Rick Santorum says Protestants aren't Christians

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Rightrdia has said that boy scout Rick Santorum has said many stupid things. This parochial anecdote will surely nip his campaign in the buttocks.

Rick Santorum said in 2008 that mainstream Protestantism "is gone from the world of Christianity."

He told that to students at Florida's Ave Maria University during a 2008 lecture. The university was founded by Domino's Pizza mogul Tom Monaghan.

source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/18/rick-santorum-protestantism_n_1286471.html

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Dear God, I Am Agnostic. Is That Ok?

05 July 2009
Editor's Note: I liked this article a lot that was the lead on Virtual Synapses blog.  Agnostics fit somewhere in between deists and atheists. Deists believe in God but aren't big on organized religion. Many of the Founding Fathers such as Jefferson, Adams and Franklin were deists.


I like Buddhism and other Eastern religions because they don't have the mysticism that permeates Western religions. You don't have to believe in angels or other divinities to be Buddhist. Most religions arose in the Bronze Age to explain the world before science existed.


The faith argument suggests you should believe in a priori values that cannot be proven. I am a man of little faith. I remember what happened when we had a man of faith in the White House for the past eight years.

I was born into a family of believers (Catholic). My parents, grandparents, wife, in-laws, brothers, cousins, aunts, and uncles are all faithful people and I have not the slightest doubt that they believe in God. Sometimes I ask myself, “Am I some sort of mutation in the gene pool?” Everyone around me goes to church, say their prayers, have faith in God, and live good lives. There’s probably something wrong with me.

Maybe I’m just a noninterventionist dumbass, but I think the only significant difference I found between me and my folks, regarding this issue, is that I asked “the question” and took it seriously. Everybody asks that question, right? What’s the question? Oh, geez, you know what I’m talking about. Here, answer this by filling in the blank:

Is there a _________?

Hint: It starts with the letter G and ends with a D.

Question: What reason do you have for being agnostic?
Answer: There are two sides of the coin. I just want to stay in between, if that's possible.

Good vs Evil

I think good and evil are created illusions. When you do something positive to other people, then that is considered good. When you do something negative, then you’re a bad ass person. But what if you don’t do anything at all? Let’s say that you go to a mountain to find a cave and spend the rest of your life just being there. There is no social interaction of whatsoever. Is that good or is that evil?

Religion vs Science

Roman Catholic, Anglican, Independent Catholic, Old Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, Baptist, Methodist, Adventist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian, and so on and so forth. These are just some of the denominations of the Christian religion. Wait till I enumerate the ones under Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and the rest of the main religions on earth. Isn’t it absurd for us to tag ourselves as a “human race” when we can’t even find a unified belief system that can bring us all together?

On the other hand, some people put their faith in science. They say that as long as any phenomenon can be explained with empirical evidence, that’s good enough for them. Are you telling me that you want to put your faith in the hands of scientists who, as much as any other person in the planet, have their own biases and inadequacies in perceiving reality? How clever.

Mysticism vs Skepticism

Mysticism adds its own different shade of color to people’s thought processes. The archenemies of mystics are skeptics. The former is trying to go beyond the five senses to explain reality, while the latter wants to remain conventional. If you’re going to take sides, I suggest that you try Michael Jackson’s medicine.

Will you be interested to know about your karma? Would you like to know how many reincarnations you’ve been through? Do you want to get out of your body and possess Brad Pitt’s so you can play with Ms. Tomb Raider? The skeptics are saying, “STOP *lucid* DREAMING!!”

Materialism vs Idealism

Quantum physicists have concluded that matter is literally an empty vacuum. Experts are justified in regarding the atom as 99.9999999% empty. I nearly ruptured a vein in my head trying to answer this question, “If matter is empty and nothing really exists physically, what are quantum physicists? Are these people some sort of illusion?

An idealist walks over to a materialist and asks, “Hey, I know you’re made of atoms and all, but does it really m-m-m-matter? The materialist responds, “Ideally, yes. We don’t m-m-m-mind at all.”

Atheism vs Theism

There is no God! There is a God! There is no God! There is a God! Blah3x… Yada3x...

Jesus H. Christ! Would you self-absorbed and power-hungry mass butchers stop confusing people? There’s already enough suffering in the world. Stop playing with their minds. Stop claiming that you know that truth when you clearly have no idea at all about what it is, where it is, and how to find it. Nobody really knows the truth, damn it. I don’t even know if what I’m saying is true.


Determinism vs Indeterminism

Imagine the chain of events that happened starting from the big bang (creation of the universe) until the point when you reach the end of this sentence. Ok, STOP. Think for a moment. Do you realize how everything almost seems to cause everything? Just look at the sun. Everything that the planet earth has gone through is undoubtedly caused by this massive ball of light. The sun was formed, then the solar system, then the planets, the life on earth emerged, your parents met, and then voila! Nice to meet you.

