Comments on: Pope In Christmas Appeal To World Leaders

Urges That They Show Wisdom, Courage When Facing Conflict; Voices Environmental Concerns

[piercetheval]

"For God so loved the world, that He gave it His only begotten Son..." John 3:16 KJV...and he tossed the rest of us in just for laughs. Study all the major religions of the world and you will find two common threads [and a third if you consider all anceint forms of Sun prayer] that "as you sow so shall re reap". And the Golden Rule "Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you". Peace on Earth Good Will Towards Man. Merry Christmas.

[flagship-usa]

Vestments: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05400a.htm
Cain and Abel: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03142b.htm

The Catholic Church is much more than beholden to Treasures. These articles of wealth are mans rich history. The Catholic Church has preserved over time, mans Great achievements. Adornments to mans past. A repository of our selves. We can not just give this stuff away to the highest bidder! The Catholic Church is in great favor, by protecting this rich and irreplaceable treasure(s) to mankind. Maintaining and preserving our history, is of considerable expense, The Catholic Church absorbs this cost. It would be of great lost, should anyone believe other wise. We are not just dealing with a Church/Religion, we are also dealing with an institution that understands the importance of these treasures. They have taken upon themselves to collect and preserve this great wealth unmatched by any museum. How many Churches work to preserve Religion and at the same time preserve mans past?

[jon2012-2009]

"The Riddle of Epicurus

(Earliest known statement of the Problem of Evil)

"If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to
Then He is not omnipotent.

If He is able, but not willing
Then He is malevolent.

If He is both able and willing
Then whence cometh evil?

If He is neither able nor willing
Then why call Him God?"

Posted by Iceman_1960 at 10:26 PM : Dec 24, 2007

Never heard of Epicurus until now. Let me weigh in with my two-cents worth. The Achilles heel here is the second statement: "If He is able, but not willing, then He is malevolent."

If this statement is true by definition, then "malevolent" is very narrowly defined--a definition you would not find in the dictionary. Also, "malevolent" in the wider sense it is understood is not the only possible inference.

How about mysterious, perhaps even wise? A mysterious God does not reveal its logic. A wise God considers the bigger picture of man having to evolve adaptation to survive both in the natural environment and in competition with other members of his species.

In a deductive sequence, when one step breaks down, the entire argument collapses. So the riddle falls apart at that point.

(cont)

[jon2012-2009]

For hundreds of years, people have tried to prove the existence or nonexistence of an empirical God. The nonexistence side of the argument is impossible to prove. Only the existence is provable--but today no one has put forward evidence that proves existence. The bible contains much that in legal parlance is called "hearsay" and the creation scenario is not holding up to the scrutiny of science.

[bozworth4]

Invoking the name of god to control the masses has no effect on the leaders because most (as King George II) feel they are the gods and are therefore far above the masses!!

Keep going pray and send money!!

[fibonacci_]

Merry Christmas.

[cpaide]

"Luke 2:12 means that they wrapped the Son of God at his birth in the garments of death (swaddling clothes) showing his reason for coming here which he followed through with."

Posted by cfin5

wow! brother papa has got himself some very fine swaddling clothes with gold and all. sweet. but jesus told me they never wrapped him in any of that. just some cloths and such plain and simple and not for show: kinda like the magical morman underpants i guess.

[soldat44]

"In this connection, when it comes to the search for truth, whoever trusts only in his own individual efforts and does not recognize the need for help from others, is deceiving himself. Human beings %u201Cfrom birth, therefore, are immersed in traditions which give them not only a language and a cultural formation but also a range of truths in which they believe almost instinctively%u2026 Nonetheless, there are in the life of a human being many more truths which are simply believed than truths which are acquired by way of personal verification%u201D.[11] The need to trust in the knowledge handed on by one%u2019s culture or acquired by others, enriches a person with truths that could not have been attained on one%u2019s own, as well as by the interpersonal and social relationships which this process develops. Spiritual individualism, on the other hand, isolates a person, hindering him from opening in trust to others %u2013 so as both to receive and to bestow the abundant goods which nourish his freedom %u2013 and jeopardizes the right to manifest one%u2019s own convictions and opinions in society.
From the "CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

DOCTRINAL NOTE
ON SOME ASPECTS OF EVANGELIZATION"

[soldat44]

Thanking this religious figure representative his good request. But he should try to come p in front of the world with a little less gold and richness on his attire. Today I say here that all religion should be vanished fron the planet since have brought to humans nothing but pain and sorrow. Religion is more a surce of guilt, violence, and terrible actions perform by people interpreting such doctrines wrong. From Judaism to the last scientologist, all religions and sects should be vanished. All the pope''''s rishness should be given to the poor and in that way, the pope will be emulating Jesus christ. This man with all his gold and richness IS NOT a representative of Jesus Christ or the christian God; he is a representative of all that is it wrong with religion in our planet.

