mmm I've already registered that you can't really call yourself catholic and disagree with papal infallibility, and I kind of agree. I was raised catholic and still go to mass at rare intervals, but I don't do confession and communion and all that.
I don't think you can expect moral guidance, on medical issues especially, from a document that is a couple thousand years old and has been through lo these many translations. The pill was undreamed of in Jesus' time. If thinking for myself means that I'm not a member of the church, then so be it. It's not something they burn you at the stake for anymore. But I am not sure it's religion as a whole. You can believe in a higher power, to be insufferably twelve-step for a moment, without giving him or her a name or a face. I'm a mystic at heart and don't like to talk about the immeasurable since I think it is almost insulting to try to put it into words, but hey I am doing so here in an attempt at philosophical discussion so... To approach this from another angle, we can all use some guidance at various times of our lives, right? So there is a place for moral authority. But in my world at least it need not be a pope selected through a necessarily political and bureaucratic process. ::shrug:: Dana On 4/21/05, G <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Isn't organized religion, by its very definition, "abdicating the right to > think for yourself on ethical issues" ? > > If you are Catholic, you follow the ethical teachings of the Pope. If you > are Muslim, you follow the ethical teachings of the prophets in the Q'ran > (sp?), if you are.......etc etc. > > Your argument, which I happen to agree with, is more a question of religion > as a whole, than the authority of any particular religious figure to preach > on morality. > > > hmm and he knows the mind of god on such issues as abortion, gay > > marriage and contraception? I don't think so. Moral authority is one > > thing, abdicating the right to think for yourself on ethical issues is > > another. I think papal infalliblility was very convenient for the > > church in medieval times, is what I think. > > > > Dana > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Discover CFTicket - The leading ColdFusion Help Desk and Trouble Ticket application http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=48 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:154845 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
