Penny Can

The Lobby => Off-Topic => Topic started by: Mac on August 26, 2012, 04:08:12 pm


Title: Religion...
Post by: Mac on August 26, 2012, 04:08:12 pm
Religion...

Religion, Politics and Sex are those things not discussed. Well, Religion and Politics anyway. That's what people say and I've learned from hard experience myself. Discussion of politics and religion is so tricky. I think it can be discussed in a respectful and reasonable manner. Unfortunately, many people out there think otherwise... If you don't think their way... something is wrong with you. Something I never understood.

I ran across this video sometime back and think it's brilliant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on August 31, 2012, 10:08:04 am
Apologies are at least in the right direction, but more needs to be done.

NY priest apologizes for saying child is often seducer in sex abuse cases

Quote
NEW YORK -- A New York priest says he "deeply regrets" if he hurt anyone by his comments that priests accused of child sex abuse are often seduced by their accusers and that a first-time offender should not go to jail.

The Rev. Benedict Groeschel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal apologized Thursday for the comments he made in an interview with the National Catholic Register, published this week. The conservative, independent Register removed the story from its website and posted an apology for publishing the comments. Groeschel and the friars did as well.

"I did not intend to blame the victim. A priest (or anyone else) who abuses a minor is always wrong and is always responsible," Groeschel said in his post on the website. "My mind and my way of expressing myself are not as clear as they used to be. I have spent my life trying to help others the best that I could. I deeply regret any harm I have caused to anyone."

More... (http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/31/13583763-ny-priest-apologizes-for-saying-child-is-often-seducer-in-sex-abuse-cases#comments)
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on August 31, 2012, 11:03:41 am
Priest: Blame Teens For Seducing Us Into Sex

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1SRdt0dCLM

I forgot to post this earlier. As for the "apology", I call bullsh*t!. It's not sincere. It's a Priest trying to save face.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on August 31, 2012, 11:34:23 am
Sick f ucks....

Its one story like this that completely tarnishes religion. And I don't mean to sound like just one story and it's minimal. In my mind, the worst kind of evil. I'm saying, start adding other phucked up thinking and actions by religion and it sure is hard to accept.

It's no wonder the numbers decrease.
I know I constantly question things today.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on August 27, 2013, 09:18:46 am
Fail...

though the clergy are now recommending vaccinations, to much, to late.

Church advocating Faith Healing sickened 21 (and counting) with Measles

Quote
An outbreak of measles tied to a Texas megachurch where ministers have questioned vaccination has sickened at least 21 people, including a 4-month-old infant -- and it’s expected to grow, state and federal health officials said.

“There’s likely a lot more susceptible people,” said Dr. Jane Seward, the deputy director for the viral diseases division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sixteen people -- nine children and seven adults -- ranging in age from 4 months to 44 years had come down with the highly contagious virus in Tarrant County, Texas, as of Monday. Another five cases are part of the outbreak in nearby Denton County.

All of the cases are linked to the Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark, Texas, where a visitor who’d traveled to Indonesia became infected with measles – and then returned to the U.S., spreading it to the largely unvaccinated church community, said Russell Jones, the Texas state epidemiologist.

“We have a pocket of people that weren’t immunized,” said Jones, noting that vaccination rates typically hover above the 98 percent range in his county.

At least 21 people are part of a growing measles outbreak linked to Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark, Texas, health officials said. This Center for Disease Control and Prevention photo depicts the characteristic rash of measles after three days of infection.

The ill people were all linked to the church that is a division of Kenneth Copeland Ministries. That group advocates faith-healing and advises people to “first seek the Wisdom of God” and then appropriate medical attention in matters of health, according to an online statement.

Terri Pearsons, a senior pastor of Eagle Mountain International Church and Copeland’s daughter, previously said she had concerns about a possible ties between early childhood vaccines and autism, a position that has been refuted by health officials.

In the wake of the measles outbreak, however, Pearsons has urged followers to get vaccinated and the church has held several vaccination clinics, according to its website. Health officials said the church administration has been very cooperative in the outbreak investigation. Pearsons did not return an email from NBC News seeking comment.

