although my view is warped by the fact that I know some pretty cool catholics but I haven't ever met a protestant (that I've known about, I'm sure I will have met at least one).
because we're the only ones that are going to get into heaven
also, protestants are like "BAWWW YOU SPENT MONEY ON A WICKED STAINED GLASS WINDOW ANS A SOLID GOLD JESUS", they have no taste
aren't you Ameircan? I thought the majoity of you were religous. Going by the Americans on dis, it makes me think otherwise (except saint_cronin, he mantions god every now and again.
Is it just Americans who really like music or something?
Apparently the majority of Americans are pretty religious. In fact, compared to all groups, atheists are the most despised among Americans. I wouldn't say I'm an atheist, persay, but I never grew up with religious and have a really difficult time fathoming how people can believe in certain things (ie, one paper I read by a Creationist publication when writing a term paper deemed that koalas were not related to other marsupials because their tails were specifically designed by "the Creator" to provide extra padding for sitting in trees all day). The US, according to my housemate is the most religiously conservative in the ways of Creationism in Western countries.
I'm probably not particularly religious because my dad shares much of the same views I've developed and my mom stopped practicing Catholicism long before she and my dad married.
When you live every day in the shadow of general guilt anyway, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to do all the fun stuff that creates a more specific sense of guilt
i grew up with my mother and father not suscribing to either faith and ended up atheist. tbh the more exciting one is catholicism, unprotected sex ftw i think. :)
burnt people alive whilst believing themselves to be holy and doing it in the name of their god....so really (even though that doesnt go on nowadays exactly) neither of the versions are safe for human beings
"ok, we've put this Pope guy in charge of all of you, he's got a funny hat and you have do what he says,.. Oh, and did I mention it's impossible for him to be wrong"
thing is a stonking great recipe for disaster if ever I heard one.
Having said that, Catholic churches and rituals are prettier than Protestant ones - the low churchy ones anyway - and if you're going to base your whole life on something that's completely mental, why not have some fun at the same time.
Then again - Catholic superstition = bad.
Then again again - the craziest American christians are protestants so...
I don't know really. I quite like Cof E, but maybe I'm just being parochial. They're not properly protestant anyway.
There are some pretty crazy American Catholics, too. The reason you don't hear about them so much is because Catholicism isn't as strong in America for various reasons. Also the hardline Protestants absolutely loathe Catholics, except for when they unite on abortion and life issues.
but then I thought about it, and I remembered that many of the views they hold are crazy in themselves (in my opinion, no offense to anyone) with regard to certain issues, and can agree.
what irks me most about religion is how so many people preach one thing, yet are completely hypocritical and do exactly what they tell you not to. i remember in high school (a good majority of my friends were raised Catholic) many of them said they were "saving" themselves for marriage and now they're the ones that have had the most partners...and after they tried to tell us how we should wait? wtf?
and i really find it funny considering the topic. sorry to break your heart. i just don't have that strength haha.
i do have a somewhat funny story about something like that though. early in high school/middle school there was a girl i was friends with & she asked us all to go to a dinner with her, not telling us it was a church function (Baptist). it ended up being a night of why we should sign virginity pledges and stuff like that. i remember the lady directing the thingy started praying before dinner and said something about "i wish we could all look like barbie" so i kind of started laughing out loud during this causing everyone at my table (except the girl) to start laughing/snorting & whatnot. this does not sound as funny as i remember it...
I was once caught with my girlfriend of the time in her car which was parked outside a catholic church in Cambridge late at night. There was a knock at the window as the priest appeared and started yelling at us, telling us that we were despicable, etc etc
Never one to let a line go unsaid, I wound down the window and said 'It's alright mate, we're both protestants!'.
Last election Palin was criticised for taking part in an exorcism ritual, and the president of the Catholic League issues a press release saying:
"Witchcraft is a sad reality in many parts of Africa, resulting in scores of deaths in Kenya over the past two decades.
