The Pope is a Darwiniac!

[Autonomous]

LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI said the debate raging in some countries — particularly the United States and his native Germany — between creationism and evolution was an “absurdity,” saying that evolution can coexist with faith.

The pontiff, speaking as he was concluding his holiday in northern Italy, also said that while there is much scientific proof to support evolution, the theory could not exclude a role by God.

“They are presented as alternatives that exclude each other,” the pope said. “This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.”

He said evolution did not answer all the questions: “Above all it does not answer the great philosophical question, ‘Where does everything come from?’”

Benedict also said the human race must listen to “the voice of the Earth” or risk destroying its very existence.

The pope is wrapping up a three-week private holiday in the majestic mountains of northern Italy, where residents are alarmed by the prospect of climate change that can alter their way of life.

“We all see that today man can destroy the foundation of his existence, his Earth,” he said in a closed door meeting with 400 priests on Tuesday. A full transcript of the two-hour event was issued on Wednesday.

“We cannot simply do what we want with this Earth of ours, with what has been entrusted to us,” said the pope, who has been spending his time reading and walking in the scenic landscape bordering Austria.

Our Earth is talking to us

World religions have shown a growing interest in the environment, particularly the ramifications of climate change.

The pope, leader of some 1.1 billion Roman Catholics worldwide, said: “We must respect the interior laws of creation, of this Earth, to learn these laws and obey them if we want to survive.”

“This obedience to the voice of the Earth is more important for our future happiness ... than the desires of the moment. Our Earth is talking to us and we must listen to it and decipher its message if we want to survive,” he said.

Last April, the Vatican sponsored a scientific conference on climate change to underscore the role that religious leaders around the world could play in reminding people that willfully damaging the environment is sinful.

Unlike our wingnut members, I'll source my story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19956961/

I gotta say, I respect the man for saying this. He's going to offend a lot of the hardliners.

[Stixx3969]

LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI said the debate raging in some countries — particularly the United States and his native Germany — between creationism and evolution was an “absurdity,” saying that evolution can coexist with faith.

The pontiff, speaking as he was concluding his holiday in northern Italy, also said that while there is much scientific proof to support evolution, the theory could not exclude a role by God.

“They are presented as alternatives that exclude each other,” the pope said. “This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.”

He said evolution did not answer all the questions: “Above all it does not answer the great philosophical question, ‘Where does everything come from?’”

Benedict also said the human race must listen to “the voice of the Earth” or risk destroying its very existence.

The pope is wrapping up a three-week private holiday in the majestic mountains of northern Italy, where residents are alarmed by the prospect of climate change that can alter their way of life.

“We all see that today man can destroy the foundation of his existence, his Earth,” he said in a closed door meeting with 400 priests on Tuesday. A full transcript of the two-hour event was issued on Wednesday.

“We cannot simply do what we want with this Earth of ours, with what has been entrusted to us,” said the pope, who has been spending his time reading and walking in the scenic landscape bordering Austria.

Our Earth is talking to us

World religions have shown a growing interest in the environment, particularly the ramifications of climate change.

The pope, leader of some 1.1 billion Roman Catholics worldwide, said: “We must respect the interior laws of creation, of this Earth, to learn these laws and obey them if we want to survive.”

“This obedience to the voice of the Earth is more important for our future happiness ... than the desires of the moment. Our Earth is talking to us and we must listen to it and decipher its message if we want to survive,” he said.

Last April, the Vatican sponsored a scientific conference on climate change to underscore the role that religious leaders around the world could play in reminding people that willfully damaging the environment is sinful.

Unlike our wingnut members, I'll source my story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19956961/

I gotta say, I respect the man for saying this. He's going to offend a lot of the hardliners.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Holy Crap! A rational response to evoltution by a Christain! There is hope!

[Strife767]

I personally love the use of the word "absurdity," and also just the way "QUOTE(The Pope)" looks.

John Paul II said similar stuff, I think--the general answer to it was "Catholics are not true Christians" or some BS like that. The responses to this sort of thing never fail to be absurd.

[Guest 2smart4u]

LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI said the debate raging in some countries — particularly the United States and his native Germany — between creationism and evolution was an “absurdity,” saying that evolution can coexist with faith.

The pontiff, speaking as he was concluding his holiday in northern Italy, also said that while there is much scientific proof to support evolution, the theory could not exclude a role by God.

“They are presented as alternatives that exclude each other,” the pope said. “This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.”

He said evolution did not answer all the questions: “Above all it does not answer the great philosophical question, ‘Where does everything come from?’”

Benedict also said the human race must listen to “the voice of the Earth” or risk destroying its very existence.

The pope is wrapping up a three-week private holiday in the majestic mountains of northern Italy, where residents are alarmed by the prospect of climate change that can alter their way of life.

“We all see that today man can destroy the foundation of his existence, his Earth,” he said in a closed door meeting with 400 priests on Tuesday. A full transcript of the two-hour event was issued on Wednesday.

