Atheists, tell me, a Roman Catholic: why should I become an atheist?

[Pat Mustard]

I can speak as a formerly traditionalist Roman Catholic:

My views on politics and society revolve around the notions that we are all in this together and that everyone should be afforded respect. However, the Catholic Church mandated that I oppose things like marriage equality and access to contraceptives despite the fact that these two things can improve quality of life for people. Gay people should be free to love whomever they want to love, and condoms/birth control pills should be readily available.

I was unable to reconcile my social progressivism and religious beliefs. So I chose the former over the latter.

Francis is, of course, trying to push things into a more  progressive direction, but as he does that more and more, then you have the problem of the so-called infallible Church contradicting itself on its so-called "infallible" teachings.  I am a former traditional Catholic, also, but as I posted earlier in this thread, I left the Church for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was all the contradictions that occurred between one Pope and another.  It just got too silly to believe in it, and the "smells & bells" were not enough to keep me interested.  In the end, I was faithless, that is, without a faith!

I honestly don't think that Bergoglio's all that progressive. Remember, as head of the Jesuits in Argentina he was perfectly happy to rat out his own subordinates to the junta. And listen to what he says in countries like the Philippines or when he's talking to your one who refused to marry gay couples. His message then is no different than Ratzinger's ot Wojtyla's, he's just much better at seeming than the last two popes were.