Bishop Muthee’s blessing, then, was simply a reflection of his cultural understanding of evil. While others are not obliged to accept his interpretation, all can be expected to respect it. More than that — Muthee should be hailed for asking God to shield Palin from harmful forces, however they may be manifested. And for this he is mocked and Palin ridiculed?
We know that many cultural elites have a hard time embracing religion, but is it too much to ask that they at least show some manners when discussing subjects which most Americans hold dear?"
for sure. It's awesome. Hellfire and brimstone. Whisky-fuelled, sex-starved priests. Great sprawling palatial churches full of paintings and statues of people getting ripped to shit. A far cooler leader than the Prods (Pope pwns the Queen). Sex education that goes "When you get to the end, pull out really, really, really quickly". Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bruce Springsteen. The Borgias, The Baldwins, The Kennedys. Aaliyah too. Hitler and Mussolini. Being expected to wallow in misery. Catholic schoolgirls. The drama. The power, the glory. The passage into heaven just 'cause a guy died for you thousands of years ago. The propensity to believe you've been visited by God, a saint or an angel, or, even more likely, the Devil. The seriousness. The ludicrousness. Catholic Guilt. Gold. Big bombastic hymns that aren't dirges. "ONCE YOU GO VATICAN, YOU CAN'T GO BACK AGAIN!" Me.
It's the religion of the underdog. Those who are without hope in this life. People who will die unhappy on Earth. It's so gloomy and oppressive and powerful and scary but also really, really, really fucking impressive. It's a much more poetic religion; full of superfluous rituals and rites of passage and gaudy ornateness. It's also a lot more united than the various branches of Protestantism. You're either a Roman Catholic or you're not. No room for discussion. No room for inventiveness. Staid.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Puting aside the slightly superficial elements of catholicism's paraphernalia and the histories of both 'factions,' I'm probably more aligned with a reformed version of Christianity, because I would want religious individualism while keeping Catholicism's transcendentality - if I ever actually choose to subscribe to any of this stuff.
If you're asking which is more interesting or glamourous, I might Catholicism. Practising a religion's not a hobby, so it's less important, but probably what this thread is about, so don't listen to me.
i think you read my post with a tone that wasn't intended, soz. 'mon the prodz!!!
you can call me pompous...if you want to :)
^quote from bambi to lighten my tone
Mainly 'cos I was raised it. Refused to get confirmed, though, because I no longer believe in God. To be perfectly frank, none of us were raised to feel guilty or any of the usual misconceptions about it. The Priest was a cool guy, too - he got a couple of us into Radiohead and the Pixies :D
Oh, oh, AND we learnt a little Aramaic. Dead languages FTW.
I think it would be a crying shame if there was a God, to be frank.
While the Nazi collaboration and paedophilia in the Catholic church was/is appalling, I take solace in the fact that we never had to wear turbans or were forced to speak Latin, and at least the religion itself wasn't founded by a paedophile, like 'that one we can't discuss for fear of a napalm enema.'
i believe that religion is about a personal, contemplative relationship with a higher power and using that as a guiding principal to shape your view of the world and act as best you can within that. not about gold n shit
not in terms of the actual relationship you have with God.
And besides, there's something half-hearted about really reasoned and restrained Protestantism. If you really believe, you should go all out or nothing. No death bed, "Oh, God's a lovely type really. He'll forgive me" conversions on my watch.
catholicism
protestantism's boring
^ this
although my view is warped by the fact that I know some pretty cool catholics but I haven't ever met a protestant (that I've known about, I'm sure I will have met at least one).
Protestantism is rubbish and stupid
Catholicism is untruthful and misleading.
There are no winners in Christianity
the correct answer is catholicism
because we're the only ones that are going to get into heaven
also, protestants are like "BAWWW YOU SPENT MONEY ON A WICKED STAINED GLASS WINDOW ANS A SOLID GOLD JESUS", they have no taste
Almost all of the Catholics I've known...
are almost certainly going to hell. Whereas only half of the Protestants I've met likely will.
