His Most Reverend Excellency
I don’t rub shoulders with too many “high-ups” in the Catholic church, but if I did I might be tempted to suggest that they tone down the self-aggrandizing titles. We had a function recently where the person giving the opening prayer was the “Very Reverend _____, Vicar of ____.” I wondered what made him very reverend, and, “wouldn’t any reverend want to be very reverend?” I looked up the Wiki on this and to my irreverent delight I found that one might also aspire to be: “His Most Reverend Excellency“–when he enters, you should stand and remove your hat and you may kiss the sacred ring at the greeting and again at closing . If he is your bishop, you may kneel when kissing the ring (bowing at the...
Religious Education is Bad
Wow, how can religious education be bad?! Almost all educators would agree that teaching critical thinking skills to our students is paramount. Religious education is contrary to that very basic premise of teaching and learning. Religion is false–The world was not created in 6 days. The earth is certainly more that 6,000 years old. Sacrificing a person by killing him on an altar or a cross is pointless. There is no evidence of heaven or hell. Noah couldn’t have built a boat that could contain all the species of the earth and provide the food, temperature, and habitat so those specimens could survive. I could go on and on. The point is, these things are false. In a typical Catholic school, students are required to take a full-year religion class every...
It’s About the Money!
What does religion cost me? A lot! The money you give to the church is money out of your pocket and into your pastor’s. Your church’s biggest budget items are likely to be the pastor’s salary and the building. If your church is larger, there might be a second pastor or possibly other staff too. As you become a core member of the church, you will feel increasing pressure to give more and more. Trust me, I know firsthand. If I asked you to give me 10% of your gross income, would you have questions of me? “What are you going to do with it?” “What kind of return should I expect?” If I lie to you, would you cut off the money? You should. It doesn’t “come back to you ten-fold.” That is a false claim by some...
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