I'm not Religious - So Help / Bare With Me

[kknudson]

I have never been a religious person. Good, honest, helpful, and respectful.

And I respect and support your right to be religious, (I think these Atheist lawsuits are c*) as I hope you respect my right not to be.

So take what I say and think about it.

I do mourn the loss of the Pope, I mourn the loss of any great person. Particularly someone who has done so much for this world.

What get's me is millions of people flood Rome to pay their respects.

If half of these people put half the effort, energy and ?? they did to visit and pay respects, towards helping someone "In his honor", doing something good for this world we might actually be able to make it a decent place to live. And in my opinion (or limited Religion) that would pay respect many times greater to his memory than spending 24 hours to walk by his remains.

Heck if half of the effort to host these people went towards helping those who need it ....

And I could elaborate based on comments from a close Uncle who was VERY religious, but made questions in line with above.

So
Sign me confused ??

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by kknudson

If half of these people put half the effort, energy and ?? they did to visit and pay respects, towards helping someone "In his honor", doing something good for this world we might actually be able to make it a decent place to live. And in my opinion (or limited Religion) that would pay respect many times greater to his memory than spending 24 hours to walk by his remains.

Being pretty presumptuous to conclude that paying respects to the Pope precludes helping someone or doing something good for this world, don't you think?

In my personal opinion, I always thought that you attend memorial services to pay your respects to the survivors. In the case of the Pope, this does not apply. So, I'm curious, in a general sense, of why people go to see the Pope after his passing.

I'll be presumptuous and suggest that they must feel better about themselves for doing so?

[kknudson]

"presumptuous", OK that's an acceptable term.

Unfortunately they don't do other things. MANY DO, but many don't.

In simplest issue's, the world produces 30 % more food than needed (can produce close to 60%), yet 30% of the population is starving.
The problem is mostly logistics (I'll discount politics and greed for another thread) we just can't get the food to them.
Yet we can come up with the logistics to move, house (I know tents or where ever), feed and hopefully provide sanitation for millions for this.

I admit to wastin' my share of ??, but I admit to wastin' it on me.

[sfloriII]

I'd be willing to bet that anyone willing to wait in a long line after sleeping on the street in the cold all night to pay their respects to the pope would probably be the kind of person that regularly commits acts of kindness to others already.

To pay respect to the dead is something that people of all societies and religions have done since the beginning of time. It's an acknowledgement of the accomplishments of the deceased. JP II had incredible impact on the world in his lifetime. It's only fitting that so many, touched by him, should pay their respects. I'd like to be there myself.

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by sfloriII

To pay respect to the dead is something that people of all societies and religions have done since the beginning of time. It's an acknowledgement of the accomplishments of the deceased. JP II had incredible impact on the world in his lifetime. It's only fitting that so many, touched by him, should pay their respects. I'd like to be there myself.

Can you elaborate on this? Is it a belief that the Pope might be aware of the presence of the attendees? If so, then it makes some sense. But, if you conclude that he is not aware, the purpose of paying respects is?.............

[sfloriII]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

Can you elaborate on this? Is it a belief that the Pope might be aware of the presence of the attendees? If so, then it makes some sense. But, if you conclude that he is not aware, the purpose of paying respects is?.............

Catholics believe that there is an afterlife, so in that sense, he is aware of the presense of the attendees. I agree, it does serve a purpose of closure for those visiting him to see him lying in state and to pay their respects.

[Plantman]

[QUOTE=sfloriII]I'd be willing to bet that anyone willing to wait in a long line after sleeping on the street in the cold all night to pay their respects to the pope would probably be the kind of person that regularly commits acts of kindness to others already.

QUOTE]
If people were to go thru the same amount of trouble to pay respects to someone like Elvis, the same would not hold true.

Definitely, the people that went to say goodbye to the Pope are more than likely very kind hearted and giving of themselves.

For someone like Elvis, it would be a combination of genuine feelings mixed in with a party like atmosphere.

.02

[aklim]

Originally Posted by Plantman

If people were to go thru the same amount of trouble to pay respects to someone like Elvis, the same would not hold true.

Definitely, the people that went to say goodbye to the Pope are more than likely very kind hearted and giving of themselves.

For someone like Elvis, it would be a combination of genuine feelings mixed in with a party like atmosphere.

.02

I don't know. I have seen faithful worshippers do some of the worst things in spite of weekly visits to the church or even twice a week. When it comes to people, I tend to look for the worst in them and am seldom disappointed. I never believed in the goodness of mankind. Or at least I haven't for a long time since I was a kid.

[aklim]

Are you asking us to get naked with you because that seem to be the topic. I think you should have said "BEAR with me" not "Bare". If you want us to BEAR with you, fair enough. BARE with you, no thanx.

[hos280]

believe me , i know what W has done.

[kknudson]

Alright, I started this thread, and I DON'T want to see it as a discussion about the Pope.

No matter what you feel, the he did a lot of good for the world.

I don't agree with some of the things he did, and he probably doesn't agree with everything I do.

I guess while I'm really of German heritage, I must have some Irish. I do not want anyone to mourn my passing, but celebrate my life.

And in MY opinion, for someone such as the Pope, honoring his life by doing something good in his name would be what he would want.

PS, the comments about honoring some dead singer, well no comment.

[coldwar]

Originally Posted by kknudson

If half of these people put half the effort, energy and ?? they did to visit and pay respects, towards helping someone "In his honor", doing something good for this world we might actually be able to make it a decent place to live. And in my opinion (or limited Religion) that would pay respect many times greater to his memory than spending 24 hours to walk by his remains.

Your question is bang-on. Jesus said exactly the same thing concerning himself-

Matt. 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

In his words, when you spend time helping those whom he is concerned with, it's counted as spending that time with him, and it is time much better spent.

Dave

[luvrpgrl]

All of that stuff is gibberish for those who are truly in mourning.

Im not gonna judge any individual on what the death of the pope has meant to them emotionally, but if they need to mourn and visit, then let them.

Could you imagine some homeless activist coming up to you if your wife died and you were at her funeral and he said, you could have buried her in a pine box and spent the extra two thousand on homeless, instead of attending her funeral, you could have been at a hospital for children with cancer.

Believers are also suppose to "tithe" their time to God and his annointed.

The Bible also says there is a time and a season for EVERYTHING, its mourning time, next week we shall again be helping those who are feeding the hungry, (by the way, I dont see ATHEIST charity commercials solicitng people to help them feed, cloth, house and educate third world families and children)