“We continue to follow up on pending and confirmed cases to help in any way we can to keep the outbreak contained,” a church statement said. “We ask that others join us in prayers over this outbreak.”

Health authorities notified the church of the first cases on Aug. 14; Texas state health officials issued a warning about the outbreak on Aug. 16. In the meantime, hundreds, perhaps more than 1,000 contacts could have been affected by potentially infected people, Seward said.

“In this community, these cases so far are all in people who refused vaccination for themselves and their children,” she added.

Of the 16 cases in Tarrant County, 11 did not have any measles vaccination. The others may have had at least one measles vaccination, but they couldn’t produce documentation, county officials said.

The outbreak raises to 159 the total number of confirmed measles cases in the U.S. this year. The disease that once killed 500 people a year in the U.S. and hospitalized 48,000 had been considered eradicated after a vaccine introduced in 1963. Cases now show up typically when an unvaccinated person contracts the disease abroad and spreads it upon return to the U.S.

Five previous cases in Texas this year were far higher than typical years, but don’t appear to be related to the current outbreak, state officials said.

Measles is so contagious that 90 percent of people who are not immune to the disease or vaccinated against it will get sick, health officials warned. It is a respiratory disease spread by sneezing or coughing. The virus can live in the air or on infected surfaces for up to two hours. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat, plus a characteristic red rash that starts on the face or hairline and spreads to the rest of the body. It can take eight days to two weeks after exposure before an infected person develops symptoms.

Health officials recommend that children receive a Measles/Mumps/Rubella vaccine at age 12 months and again at 4 to 6 years. Unless adults have previously had measles or are immunized, health officials say they should be vaccinated.

“We just want people to be aware and well-informed about the risks of the disease, especially when they travel abroad,” Seward said. 
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on September 20, 2013, 09:16:37 am
Dolan: "I think the Pope is on to something"

I'm not Catholic and so the Pope, to me, represents only leadership to the followers of Catholicism.

But even from an outside view, I am finding The Pope's views and comments a very good thing for Catholics and helping out the face of religion.

http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/53060024

Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on September 25, 2013, 04:15:37 pm
Leah Remini: Church of Scientology Wants Me to Fail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZUvG0ZdYEM

I think it's a pretty damning indictment when you have one of your own flesh and blood denouncing what many consider to be nothing more than a 'rich man's cult'.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on January 13, 2014, 09:26:10 am
Hell, I'm not even Catholic and the new Pope continually grabs my attention and impresses me.

Pope Francis makes toughest remarks yet on 'horrific' abortion (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/13/22288490-pope-francis-makes-toughest-remarks-yet-on-horrific-abortion?lite)

Quote
Excerpt...

Conservatives were alarmed when Francis told Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica in September that the Church must shake off an "obsession" with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality.

His stance favoring mercy over condemnation has disoriented conservative Catholics, notably in rich countries such as the United States, where the Catholic Church has become polarized on issues such as abortion.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on January 13, 2014, 06:43:46 pm
Hell, I'm not even Catholic and the new Pope continually grabs my attention and impresses me.


This seems to be the majority of everyone out there, myself included. I never followed any of the other Popes, but this new one is doing a lot of stuff that is newsworthy, which makes me want to see what he does next.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on February 27, 2014, 09:59:09 am
This could go under so many subjects including Glorious Fail and WTF, but since this asshat is speaking from a religious point of view... here ya go.

Truly jaw dropping with every thought that comes out of this man's mouth.

Wow

Bill Donohue: Marriage is not about love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Yx_fMado4
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on May 07, 2014, 12:35:58 pm
The more I see stuff like this.. the more I think it has nothing to do with what God wants from us. They miss the mark so badly.
I think I'm becoming agnostic.

Women should not talk in church

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35zq2--nTYE
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on May 07, 2014, 03:01:31 pm
You don't have to become agnostic. I just think that your personal relationship with God is all that matters. Remember, everyone on this planet is NOT God, even if they like to think they are. It's all about YOU and GOD....not some idiot (as seen in the video) that is clearly pushing his own agenda. Stay the course Mac.  :)
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on May 08, 2014, 06:22:59 am
Quote
You don't have to become agnostic. I just think that your personal relationship with God is all that matters. Remember, everyone on this planet is NOT God, even if they like to think they are. It's all about YOU and GOD....not some idiot (as seen in the video) that is clearly pushing his own agenda. Stay the course Mac.