“We cannot simply do what we want with this Earth of ours, with what has been entrusted to us,” said the pope, who has been spending his time reading and walking in the scenic landscape bordering Austria.

Our Earth is talking to us

World religions have shown a growing interest in the environment, particularly the ramifications of climate change.

The pope, leader of some 1.1 billion Roman Catholics worldwide, said: “We must respect the interior laws of creation, of this Earth, to learn these laws and obey them if we want to survive.”

“This obedience to the voice of the Earth is more important for our future happiness ... than the desires of the moment. Our Earth is talking to us and we must listen to it and decipher its message if we want to survive,” he said.

Last April, the Vatican sponsored a scientific conference on climate change to underscore the role that religious leaders around the world could play in reminding people that willfully damaging the environment is sinful.

Unlike our wingnut members, I'll source my story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19956961/

I gotta say, I respect the man for saying this. He's going to offend a lot of the hardliners.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is the same wacko pope that recently stated "the catholic church was the only "real" church, and that all other churches were frauds. I think he's been into the communion wine.

[Guest Popologist]

Unlike our wingnut members, I'll source my story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19956961/

I gotta say, I respect the man for saying this. He's going to offend a lot of the hardliners.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is the same wacko pope that recently stated "the catholic church was the only "real" church, and that all other churches were frauds. I think he's been into the communion wine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're exaggerating because you're in denial that the leading Christian scholar is also an evolutionist.

The Pope said that only those Churches directly founded by Jesus' Apostles are true churches (that would man Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and perhaps Coptic Christian). Others he said are also important:

"These separated churches and communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives that fullness of grace and truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church."

There are many who disagree with the Pope. But to joke about drinking wine when Benedict has a Ph.D. in theology from a prominent German University and was a professor for many years is really a cheap shot.

How many Churches actually say that all religious faiths are equal? I doubt that even the Dalai Lama would go along with that.

[Strife767]

This is the same wacko pope that recently stated "the catholic church was the only "real" church, and that all other churches were frauds.

You mean exactly like what non-Catholic churches say about the Catholic church?

It's so funny to hear this "no true Scotsman" nonsense.

[Guest 2smart4u]

This is the same wacko pope that recently stated "the catholic church was the only "real" church, and that all other churches were frauds. I think he's been into the communion wine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're exaggerating because you're in denial that the leading Christian scholar is also an evolutionist.

The Pope said that only those Churches directly founded by Jesus' Apostles are true churches (that would man Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and perhaps Coptic Christian). Others he said are also important:

"These separated churches and communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives that fullness of grace and truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church."

There are many who disagree with the Pope. But to joke about drinking wine when Benedict has a Ph.D. in theology from a prominent German University and was a professor for many years is really a cheap shot.

How many Churches actually say that all religious faiths are equal? I doubt that even the Dalai Lama would go along with that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Pope has a Ph.D. ?? Do you also know that as a teenager he belonged to the Hitler Youth, a young Nazi organization ??

[Autonomous]

You're exaggerating because you're in denial that the leading Christian scholar is also an evolutionist.

The Pope said that only those Churches directly founded by Jesus' Apostles are true churches (that would man Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and perhaps Coptic Christian). Others he said are also important:

"These separated churches and communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives that fullness of grace and truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church."

There are many who disagree with the Pope. But to joke about drinking wine when Benedict has a Ph.D. in theology from a prominent German University and was a professor for many years is really a cheap shot.

How many Churches actually say that all religious faiths are equal? I doubt that even the Dalai Lama would go along with that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Pope has a Ph.D. ?? Do you also know that as a teenager he belonged to the Hitler Youth, a young Nazi organization ??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you know that only one question mark is needed when asking a question?

[Autonomous]

  The Pope has a Ph.D. ??  Do you also know that as a teenager he belonged to the Hitler Youth, a young Nazi organization ??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So you're saying that Jesus only washes away some sins?

[Guest Keith-Marshall,Mo]

You're exaggerating because you're in denial that the leading Christian scholar is also an evolutionist.

The Pope said that only those Churches directly founded by Jesus' Apostles are true churches (that would man Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and perhaps Coptic Christian). Others he said are also important:

"These separated churches and communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives that fullness of grace and truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church."

There are many who disagree with the Pope. But to joke about drinking wine when Benedict has a Ph.D. in theology from a prominent German University and was a professor for many years is really a cheap shot.

How many Churches actually say that all religious faiths are equal? I doubt that even the Dalai Lama would go along with that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Pope has a Ph.D. ?? Do you also know that as a teenager he belonged to the Hitler Youth, a young Nazi organization ??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As far as being a member of the Nazi youth, I would bet he probably didn't have a choice.

[Guest Paul]

The Pope has a Ph.D. ?? Do you also know that as a teenager he belonged to the Hitler Youth, a young Nazi organization ??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As far as being a member of the Nazi youth, I would bet he probably didn't have a choice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is true that the current pope was a Nazi youth member. It is also true that he must have been under a lot of pressure. On the other hand, his elevation to this position is troubling in light of his history and the church's. That said, the general attacks on Catholics by so-called Christians are disgusting.

