Wow, posts inside this group are being hidden for stating facts about the new pope.

[Warren Stupidity]

Amazing. Progressive board much?

[Apophis]

1. Like I said yesterday

there should be no liberal or progressive supporting or celebrating the new pope. His stance on gays and women is against what this discussion forum is supposed to be about.

[Arugula Latte]

3. Republican anti-gay, anti-women man = bad

Catholic anti-gay, anti-women man with big pointy hat = A-okay! ... You'll even get a congratulatory thread from Skinner!

[Apophis]

4. I'm willing to bet that if the new pope created an account here

He'd be PPR'd after a few posts for his stance on homosexuality, contraception, and abortion.

[amuse bouche]

6. Ain't that special

I can't express how much I loathe it all without using a bunch of very bad words

[Fearless]

9. +1000!

[trotsky]

2. This group, probably more than just about any other...

has a dedicated group of self-appointed police who monitor every thread looking for violations to report and alert on. I'm glad we take up so much of their time.

[awoke_in_2003]

11. we are dangerous, trotsky...

we might cause someone to question their beliefs and start asking questions.

[trotsky]

12. *gasp*

The horror!

[awoke_in_2003]

13. ...

[amuse bouche]

5. They

really had a hard on for me yesterday

Though I was surprised that the safe haven is a lie

That's ok. It only makes me detest religion and it's co-conspirators more

[Rob H.]

7. Witness the mind-altering power of religion

It's staggering that so many people not only support but defend an organization that has protected child rapists for decades, wants to make it impossible for same-sex couples to adopt children or get married, tells people in sub-Saharan Africa--where AIDS is raging out of control--that condom use is a sin, treats women as walking incubators, the list goes on and on.

If it came to light that a corporation, for example, were protecting child rapists, the public would want the executives sent to prison to spend the rest of their lives strung up by their testicles, but somehow the church hierarchy doing that is "different" and to even bring up pedophile priests is showing insufficient respect for people's beliefs* at best and bigotry** at worst. (And, yes, I realize that there have been instances of child molestation in other churches, too, not just the RCC.)

To borrow a line from Tim Minchin, just because ideas are tenacious doesn't mean that they're worthy.


*Just to be clear, I respect people's right to believe whatever they like but if those beliefs are dangerous, wrong, or laugh-out-loud stupid, the fact that they arise from religious faith doesn't give them a free pass.

**If wanting to see the church held responsible for its activities during a decades-long criminal conspiracy to protect child rapists makes me a bigot, I'll wear that label proudly.

Edited for clarity. (Three times. Oops.)

[EvolveOrConvolve]

8. We've have a rather rabid group of nannies

that patrol the A&A group making sure that we stay in line.

[olddots]

10. Some of the flock were practicing marterdom yesterday

pointing out that a display of snappy costumes ,marching bands and complete waste of the follower's money can't hide a history of not just ignorance but evil sure ruffled some feathers.

I for one am tired of being a closet atheist -the superstitious are the ones at fault hiding in fairy tales.

[LiberalFighter]

14. I'm wondering who the followers would vote to be their pope

if they had that power in the USA? I'm also wondering the breakdown of those that follow all of the rulings by the pope vs those that don't.

[Warren Stupidity]

15. Well there are progressive voices within the church.

The conservatives are dominant, but the left tradition in the church goes back a long way. Those people mostly don't get to be cardinal though.