I didn't mean to give the impression I don't believe. I do, very much and it's in a way you describe. Very personal, just between me and God.

I know this is a result of my curiosity about God and Religion and asking so many questions. The more I find out, the more difficult/easier it becomes.

I found this on wiki, which helps me clarify a little better.

Types of agnosticism

A person calling oneself 'agnostic' is stating that he or she has no opinion on the existence of God, as there is no definitive evidence for or against. Agnosticism has, however, more recently been subdivided into several categories. Variations include:

Agnostic atheism
    The view of those who do not believe in the existence of any deity, but do not claim to know if a deity does or does not exist.

Agnostic theism
    The view of those who do not claim to know of the existence of any deity, but still believe in such an existence.

Apathetic or pragmatic agnosticism
    The view that there is no proof of either the existence or nonexistence of any deity, but since any deity that may exist appears unconcerned for the universe or the welfare of its inhabitants, the question is largely academic. Therefore, their existence has little to no impact on personal human affairs and should be of little theological interest.[24][25]

Strong agnosticism (also called "hard", "closed", "strict", or "permanent agnosticism")
    The view that the question of the existence or nonexistence of a deity or deities, and the nature of ultimate reality is unknowable by reason of our natural inability to verify any experience with anything but another subjective experience. A strong agnostic would say, "I cannot know whether a deity exists or not, and neither can you."

Weak agnosticism (also called "soft", "open", "empirical", or "temporal agnosticism")
    The view that the existence or nonexistence of any deities is currently unknown but is not necessarily unknowable; therefore, one will withhold judgment until evidence, if any, becomes available. A weak agnostic would say, "I don't know whether any deities exist or not, but maybe one day, if there is evidence, we can find something out."
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on August 04, 2014, 09:54:52 am
Jesus curses "figs"

(http://www.pleated-jeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/937082-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on August 04, 2014, 11:20:15 am
Ficus owners are the real sinners!!
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on September 27, 2014, 06:29:50 am
I wasn't sure where to put this. I thought it best here, because the core of the story is religious beliefs. If you recall some time back about bakers who refused service of making a wedding cake for a lesbian couple, because it contradicts their beliefs.

So a lot of discussion happened. A business rights to refuse service, moral and ethical issues, bigotry, discrimination, etc.

Well here is a follow up...

... sad for her, but in my mind, due justice. Reading the comments, brings up so many more scenario's where this couple went wrong.

Baker Who Wouldn't Serve Lesbians Burst Into Tears On Gay Marriage Panel (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/oregon-cake-bakers-vvs)

(http://a5.img.talkingpointsmemo.com/image/upload/c_fill,fl_keep_iptc,g_faces,h_365,w_652/f5ga5pyiaryd1qmzxygj.jpg)

Quote
Melissa Klein, one of the owners of a Christian bakery who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple and have since been fighting the state of Oregon over the matter, broke into tears when describing her business during a panel at the Values Voter Summit on Friday.

"For me personally when I would sit down with them I just would want to know everything her wedding. I'd want to know about the flowers, her dress, the centerpieces, her colors, the way her hair is going to be. I would even want to talk about 'where are you going on your honeymoon?'" Melissa Klein (pictured) said before tearing up.

In January, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries said that there was serious evidence that the couple broke the law by refusing to bake a cake for the lesbian couple.

"I would just feel so honored to be part of such an amazing, special day," Klein said fighting back tears.

Moderator Peter Sprigg then asked the couple about legal action taken against them.

"I mean quite frankly, they didn't just harass us, they harassed the other wedding vendors that we did business with. It cut off our referral system," Aaron Klein, Melissa's husband, said. "We had to shut the shop down. Melissa does very limited cakes out of our house. I mean we're facing in excess of $150,000 of damages for this, just for simply standing by my first amendment rights."

Klein said it's a "violation of my conscience, I mean it's a violation of my religious freedom."

"I mean it's horrible to see your own government doing this to you," Aaron Klein said.

Sprigg later asked the couple if the whole dispute was really about sexual orientation.