I wrote a rap about Joseph once, atbay.
Would you like to hear it? It's pretty good.
I also have a song to remember the order of the Mass.
Would you like to hear that?
lets face it
orthodox for the win
They have better hats
agnosticism.
though that's not a choice.
:)
*atheism
aren't you Ameircan? I thought the majoity of you were religous. Going by the Americans on dis, it makes me think otherwise (except saint_cronin, he mantions god every now and again.
Is it just Americans who really like music or something?
I am, well half-ish. Born and raised in the US, but my Dad's an Englishman.
Apparently the majority of Americans are pretty religious. In fact, compared to all groups, atheists are the most despised among Americans. I wouldn't say I'm an atheist, persay, but I never grew up with religious and have a really difficult time fathoming how people can believe in certain things (ie, one paper I read by a Creationist publication when writing a term paper deemed that koalas were not related to other marsupials because their tails were specifically designed by "the Creator" to provide extra padding for sitting in trees all day). The US, according to my housemate is the most religiously conservative in the ways of Creationism in Western countries.
I'm probably not particularly religious because my dad shares much of the same views I've developed and my mom stopped practicing Catholicism long before she and my dad married.
Erm, sorry about this little rant lol.
oh dear, excuse my bad grammar "never grew up with religious"
...
Just thought i'd mosey in to say that i'm a massive atheist
kthxbye tb x
Catholicism
It's pretty and beatiful. Wrong, sure. But pretty and beautiful kind of wrong is much better than the boring kind of wrong.
Catholicism
When you live every day in the shadow of general guilt anyway, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to do all the fun stuff that creates a more specific sense of guilt
Paedophilia and Nazi Collaboration are pretty important to me.......
so CathLOLicism FTW.
The 'Die now, pay later' aspect of it really appeals.
Protestants drink Bushmills
Catholics drink Jamesons.
McNulty?
Catholicism comes with more inbuilt guilt, right?
i'm all for that.
Cannot stand either....
but have seen and heard far more intolerence and prejudice from catholics. But they can both fuck off.
Proestantism
just because it's slightly less daft
Catholicism
Graham Greene FTW
greek orthodoxy
0-0
either really.
i grew up with my mother and father not suscribing to either faith and ended up atheist. tbh the more exciting one is catholicism, unprotected sex ftw i think. :)
I was raised as a Catholic
It was alright, I guess.
Goes without saying
http://www.john.dearing.btinternet.co.uk/Bonfire_night_in_Lewes_5_11_2002/no_popery.jpg
They are a bit mad though:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7897034.stm
we could do with more threads like this
next week: 'being punched in the face Vs being kicked in the balls'
punched in the face
punched in the face by a protestant....
Catholicism FTW
Swaddlers can get to fuck
(I don't actually believe in God, I just like inciting sectarian hatred)
bit of a muchness really, i believe that both sorts have
burnt people alive whilst believing themselves to be holy and doing it in the name of their god....so really (even though that doesnt go on nowadays exactly) neither of the versions are safe for human beings
to be fair
HUMAN BEINGS aren't safe for human beings....
Protestantism does, as somebody else said,
seem slightly less daft to me. Also - the whole,
"ok, we've put this Pope guy in charge of all of you, he's got a funny hat and you have do what he says,.. Oh, and did I mention it's impossible for him to be wrong"
thing is a stonking great recipe for disaster if ever I heard one.
Having said that, Catholic churches and rituals are prettier than Protestant ones - the low churchy ones anyway - and if you're going to base your whole life on something that's completely mental, why not have some fun at the same time.
Then again - Catholic superstition = bad.
Then again again - the craziest American christians are protestants so...
