Since we are invited to exchange ideas, I hope author won’t mind if I copy paste an extract of a comment I made recently on ‘The Freethinker’
‘Below I quote an extract from a comment I made at Pharyngula, concerning the report of the scandal of the Dublin diocese.
‘Might I suggest that those of us who are lapsed Catholics take steps to formally leave the church in protest.
I link to a website with which I have no personal connection which facilitates this process. If others here would help publicise this, in blogs, discussion boards, social messaging sites…then that would be good, too.
As I type 3783 have filled out the relevant ‘Declaration of Defection’.
It would, I hope, give a strong message to the RCC if those readers who are lapsed Catholics would take the trouble to formally leave the church, and to have a record of their leaving added to their baptismal records.
…
Though, as I say, I have no personal connection with either the Catholic Church or the Count Me Out website, I’d be grateful if readers do use the website to leave if they no longer wish to be counted as members of the RCC, and for others to help publicise the option of formally leaving on blogs, discussion boards, Social networking sites etc.’
As of now the number of people filling in a Declaration of defection is 4232.
I love how the religious have these temper trantrums claiming atheists are unreasonable, when we don’t let them get away with their otherworldly claims
‘He emerges as a religious leader with an almost fatalistic view that the truth in many sex abuse cases is unknowable. “You are of the opinion that everything is crystal clear,” he told a lawyer questioning him about his decisions. “I am not.”’
Riiight – it’s all a mystery, and occluded, and through a glass darkly, so let’s just forget all about it, shall we?
I was pretty sure you weren’t talking about the rainbow that surrounds the shadow of an airplane on the clouds below it… That’s known as a Glory. It took Urban Dictionary to fill in the blank for me.
The thing that always irritated me about the claim that a given religious text is not to be taken literally, is allegorical, metaphorical, or in some other way only supposed to teach you lessons on how to live, not provide literal instructions or accurate history, is that the scripture is typically really bad for it. The metaphors, if they are metaphors, are tortured and unclear. As an ethical guide the bible, for example, is so damned unclear it really doesn’t provide much help. If these texts were written or even simply inspired by a supreme deity I’d expect them to be so much better.
Jesus & Mo (the characters) are absurd, blinkered, and oddly very sweet. J&M (the cartoon) is brilliant: sharp, delicious, irresistible. Salman Rushdie
Jesus and Mo cartoons are wonderfully funny and true. Richard Dawkins
Jesus and Mo make the world a better place, bless their little hearts. Ophelia Benson
In a world defined by outrage and offence and liberal spinelessness, Jesus and Mo is a treasure, whose value we should never fail to recognize. Read them. Laugh. And think. Kenan Malik
The brilliant, celebrated, freaking hilarious atheist comic strip ... Greta Christina
...rays of sanity in a befuddled world. Keri Hulme
The liveliest depictions of Muhammad currently available... Malise Ruthven
J & Mo is the funniest and most consistently thought-provoking cartoon strip on the Net. In a saner world, it would run in a major newspaper. Nelson Jones, Heresy Corner
Consistently amusing, frequently thought-provoking and often heart-warming. New Humanist
Jesus & Mo is one of the most wonderful things on the internet.. JT Eberhard
Wittily captures much of the absurdity of religious apologetics. Mano Singham
I love jesusandmo.net cartoons - witty and sharp! Katha Pollitt
Often hilarious, frequently wry, these cartoons do what all the best cartoons do: they tell the truth through humour. Terry Sanderson, NSS President
...a wonderfully acid British cartoonist... Nick Cohen
I love the scrappy mockery of Jesus and Mo. Freedom of speech
includes the freedom to mock any person, any thing, any activity, and
any belief -- and J&M stands up for this unflinchingly Richard Stallman
...empowering, important and deeply progressive, not to mention hilarious... Council of Ex-Muslims
July 4, 2012
Priesthole? I thought that had something to do with altar boys.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I’m just sayin…………
Priesthole?
Yep, priest hole: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=priest+hole&l=1
Yes, sorry. Two words.
Yes, the cartoon hit the mark, as usual.
Since we are invited to exchange ideas, I hope author won’t mind if I copy paste an extract of a comment I made recently on ‘The Freethinker’
‘Below I quote an extract from a comment I made at Pharyngula, concerning the report of the scandal of the Dublin diocese.
‘Might I suggest that those of us who are lapsed Catholics take steps to formally leave the church in protest.
I link to a website with which I have no personal connection which facilitates this process. If others here would help publicise this, in blogs, discussion boards, social messaging sites…then that would be good, too.
http://www.countmeout.ie/
As I type 3783 have filled out the relevant ‘Declaration of Defection’.
It would, I hope, give a strong message to the RCC if those readers who are lapsed Catholics would take the trouble to formally leave the church, and to have a record of their leaving added to their baptismal records.
…
Though, as I say, I have no personal connection with either the Catholic Church or the Count Me Out website, I’d be grateful if readers do use the website to leave if they no longer wish to be counted as members of the RCC, and for others to help publicise the option of formally leaving on blogs, discussion boards, Social networking sites etc.’
As of now the number of people filling in a Declaration of defection is 4232.
David B
Is a priest hole different than a glory hole?
I love how the religious have these temper trantrums claiming atheists are unreasonable, when we don’t let them get away with their otherworldly claims
They’ve been studying their Karen Armstrong!
Cardinal Egan finds that way of thinking useful too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/nyregion/03egan.html?_r=1
‘He emerges as a religious leader with an almost fatalistic view that the truth in many sex abuse cases is unknowable. “You are of the opinion that everything is crystal clear,” he told a lawyer questioning him about his decisions. “I am not.”’
Riiight – it’s all a mystery, and occluded, and through a glass darkly, so let’s just forget all about it, shall we?
I was hoping to be the first to use the Glory hole in my post. Way to go nina for bashing my hopes on the rocks of reason!!!!!
Religion is a toxic by-product of the fear of death.
I was pretty sure you weren’t talking about the rainbow that surrounds the shadow of an airplane on the clouds below it… That’s known as a Glory. It took Urban Dictionary to fill in the blank for me.
Loved it!
“… comments of a racist, sexist or homophobic nature will not be tolerated.”
Except for that “will not be tolerated” part, a description of organized religion.
The thing that always irritated me about the claim that a given religious text is not to be taken literally, is allegorical, metaphorical, or in some other way only supposed to teach you lessons on how to live, not provide literal instructions or accurate history, is that the scripture is typically really bad for it. The metaphors, if they are metaphors, are tortured and unclear. As an ethical guide the bible, for example, is so damned unclear it really doesn’t provide much help. If these texts were written or even simply inspired by a supreme deity I’d expect them to be so much better.
Scriptural passages tend to transfer from the literal side to the metaphoric side as advancing human knowledge reveals them to be bollocks.
I would like to draw everyone’s attention to this amusing story that I found on the UK National Secular Society website.
http://www.secularism.org.uk/revenge-is-sweet.html
OK, Jesus, so what’s it a meta for?
In Greece, a metaphorion is a moving van. Seriously.
And of course a moving van is harder to hit than one that is standing still…
Metaphors be with you!
Hey John
sorry to be the first naughty one to post
This is one of the best ones, right up there with “human”.
“jack13 says:
Religion is a toxic by-product of the fear of death.”
Wow. Perfect distillation of the topic.