When there is a cause, there is an effect. When there’s a beginning, there’s an end. Everything happens for a reason and I am here because I was intended to be here. And, after all of this, my end will come. So what is my end? If everything in my life is determined by “you know who” then do I really have a choice? Does choice even exist?

Wahoo! I’m glad I reached the end of this article without experiencing symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage. Anyway, agnosticism is still a belief. It’s a belief about not believing in anything. If I believe that I don’t believe in anything, then I believe I’m probably screwed for the rest of my life? Noooooooooooooo…

source: Virtual Synapses
http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/self-help-mind-control-free-life-virtual-synapses

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Netcraft rank: 66069

Straight Catholic Priest is outed, but gets the girl and remains a priest

(MIAMI) Hold on. Batman! The priest got the girl and remained in the church? How so?

A popular priest known as "Father Oprah" has quit the Roman Catholic Church and joined the Episcopal Church less than a month after a tabloid caught him on the beach with his girlfriend. After years of gay scandals, it was a pleasant surprise to see there were still straight priests in the Catholic Church. One study indicated 25 to 50 per cent of all priests are gay.

The Rev. Alberto Cutie (KOO'-tee-ay) held a news conference at the pulpit of the Episcopal Church's Trinity Cathedral. Standing behind him were an Episcopal bishop, a half-dozen Episcopal priests and his girlfriend. Thunder resounded during the news conference suggesting even the Divine One may have approved.

Father Cutia's girlfriend was an attractive-year-old divorcee, Ruhama Buni Canellis, The priest said that he began to have spiritual and deep ideological struggles and has seen the ways that many of his brothers served God as married men, with the blessing of forming a family.

Cutie was removed from his Miami Beach Catholic church after photos of him kissing and embracing a woman appeared in the pages of a Spanish-language tabloid. Father Cutie is a handsome man who has appeared on the Oprah show. He was also the president of two secular media outlets.

Cutie is scheduled to deliver a sermon recently at his new church, which received him in a ceremony Thursday, but must complete other requirements before he is ordained as an Episcopal priest.

The Episcopal Church allows its priests to marry and date; however, the Catholic Church requires them to be celibate.

"I have searched my soul and sought God's guidance for a long time," he said. He said his decision did not come easily.

He said his struggle "should in no way tarnish the commitment of so many brother priests who are celibate and faithful to their promise."

That struggle was news to Catholic Archbishop John Favalora, who said he met with Cutie in early May, after the photos were published, and that the priest didn't indicate he was wrestling with such thoughts. In a statement, he admonished the 40-year-old Cutie and Episcopal leaders in Miami.

"He (Cutie) has never told me that he was considering joining the Episcopal Church," Favalora said. "(The Episcopal Bishop) has never spoken to me about his position on this delicate matter or what actions he was contemplating. This truly is a serious setback for ecumenical relations and cooperation between us."

Privately the archbishop probably thought to himself at least it wasn't another gay priest and an alter boy. We won't have another big payout on this scandal, but I lose a most excellent priest.

"It's unsettling to the faith, that's why it's a scandal. But the church has been through scandals before _ the church will survive," added the archbishop.

Indeed the church has had many costly scandals which required that churches all over the US to be closed. Since the 1990 more than a US$1.5 billion have been paid out in settlements and legal fees. Four per cent of the priesthood was involved in the misconduct.

The archbishop's theological question of the day is “How many scandals can you get on the head of a pin?”

Cutie headed the archdiocese's Radio Paz (Peace) and Radio Luz (Light) broadcasts, heard throughout the Americas and in Spain. He earned the moniker "Father Oprah" for his relationship advice.

The Cuban-American priest was born in Puerto Rico and was the host of shows on Telemundo, a Spanish-language network in the Western Hemisphere. He is also a syndicated Spanish-language columnist and author of the book "Real Life, Real Love: 7 Paths to a Strong, Lasting Relationship."

It looks like he took his own advice and found the woman of his dreams. His fiancée is a beautiful woman.

Earlier this month, Cutie told CBS he has been romantically involved with the woman in the tabloids for about two years. He had been friends with her for a far longer time.

"I believe that I've fallen in love and I believe that I've struggled with that, between my love for God, and my love for the church and my love for service," Cutie said. Cutie maintains that he never wanted to become an "anti-celibacy priest."

Cutie, during his brief statement to the media on Thursday, said he was "humbled" by the support. His girlfriend has not yet made any statements.

Father Cutie is a charismatic figure who should flourish in the Anglican Church. He must have the wisdom of Solomon to have found his way out of his religious dilemma. He will be able to continue in the priesthood and have a normal family life.

Perhaps one day his story will be featured on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. This is one fan of Father Cutie who would watch a presentation about this fascinating man.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/28/alberto-cutie-father-opra_n_208779.html