A Reminder: Claiming A Miracle Is A "God Of The Gaps" Fallacy

Click on the link below for an in-depth expose of how the Catholic Church handles this fraudulent enterprise and how it is fueled as much by the indoctrinated, ignorant members at least as much as the clergy:

Inside the Vatican's secret saint-making process

No Religion Should Be In Healthcare, Let Alone The Catholic Church

"The Catholic Church’s directives are often at odds with accepted medical standards, especially in areas of reproductive health, according to physicians and other medical practitioners."

Click on the link below for the details. BTW, no religion should be involved with healthcare because prayer is irrational and has no effect on anything other than a placebo. Also, many have prohibitions based on dogma, not science and human rights. 

The Powerful Constraints on Medical Care in Catholic Hospitals Across America

Sex & Christian History: What You Don't Know

"Was Adam androgynous? What did the apostle Paul say about sex? What does Christianity say about gender roles? Was sex allowed in early Christianity? Here I discuss all of these issues, citing the writings of Paul, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, Polemon the Stoic, Acts of Thecla, and more."

Click on the link below for the bizarre history of sexual attitudes in the history of Christianity:

Ancient Christian Beliefs About Sex Were Wild

Incorruptibility

"Incorruptibility is a Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that divine intervention allows some human bodies (specifically saints and beati) to completely or partially avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness.

Incorruptibility is thought to occur even in the presence of factors which normally hasten decomposition, as in the cases of saints Catherine of Genoa, Julie Billiart, and Francis Xavier."[1](Wikipedia)

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Click on the links below for an expose' of this ancient scam to hook the gullible into unsupported dogma, which is always dangerous:

Incorruptibility - RationalWiki

Future shock: 'Incorruptible' corpses of saints are the McDonald's hamburgers of religious delusion

The Evolving Catholic Church View On Abortion

" - - - the Church has consistently opposed abortion as evidence of sexual sin but has not always regarded it as homicide because Church teaching has never been definitive about the nature of the fetus."

" - - - the prohibition of abortion has never been declared an infallible teaching."

"Early Church leaders began the debate about when a fetus acquired a rational soul, and St. Augustine declared that abortion is not homicide but was a sin if it was intended to conceal fornication or adultery."

" During the period of 600-1500, illicit intercourse was deemed by the Irish Canons to be a greater sin than abortion, Church leaders considered a woman's situation when judging abortion, and abortion was listed in Church canons as homicide only when the fetus was formed."

"The next period, 1500-1750, found anyone who resorted to contraception or abortion subject to excommunication (1588), saw these rules relaxed in 1591, and banned abortion even for those who would be murdered because of a pregnancy (1679). From 1750 to the present, excommunication was the punishment for all abortions (1869). This punishment was extended to medical personnel in 1917, but the penalty had exceptions if the woman was young, ignorant, or operating under duress or fear. In 1930, therapeutic abortions were condemned, and, in 1965, abortion was condemned as the taking of life rather than as a sexual sin. By 1974, the right to life argument had taken hold and became part of a theory of a "seamless garment" representing a consistent ethic of life. The current Pope recognizes that the moment of ensoulment is unknown but condemns abortion in all cases (except as the unintentional byproduct of another medical procedure)." (link)

Why The United Nations Is A Failure

"The Doctrines of Christian Discovery (DoCD) originate with 15th century Papal Bulls that were issued by the Vatican and implemented by Monarchies, sanctioning the brutal Conquest and Colonization of non-Christians who were deemed “enemies of Christ” in Africa and the Americas. These Papal Bulls were a continuation of what had been going on since at least the 8th century from Charlemagne, through the Crusades, the Inquisition, the war on witches, to the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1823, the “Doctrine of Discovery” was first articulated as a legal formulation in U.S. Supreme Court case, Johnson v. M’Intosh in 1823. As this case fundamentally defines international property law today, it continues to be used by multi-national corporations and Nation-States in their extraction of resources in indigenous territories around the world. The global scale with which the DoCD expressed itself in the “Age of Discovery”—first in Africa, then the Americas, and beyond—created a unified Christendom, which became the opposing force against the great global plurality of cultures. This Doctrine governs United States and international law today and has been cited as recently as 2005 in the decision City Of Sherrill V. Oneida Indian Nation Of N.Y."

