.
Posted by choco  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  04:42 PM
FYI readers! No more pin-up of Jonathan pleeeeze!


http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20040506.html
Posted by choco  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  05:10 PM
adam said:

"Also some information for all of the childish remarks about molestation in the priesthood. less than 2% of all priests were charged with sexual abuse cases (you could find that in any job, especially in the United States.) Interestingly enough, of that less than 2%, 95% were homosexual priests who had never dealt with their problem of being a homosexual. And, to think that some people are out their campaigning for "gay rights" when we can clearly see that effects of the psychological disorder of having homosexual tendancies."

This is what happenes when statistics fall into the hands of those who don't understand them.

Let's see, 95% of 2% of priests were homosexual pederasts (if we assume your stats are accurate, that is) and that somehow "proves" something about the population at large? Um, just for starters, what percent of the public do priests represent? Less than 1%, right? Are you now beginning to see how small your "sample" is (and, of course, as mentioned, that assumes that your stats are accurate in the first place).

Unfortunately for your theory, the fact is that, in society at large, the majority of people involved in sexually molesting a minor are heterosexual men. The typical scenario is a father who molests his daughter, an uncle who molests a niece or a family friend molesting one of the children.

Even if your stats are accurate, they aren't taken from a small subset of society, so they prove exactly NOTHING about the general population. Nice try at gay bashing, though.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  05:57 PM
Sorry mate, the father of my children was amongst over 20 children in a Catholic Church choir for over 6 year's, and was abused by several priest's, along with the other choir boy's, and he has abused his own children for many year's as a consiquence of the abuse he suffered, and i also have evidance against him of child sexual abuse, yet, despite having undoubtable evidance against him from his children on video and audio, the UK Police, and Social Care and Health, ignore any evidance whatsoever. So your pathetic 2 percent is utter reverse psychology, that's what the whole of the Vatican Illuminati do, turn your brain's upside down over the word Pesdestary, from it's origin 'Loverboy' from the Book of Revelation 22; the spirit and the bride, which mean's the physical female gender, and the spiritual male of the female, which mean's Tomboy, NOT F*CK ALL THE KID'S! So where's you're intellect? Up you're colon? Didn't anyone ever tell you that the action to shit, begin's from the solar plexus to the brain before the colon disperse's your crap, not where were Vatican half brained priest's fudge packing the nation's children, completely brainwashed by the Vatican's incompetancy in interpretation's of Scripture's, when all you get is cancer, alhzeimer's, parkinson's, and brain degrade, because you lie to your soul's from first day you're initiated. What's a matter with you? Too scared to know the truth about yourselve's LADDIE'S!
Posted by Ka~Os  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  06:36 PM
Greetings,
Pagan - A person not subscribing to any major or recognized religion, esp. the dominant religion of a particular society.

Holy - Kept or regarded as inviolate from ordinary use, and appropriated or set apart for religious use or observance; consecrated, dedicated, sacred.

"Splain" - Not a word but you still used it.

Using simple logic you can understand that Holy things can be apart of a "major or recognized religion"

As for calling my statistics minuscule compared to the entire population I would agree. Just as 2% of the population of priests is minuscule when compared to the entire population of the priesthood. Therefore applying the same thought process you used it would be wrong for you to stereotype all priests as child molesters, so please stop.

In regards to the "gay-bashing" as you so put it. Logically sex between a man and a goat is the same as sex between a man and a man. Sex between a man and a woman has to distinct parts that make it natural. 1) It's unitive, and 2)The possibility of reproducing offspring. Sex between a man and a goat and sex between a man and a man may offer the initial part. However, offspring will never come from this, thus beastiality is just as natural as sex between two men. If you believe it is right for homosexuals to have sex you agree that it is natural for man and beast to have sex.
Posted by adam  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  06:38 PM
NO MORE SEDUCTIVE PIN-UPS, Por Favor!
That marci is my kind of gal, she says charge the Vatican like you would the Mafia.....to real or what?


http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20030619.html
Posted by choco-latte  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  09:38 PM
LIST OF CATHOLIC PRIEST CREDIBLY ACCUSED OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE UNITED STATES:

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/priestdb/#NV

Listing

BAD PRIEST, NO DONUT!
Posted by mucho choco-latte  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  10:59 PM
NO MORE SEDUCTIVE PIN-UPS PLEASE....Jonathan & Missy!
Educate yourselves and support SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests: BUY A BOOK FROM SNAP.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/books_section/books_to_read_.htm

