I don't understand the pearl clutching reference and am gong to get the whole group mad at me again for another of my long posts. But I volunteered to write a 'sermon' for the PA invocation that I intend to mail to the Republican in charge.

Sorry Grinseed. Mangled or not, I think the cockatoo story makes too good a parable on misunderstanding religions to not include.

When I get angry, I write and I am still very angry.

We Need More Atheists Like Thomas Jefferson –

An essay by a 50+ year old cradle 3-4 time a week Catholic

In order to protect religious belief, the United States Constitution was written to set up a secular government. Thomas Jefferson, an atheist and religious scholar, was its chief author. Muslims serving in Congress often swear in using his Quran. (Muslims also consider Jews and Christians – People of the book and could probably use either document as well.)

To the surprise of the southern legislator on the news recently, it is NOT requirement for the President to swear in on a Bible or anything else for that matter. Such a religious test would be unconstitutional. An atheist could swear on the law. All the recent sexual predators elected to office that have been in the news recently would probably choose to swear in on PlayBoy or Hustler.
It is a general rule of thumb that if you need a religious question answered, your best chance for getting a correct answer is to ask an atheist. Most religious people, if asked, would have no idea WHAT they believe or the history behind it.

Religious Studies 101 – Belief in a Deity is irrelevant – Just ask the Cockatoos

OK – Another one of my Edith Bunker Stories – (my childhood heroine)

A paraphrase from Dr. Charles B Jones of the Catholic University of America – Great Courses “Introduction to the Study of Religion”
After the ‘religious’ wars following the Protestant Reformation, the scholars wondered why the continent had been killing each other for the last 200 years +- and decided to make a FORMAL SCIENTIFIC STUDY of RELIGION. . (The religious battle lines in those wars were often blurred by nationalism and greed) They wanted to find out how religion started.

One of the first things they heard about was the Cockatoo Tribe in Australia. So, one of the early Eurocentric Victorian era budding anthropologists rushed off to study ‘primitive religion’ in its native habitat.

The researcher was immediately puzzled because the religion didn’t correspond to ANY of their hypotheses. The natives didn’t eat cockatoos and weren’t trying to lure them into the soup pot with magic spells. They didn’t believe that cockatoos had SPECIAL POWERS to grant wishes like the genie in the lamp or special wisdom like the magic mirror on the wall. They weren’t afraid of cockatoos (like lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!) and weren’t trying to scare them away with special prayers. Their RELIGIOUS SERVICES didn’t seem any more serious than your basic high school pep rally.

No,the whole gist of their ‘religion’ was – We are the Cockatoos, Rah! Rah! Rah! Dr. Jones said he never looked at team mascots the same way again.

But think how many times we go to the ‘religious’ coaches’ pep talks for inspiration or venerate great athletes. I’m even told there is a video of Tiger Woods walking on water. I’ve heard of people getting killed because of sport teams losing or because someone beat them at a video game.

I very properly got told off when I posted this on the Atheist Republic. He said it was mangled, over simplified and only partially correct and missed most of their culture.

After 2016, I would say that the ‘religion’ of the religious right is essentially – I believe I belong to the magic group that means I get to kill you. The Taliban, Boko Harran, ISIS, Al Quida, the Trump Evangelicals and the NRA obviously believe in no ‘higher power’ than automatic rifles and vast quantities of explosives; no matter WHAT they say.

The vatican is worse. They believe NOTHING about the power, love, and forgiveness of Christ or his presence in the eucharist. They only have the firm belief in the divinity of their extra, special, ontologically endowed penises; a doctrine they have proudly and meticulously documented in CANON LAW. (Remember, Benne Dick compared women who want to be priests to pedophiles
The previous entity in possession of the vatican compared women who want to be priests with pedophiles – The mantra in the Church is that priests represent Christ. So, the vatican vision of Christ is a deranged predator of children, holy only because it is male.) thereby DEFINING CHRIST AS THE GREAT PENIS IN THE SKY TO WHICH YOU MUST SACRIFICE CHILDREN, I have had a new vocation – to exorcise the Cult of Priapus from the Church. I just put in 2 – 12 hours day at it this weekend. (I work full time supporting a family so my free time is limited.)

They have adamantly reiterated this belief ever since- starting with their well documented policy and practice – gather pedophiles from around the world, promote them and turn them loose on the streets of Rome. Immediately excommunicate the women who ask to be priests.

The vatican ‘legalized’ pedophilia 100 years ago. I found the documented evidence. The Australian canon lawyers, et. al. published two and a half documents. The first is a legal report entitled “Canon Law – A Systemic Factor in Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church.” (free download from National Catholic Reporter) written for the Australian government. The half is the lay version “Potiphar’s Wife.” (buy on line for real money) . I verified the information with a friend of the author and the legal firm from the movie Spotlight.

