Catholics: Do not read this! It may hurt your feelings.

In the most recent entry in my Blog I made the statement that even a “modernized” Roman Catholic Church would remain a “preposterous and silly” organization.

The dictionary meaning of “Preposterous” is: “Contrary to common sense, utterly absurd and ridiculous”.

In spite of the risk of offending close friends, who are believing Catholics, I would like to repeat and explain this judgment here and now.

This “modernizing” of the RCC may extend to very general terms of interactive practices, such as the free distribution of condoms to inhabitants of lesser developed countries, (see prior Post) for reasons of prevention of life threatening diseases, and other peripheral customs and practices, but it will never, at least not in the foreseeable future, extend to issues which go to the heart of this belief system.

Let me list here a few fundamental tenets which I believe will not likely be changed by this current or any future Pope.

In the very beginning let's look at the number one pillar of this Faith:

(John 3:16) “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son...”

(Romans 3:23-25) “Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.”

“For all have sinned. But God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and satisfy God's anger against us.”

These and many more such references try to convince us that mankind's sins would be forgiven through the killing of Jesus Christ.

Please explain this to me: God actually said: If you kill my son, I will forgive your sins.

Now isn't this preposterous?

Could he not have said: I will send my Son to teach you and if you believe him and follow his teachings, your sins will be forgiven. No need for this cruel torture and final crucifixion.

This entire “preposterous” idea becomes even more “utterly absurd” when we consider that, in accordance with the teachings of the New Testament, Christ rose from the dead after three days and walked among his disciples and, forty days later, went back to heaven to sit on the right side of his father. So Christ did not even die. Did he? So it wasn't such a big sacrifice! Was it?

But the people who killed him didn't know that. So, for all they knew, they killed him...

and as a reward for this evil deed, they get all their sins forgiven?

Such Silliness.

Let's have a quick look at “Holy Communion”

It is written in the New Testament that during this last Dinner Christ broke some bread and told his Apostles: “Take Ye; this is my body!”

He then raised a beaker and said: “This is my blood, which is poured for many.”

He urged the men around the table to do this “in my memory.”

This is truly a powerful statement by a Man known for speaking in parables and similes.

Could this not also have been a simile? Could Jesus not also have meant to say: When you partake of a meal, or raise a glass to drink, think of me.

Somehow, the idea that bread and wine, when used during the celebration of “the Eucharist” literally, actually, substantially, changes into the body of Christ, really does not make sense... is contrary to reason, is absurd.

Think for a moment of the Priest who taught Religion in the Public School I attended as a little boy.

In preparation of the “First Communion” he told us, not to bite the wafer, since this would hurt Jesus Christ. “Just press it gently with your tongue against the roof of your mouth. This way you do not inflict pain to the son of God! 

If this is not the height of Silliness, I don't know what is.

Before I forget!

There is this other “Must Believe” in the RCC.

Although, to the best of my knowledge, there is no mention in the Bible, they invented, out of whole cloth, two types of sins. And just like Coca Cola has the regular, strong Coke and Coca Cola Light, the RCC invented a serious sin (the mortal variety) and a less serious sin ( the venial sin).

If you die with a non-confessed Venial sin besmirching your soul, you will not go to Heaven, but you will also not go to Hell. In fact, you will go to this halfway house of the RCC, called Purgatory.

There you will have to wait a while and do penance, before you can enter Heaven.

Purgatory, in other words, is a little like the dry cleaning shop for slightly dirty souls.

If, however, you should have the bad luck to die with an unconfessed mortal sin on your soul, you will go straight to Hell and roast there for ever and ever.

Assume for a moment that this man has lead an exemplary life. Has, to the best of his ability, followed the 10 Commandments and has gone to confession every week. On his way to work, this morning, he sees his neighbor's wife in the garden, hanging up her laundry and, in passing, he thinks: “would I ever love to take her to bed some day.”

Right around the corner a bus hits the poor man and kills him.

He's dead, with a mortal sin on his soul and according to the RC teachings, he will “go to Hell” and no ifs, whens or buts about it.

The life long high moral standard, adhered to by this man, has no influence on his final destination.

Now isn't that just silly?

Since we were just talking about “mortal sins”, remember, they're the ones which, if un-confessed, will send you straight to Hell.

Listen carefully now: Not attending Sunday Mass is a mortal sin!

Where, you ask, is this written? You could not find it in the Bible? Don't waste your time looking for it there. It is written in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2181.

So much is written in the CCC. Part after Part, Chapter after Chapter, Verse after Verse, and all of it must be obeyed by the faithful.

All of this is mandatory despite what it says in Deuteronomy 4:2:

“Do not add to what I command you, and do not subtract from it....”

or in Revelation 22:18:

I testify to everyone who hears the words of Prophesy in this book:

“If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book....”

If the CCC is not an addition to the Bible, I'll never know what is.

And so it goes on and on. One contradiction after the other, one “preposterous” statement after the other, so that there is but one issue to consider and to wonder about:

Why is it, that so many, otherwise quite intelligent men and women believe in all of this?

I try to practice only one tenet: “Do onto others as you would like them to do onto you!”

This, however, gets us into the discussion of “Altruism” vs “Egoism”...

and that's a new one, for another day.

Bertstravels
promises that his will be
the last entry of its kind....
unless something else bugs me.