"It's about marriage and the event," Aaron Klein said.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on September 27, 2014, 06:30:33 pm
I had all but forgotten this story. Thanks for the update.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on October 31, 2014, 09:39:58 am
Just when I thought religions were heading in a new, better direction, we get this...

Halloween really IS evil, says Vatican, and should be replaced with HOLYWEEN so children can dress up as saints and pray

Quote
The Catholic Church has called for Halloween to be scrapped and replaced with 'Holyween' - a night in which children would attend prayer vigils and dress up as saints.

The Vatican's first official conference of exorcists warned of a danger to young people at Halloween when there is an increase in occult activity.

Father Aldo Buonaiuto, of the International Association of Exorcists, which met in Rome at the weekend, said that a spike in demonic possessions in October is down to the phenomenon of Halloween.

The organisation's emergency number receives hundreds of calls over this period, around 40 a day, especially from parents who fear that their child has been initiated into the occult, he said.
He said: 'Many say Halloween is a simple carnival, but in fact there is nothing innocent or fun about it - it is the antechamber to something much more dangerous.

'There are always more evil rituals, animal sacrifices, desecrations of cemeteries and thefts of sacred bones at the time of the 31 October.

Participating in Halloween is 'like an initiation into the occult', he said.

More... (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2812605/Halloween-really-evil-says-Vatican-replaced-HOLYWEEN.html)
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on October 31, 2014, 11:43:35 am
I'd prefer if they just merge two holidays into one and give us Turkeyween as I have been itching to dress up as Big Bird for quite some time now.

Gobble Gobble!
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on January 18, 2015, 11:39:39 am
I would love to meet Charlie Hebdo... I would definitely would want to share a beer with him.

His comments are so important here.

NBC News interview after Office slaughter (http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/paris-magazine-attack/charlie-hebdo-editor-gerard-biard-says-faith-should-stay-out-n288356)
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on January 20, 2015, 10:23:18 am
While at first glance many people think his statement is 'about time'. But read deeper and at it's core, it's still f*cked up thinking.

Pope says Catholics don't have to breed 'like rabbits'

Quote
Pope Francis is firmly upholding church teaching banning contraception, but said Monday that Catholics don't have to breed "like rabbits" and should instead practice "responsible parenting."

Speaking to reporters en route home from the Philippines, Francis said there are plenty of church-approved ways to regulate births. But he said most importantly, no outside institution should impose its views on regulating family size, blasting what he called the "ideological colonization" of the developing world.

African bishops, in particular, have long complained about how progressive, Western ideas about birth control and gay rights are increasingly being imposed on the developing world by groups, institutions or individual nations, often as a condition for development aid.

St. Peter's Basilica is seen behind a hand of a demonstrator holding a condom, on the edge of the Vatican's St. Peter's Square, in Rome, March 23, 2009. (AP / Alessandra Tarantino)

"Every people deserves to conserve its identity without being ideologically colonized," Francis said.

The pope's comments, taken together with his defence of the Catholic Church's ban on artificial contraception during the trip, signal that he is increasingly showing his more conservative bent, which has largely been ignored by public opinion or obscured by a media narrative that has tended to highlight his populist persona.

On the trip, Francis gave his strongest defence yet of the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, which enshrined the church's opposition to artificial birth control. He warned against "insidious attacks" against the family -- a reference to gay marriage proposals -- echoing language often used by overwhelmingly conservative U.S. bishops. And he insisted that "openness to life is a condition of the sacrament of matrimony."

At the same time, however, he said it's not true that to be a good Catholic "you have to be like rabbits." On the contrary, he said "responsible parenthood" requires that couples regulate the births of their children, as church teaching allows. He cited the case of a woman he met who was pregnant with her eighth child after seven Cesarean sections.

"That is an irresponsibility!" he said. The woman might argue that she should trust in God. "But God gives you methods to be responsible," he said.

He said there are many "licit" ways of regulating births that are approved by the church, an apparent reference to the Natural Family Planning method of monitoring a woman's cycle to avoid intercourse when she is ovulating.

During the Vatican's recent meeting on the family, African bishops denounced how aid groups and lending institutions often condition their assistance on a country's compliance with their ideals: allowing health care workers to distribute condoms, or withdrawing assistance if legislation discriminating against gays is passed.