Posted by annia1233 at 10:18 AM : Dec 25, 2007

Why do you care who is a representative of our Lord Jesus Christ? You want all religion banished.

If there is No Faith there is No Hope. No reason to justify your existence. Why are you here?

Peace be with you.

[cfin5]

Luke 2:12 means that they wrapped the Son of God at his birth in the garments of death (swaddling clothes) showing his reason for coming here which he followed through with.

[annia1233]

Thanking this religious figure representative his good request. But he should try to come p in front of the world with a little less gold and richness on his attire. Today I say here that all religion should be vanished fron the planet since have brought to humans nothing but pain and sorrow. Religion is more a surce of guilt, violence, and terrible actions perform by people interpreting such doctrines wrong. From Judaism to the last scientologist, all religions and sects should be vanished. All the pope''s rishness should be given to the poor and in that way, the pope will be emulating Jesus christ. This man with all his gold and richness IS NOT a representative of Jesus Christ or the christian God; he is a representative of all that is it wrong with religion in our planet.

[cfin5]

No thanks. I''''''''ll believe what God''''''''s Word says, not what somebody in a "Captain Religion" costume says God''''''''s Word says.
Posted by cfin5

-Ditto! A very Merry Christmas to you cfin5!

Luke 2:10-11

Posted by singinrick at 10:12 AM : Dec 25, 2007----------------Thanks dude. Revelation Chapter 17.....especially verse 18

[soldat44]

"Echoing a theme he has raised about an increasingly secular world, Benedict said that many people act as if there is no room for spiritual matters in their lives."

I assume he''''s referring to those of us who stopped believeing in fairy tales as children.

Posted by formrusmcsgt at 08:14 AM : Dec 25, 2007

Peace be with you during this Season of Hope.

[soldat44]

Theatre. Down to the costumes and set and anticapitalism script.

Posted by facts6 at 09:08 AM : Dec 25, 2007

I used to think that also....''Used to''.

Peace be with you.

[soldat44]

Anyone else besides me think half the pics of the Pope make him appear to look like Satan ? Arms flailed outward...like "you are under my power".

Posted by coolntn at 09:50 AM : Dec 25, 2007

Only you.

[coolntn]

Anyone else besides me think half the pics of the Pope make him appear to look like Satan ? Arms flailed outward...like "you are under my power".

[cfin5]

No thanks. I''ll believe what God''s Word says, not what somebody in a "Captain Religion" costume says God''s Word says.

[facts6]

Theatre. Down to the costumes and set and anticapitalism script.

[tbweb]

Pope Benedict XVI should set up a YouTube channel like Queen Elizabeth II and get his messages out that way. Pope Benedict XVI should have permanent messages on YouTube anyway since that capability is available and he can reach a wider audience, maybe even a Video is different languages like John Paul II could have made. Many are uncomfortable with the Pope''s Nazi past, it would be good to have a video segment on YouTube explaining how he got caught up in the Nazi movement and overcame it. Many are also disillusioned by the Catholic Churches recent child abuse s.e.x. scandals and the media saturation covering it, the Pope should also address this as well. The Christmas and New Years Season is always nice, but in the West its too commercial, all about making money and putting businesses in the "black" and seems to have little to do with celebrating Christ in a "true sense" the way its intended. Seasons Greetings just the same.

[gkc99]

In a gesture of goodwill, the Pope also announced today that the Vatican would be returning billions of dollars worth of stolen art treasures owned by Jews killed in the Holocaust to their heirs in Israel and the US.

The Pope also announced that the Vatican would provide reparations to the worlds'' Muslims and Jews for the Christian slaughter of all the inhabitants of Jerusalem during the Crusades, in part because Saleh al Din did NOT likewise slaughter all the Christians a few years later.

The Pope announced that the Christian practice of forcible conversions, theft of children from parents, and suppression of the belief systems of Native peoples would be compensated in New World and other Native communities.

The Pope stated "it is time for Christians to actually follow some of the teachings of Jesus, which have been ignored for the last 2000 years as the Christian Church has been used as a tool of oppression by the fascist power structure."