Sometimes I overextend myself and make statements preemptively before I have all the facts. It can happen to any of us, and from time to time I have to walk back something I’ve said in a post here.
This is one of those times.
Yesterday, I made a statement in a post that could be interpreted as me saying that the Pope wasn’t evil:
Apparently the world is quite willing to hand an abundance of cookies over to the Pope for finally saying something that pretty much everyone else had figured out already.
But hey, at least he figured it out, right?
I’m sad to say that I have to walk back even this grudging attempt to paint the Pope in anything other than a completely negative light:
Pope Benedict XVI praised efforts of the Filipino bishops in blocking any attempts to promote contraception in the Philippines. The pontiff said the Philippine Catholic leadership has reaffirmed its commitment to confronting any attack on the sanctity of life.
“I commend the Church in the Philippines for seeking to play its part in support of human life from conception until natural death, and in defense of the integrity of marriage and the family,” said Benedict XVI.
Hmm, perhaps I should translate:
Pope Benedict XVI praised the corrupting influence in the Filipino bishops in ensuring that poor people are doomed to sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy in the Philippines. The ancient decrepit virgin said that the religiotic busybodies in the Philippines have reaffirmed their commitment to preventing any attempt to improve the quality of life.
“I commend the assholes in the Philippines for seeking to dictate its beliefs to other people in defiance of human rights from conception until natural death, and in defense of bigoted and outdated definitions of marriage and the family,” said Benedict XVI.
So it is to my great chagrin that I must apologize for misleading you fine readers. The Pope is completely evil and has no redeeming qualities. He is happy to whine and cry about the “oppression” of religion in rich countries, and then cackle with Palpatine-like glee as his Church dooms entire countries to a cycle of abuse and unwanted pregnancy in the poor countries.
Tim Minchin, play us out…
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I think Tim should play us out on every Papal posting. Such a great song. Such an evil motherfucker.
Here’s another (even more crucial?) reason to condemn the pope and his ilk:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ted-turner-urges-global-one-child-policy-to-save-planet/article1825977/
This issue of Pope/population vs. survival (essentially) drives me nuts!
Write on Crommunist! I used to have quite some discussions with Peggy, the Irish Catholic woman my Father got together with after my Mum died before her time in 1970. Peggy was totally indoctrinated by the Catholic Church and the epitome of their proud claims of child indoctrination. She died suddenly at 91 years in September, I miss her very much. When I was in the UK visiting years ago it was very entertaining to listen from my bedroom to my Dad and Peggy talking in the kitchen, rather like a Punch and Judy Show as neither ‘heard’ the other. Peggy was aware of my non-belief, did not understand it and was not intellectually equipped to do so, but we used to debate in a friendly manner many subjects including Papal Infallibility.
I must confess as an artist to being in some ways what is considered a spiritual person – does this excommunicate me from Skeptical Society?
Ted Turner is completely effing wrong on this issue though. Instituting one-child policies is not the way to control population growth. Growth slows when economic conditions are stable. The European countries didn’t have to institute any kid of policy to stop their population growth – it happened when having many children became disincentivized. Those kinds of policies almost always lead to horrendous government abuse and gender selection.
You ought to watch Dawkin’s interview with Dennett.
The part I’m thinking of in particular is around around the 34:00/35:00 mark.
Thanks for the link Autumn, just listening now and drooling over Dawkins! He is so attractive – wish we could clone him. Brains and beauty, we need more straight men like that – grin!
How do you know he’s a virgin…?
R
I assume. You’re right, maybe I shouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt.