161–170 of 202 posts
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Some would say it’s incredibly cruel to bring new life into existence for that very reason.
Yet those same people (whomever they are) continue to perpetuate their own "cruel" existence.
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Most people who identify as Catholic in developed countries today don’t believe in any of those (demonic possession and exorcism would be particularly fringe, but in surveys in many countries the majority identifying as Catholic don’t believe in hell or sometimes transubstantiation either)
There certainly are plenty of cultural Catholics who don't believe much of if anything that the Church teaches. The example of possession is particularly interesting though, because it's so overt. Unlike transubstantiation, where we have to take it on faith, there are documented cases of demonic possession that really defy natural explanation. Things like knowing secrets, speaking unknown languages, levitation, feats…
Catholics believe in "incorruptibility" as a sign of potential sainthood. This is where the body does not decompose. You can see the bodies on display https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorruptibility Catholics also believe in demonic possession, hell, and exorcism. Not the first things a priest will tell you though :)
Most people who identify as Catholic in developed countries today don’t believe in any of those (demonic possession and exorcism would be particularly fringe, but in surveys in many countries the majority identifying as Catholic don’t believe in hell or sometimes transubstantiation either)
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Some would say it’s incredibly cruel to bring new life into existence for that very reason.
Yet those same people (whomever they are) continue to perpetuate their own "cruel" existence.
That aside, you can tolerate or even enjoy life while understanding that for many it's an absolutely awful experience they had no say in partaking in.
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Personally, I find a lot of truth in what you say but I vehemently disagree with the premise that we should accept death as the price of life. Of course, we need to be realistic and acknowledge that everyone living will all almost certainly die one day but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't strive for a future without death. I think that CGP Grey's video, Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant, does a wonderful job arguing this…
I admire striving to not die. Statistically, I fully expect to die. Never dying would be a fantastic surprise. I think acceptance is a lot healthier and more likely to produce happiness in life than thinking one may be an exception.
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Personally, I find a lot of truth in what you say but I vehemently disagree with the premise that we should accept death as the price of life. Of course, we need to be realistic and acknowledge that everyone living will all almost certainly die one day but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't strive for a future without death. I think that CGP Grey's video, Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant, does a wonderful job arguing this…
I admire striving to not die. Statistically, I fully expect to die. Never dying would be a fantastic surprise. I think acceptance is a lot healthier and more likely to produce happiness in life than thinking one may be an exception.
If we had the same stance for all the other things that never happened before and were considered impossible, we would have never went to space and achieved many other great firsts.
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Some would say it’s incredibly cruel to bring new life into existence for that very reason.
See interesting philosophy books ‘Every Cradle is a Grave’ and ‘Better Never to Have Been’. Not for the easily depressed reader.
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"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" isn't exactly straightforward.
It's more straightforward if you read a few more sentences.
John 10:30 mentioned above seems more clear, but just prior to that you have "My Father who has given them to Me", which makes no sense if they are literally the same being. Neither does Christ on the cross asking why God has forsaken him.
The problem is the Biblical canon manifested out of what were countless differing philosophies and schools of thought in early Christianity, and John seems to be one of the more mystical books to make it in. But Christianity couldn't even agree on the nature of Jesus' divinity at first, and went to war against itself for centuries over details like this.