[Guest 2smart4u]

So you're saying that Jesus only washes away some sins?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Huh ?? I'm saying the Pope was a former Nazi youth member.

[Guest Guest]

The Pope has a Ph.D. ?? Do you also know that as a teenager he belonged to the Hitler Youth, a young Nazi organization ??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As far as being a member of the Nazi youth, I would bet he probably didn't have a choice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, that's the excuse he uses.

[Strife767]

As far as being a member of the Nazi youth, I would bet he probably didn't have a choice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, that's the excuse he uses.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Considering the kind of guy Hitler was, I'm not too inclined to think he gave the youths a choice in the matter.

[Guest Popologist]

Huh ??  I'm saying the Pope was a former Nazi youth member.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why don't you tell the whole story, that he (Joseph Ratzinger) was drafted and deserted the infantry?

Following his fourteenth birthday in 1941, Ratzinger was enrolled in the Hitler Youth — membership being legally required after December 1939 — but was an unenthusiastic member and refused to attend meetings. His father was a bitter enemy of Nazism, believing it conflicted with the Catholic faith. In 1941, one of Ratzinger's cousins, a 14-year-old boy with Down syndrome, was killed by the Nazi regime in its campaign of eugenics. In 1943 while still in seminary, he was drafted at age 16 into the German anti-aircraft corps. Ratzinger then trained in the German infantry, but a subsequent illness precluded him from the usual rigours of military duty. As the Allied front drew closer to his post in 1945, he deserted back to his family's home in Traunstein after his unit had ceased to exist, just as American troops established their headquarters in the Ratzinger household. As a German soldier, he was put in a POW camp but was released a few months later at the end of the War in summer 1945. He reentered the seminary, along with his brother Georg, in November of that year.

[billydee4]

This is the same wacko pope that recently stated "the catholic church was the only "real" church, and that all other churches were frauds. I think he's been into the communion wine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're exaggerating because you're in denial that the leading Christian scholar is also an evolutionist.

The Pope said that only those Churches directly founded by Jesus' Apostles are true churches (that would man Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and perhaps Coptic Christian). Others he said are also important:

"These separated churches and communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives that fullness of grace and truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church."

There are many who disagree with the Pope. But to joke about drinking wine when Benedict has a Ph.D. in theology from a prominent German University and was a professor for many years is really a cheap shot.

How many Churches actually say that all religious faiths are equal? I doubt that even the Dalai Lama would go along with that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The stories that some churches were founded directly by apostles are based on almost 2000 year old myths. There is no evidence for this.

[Autonomous]

Huh ??  I'm saying the Pope was a former Nazi youth member.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It isn't like you meant to imply anything by it. You just made a random observation, right?

[Guest 2smart4u]

As far as being a member of the Nazi youth, I would bet he probably didn't have a choice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is true that the current pope was a Nazi youth member. It is also true that he must have been under a lot of pressure. On the other hand, his elevation to this position is troubling in light of his history and the church's. That said, the general attacks on Catholics by so-called Christians are disgusting.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, you're right. All these attacks on the poor priests who abused children are disgusting.

[Guest Guest]

Yes, that's the excuse he uses.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Considering the kind of guy Hitler was, I'm not too inclined to think he gave the youths a choice in the matter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes I know, they were all just following orders.

[Strife767]

Yes I know, they were all just following orders.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Apparently Ratzinger did very little of that, actually.

http://forums.kearnyontheweb.com/index.php...indpost&p=62018

[Guest Popologist]

The stories that some churches were founded directly by apostles are based on almost 2000 year old myths. There is no evidence for this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Except for the historical records of the "first" Bishop of Rome from the year 30 A.D. to 67 A.D. who was known as "Peter".

[Autonomous]

Yeah, you're right. All these attacks on the poor priests who abused children are disgusting.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Because every Catholic priest abuses kids.

I'm glad you're providing so much support for the seperation of church and state. If Christians can't even agree on their own religion after so many centuries, why should we let them control the most powerful nation in the world?

[billydee4]

The stories that some churches were founded directly by apostles are based on almost 2000 year old myths. There is no evidence for this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Except for the historical records of the "first" Bishop of Rome from the year 30 A.D. to 67 A.D. who was known as "Peter".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What records? Could you cite them, please?

Also, that is one out of 12. What about the rest of them?

[Guest 2smart4u]

Because every Catholic priest abuses kids.

I'm glad you're providing so much support for the seperation of church and state. If Christians can't even agree on their own religion after so many centuries, why should we let them control the most powerful nation in the world?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

News Flash ! "Seperation of Church and State" has nothing to do with control.

You're reading those Loony Lefty bloggers again.

[Strife767]

News Flash !  "Seperation of Church and State" has nothing to do with control.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But trying to get rid of it has everything to do with control, which is what he was talking about.