All about the scandal, guaranteed to put some lies in perspective and help you understand why Jonathan's pin-up is so offensive!
Hug a pagan today! Blessings and peace upon your soul.
Posted by salsa con choco-latte  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  11:20 PM
As a Native American, I qualify as a "pagan".
Here is an article that you may find informative with regard Priest abuse of indian children:

http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/history/faculty/roberson/course/1493/readings/Native American Schools.htm

I was not raised as a Christian. For that, i am grateful!
Posted by Yaqui choco-latte  on  Wed Aug 31, 2005  at  11:43 PM
HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN....
MOST OF YOU PROBABLY WATCH DIRTY MOVIES...OWN COP KILLER GAMES...SMOKE THAT CRAZY STUFF...AND DON'T
ATTEND CHURCH ON SUNDAYS. CONGRATULATIONS.
Posted by JC  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  12:26 AM
Adam said:

"As for calling my statistics minuscule compared to the entire population I would agree. Just as 2% of the population of priests is minuscule when compared to the entire population of the priesthood. Therefore applying the same thought process you used it would be wrong for you to stereotype all priests as child molesters, so please stop."

Please show me when I've said that all priests were child molesters. I haven't, therefore your complaint about my "thought process" is invalid.

"In regards to the "gay-bashing" as you so put it. Logically sex between a man and a goat is the same as sex between a man and a man."

You have now gone WAY off the rail, logic-wise.


"Sex between a man and a woman has to distinct parts that make it natural. 1) It's unitive,"

I don't know what "unitive" means. Please explain.

"2)The possibility of reproducing offspring. Sex between a man and a goat and sex between a man and a man may offer the initial part. However, offspring will never come from this, thus beastiality is just as natural as sex between two men. If you believe it is right for homosexuals to have sex you agree that it is natural for man and beast to have sex."

This is also false logic. First, it implies that any sex between any two humans which is not intended to produce a child is sinful or wrong or whatever it is you're trying to say. Are you truly that anti-sex?

Second, the "logical" basis you're using here just makes no sense.

Watch:

A cat has a face. A human has a face.
A cat has feet. A human has feet.
Some cats have names. Most humans have names.

Therefore, humans are the same as cats. I just used the same kind of "logic" as you did; you cannot possibly argue with what I just said.

I'm sorry to have to say this, but sane people simply do not see sex between two consenting adults and sex between a human and an animal as equivalent. In your zeal to push your religious agenda, I fear you have left your reason on the side of the road somewhere.

I said you were gay bashing and I stand by that. If you can't make a case for your beliefs without equating sex between humans and sex with an animal, I think you should re-evaluate what you believe. Most people you tell this to are going to think you're nuts.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  12:45 AM
All sex without the possibility of producing children is wrong. It is simply out of lust and it is adultery. Your marvelous logic problem with the cat and human does not apply any logic whatsoever and the only thing that could be concluded is that both cats and human have faces and feet, and that some of both have names.

I am not anti-sex at all. Sex is a wonderful gift in marriage. Thus my logic is not false because it proves exactly what is true. Children come from sex and that should never be forgotten.

Unitive - Having the property or effect of uniting; serving to unite or cause union; characterized by or involving union. (use a dictionary when you don't know what words mean)

http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50267820?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=unitive&first=1&max_to_show=10
Posted by adam  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  08:14 AM
All sex without the possibility of producing children is wrong. - Adam

A damn fine reason to not be a Christian.
Posted by Charybdis  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  08:42 AM
"A damn fine reason to not be a Christian."
-Charybdis in Hell

May God have mercy on your soul, I'll pray for you.
Posted by Adam  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  10:13 AM
And I'll have the decency to not do the same in return.
Posted by Charybdis  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  10:15 AM
Do you honestly think there is no heaven? Do you really think we have the same end goal as animals? To simply live and survive on this earth. What a terrible life to lead with no purpose. Always searching for fulfillment but never finding it in anything of this world. Good luck to you in trying to merely be happy on earth.
Posted by Adam  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  10:20 AM
Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

My purpose is to survive and be remembered fondly by loved ones.

I'm not searching for spiritual fulfillment. I don't need it to validate my existence.

Happiness in life is all we have. When we die all of our emotions cease to exist.

