My faith has been really shaken !

[mistermack]

My faith in the Catholic Church being a bunch of money-grabbing, sermonising, baby-buggering perverts has been seriously damaged.
My aunt in Ireland died a couple of weeks ago, and the parish priest was a real gem. Not just for effect, he's a truly genuine, sincere, lovely guy.

And at the funeral, I went up to him with a donation for the parish. It was in the hundreds of Euros.
He wouldn't take it. In fact I tried really hard, but couldn't MAKE him take it.
He actually said that HE wanted to make the donation for us, because of the care we had given my aunt. And I couldn't talk him out of it. He said it was something he really wanted to do.

I'm stunned, literally. I still think there isn't a god, but I'm not so sure about saints, any more.

[Rum]

You find truly good people in the unlikeliest of places..

[Faithfree]

Most lower rung clergy I have known personally have been really nice people. The unfortunate thing is that they believe that this ambiance is because of their faith in their god, and furthermore they believe that if they ever lost that faith they'd instantly become nasty arseholes. The reality is that they are simply nice people who wanted to help other people, and just because of their inadvertent faith in some imaginary being they chose to do that through their church. If they ever lost that faith they'd still be really nice people who'd want help other people (as many have discovered).

The same cannot be said of those that rise to power through the church system, who have every bit in common with those that rise to power through any corporate system.

[cronus]

Probably a dark side somewhere? Never known anyone nice who hasn't also a dark side hidden away for a rainy day. Good people simply don't exist in the real world. They exist on television and in novels but not out there in the real world.

[mistermack]

Probably a dark side somewhere? Never known anyone nice who hasn't also a dark side hidden away for a rainy day. Good people simply don't exist in the real world. They exist on television and in novels but not out there in the real world.

It might just be that they see you coming.

[Animavore]

My faith in the Catholic Church being a bunch of money-grabbing, sermonising, baby-buggering perverts has been seriously damaged.
My aunt in Ireland died a couple of weeks ago, and the parish priest was a real gem. Not just for effect, he's a truly genuine, sincere, lovely guy.

And at the funeral, I went up to him with a donation for the parish. It was in the hundreds of Euros.
He wouldn't take it. In fact I tried really hard, but couldn't MAKE him take it.
He actually said that HE wanted to make the donation for us, because of the care we had given my aunt. And I couldn't talk him out of it. He said it was something he really wanted to do.

I'm stunned, literally. I still think there isn't a god, but I'm not so sure about saints, any more.

What the fuck did you honestly think?! I've met loads of really nice priests who didn't touch me up at all.

[rachelbean]

My former churches (of several denominations) were full of good people. I have personally known many great people that were pastors, priests, monks, missionaries and ordinary devoted christian lay-people. Lots of them thought they were doing good because God told them to (and I suppose in a way they were right, if you take the view that "God" is just your own conscious speaking to you). Also, lots of atheists are assholes. Nothing new

[mistermack]

What the fuck did you honestly think?! I've met loads of really nice priests who didn't touch me up at all.

Yeh, but that's cos you're bloody ugly, or so I heard.

Anyway, it's a huge contrast to what happened when my grandmother died. ( about 1965 ).
They thought she was dying and sent me for the priest to give her the last rites. I went to the door and knocked, and this mangy old spaniel came round the corner, fastened itself to my right leg, and tried to shag it.
The housekeeper answered, and there I was, trying to shake off this dog, and telling her that my grandmother was dying, and could the priest come. She completely ignored the dog, and went inside and fetched the priest.

He came to the door, very annoyed, and said, "wasn't I there on Monday ? " in a tired and irritated voice.
I was so mad, I just said, "suit yourself, I've told you " and turned my back on him and walked away. ( that just wasn't done in '64 Ireland ).
He shouted after me, " tell them I'm coming ", I didn't answer or look back.

He arrived soon after, and was as nice as pie, soooo concerned and saintly. Two-faced bastard.

That's why this guy last week has shook my faith in priests. I always thought of that first guy, as typical.

[JimC]

Most lower rung clergy I have known personally have been really nice people. The unfortunate thing is that they believe that this ambiance is because of their faith in their god, and furthermore they believe that if they ever lost that faith they'd instantly become nasty arseholes. The reality is that they are simply nice people who wanted to help other people, and just because of their inadvertent faith in some imaginary being they chose to do that through their church. If they ever lost that faith they'd still be really nice people who'd want help other people (as many have discovered).

The same cannot be said of those that rise to power through the church system, who have every bit in common with those that rise to power through any corporate system.

[SteveB]

I was thinking this thread was about an earthquake taking down a church. I still like it though.

[JimC]

Not stirred...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I remember watching a news clip of a woman standing in front of a church that had been flattened by a tornado. She uttered that line that I've always been in awe of, "Thank God more people weren't killed." She was the pastor there. Despite having her church rubbled, people killed/injured/traumatized, she still believed God was watching out for her and her flock, even the dead ones. That's faith.

It's also fucking insane.