I don't know really. I quite like Cof E, but maybe I'm just being parochial. They're not properly protestant anyway.
oh, but I forgot about the whole anti-contraception thing
which really is a stinking great recipe for disaster. C of E wins.
Oh trust me
There are some pretty crazy American Catholics, too. The reason you don't hear about them so much is because Catholicism isn't as strong in America for various reasons. Also the hardline Protestants absolutely loathe Catholics, except for when they unite on abortion and life issues.
i was going to say something about not knowing any extremely crazy Catholics.
but then I thought about it, and I remembered that many of the views they hold are crazy in themselves (in my opinion, no offense to anyone) with regard to certain issues, and can agree.
what irks me most about religion is how so many people preach one thing, yet are completely hypocritical and do exactly what they tell you not to. i remember in high school (a good majority of my friends were raised Catholic) many of them said they were "saving" themselves for marriage and now they're the ones that have had the most partners...and after they tried to tell us how we should wait? wtf?
You mean you haven't signed up with those virginity ring people?
</3
oh dear god no was what i thought.
and i really find it funny considering the topic. sorry to break your heart. i just don't have that strength haha.
i do have a somewhat funny story about something like that though. early in high school/middle school there was a girl i was friends with & she asked us all to go to a dinner with her, not telling us it was a church function (Baptist). it ended up being a night of why we should sign virginity pledges and stuff like that. i remember the lady directing the thingy started praying before dinner and said something about "i wish we could all look like barbie" so i kind of started laughing out loud during this causing everyone at my table (except the girl) to start laughing/snorting & whatnot. this does not sound as funny as i remember it...
Sounds pretty funny to me!
I was once caught with my girlfriend of the time in her car which was parked outside a catholic church in Cambridge late at night. There was a knock at the window as the priest appeared and started yelling at us, telling us that we were despicable, etc etc
Never one to let a line go unsaid, I wound down the window and said 'It's alright mate, we're both protestants!'.
The Catholic league are a bit.. yeah
Last election Palin was criticised for taking part in an exorcism ritual, and the president of the Catholic League issues a press release saying:
"Witchcraft is a sad reality in many parts of Africa, resulting in scores of deaths in Kenya over the past two decades.
Bishop Muthee’s blessing, then, was simply a reflection of his cultural understanding of evil. While others are not obliged to accept his interpretation, all can be expected to respect it. More than that — Muthee should be hailed for asking God to shield Palin from harmful forces, however they may be manifested. And for this he is mocked and Palin ridiculed?
We know that many cultural elites have a hard time embracing religion, but is it too much to ask that they at least show some manners when discussing subjects which most Americans hold dear?"
Catholicism
for sure. It's awesome. Hellfire and brimstone. Whisky-fuelled, sex-starved priests. Great sprawling palatial churches full of paintings and statues of people getting ripped to shit. A far cooler leader than the Prods (Pope pwns the Queen). Sex education that goes "When you get to the end, pull out really, really, really quickly". Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bruce Springsteen. The Borgias, The Baldwins, The Kennedys. Aaliyah too. Hitler and Mussolini. Being expected to wallow in misery. Catholic schoolgirls. The drama. The power, the glory. The passage into heaven just 'cause a guy died for you thousands of years ago. The propensity to believe you've been visited by God, a saint or an angel, or, even more likely, the Devil. The seriousness. The ludicrousness. Catholic Guilt. Gold. Big bombastic hymns that aren't dirges. "ONCE YOU GO VATICAN, YOU CAN'T GO BACK AGAIN!" Me.
Sex starved priests?!
At least that's what they're meant to be
the filthy old bastards
Catholicism can do one.
The real debate is Calvinism vs Lutheranism
Calvinism, obviously.
Catholicism
It's the religion of the underdog. Those who are without hope in this life. People who will die unhappy on Earth. It's so gloomy and oppressive and powerful and scary but also really, really, really fucking impressive. It's a much more poetic religion; full of superfluous rituals and rites of passage and gaudy ornateness. It's also a lot more united than the various branches of Protestantism. You're either a Roman Catholic or you're not. No room for discussion. No room for inventiveness. Staid.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
^ just in it for the altar boys.
