Has the pope gone mad?

[lifesagift]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...22514.html

Or is this just distorting the fable to fit the facts?!

And taking the credit...... again.

[FatAndFaithless]

I don't know why this is a headline, the Vatican has been pushing their nudge-nudge-wink-wink version of evolution for a while now.

[abaris]

I have to say, I kind of like that guy with most that he said so far.

[FatAndFaithless]

I have to say, I kind of like that guy with most that he said so far.

Why?

[abaris]

Why?

Because his followers might grow some brain cells if he's keeping it up. He's already pissed off the radical rightwing catholics with his stance on unchained capitalism and now he's pissing off the creationists. He also pissed off the anti gay factions.

All the hardliners won't change anytime soon, but the sheeple might feel encouraged to use these gray cells just a little bit.

[FatAndFaithless]

He hasn't changed a damn thing in catholic doctrine or policy, and his "progressive" statements are all taken out of context for the best PR bump possible. The day he demonstrates the basic human decency to expose and turn in the pedophiles that his organization is currently protecting, then maybe we can call him a good guy.

Even with his "endorsement" of evolution, he has to crowbar in a god for no reason to distort the real science into fitting his theology.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/10/god-i...-big-bang/

He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment, Pope Francis said,

And as for his 'goals' for science?
Scientists, especially Christian scientists, should be motivated to:

"to achieve the development that is in the plan of the creator.”

"Pro-science"? Not really.

[Dolorian]

I read some of the statements he made and frankly it didn't make much sense.

[FatAndFaithless]

People jump on statements like "Who am I to judge?" as if it's some MLK-Ghandi-Jesus groundbreaking statement of love. The vatican has made it very clear that the Pope still considers homosexualtiy to be a disorder, still opposes gay marriage completely, and that the doctrine of what happens to gay people who die before being "fixed" through confession and their "salvation" is still the exact same.

That whole statement boils down to "I still believe you're disordered and shouldn't be allowed the same marital rights as heterosexuals, and I also think that you're going to hell if you're not a Catholic, but I just won't say that to your face".

What a fucking nice guy.

[abaris]

Even with his "endorsement" of evolution, he has to crowbar in a god for no reason to distort the real science into fitting his theology.

It's a bit much to ask from a pope to not make the god claim.

He's moving that old wreck just a little bit, which is much more than can be said about his predecessor. And to see that the Catholic league and Bill Donahue desperately trying to spin his every word, gives me some pleasure. Obviously they feel threatened, even by the small steps he takes.

It's just like the soviet Union and Gorbatchev. If you drill just a little whole in the doctrine, all bets are off. The infights are already starting.

[FatAndFaithless]

Who's doing the spinning? If he actually thinks the things that people try to assert he thinks, he could easily come out and flatly say it. Again, the vatican's view on evolution has been in place for years and years now, this isn't some Franciscan innovation. He's coming out and saying it now (something that has been established for years) because his papacy is a PR juggernaut, and mentioning a scientific theory that a 5th grader should understand somehow gains him points in public favor.

And I don't like the "he's not as bad as previous popes" argument. I'm not going to lower my standards just because we're dealing with Catholics, especially since he hasn't done dick to change anything in Catholic dogma.