Vatican "Updates" 7 Deadly Sins

[Rye]

And in so doing, buries all needles on all irony detectors. Just... Holy Fuckin' See!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7287071.stm

The Vatican has brought up to date the traditional seven deadly sins by adding seven modern mortal sins it claims are becoming prevalent in what it calls an era of "unstoppable globalisation".

Those newly risking eternal punishment include drug pushers, the obscenely wealthy, and scientists who manipulate human genes. So "thou shalt not carry out morally dubious scientific experiments" or "thou shalt not pollute the earth" might one day be added to the Ten Commandments.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into Hell".

The new mortal sins were listed by Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti at the end of a week-long training seminar in Rome for priests, aimed at encouraging a revival of the practice of confession - or the Sacrament of Penance in Church jargon.

According to a survey carried out here 10 years ago by the Catholic University, 60% of Italians have stopped going to confession altogether. The situation has certainly not improved during the past decade.

Catholics are supposed to confess their sins to a priest at least once a year. The priest absolves them in God's name.

Talking to course members at the end of the seminar organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican department in charge of fixing the punishments and indulgences handed down to sinners, Pope Benedict added his own personal voice of disquiet.

"We are losing the notion of sin," he said. "If people do not confess regularly, they risk slowing their spiritual rhythm," he added. The Pope confesses his sins regularly once a week.

In an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Archbishop Girotti said he thought the most dangerous areas for committing new types of sins lay in the fields of bio-ethics and ecology.

He also named abortion and paedophilia as two of the greatest sins of our times. The archbishop brushed off cases of sexual violence against minors committed by priests as "exaggerations by the mass media aimed at discrediting the Church."

Father Gerald O'Collins, former professor of moral theology at the Papal University in Rome, and teacher of many of the Catholic Church's current top Cardinals and Bishops, welcomed the new catalogue of modern sins.

"I think the major point is that priests who are hearing confessions are not sufficiently attuned to some of the real evils in our world," he told the BBC News website. "They need to be more aware today of the social face of sin - the inequalities at the social level. They think of sin too much on an individual level.

"I think priests who hear confession should have a deeper sense of the violence and injustice of such problems - and the fact that people collaborate simply by doing nothing. One of the original deadly sins is sloth - disengagement and not getting involved," Father O'Collins said. The Jesuit professor now teaches at St Mary's University in Twickenham.

"It was interesting that these remarks came from the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary," he said. "I can't remember a time when it was so concerned about issues such as environmental pollution and social injustice. It's a new way of thinking."

[Shroom Man 777]

The obscenely wealthy? I wonder which bunch of old assholes live in the biggest most expensivest ancient palaces in Rome?

[Zixinus]

Hello, but aren't stuff like the Ten Commandments WORDS FROM GOD HIMSELF? Let me repeat that. THE WORDS FROM GOD HIMSELF! You can't just add or delete any of them on a whim.

As for the guy, its just another fucknut who is now afraid of the modern era and that people no longer pray to be healed but take medicine. That civilization no longer has no other choice other then accepting what washes towards it. For him, its a sin that humanity is slowly starting to control its own destiny and grow up.

Next he will try to list the teaching of evolution and freedom of religion as sin.

Pointing out that he's calling paedophilia a sin while the Church has a history with it is not even funny any more.

[Dark Hellion]

He's the Pope Zixinus, if you are a Catholic he can very well just add or delete stuff from the bible, he has Papal mandate and all.

And yes, the pope is an overly conservative fucktard, and I have no idea why the Cardinals elected him, other than that they are all overly conservative fucks as well. Which is stupid because I remember talking heads commenting about how it would be a good time to elect a liberal pope especially after JPII. But whatever, the Catholic Church wants to drag itself back to the dark age, and they can do whatever the hell they want, the only have power in Africa anymore, and its gonna be a shithole for the next 50 years no matter who's in charge.

[ray245]

Is John Paul more liberal than the current pope?

