P. S.
I don't know if this could be classed as a ritual? - it is something I do everyday - it's after midnight, and I'm heading of for some sleep. Some habits/rituals are hard to break.
sleepy cheeses.
The Papal Spectacle. More smoke, mirrors, bells, and whistles.
by Holey_Cheeses*King_of_the juice. 22 Replies latest jw friends
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Golf
No younger than eigty years old? Well, a candidate Pope from Montreal Canada is sixty years of age!
Golf -
Sunspot
I hope I heard this right---but on the AM news I thought the newscaster said that they couldn't be over eighty years of age.
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jeanniebeanz
I have to say that I do not understand what the big deal is in some peoples minds that the world wants to celebrate the life of a world figure by honoring him with a big blow out on the occasion of his death.
What is the problem? Many take comfort in the ceremony surrounding honoring people who have made a difference in their lives, why should we be so opposed to that? The Pope, whether or not you agree with him, made a difference in the lives of many millions of people. I will never understand the blind hatred that some people here have for him, or the Catholic church.
It sickens me.
Jeannie
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Sunspot
What is the problem? Many take comfort in the ceremony surrounding honoring people who have made a difference in their lives, why should we be so opposed to that? The Pope, whether or not you agree with him, made a difference in the lives of many millions of people. I will never understand the blind hatred that some people here have for him, or the Catholic church.
It sickens me.
You are absolutely right, IMHO. The Catholics honor and revere the Pope...so let them do so. It has no bearing on my life and I don't see why others would judge them for grieving in whatever way they chose to.
Think about how we when we were JWs----didn't celebrate Christmas, Easter, etc---and then had the gall to say we were "Christians"! I'm sure any Catholics raised more than an eyebrow when hearing that!
Let them do their own thing in their own way---it's not hurting anyone!
Annie
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love2Bworldly
I think some of us just have a dark sense of humor--don't take us so seriously or yourselves so seriously! People need to laugh more, life is too short.
I can't stand the catholic church or the pope and enjoy making fun of it. But I would never do it out in the open because I care about other people's feelings and because everyone has a right to their own belief system. The pope has done a lot more good for mankind than I have personally.
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love2Bworldly
Oh just thought of something else. For a lot of people who post here, we have been pretty much taught and brainwashed by the JW's to look down on other religions and even make fun of them. The JW's spend a lot of time in their publications painting nasty pictures of the drunk harlot "Babylon the Great". That may be why so many people here, after going through the loss of the so called "truth", feel so cynical toward churches/religions. We do not mean to be unkind, so please give us a break.
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Gerard
One of the signs of being in a cult is to despise and put down other religions. Reflect first.
Do you know this Pope delivered official hand-written apologies to ethnicities affected by Catholism in the past?
I don't like their conservative doctrines, but they let their believers live their own lives. How about Crooklin? Do millions of JWs mourn the passing of their leaders?
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rebel8
it is because they wish to put their followers into "a certain mental state" whereby these followers will believe all these little 'acts' will be pleasing to some almighty being. A load of bunkum.
That may very well be the reason behind some of the rituals, but definitely not all of them. To use one example you gave--the ringing of bells--this was not done to evoke a mental state. It was done to signal to the attendees that a certain portion of the mass was finished. They believed the holy language was Latin and used it in their masses. Many people who attended mass did not understand Latin. Thus, they knew a certain point in the mass had been reached when the bell rang. Traditions always die hard--people get used to things and don't like change, so the bell ringing stuck.
Even if it was to evoke a certain mental state, that is not necessarily evil or wrong unless it harms the person doing it (ie brainwashing). Buddhists meditate, RCs may use a rosary to do the same thing, many others meditate without any religious connotation whatsoever. There are proven medical benefits to meditation, and it is beneficial psychologically as well. This was not known in the Dark Ages; perhaps people had a natural sense that meditation was good for them and carried it out the only way they knew how.
In any organized group (religious or not) there are always going to be power-hungry people who will try to exploit others. That's just a fact and has been true since humans began organizing themselves. In the case of high control groups like JWs where most of the leaders are destructive, that's when it's time to run and not look back. The others are harmless when practiced by a person who knows the meaning of the words moderation and rationality.
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Swan
Do you know this Pope delivered official hand-written apologies to ethnicities affected by Catholism in the past?
No doubt the Popes in charge during those atrocities were greatly venerated when they died too. Someday a future Pope will probably deliver hand-written apologies to groups of people affected by the mistakes of this Pope. The point I think many are trying to make is that the Pope was human and made mistakes. Some even think he was actually acting in an unChristian manner toward some groups of people. Therefore they don't quite understand what all of the fuss is about considering that this Pope did, and did not do, many things that deviated from Christ's example.
Considering the words in the Bible Christ spoke of not judging or reviling others, is it any surprise that when this Pope did that anyway, that as a result he has people who judge and revile him in return?
Tammy