"When imposed conditions come from imperial colonizers, they search to make people lose their own identity and make a sameness," he said. "This is ideological colonization."
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on February 12, 2015, 09:46:40 am
and then we have this counter-comment. I was listening to the Pope on occasion, but this is a first where I completely disagree. I don't understand this view. Being a parent is not for everybody. In fact some people should never have children.

Pope Francis: Not having children is selfish
Children bring joy to society and not just their parents, the Pope says, as he criticises the "selfish" choice to not have children

Quote
Pope Francis has criticised married couples who decide not to have children as “selfish”.

Extolling the virtues of family life, he said children brought joy not just to their parents but to the whole of society.

He said it was important to have children in order to ensure a healthy society – three weeks after telling Catholics that they should not feel obliged to “breed like rabbits”.

A society which viewed children as “a weight, a risk” would soon turn into a “depressed” society.

“The choice to not have children is selfish. Life rejuvenates and acquires energy when it multiplies: it is enriched, not impoverished,” the 78-year-old Latin American pontiff said during his general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday.
Related Articles

Children were a “gift” and vital for preserving hope in society.

More... (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/the-pope/11408974/Pope-Francis-Not-having-children-is-selfish.html)
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on March 31, 2015, 10:13:42 am
I think at the core of my drifting from Religious communities is because of the head scratching thinking they teach. I don't go into things blind much more. I don't know how followers embrace certain teachings. This just confuses and it's just the tip of the iceberg of what I think religious communities do.

Christians React To Victoria Osteen's Controversial Sermon

Quote
Lakewood Church co-pastor Victoria Osteen received backlash from the Christian community after video footage of an August sermon surfaced showing Osteen encouraging congregants to "do good for your own self."

Video discussion (http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/highlight/christians-react-to-victoria-osteens-controversial-sermon/540e11b5fe3444535b0001dc?cps=gravity_3831_-485892314550321780)
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on April 02, 2015, 09:22:07 am
I guess I don't understand the sudden interest in creating these Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) bills. Who is being oppressed?

I like this guys theological points....

Dear Indiana: Christian Love Embraces Those on the Margins of Society

Quote
Rev. Dr. Serene Jones is President of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York.
Religious freedom was never meant to override the inherent dignity of human beings


In the current debate over Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), conservative Christians would have America believe that they stand with a united and monolithic block of the faithful. That all of those committed to following a God who suffered on the cross in the ultimate act of love for humanity are somehow religiously required to discriminate against their fellow human beings because of who it is they love.

As a Christian minister, I take great joy in seeing conversion: conversion to faith in Christ, conversion to deeper discipleship. This week we have seen a conversion among many Americans around the dignity and worth of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

As someone who has been deeply transformed by the Gospel, my conscience and my faith demands that I raise my voice in opposition to the oppression and discrimination allowed by Indiana’s original law. I am not alone in this. Polling shows that even among white evangelical Protestants — the most politically conservative Christian group on this issue — only a quarter believe that businesses ought to be able to refuse service to gay and lesbian people.

Religious freedom is a core American value, one that is cherished by the vast majority of Americans across all religious affiliations. This freedom has allowed Americans to practice the religion of their choice by freely gathering in worshipping communities, and to live out their deeply held beliefs without fear of oppression or discrimination.

These very convictions can and should extend into the way that people of faith engage in the marketplace and in public life. Certainly, Jesus’s commands to welcome the stranger and to care for the “least of these” guide me in the personal, professional, and even political decisions that I make.

However, when it comes to the society that we share — be it government services like libraries and schools or businesses that are open to the public— there is no place for discrimination. This is an issue of fundamental fairness — a deeply religious and spiritual value. As laid out in our Constitution, religious freedom was never meant to override the inherent dignity of human beings. RFRAs that don’t protect the rights of LGBTQ people have no place in America.

In too many parts of America, being gay is a heavy burden to bear. While marriage equality is sweeping across America, and minds are being changed everyday, prejudice toward gay and lesbian people throughout American history has left a deep scar emotionally, and sometimes physically as well.