[Zixinus]

I think history will look back at this 21st as how secularism is again actively fighting religion of old. The fact that the Pope and co are discussing principals againts it might be a note for history.

[Kitsune]

Is John Paul more liberal than the current pope?

From most of what I have read, yes......somebody else might be better to give specifics

[andrewgpaul]

Well, John Paul II wasn't chief Inquisitor.

[Darth Servo]

The Vatican has brought up to date the traditional seven deadly sins by adding seven modern mortal sins it claims are becoming prevalent in what it calls an era of "unstoppable globalisation".

Those newly risking eternal punishment include drug pushers, the obscenely wealthy, and scientists who manipulate human genes. So "thou shalt not carry out morally dubious scientific experiments" or "thou shalt not pollute the earth" might one day be added to the Ten Commandments.

Oh yeah, how horrible of us to try and reverse God's doing upon those born with genetic defects. How immoral of us to see if we might be able to one day cure Down syndrome or sickle cell anemia or hemophilia. Can't you evil scientists see that these afflictions are righteous judgments against the wicked?

</sarcasm>

[Ford Prefect]

You know, when I saw 'drug pushers', I thought that it wasn't all bad. Just pretty much all of it. I mean, Christ. Scientists who manipulate human genes? Understanding their reasoning, I bet they're going to start going naked any minute now. Yep.

[Darth Onasi]

Is John Paul more liberal than the current pope?

At the very least, John Paul II wasn't a drooling nutcase like this guy is.

[Ariphaos]

Anyone else get the momentary impression that 'sins' was some major computer program getting patched?

[Vehrec]

John Paul 2 carried through the Vatican 2 thing, didn't he? That alone would make him one of if not the most progressive Pope of the last century or indeed maybe ever. He also embraced evolution and the big bang whereas the current guy looks to be making go-go eyes at some of the Intelligent Design creeps.

[TithonusSyndrome]

Good, I welcome the Vatican digging in their heels and making themselves look antiquated and ass-backwards. Hopefully it'll help those golden mean bullshitters see that we're not dealing with two reasonable parties, one on each side.

[CaptJodan]

Oh yeah, how horrible of us to try and reverse God's doing upon those born with genetic defects. How immoral of us to see if we might be able to one day cure Down syndrome or sickle cell anemia or hemophilia. Can't you evil scientists see that these afflictions are righteous judgments against the wicked?

</sarcasm>

Those are, of course, sins. After all, God wanted you that way. Instead, the money MUST be used to find cures for homosexuality. It's ok to play with genetics as long as it changes what we want it to change.

[Darth Wong]

It's too bad they finally strengthened their environmental and anti-poverty statements, but they had to bundle it with a bunch of reactionary Luddite bullshit about hamstringing science.

[SCRawl]

You know, when Pope Benny got the top job, the best thing anybody could say about him was that he was old, and probably wouldn't be around very long. Seriously.

[Kitsune]

Historically, there have been many cases where conservative popes are elected and they bring the church back down the road.

Look at the kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara

[Rye]

I just had a peek on spacebattles to see what the more pro-theistic members over there were saying about it. I just about shit the bed at how stereotypical the first proper response was.

Pope Benedict XVI is being a pompous windbag. First off, being too rich is a sin huh? Now where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, socialism and communism. Dittos to pollution? That's a leftist issue that the pope is making into religious dogma.

Man, these people are as predictable as they are tiresome, stupid and ugly. Of all the things to complain about, numbers 1 and 2 on his list are how the pope is a commie and doesn't want to pollute the environment. Hardcore conservatives are just one facepalm after another.

[Darth Servo]

I just had a peek on spacebattles to see what the more pro-theistic members over there were saying about it. I just about shit the bed at how stereotypical the first proper response was.

Pope Benedict XVI is being a pompous windbag. First off, being too rich is a sin huh? Now where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, socialism and communism. Dittos to pollution? That's a leftist issue that the pope is making into religious dogma.