Basically, some people need mythology as a crutch to make it through life, and some people don't. All we end up doing is pitying each other.
Posted by Charybdis  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  10:30 AM
So then we are the same as animals. Then how do we have the ability to reason and use logic. Then how do we have emotions and animals don't. Then why do we have a need to be happy whereas animals don't have that need. There is something there that you are not recognizing in your definition of a person. And that is an immaterial soul. And a soul cannot die thus it is still a being after death.
Posted by Adam  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  11:10 AM
Animals think. Many show signs of being able to reason. The learn skills and improve upon them. They also show emotions. My dog seems happy, sad, frightened. The only difference between humans and the rest of the animals is level of intelligence (as we understand it, which isn't necessarily meaningful) and our ability to develope technologically. There is no reason to assume that we are 'special' for these reasons.

Happiness is not a requirement for existence, it's a benefit that may be achieved. There are millions of unhappy people who manage to survive. To tell them that all their misery will be rewarded in a next life is wrong, in my opinion, and totally invalidates all that they can accomplish while alive.

I don't believe in a soul. I don't have one, and neither do you. There has never been any evidence pointing to the existence of a soul that isn't based on faith.
Posted by Charybdis  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  12:45 PM
There is only so much time to waste on those who don't believe. God is real and may He have mercy on your soul when you stand before Him. God Bless and I'll pray for you.
Posted by Adam  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  12:53 PM
Well aren't we way off topic here! I was wondering just how much more nonsense Ka~Os would post and how many more people would respond but apparently now were arguing about what makes humans different from animals, all thoughts of the Catholic church forgotten.

I would agree in principle with Adam on this point: that animals lack something that humans have, often called a soul (altho you may insert your word of choice) that lives after mortal life is over.

Its not mysthology or a crutch but a simple observation - there is something that makes people more that animals, and its not merely intelligance or emotion or behavioral code, because animals appear to have these things too (albeit usually in more primitive forms) There is something in humans that is different, inexplicable. I believe there are many things beyond our ability to see or explain and this is one of them.

I also believe that this part of personhood is not limited to mortal life and lives on after what we know as death. I dont believe that happiness in life here is all we have, because life is often not happy. Without an eternity, the universe would not balance - no punishment for wrong, no reward for good, no satisfaction for those who seek but never find happiness.

Life is too much of a mystery to disappear just because the human heart stops beating. It goes on, and this is not a myth, but a belief of all the people before us who know - sometimes inperfectly - that there was more to life we could not see.

Im not living unhappily, refusing to find satisfaction here. Rather, my belief in eternity and the unseen is what gives meaning to my life, a purpose to my actions beyond merely surviving or seeking happiness.

I believe in a human soul, an eternity, and an unseen God.
Posted by chyca  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  12:58 PM
You're right, I did get off topic, and I'm the one who complains about others doing it. I apologize.
Posted by Charybdis  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  01:03 PM
MSGR. EUGENE CLARK, RECTOR OF ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL, NY, RESIGNS AFTER SEX SCANDAL!!!

FATHER CLARK = NOOKIE BIRD

F-----G BUT NOT INTERESTED IN MAKING A BABY WITH HIS MARRIED SECRETARY?

FATHER CLARK = PIGLET! ANIMAL! I LAUGHED SO HARD I ALMOST BUST A GUT. FATHER HAS BEEN BUSTED!

PRAY FOR FOR FATHER CLARK, THE NOOKIE BIRD WHAT SINNED! More to come next week when I return.
Posted by MECO  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  02:29 PM
Adam said:

"All sex without the possibility of producing children is wrong. It is simply out of lust and it is adultery. Your marvelous logic problem with the cat and human does not apply any logic whatsoever and the only thing that could be concluded is that both cats and human have faces and feet, and that some of both have names."

Uh, I humbly submit, Adam, that my cat and human thing used the same logic you did when you talked about homosexual sex being the same as sex between a human and an animal. You found some elements of both which are arguably the same and then concluded that the both were the same as a whole. I did the same thing, using an absurd example, to show you how your entire argument was absurd.

So, when a married couple have sex without the intention of producing a child, you think that's wrong? Fascinating. Are you married?

"I am not anti-sex at all. Sex is a wonderful gift in marriage. Thus my logic is not false because it proves exactly what is true. Children come from sex and that should never be forgotten."

And who, exactly, said that children do NOT come from sex? You're arguing against a position no one has taken.

"Unitive - Having the property or effect of uniting; serving to unite or cause union; characterized by or involving union. (use a dictionary when you don't know what words mean)"

Adam, it will be a cold day in the Hell you believe in when I'm comfortable with you talking down to me. For all I know, the word "unitive" has some special meaning in whatever your belief system is. I was asking you what YOU meant by it. Trust me, you aren't going to win any points in this debate through condescension.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Thu Sep 01, 2005  at  05:12 PM
Comments: Page 1 of 8 pages  1 2 3 >  Last ›
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.