Forty percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ. Gay teens are four times as likely to attempt suicide. The statistics (and the stories behind the statistics) are nothing short of tragic.

What the Indiana law and laws like it say to our precious LGBTQ brothers and sisters throughout the nation is that your dignity and the dignity of your relationships are still up for debate in this country.

As a Christian, I follow the example of a God who constantly placed himself with those who are on the margin, whose disciples were made up of the most reviled and marginalized people of his day. This experience of marginalization exposes our sinful theological shortcomings, specifically that we don’t treat everyone who bears the image of God equally.

While the legalistic Pharisees sat back and judged all those who did not conform to their understanding of the letter of the law, Jesus cast a vision of God’s law that includes everyone. “Love God and love your neighbor.”

Our gay neighbors are suffering. Christian love embraces those on the margins of society, and all of those who suffer. Moreover, Christian love is for each and every one of God’s children.

May we have a daily conversion that will bring us ever closer to a Christian vision of justice, freedom, and equality.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on May 12, 2015, 10:17:38 am
I fit squarely in this latest survey. I've pretty much dropped my church and my religion, but remain Christian with a strong faith in God. This discussion about politics hits home.

U.S. has become notably less Christian, major study finds

Quote
The U.S. has become significantly less Christian in the last eight years as the share of American adults who espouse no systematic religious belief increased sharply, a major new study found.

For what is likely first time in U.S. history – certainly the first since the early days of the country – the actual number of American Christians has declined. Christianity, however,  remains by far the nation’s dominant religious tradition, according to the new report by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.
Rising partisanship among voters is 'nationalizing' local politics

The rapid increase in the number of adults without ties to traditional religious institutions has strong implications for other social institutions and for politics.

Whether a person attends religious services regularly is among the strongest predictors of how he or she will vote, with traditional religion strongly tied to the Republican Party, at least among white Americans.

The decline in traditional religious belief adds to the demographic challenges facing the GOP, which already faces difficulties because of its reliance on white voters in a country that has grown more racially diverse.
lRelated 2016 election pits desire for change against a demographic shift

The interaction between religion and politics may work both ways. Some scholars believe that close ties between traditional religion and conservatism, particularly on issues such as same-sex marriage, have led many younger Americans to cut their ties with organized religion.

Almost 1 in 5 American adults were raised in a religious tradition but are now unaffiliated, the study found. By contrast, only 4% have moved in the other direction.

Because the U.S. Census does not ask questions about religion, the massive religion surveys by the Pew Research Center have become a chief source of information on the U.S. religious landscape.

The current survey questioned 35,071 U.S. adults last summer. Its huge size allows detailed analysis of even fairly small religious groups. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus six-tenths of a percentage point.

The U.S. still remains far more religious than most other economically advanced countries. But the significant increase in the share of Americans who do not follow a traditional religious belief mirrors trends in Europe and elsewhere.

Just short of 1 in 4 Americans now describe themselves as being agnostic, atheist or simply “nothing in particular,” up from roughly 1 in 6 in 2007, according to the new study. The ranks of the “nones,” as the study labels them, have grown in large part from people abandoning the religion in which they were raised.

By contrast, Christian ranks have eroded. Roughly 173 million adult Americans identify as Christian, just under 71% of the U.S. population. That’s down from 178 million, or 78% of the U.S., in 2007. The total U.S. adult population grew by about 8% during that eight-year period.

Protestants, who once dominated the U.S. population, no longer form a majority, the study found. About 47% of the U.S. population identifies with some Protestant denomination, down from just over half in 2007.

The decline has been uneven, with mainline denominations, such as Methodists and Presbyterians, shrinking more quickly than evangelical churches.

Slightly fewer than 1 in 6 adult Americans identify with the mainline Protestant churches. Evangelicals, by contrast, make up about one-quarter of the adult U.S. population. They now form a majority among those who identify as Christian.

Another 7% of American adults identify with historically black Protestant churches, a share that has remained relatively stable.

Catholics, about 1 in 5 Americans, have also seen some decline in numbers since 2007, the study found, although some other studies have found a more recent uptick. Almost 13% of American adults are former Catholics – the largest single group of people who have left a faith in which they were raised.

