Is there a God of atheism?

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Does The Abrahamic God believe in a higher power? Does it worship a greater being? Does it attend services? Does it follow any of the commandments? Maybe we've found our "god of atheism."

 

[Infinite Monkey]

One of the main reasons I left Christianity and soon after all theism (at least conscious belief in God) is that I felt betrayed. Their promises of miracles and revelation turned out to be bogus.

I was raised Catholic, and we were definitely never promised miracles. Or revelation. Perhaps you just went to the wrong church.

I leave what are the "wrong" churches up to Christians to fight over. To me they're all wrong and that goes for Catholic churches. Contrary to what you say, Catholic churches do offer miracles and revelations. Did you ever hear of Lourdes or Fatima? They're two of the church's hottest products.

Sheesh--some of the stuff you see people post on the internet.

Did the Catholic church promise you these things? What do you mean by that? Did they promise you, personally, would encounter Mary?

Or were they examples of events to have faith in?

"Products"? Bizarre term for sightings of Mary.

 

[Thomas II]

One of the main reasons I left Christianity and soon after all theism (at least conscious belief in God) is that I felt betrayed. Their promises of miracles and revelation turned out to be bogus.

I was raised Catholic, and we were definitely never promised miracles. Or revelation. Perhaps you just went to the wrong church.

I leave what are the "wrong" churches up to Christians to fight over. To me they're all wrong and that goes for Catholic churches. Contrary to what you say, Catholic churches do offer miracles and revelations. Did you ever hear of Lourdes or Fatima? They're two of the church's hottest products.

Sheesh--some of the stuff you see people post on the internet.

Did the Catholic church promise you these things? What do you mean by that? Did they promise you, personally, would encounter Mary?

Or were they examples of events to have faith in?

"Products"? Bizarre term for sightings of Mary.

 

[Gospel]

Thomas, we're talking about products, not byproducts.

 

[Thomas II]

Thomas, we're talking about products, not byproducts.

Just sharing a random thought.

 

[Infinite Monkey]

Thomas, we're talking about products, not byproducts.

Just sharing a random thought.

It's a fair point, but yeah, I was talking about the offerings/promises of the religion itself. But it would be interesting if Unknown Soldier left Christianity due to a less-than-adequate gift shop.

 

[steve_bank]

Evangelical Christians have marketing, advertising, and sales. Don't know about today there used to be door to door sales.

From a report in areas in Africa there is competition between Islam and Christians for converts. Billboards.

Modern American Christianity is very much a product that is sold for profit on the open marketplace.

Competing brands.

 

[TomC]

I leave what are the "wrong" churches up to Christians to fight over. To me they're all wrong and that goes for Catholic churches. Contrary to what you say, Catholic churches do offer miracles and revelations. Did you ever hear of Lourdes or Fatima? They're two of the church's hottest products.

Sheesh--some of the stuff you see people post on the internet.

You don't seem to understand theism any better than atheism.

Like nearly all churches, the RCC's product is community. The creeds and miracles and revelations are more about window dressing and packaging.

The community is invaluable to a bunch of people. A group of people who know you. People who care about you enough to be both supportive and also honest. Including honesty about your flaws and the likely outcome of your behavior and choices.

I think that church membership would be good for you personally. A member needn't believe all the theology and magic rituals and stuff.
Trust me, I'm a Catholic.
Tom

 

[Gospel]

RCC's product is community

Woah woah woah, I thought the RCC's product was rituals. FFS sacraments, the communion of saints, and the Mass, which is their central liturgical ritual. The community is just a bunch of gullibly loyal customers like those who only purchase Apple products.

 

[TomC]

RCC's product is community

Woah woah woah, I thought the RCC's product was rituals. FFS sacraments, the communion of saints, and the Mass, which is their central liturgical ritual. The community is just a bunch of gullibly loyal customers like those who only purchase Apple products.

Nope.

I'm guessing you aren't a Catholic, and only know about it from protestant sources? Like US? Maybe you're just being snarky?

I dunno.

Being a cradle Catholic, I've got no problem criticizing Mother Church. She can be a royal bitch. But I get touchy when idiots do it.
Tom

 

[steve_bank]

I'd say the RCC and organized Christianity in general is theater and drama. You only have to watch the Christian TV shows to see that or watch papal ceremonies like xmas mass from the Vaaticant. The xmas mass is high drama on global TV. Costumes, rituals, and incantations.

I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic schools.

 

[TomC]

I'd say the RCC and organized Christianity in general is theater and drama. You only have to watch the Christian TV shows to see that or watch papal ceremonies like xmas mass from the Vaaticant. The xmas mass is high drama on global TV. Costumes, rituals, and incantations.

I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic schools.