How many of you have even heard of this "Doctrine" before? Not me, growing up Catholic. Yes, Manifest Destiny was carrying out this same horror but to know the history behind it is mind-blowing. No wonder the United Nations is a failure: it's like herding cats!!

Click on the link below for more:

What is the Doctrine of Discovery?

Christianity: "No Salvation Outside The Church"

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me” (Jn 14:6)

The earliest Christians took this statement literally. If they didn't, why did they spend so much time and effort to evangelize others? As time went on, it became clear that either not being exposed to Christianity or not accepting it in good conscience had to be addressed. The Catholic Church has done one of the better jobs of doing the former, but not so much the latter (link). Today, the more conservative Christian apologists get tangled in knots with incoherent defenses of the above Bible quote, as you can see in the links below:

God Won't Pardon You If You Have Never Heard Of Jesus 

The Absurd Reason Why God Doesn't Save Everybody

The Evil Of Christianity Exposed

Christianity was just one of many religious cults within the Roman Empire that had the fortune of being declared the official religion of such (link). Upon achieving this status, it followed the evil path of all religions that gain total political power. Below is a link to one of the worst examples of what religion can and does do if left unchecked:

Ugly History: The Spanish Inquisition

Madonna Of Guadalupe Debunked

There are countless claims of Mary, the supposed mother of the supposed Jesus, appearing at many times and places to do miracles, give prophesies, et al. In every case there are reasons for serious doubt regarding their truth. The Madonna/Virgin of Guadalupe is on par with the visions of Mary at Lourdes and Fatima in their acceptance by Catholics. Below you will find links questioning the Guadalupe appearance. Since all of these "visions" would be "Extraordinary", I require extraordinary evidence and none is seen.

The Virgin of Guadalupe

Madonna of Guadalupe 'fake'

The Marian Apparition of Guadalupe and Her Fantastical Portrait

The Myth of the Virgin de Guadalupe

Why Is Christianity So Splintered?

From its beginning, Christianity could not agree on anything. Because of the complicity with the Romans (see Constantine), Christianity, under the Catholic Church, created an official monopoly on "Truth (tm)" and evolved into the most powerful force in Christianity that we are living with today. In spite of this situation, the disagreements within Christianity persist, and each entity claims that THEY have the "Truth (tm)". Why?

Unlike science, where it is possible to form a consensus on a topic, Christianity, and virtually all organized religions, have no tool to do so. The latter relies on philosophy and theology, which don't have a way to justify/verify opinions. 

If you disagree with anything above, I suggest you peruse in detail all of the posts in my "Featured Post" page above, and especially those labeled "Religion/Christianity." Peace. 

The Catholic Church, Scientists, And Executions

Critics of the Catholic Church, especially atheists, have charged that numerous scientists in history were executed by the Catholic Church for promoting the results of their scientific inquiries. As is the case with all attacks on the Catholic Church, apologists attempt to "set the record straight." Below are examples from one Catholic apologetic website and my responses to such:

1. Hypatia

Hypatia's death was political; Hypatia was not an enemy of Christianity; on the contrary, she was respected by the Christian intellectual circles of the day; she was a victim to the political jealousy which at the time prevailed; she was not killed for being a scientist.

2. Roger Bacon

Details on Bacon's life are thin, but he was certainly not persecuted for his scientific ideas; He also had a reputation as loose cannon theologically because of his promotion of certain wild prophecies then floating around in relation to the Spiritual-Conventual debate, as well as his preference for deterministic astrology.

3. Pietro d' Abano

Medieval science was often bound up with occultic practices and magic; Though Abano was a distinguished physician and scholar, he was also deeply involved in the occult; His arrest by the Inquisition seems to be on the grounds of magic and his astrological theories.

4. Cecco d' Ascoli

Ascoli was a renowned scholar and astronomer who was of favorable enough reputation to work in the service of Pope John XXIII;  He first fell afoul of the Inquisition in 1324, not for any scientific theory, but for some statements he made in a commentary on John de Sacrobosco's book Sphere that concerned wild theories about demonology; He fled the papal court to Florence where he subsequently got in trouble for trying to read Christ's horoscope; Cecco was subsequently condemned and burned. Again, it was not for his scientific theory that Cecci d'Ascoli was put to death, but for his occultic impiety.

5. Michael Servetus

Servetus was not a religious skeptic. Servetus rejected the tenets of both the Catholic and Protestant creeds, but not because he was a religious skeptic per se, but because he was a Unitarian - he rejected the doctrine of the Holy Trinity; It was for his heterodoxy regarding the Trinity that he was condemned by the Inquisition and later burned at the stake by John Calvin. He was certainly not killed for any of his scientific ideas.

6. Girolamo Cardano

Cardano possessed an extremely abrasive personality that brought him into conflict with his professional peers; The Inquisition arrested him in 1570; It seems clear that Cardano's arrest by the Inquisition was a strong-arm tactic employed by his professional rivals; He never seems to have been in danger of his life and there is no indication his scientific theories were ever the reason for his persecution.

7. Giordano Bruno

Bruno's case is difficult because it is unknown to what degree his cosmological theories were behind his condemnation;  It is true that he was burned at the stake in Rome in 1600, but the church authorities guilty of this action were almost certainly more distressed at his denial of Christ's divinity and his other heresies than at his cosmological doctrines.

8. Lucilio Vanini

He also wrote several works in which he denied the immortality of the soul He was commanded by his superiors to report to Naples for discipline, but instead he fled to England; The Parlement of Toulouse found Vanini guilty of blasphemy and atheism and put him to death; His death had nothing to do with the Church. It was not the Church, but the secular authorities who apprehended him and the Parlement of Toulouse that condemned him to death. The Catholic Church literally had no part in his death.

9. Tommaso Campanella

Campanella's questioning of Aristotle did get him in trouble with the Inquisition, but he was released after only a brief confinement. What got Campanella in trouble was not his science, but his politics

10. Kazimierz Lyszczynsk

Like other philosophers of the age, Lyszczynsk found traditional arguments for the existence of God to be unconvincing;  King Jan Sobieksi attempted to rescue Lyszczynsk by having the case transferred to Vilna, but the clergy, led by Brzoska, insisted on his condemnation. Brzoska succeeded in getting Lyszczynsk condemned to death by the royal diet of 1689; Lyszczynsk had his tongue tore out, hands burned, and suffered beheading before having his body and his manuscript committed to the flames.

Conclusion

In none of these cases was a man put to death or imprisoned merely on account of his scientific ideas; in most cases, these people were punished for theological heresies, or for political actions or financial reasons; Speaking of the Church punishing people, it also must be pointed out that in none of these cases did the Church actually kill anybody. It must be remembered that heresy was a civil crime in the secular law books.

http://www.unamsanctamcatholicam.com/history/historical-apologetics/79-history/596-scientists-executed-by-the-catholic-church.html

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My comments:

• During the period of time that these events occurred, there was functionally no divide between the Catholic Church and secular law.
• Virtually all scientists during this time were under the thumb of the Catholic Church.
• The "crimes" were essentially blasphemy/heresy against the Dogma of the Catholic Church punishable by torturous death. Science during this time was essentially any claim approved by the Catholic Church, and any opinion, scientific or otherwise, not in keeping with the Dogma was blasphemy/heresy.
• In other words: not all who were executed for heresy were scientists; not all scientists were executed for scientific heresy; all who defied the dogma of the Catholic Church were punished if not executed.
• Note that this apologetic didn't address the "Biggie": Galileo. Here is what happened to him and why.

One Christian Dogma They Keep Quiet About

 Conscience: the inner sense of what is right or wrong.

Unfortunately, all branches of Christianity exert pressure on the non-believer to become a member by explicitly or implicitly using threats of going to Hell and separation from God after death if one remains a non-believer. However, rarely do they point out the Christian dogma of primacy of personal conscience (link)(link)(link) in deciding whether to remain a non-believer or convert to Christianity.

I was a Devout Catholic most of my life. However, as a skeptic (science-based thinker) since college in all but religion (funny how compartmentalization fools the brain), I finally had to accept that there is no objective evidence for any God, in spite of Christian claims on our reality. This conversion from Catholicism to atheism is what my informed conscience told me I should do.

Imagine what would happen if Christianity would emphasize this primacy of the conscience and also promoted informed critical thinking on religious claims.

The Most Heinous Sin?

The Catholic Church considers abortion as the WORST sin one can commit (link). Consistent with this dogma are the apologists on Catholic Answers Live. Here is an example (see approx the 50-minute point forward in the video), and below was my response:  

• "So, abortion is the WORST sin? I guess God is the biggest sinner then? https://www.verywellfamily.com/making-sense-of-miscarriage-statistics-2371721#:~:text=Based%20on%20the%20current%20evidence,This%20statistic%20is%20sobering. Can you see the difference between a fertilized egg, or even an implanted pregnancy, and a human person with the attributes that most people accept as indicative of personhood? How about a violation of a pregnant women's bodily autonomy as being a sin worse than abortion? Instead of focusing on this issue, how about focusing on your dogma of an aborted or miscarried fetus going to God forever because of never committing an actual mortal sin? Think of all the souls with God that may end up in Hell if they achieve the "age of reason" and commit a mortal sin. Please be consistent with your dogma."

Ponder the irony here: these same conservative Catholics will vote for Trump based on this issue. Religion is a brain poison. In contrast to this dogmatic delusion, here is a reasonable "Pro-Lifer" expressing her opinion on how she now votes (link).

"Manifest Destiny" In-Depth

The term "Manifest Destiny" is usually used to explain the motivations of the early settlers of the US as they moved westward. However, its roots go back to the foundations of Christianity, with its alliances with Monarchies in Europe. These alliances initiated such religion-state policies as imperialism, colonialism, and the genocides of indigenous peoples. As the Catholic Church and other branches of Christianity deny their roles in this horrible racist ideology, keep in mind that history is written by the victors. Below is an excellent podcast exposing the breadth and depth of this sad legacy of religion and its views of "The Other."

"Today we take a look at the origins and legacy of Manifest Destiny, the historical term most closely tied to our most toxic version of nostalgia: the one longing for America's golden age of genocide"

Click on the link below:

What Trump is Invoking When He Invokes Manifest Destiny

What You Won't Hear From Catholic Apologists

"The medieval Catholic church was a mixed bag of corruption, persuasion, and fear-mongering. There are a number of scary historical facts about the Catholic church, many involving the use of intimidation and coercion against the faithful in an effort to - oddly enough - keep them faithful. Plus, this was a time when the majority of people were illiterate and highly superstitious, making it that much easier for the church to manipulate the population and make them ever dependent upon the church. "

Click on the link below:

How the Medieval Church Frightened People Into Obedience

Beware Of Conservative Catholics

Most science-based thinkers know the danger of Evangelical Protestantism. However, one may not be as aware of the same type of dangers from Conservative Catholicism. This link is to a podcast featuring Tim Staples, who is the Director of Catholic Answers, the foremost Catholic Apologetics organization in the world. It, frankly, is an exposure of the worst of religious dogma and here was my comment to it:

• At 49:30 you stated that you didn't think that the murder of George Floyd was racist. You obviously are ignorant of what is the culture in many, if not most, police departments in the USA.
• Beginning at about 1:20 you simply went off the wall with criticism of the separation of church and state, freedom of the press, as well as praise for monarchal government, with the Pope calling the moral shots. You exposed conservative Catholicism as being as bad as Evangelical Protestantism.
• May science-based thinking/skepticism/humanism win over magical thinking/gullibility/religious dogma.