Among non-Christian faiths, Judaism remains the largest in the U.S., although only about 2% of the U.S. population identifies as Jewish. The number is up very slightly from what the survey found in 2007.

Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism each have less than 1% of the U.S. population, although the Muslim and Hindu population have both grown rapidly, reflecting immigration from Asia.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on August 19, 2015, 06:48:18 am
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Televangelists

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1xJAVZxXg&index=11&list=PLp2e7UfInEgmB-5r4rtQOEsq-H-mNmQhk


John Oliver's scathing indictment about those that would fleece desperate people in the name of God is spot-on and damn funny when he turns it around on Robert Tilton. I remember the first time seeing Tilton on TV when I was just a kid and thinking that this idiot couldn't be real. Even I knew back then that this guy was a straight-up con man. It baffles me that anyone back then or even now, would ever believe this guy or any other Televangelist on TV that ask for thousands of dollars at a time. Stay till the end of the clip as John starts his own legal "church", which reminded me of how Stephen Colbert got away with starting a Superpac.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on August 19, 2015, 09:32:17 am
Like you, I have never understood how people would follow such an obvious scam as televangelists. WTF people. They have to be super weak or have a self-esteem issues to buy into some pretty unbelievable stuff.

This John Oliver bit was damn straight while being funny as hell. But you know what, those who buy into televangelism would never see the light of day of John Oliver or others.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on September 15, 2015, 10:17:08 am
Stephen Colbert Gets All Up In Your Faith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLWYXCOf4Ac
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on September 23, 2015, 10:17:16 am
I'm not Catholic, but even I wanted to see the Pope Parade this morning. I even tuned in to watch his speech at the White House.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on September 23, 2015, 01:07:36 pm
I do enjoy hearing from this Pope... yet I still see him just as another ordinary man.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on September 24, 2015, 05:39:51 pm
It was pretty cool to see Pope Francis heading to St. Patrick Cathedral. Even better was the fact that Brian Williams knew when to keep his mouth shut and just show the motorcade with nothing but screaming fans. Props to the camera man on the ground that was able to get worms eye view. Add that image with the crowd and I got hair raising goosebumps watching it all unfold.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on September 27, 2015, 04:53:21 pm
And that concludes Pope Francis' stay in America as his plane takes off. I gotta say that this has been a fun week for me. I didn't think I would devote as much time as I did following him around from city to city. I watched pretty much everything he did, including watching all Masses he did. I marvel what he pulled off. I'm in complete awe of his ability to do all that he did given that he is 78 years old with one lung, a bad hip, a bad back and a bum knee. He makes everyone look lazy by comparison. The motorcades were great. Loved seeing all the smiling faces of everyone he came in contract with. As I said, fun week. Gonna definitely have a Pope withdrawal tomorrow.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on November 13, 2015, 09:37:29 am
I've been keeping a pulse on this activity, just because of the religious aspect. I'm not Mormon.

The comments to this particular article are very revealing and many are a akin to how I've felt when I left my church.

Mormons Set to Quit Church Over Policy on Gay Couples and Their Children (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/us/mormons-set-to-quit-church-over-policy-on-gay-couples-and-their-children.html?_r=0)

Quote
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is facing a growing backlash from Mormons upset about a new policy that bars children of same-sex parents from baby-naming ceremonies and baptisms, and declares members in gay marriages to be apostates subject to excommunication.
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The policies have hit hard in a church that considers family bonds central in this life and eternal in the afterlife. While church members are pouring out their pain and confusion at family dinners and on Mormon blogs, critics are planning a “mass resignation” in a park adjacent to the church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Even some local church leaders have conveyed their objections up through the hierarchy, said Benjamin R. Hertzberg, who serves in his Atlanta congregation, or ward, as second counselor to the bishop in a three-person leadership team known as a bishopric.
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“I’ve heard from many, many people in wards and bishoprics who are expressing serious concerns and reservations,” said Mr. Hertzberg, a visiting professor of political science at Emory University in Atlanta. “It seems to me deeply unfair to put a barrier in the way of the children’s involvement when the children are not responsible for their parents’ choices.”

It appears that the new rules were not supposed to be made public. They were issued as changes to a confidential handbook, and sent out by email a week ago to leaders of the church’s 30,000 congregations around the world. They were leaked to the news media and confirmed by a church spokesman.