Man, these people are as predictable as they are tiresome, stupid and ugly. Of all the things to complain about, numbers 1 and 2 on his list are how the pope is a commie and doesn't want to pollute the environment. Hardcore conservatives are just one facepalm after another.

To deal with such morons, you just quote Jesus himself stating that its easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven.

[Darth Wong]

I just had a peek on spacebattles to see what the more pro-theistic members over there were saying about it. I just about shit the bed at how stereotypical the first proper response was.

Pope Benedict XVI is being a pompous windbag. First off, being too rich is a sin huh? Now where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, socialism and communism. Dittos to pollution? That's a leftist issue that the pope is making into religious dogma.

Man, these people are as predictable as they are tiresome, stupid and ugly. Of all the things to complain about, numbers 1 and 2 on his list are how the pope is a commie and doesn't want to pollute the environment. Hardcore conservatives are just one facepalm after another.

To deal with such morons, you just quote Jesus himself stating that its easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven.

They just come back at you with other quotes in which rich men are loved by God. That's the beauty of a text which is horribly written, horribly edited, and massively self-contradictory: you can always produce a contradictory quote. Of course, it begs the question of what the fuck value this document really has, but that's not a question Christians are inclined to ponder.

[Rye]

To deal with such morons, you just quote Jesus himself stating that its easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven.

Nah, there's really no point since these people really do come across as almost literally from a different world, mentally and culturally. That said, it is highly amusing to watch trivia-packed ubercatholics like EmpSolo argue with the dyed-in-the-wool (and head) products of the evangelical/right wing business model. "Jesus said to give your money to the poor, rich men, needle, etc!" "How poor should I be? Huh? Huh? You fascist commie!"

I just can't get over how hilarious it is that someone (who would no doubt claim that Christianity causes morality in the western world) is indignant and offended at a church condemning his inalienable right to pollute the environment and become "obscenely wealthy" with no "christian" duty to his fellow man.

Honestly, you can see why these guys killed one another in their thousands a few hundred years ago.

[Lusankya]

It's always funny when an organisation that still does its most important communication by smoke signal tries to modernise. Somehow it always manages to look like a failure.

[Darth Wong]

Have you ever seen a really good spin-doctor deal with the wealthy Christian" paradox? It's a wonder to behold; they don't even try to answer it. Instead, they try to bowl you over with sheer optimism.

The first step is to deflect the argument, which is easily done by simply starting your sentence with "I believe". Don't even answer the Scripture; just say "I believe" and then go on to explain how you're certain that God loves us all soooooooo much that he wants us to be happy, and if it takes a Mercedes-Benz and a 4000 sq ft house on the beach to make you happy, then God would want that for you.

See how it works? You pretty much ignore the argument completely, and just spout some self-gratifying feel-good nonsense. Now do it again, but make sure you use a lot of hand gestures and excited verbal inflections and facial expressions. Double the Praise Power! It's like the Oprah method of evangelism; good Christian apologists are fantastic salesmen.

[Eleas]

See how it works? You pretty much ignore the argument completely, and just spout some self-gratifying feel-good nonsense. Now do it again, but make sure you use a lot of hand gestures and excited verbal inflections and facial expressions. Double the Praise Power! It's like the Oprah method of evangelism; good Christian apologists are fantastic salesmen.

At the risk of going slightly off-tangent, look at Gov. Mike Huckabee for a prime example of the fantastic salesman in action. He doesn't do it in the exact same way, but his basic methods are the same. If the sole criterion had been personal charisma, and not, say, the man's actual platform, this guy would have made US president without breaking a sweat. IMHO, that's because he makes people feel good about themselves. Even as they're handing over their gold Rolex to pay for that set of toothbrushes, they're recompensed by the feeling that they're seen and accepted. And since it feels good to believe it, it must be true.

It's probably twice as effective against people who don't normally get any validation in their daily lives, which would explain why the evangelicals lap it up.