I feel badly for you if all you got out of that was theater and drama.
Tom

 

[ideologyhunter]

I'm no Catholic, but I got the inside dope on the RCC straight from the source: Mother Angelica Live, on EWTN , back in the day. She took a call during one episode from a caller who said she was leaving the church to join a Protestant denomination. Angelica had a cow. She stressed how the distinctiveness of Catholicism was its delivery of the sacraments straight from God to the penitent believer, and how no other church had that power.
My late mother (a very lukewarm wanna-be Christian) was totally charmed by Angelica, and would bore me to tears by insisting on watching each broadcast. I pretty much agreed with Howard Stern's take on her. His followers would do prank calls to make her go crazy, and that was worth watching. There should be a DVD of Stern callers doing bits on Angelica. She usually told them (once she caught on to their sarcasm) that they were toying with eternal damnation by making prank calls to her show.

 

[Gospel]

RCC's product is community

Woah woah woah, I thought the RCC's product was rituals. FFS sacraments, the communion of saints, and the Mass, which is their central liturgical ritual. The community is just a bunch of gullibly loyal customers like those who only purchase Apple products.

Nope.

I'm guessing you aren't a Catholic, and only know about it from protestant sources? Like US? Maybe you're just being snarky?

I dunno.

Being a cradle Catholic, I've got no problem criticizing Mother Church. She can be a royal bitch. But I get touchy when idiots do it.
Tom

Name something the catholic church has that no other Hebrew scripture based church has and the word rituals will flow from your lips.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

I'd say the RCC and organized Christianity in general is theater and drama. You only have to watch the Christian TV shows to see that or watch papal ceremonies like xmas mass from the Vaaticant. The xmas mass is high drama on global TV. Costumes, rituals, and incantations.

I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic schools.

Theater and drama were definitely part of the package. It was how the woo arrived, it was the conduit for the woo. Without a doubt the woo was always number one and the community existed because they were drawn to the power of the woo. The woo ruled.

After woo came the needs of the business, namely getting money up the pipeline, same as any other business. This wasn't perceived as being as important as the woo but it was certainly recognized that if the money stream went dry so would the woo stream. No money, no woo. To have the woo you had to be sending money up the pipeline.

After the woo and after the money pipeline came the school. Parents believed that sending their children to the school run by the local church was a good thing. In my view this was the most important undertaking that the church had. It involved educators, parents and children. The vast majority of parents with children sent their children to the church school which cost a lot of money to operate and often had to borrow money from the bishop to run the school. I always thought this was kinda dumb because the bishop owned everything in the diocese, including the schools, so why was a church borrowing money to operate the bishop's school? Seemed dumb. That and the fact that the bishop was just lending money back to the local church that the that the church has sent up the pipeline. But the school was the most important part of the church.

 

[TomC]

Name something the catholic church has that no other Hebrew scripture based church has

Me.

Tom

 

[Gospel]

Ok, I was wrong.

 

[steve_bank]

I'd say the RCC and organized Christianity in general is theater and drama. You only have to watch the Christian TV shows to see that or watch papal ceremonies like xmas mass from the Vaaticant. The xmas mass is high drama on global TV. Costumes, rituals, and incantations.

I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic schools.

I feel badly for you if all you got out of that was theater and drama.
Tom

That is a very Christian view, if you are not Christian you are to be puttied. It makes Christians feel good, they are in an exclusive club and you are not.

I never got that feeling from American Jews and Muslims I knew. Nether evangelize.

The pope is a man who eats, shits, pisses, and puts his pants on like everybody else.

The idea of referring to a priest as a father for me is absurd. A priest through ordination is given, alleged, supernatural powers.

The RCC has always been drama and theater. Overwhelming and awesome to ignorant peasants of the past.

The church my grammar school was attached to was a small basilica. St John's in Stamford Ct. It is probably online. Cavernous with a main and side alter. An ornately carved wood pulpit elevated aboue the floor. A dome over the alter with a largre crucifix handing over the alter.Statues and pictures.A pearly white bloody Jesus with a crown of thorns, blue eyed and blonde haired of course. A tall bell tower. New England old Gothic.

Back then the mass was in Latin, adding to te drama. And the communion. The preist takes the wafers out of a box on the alter and through mumbo jumbo chamges it to the body of Jesus and gives it to people to eat. Ritual canabilism.

So yes, all I see is drama and theatter. That some derive something from it is a question for psychology. The Vatiety Of Religios Expernce where James put religion on a psychological basis.

Peole get community from folloing Taylor Swift and her concerts. Women dress like her.

Pop culture is the new religion, for better or worse,

 

[steve_bank]

RCC's product is community

Woah woah woah, I thought the RCC's product was rituals. FFS sacraments, the communion of saints, and the Mass, which is their central liturgical ritual. The community is just a bunch of gullibly loyal customers like those who only purchase Apple products.

Nope.

I'm guessing you aren't a Catholic, and only know about it from protestant sources? Like US? Maybe you're just being snarky?

I dunno.

Being a cradle Catholic, I've got no problem criticizing Mother Church. She can be a royal bitch. But I get touchy when idiots do it.
Tom

Name something the catholic church has that no other Hebrew scripture based church has and the word rituals will flow from your lips.

Catholics have a pope who presumes to be the word of god on religious matters.

 

[bilby]

The pope is a man who eats, shits, pisses, and puts his pants on like everybody else.

Nah, he would have a valet to help him put on his pants.