The handbook change says that the “natural or adopted” children of parents in same-sex relationships — whether married or cohabiting — cannot be blessed as babies, baptized or ordained into the priesthood (if they are male), nor can they serve as missionaries. They can only join the church after age 18, if they move out of their parents’ home, disavow same-sex unions and receive permission from the church’s top leadership, the First Presidency.

Another change to the handbook adds “same-gender marriage” to a list of conditions considered apostasy and grounds for excommunication.

The Mormon Church has long opposed gay marriage. But until now, its bishops were given discretion over whether to discipline Mormons in same-sex relationships. Some Mormon congregations have quietly welcomed gay couples and their children.

So far, the church is standing firm, but it has been unusually silent. A church spokesman on Thursday had no comment. The only official explanation the church has offered is a 10-minute videotaped interview with D. Todd Christofferson, a member of the 12-man leadership group that assists the church’s president and his two counselors. He said that church leaders felt it important to stake out clear boundaries in light of the Supreme Court decision in June establishing a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

“There was a need for a distinction to be made between what may be legal and what may be the law of the church and the law of the Lord,” he said. “So it’s a matter of being clear, it’s a matter of understanding right and wrong, it’s a matter of a firm policy that doesn’t allow for question or doubt.”

Mr. Christofferson cast the policy as a compassionate step, intended to spare children from the cognitive dissonance of belonging to a church that teaches that their parents are sinning. “We don’t want the child to have to deal with issues that might arise where the parents feel one way and the expectations of the church are very different,” he said.

I really appreciate Laurie Goldstein's reporting on religion. it tells so much about our American culture. In this case we see a church up...

Some Mormons are not accepting their leaders’ explanations. Women are asking whether female church leaders were consulted before the decision was made, and how they are to carry out such a policy. There is an online petition asking artists to cancel their performances with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at its Christmas concert.

“Any church that wants to claim itself as a Christian organization that uses Jesus Christ the savior to somehow exclude any group of people is not anything that I want to be a part of,” said Sarah Epperson, who is among those who plan to resign at the protest in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Ms. Epperson, who is 28 and runs a restaurant in Utah County, just south of Salt Lake City, said she had been “on the fence” about her church membership for eight years, but this recent news had pushed her over the edge. Her father, Donald Braegger, recently came out as gay and was excommunicated this year.

Mr. Braegger, 55, said his story was the same as that of many gay Mormons whose children would be affected by the new policy: Even though he knew as a young man that he was attracted to men, he married a woman because his church taught that homosexuality was sinful, and he was a faithful believer. He had seven children and spent years trying to overcome his homosexuality through prayer and reparative therapy. After 26 years, he and his wife divorced a year and a half ago.

If his children were younger than 18, they would be barred from church membership under the new policy because one parent is now openly gay.

“There’s hundreds of us, if not thousands, who have been through this same journey,” Mr. Braegger said
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Chiprocks1 on December 18, 2016, 03:40:15 pm
Does This Child Preacher Understand the Words He's Yelling? | The Oprah Winfrey Show | OWN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kttVCbTrDLw


I remember this kid from back in the day. I think they did a segment on him and his dad a couple of times on A Current Affair. Never seen him on Oprah's show. Anyway, the first time I saw this kid and others like him, I myself being a kid at the time, my immediate response was that this was bordering on child abuse. The father brainwashed his kid to just spew out stuff as a mindless robot. The fact that the kid can't even articulate what he just "preached" is proof that he has been mentally abused. The condescending attitude of the father toward everyone in the audience tells me everything I need to know about him. He looks at people as beneath him....as if we are nothing more than bugs. And why would I or anyone else ever listen to this lunatic? Really not sure why the father thinks that SCREAMING his sermons is ever going to work. You catch more bees with honey.....Try it sometime. And no...I didn't search this out on YouTube, it just popped up in my feed for whatever reason.
Title: Re: Religion...
Post by: Mac on December 18, 2016, 04:42:36 pm
Yea, that's pretty disheartening in every respect of representing religion, Jesus and God.

I have no idea how that sh*t continues to thrive. Who is following these ya-hoos?