The second if “Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church; An Interpretive Review of the Literature and Public Inquiry Report” another free download through the Center for Global Research; School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT
May 27, 1917 was the 100 year anniversary of the beginning of ‘legal’ pedophilia in the Catholic Church; because that was the day that pedophilia became a “crime” with NO PUNISHMENT! DO NOT FORGET THAT THE VATICAN IS ITS OWN SEPARATE COUNTRY. On that day, the vatican decided that pedophilia wasn’t a crime IF NO ONE KNEW ABOUT IT. The law made secrecy about pedophilia paramount and all cases had to be handled directly by the vatican; which had no provisions for punishing them. The penalty for breaking the vow of silence was AUTOMATIC EXCOMMUNICATION.

Remember, this is just after World War I – the end of the concept of the divine right of kings and the last gasp of the upper class twit. I has a title; therefore, I is a military genius. The incompetent carnage of the battlefields killed those concepts.
Now the pope is watching all the crowned heads of Europe, sometime literally rolling and hears of this miraculous new communication device – the radio. Remember what happened to the Church the last time a miraculous new communication device occurred – Martin Luther & the printing press. The beginning of EVIL SECULARIZATION! The first thought that apparently popped into his depraved little head was – Oh No! Now everyone will know we rape children!

The competing concept at this time is called ontology. It corresponds to the divine ordination of kings. The doctrine is that once a priest is ordained, he is magically transformed into someone who can do no wrong. So over 1,000 years of experience to the contrary, the vatican firmly believes that it is impossible for a priest to rape a child. It is all those evil, English speaking children lying and trying to seduce those poor innocent priests.

They turned the church into the world’s largest ‘legal’ underage human trafficking ring and their schools into free brothels for their ‘religious.’

Just wait until the world finds out that MEN, WHOSE PRIME RELIGIOUS BELIEF IS THAT THEY HAVE EXTRA SPECIAL ONTOLOGICALLY ENDOWED PENISES THAT ALLOW THEM TO RAPE CHILDREN (and the mentally disabled – new Benne dick HR benefit. ) WITH IMPUNITY ARE IN CHARGE OF THEIR CHILDREN’S SCHOOLS! KNOWING WHAT I DO NOW, I DON’T WANT THEM ON THE SAME PLANET AS MY CHILDREN! The vatican itself has vigorously insisted that the ONLY qualifications for priesthood are MALE AND BREATHING!

They believe nothing about the love and sacrifice of Christ or his presence in the eucharist , it is just the lure they use to entice victims like the glowing light above the jaws of an angler fish. They based Canon Law on their belief. After Francis’ – ‘We are a nation of pedophiles speech to the UN, I don’t trust him either.

Supposedly celibate old men whose response to the pedophilia crisis was to protect the pedophiles hosted a Sin Nod and later meeting on ‘family’ based on a survey that violated all statistical practices of data sampling. The whole purpose of the Sin Not was obviously to void their ridiculous – Mulieri whatever. Their document that totes the belief that God placed Women in Charge of the family. Who was given no say in the Sin Nod? Women! The only function of the handful of women invited was to look pretty & stifle; thereby further reducing our ability to protect our children from predators. They are holding another Sin Nod this fall on (Pant, pant, pant, drool) Youth! I wouldn’t let a child of mine into the lair of creatures who prefer pedophiles to women without an armed guard!

Then the PA bishops ordered all the priests to blatantly lie about PA Bill 1947 which extended the statute of limitations on pedophiles. I complained to my local priest; who handed out the "Catholic' League’s Essay "Women's Moral Descent" with its theme that men have the right and moral obligation to decide which women deserve to be raped. I called my daughter at college, crying, saying that all the priests were depraved perverts totally dedicated to worshipping their dicks. Her response, “Duh, Mom!. I’m sorry you had to figure it out in such a painful way.

From what I can tell, this campaign was led by Philadelphia Archbishop Chaput. - Archbishop Chaput is listed as a major supporter of Bill Donahue's 'Catholic' League.- Bill Donahue's opinion was the "the Bill had only ONE purpose - To Stick it to Catholics" - implying he believes pedophilia is right exclusive to Catholics. Bill Donahues is a believer in 'Catholic astrology.' Bill Donahue also published "Women's Moral Descent" with the theme that men have the right and moral obligation to rape women. Archbishop Slap You has singlehandedly done the most to jeopardize Catholic Youth and their faith. He was just chosen to go to the vatican’s Youth Sin Nod. So he and the US Catholic Bishops who chose him have all decided that their prime religious responsibility is to PROTECT PEDOPHILES. I started a petition.

Then, the lying depraved thugs, endorsed the lying depraved thug for President; proving that for women and children, abstinence isn’t a choice. It is a privilege revocable by any male they happen to come in contact with.
And remember, the final purpose of the lamb is to be eaten ,BY THE SHEPPARD.

DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT A THEOCRACY IS STILL A GOOD IDEA?

So, I don’t see the objection to atheist ‘preachers’. If they do as good a job preaching atheism and the clergy has done preaching religion, the church pews will be packed.