Memo To Catholic Apologists: It Won't Work

The US Catholic Church is hemorrhaging membership: 

• 13% of all U.S. adults are former Catholics – people who say they were raised in the faith, but now identify as religious “nones,” as Protestants, or with another religion. By contrast, 2% of U.S. adults are converts to Catholicism – people who now identify as Catholic after having been raised in another religion (or no religion). This means that there are 6.5 former Catholics in the U.S. for every convert to the faith. No other religious group analyzed in the 2014 Religious Landscape Study has experienced anything close to this ratio of losses to gains via religious switching. (link)

There are many reasons for this demographic change (link). There are many attempts to stem the tide, for example: (link); (link). However, in all of the "sales" efforts to get more people to join, or re-join, the Catholic Church, I have yet to see a recognition that what they are selling is false (link). It's amazing how indoctrination can poison the brain.

Miracles Of Lourdes?

When interacting with Catholic Christians over the topic of miracles, the "miracles" at Lourdes, France usually are presented. Following are quotes and links on the topic:

"Of all the cures alleged to have occurred at Lourdes, however, none have involved dramatic, unambiguous events like the growing back of a severed limb. Belgian philosopher Etienne Vermeersch likened this fact to the lack of clear, unambiguous data in support of the existence of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. He also claimed that there have probably been significantly more fatal accidents suffered by pilgrims on their way to or from Lourdes than there have been cures."

Lourdes - The Skeptic's Dictionary

"Some 1,200 cures were said to have been observed between 1858 and 1889, and about one hundred more each year during the “Golden Age” of Lourdes, 1890–1914. We studied 411 patients cured in 1909–14 and thoroughly reviewed the twenty-five cures acknowledged between 1947 and 1976. No cure has been certified from 1976 through 2006." (amazing what you find as scientific analysis improves)

The Lourdes Medical Cures Revisited

"While the Catholic church teaches that God sometimes performs miracles, including cures, which doctors cannot explain, sceptics reject this as unscientific and explain that sudden recoveries as psychological phenomena or the delayed result of earlier treatment."

Lourdes finds the cure for lack of miracles: a less strict definition

"The new criteria shift the focus from scientific inquiry — can doctors explain it or not? — to a religious appreciation of the spiritual experience linked to improbable healing."

No new Lourdes miracles despite eased criteria

"No one is suggesting that the area was bone dry, of course. The photographs (such as they are for being a century old and poorly exposed) do seem to show overcast skies, and it’s perfectly plausible that there had been light rain that morning. But that’s a far cry from the claim that the pilgrims and land were “soaked,” and this discrepancy could easily account for why people’s clothes were—or seemed to be—dryer than they might have expected."

Fatima Miracle Claim All Wet

A Look At Catholicism In The USA

An interesting look at the current state of US Catholicism. Particularly note that there are 6.5 former Catholics for 1 Catholic convert. I am in the former group and am proud of it. In general, look at the questions pertaining to adhering to Church Doctrine: the majority in most areas reject it.

7 Facts about U.S. Catholics

Religious Anti-Vaccine

When I was growing up, it seemed that the majority of those who rejected vaccines were New Age/Alternatives to Medicine proponents. Today, the media seems to be focusing on particular religious communities. The following are links addressing the religious objections to vaccines, and there are patterns.

• What the world's religions teach about immunization: "In multiple cases, ostensibly religious reasons to decline immunization actually reflected concerns about vaccine safety or personal beliefs among a social network of people organized around a faith community, rather than theologically based objections per se." (link)

• "No major religions prohibit vaccinations, and some consider it an obligation because of the potential to save lives. Many religions, however, provide that each individual has the right to decide whether or not to use vaccines according to his or her own moral conscience.[1] Regardless, some parents either fake religious adherence[2] or invent fake religions to provide exemption.[3]" (Link)

• North America was the only high-income region where people who follow a religion were much more likely to say they side with that belief system over science whenever disagreements arise. That finding was driven primarily by the US, where measles has been spreading among religious communities in states that have allowed religious vaccine exemptions: “'There are hugely important lessons to be learned about how to bring religious groups in who may be skeptical or may really question the value of science,' he added. 'But without them, you can see outbreaks [of vaccine-preventable diseases] will continue to happen.'” (Link)

• A look at what is happening, and why, within Catholicism. (Link)

Here are some educational materials against concerns over vaccines that may be helpful. (Link)