And the robes, man.
The robes. Art.
As a former Catholic altar boy of 7 years, I know all about the cassocks.
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/things/vestments_priest.htm
religion condems the very people it aims to save
Silly question - 'Protestantism' is a general term
Puting aside the slightly superficial elements of catholicism's paraphernalia and the histories of both 'factions,' I'm probably more aligned with a reformed version of Christianity, because I would want religious individualism while keeping Catholicism's transcendentality - if I ever actually choose to subscribe to any of this stuff.
If you're asking which is more interesting or glamourous, I might Catholicism. Practising a religion's not a hobby, so it's less important, but probably what this thread is about, so don't listen to me.
lighten up
p.s.
did you just call me a ficko?
no
i think you read my post with a tone that wasn't intended, soz. 'mon the prodz!!!
you can call me pompous...if you want to :)
^quote from bambi to lighten my tone
I effing love the reformation
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Abraham_Hendriksz._van_Beyeren_001.jpg
me too. early modern history's so interesting
but also big shoutout to the medievals.
but more for their customs, idiosyncracies, superstitions etc.
than holisticly.
Catholicism
Mainly 'cos I was raised it. Refused to get confirmed, though, because I no longer believe in God. To be perfectly frank, none of us were raised to feel guilty or any of the usual misconceptions about it. The Priest was a cool guy, too - he got a couple of us into Radiohead and the Pixies :D
Oh, oh, AND we learnt a little Aramaic. Dead languages FTW.
I think it would be a crying shame if there was a God, to be frank.
While the Nazi collaboration and paedophilia in the Catholic church was/is appalling, I take solace in the fact that we never had to wear turbans or were forced to speak Latin, and at least the religion itself wasn't founded by a paedophile, like 'that one we can't discuss for fear of a napalm enema.'
im in two minds
1) if you're going to do something as ridiculous as religion, you should do it ridiculously. score one to the caffos
2) if i actually believed in teh gods i'd probably go with the propros. seems more sensible
Why is it more sensible?
Moderation only seems sensible because you're looking at it from an agnostic/atheist's point of view.
If you really believed in God, why would you not want to worship him in as overt and obvious and FABULOUSSSSSSSS a way possible?
because
i believe that religion is about a personal, contemplative relationship with a higher power and using that as a guiding principal to shape your view of the world and act as best you can within that. not about gold n shit
You've got a pretty sweeping, reductive view of Catholicism if you think it
doesn't allow you to have a personal, contemplative relationship with God.
i'm not saying it doesn't and i resent the your implication
i'm just saying that in my opinion, the things that i said are more in keeping with a more subtle doctrine
But that's a subtle doctrine in terms of like, pomp and display and stuff
not in terms of the actual relationship you have with God.
And besides, there's something half-hearted about really reasoned and restrained Protestantism. If you really believe, you should go all out or nothing. No death bed, "Oh, God's a lovely type really. He'll forgive me" conversions on my watch.
yes, and that's all i was talking about
in my opinion there's no relationship between how much money you spend on something and how much you love it
I don't know any Catholics
who have ever spent money on the Church. Apart from collection boxes and stuff.
Catholic churches already exist. They're just pretty awe-inspiring environments to worship in, I would imagine
it is in terms of the actual relationship you have with God
since everyone is effectively a priest and equally ordained.
I like this.
We can generalize Christians, people. Let's face it, they won't fight back.
you like what?
I like you.
i like me too
but you seem to be suggesting that i'm saying something discriminatory and bullying, whereas i don't think i am
Overall, out of all the religions, what would you choose?
If I had a choice it'd be either Buddhism or Shinto.
*If I had to choose
catholicism, still
Protestantism.
Union Jacks.