It’s what I do.
Readers who do not recognize the title as a doctored quotation plagiarized from “Game of Thrones” may be excused – “pitied” would be more appropriate, if I really were as arrogant as I pretend to be. Somebody said that the best parts of the obsessionally popular TV series are the exchanges of quips between Tyrion Lannister and Lord Varys. My title is based on one of these pearls, articulated (as ever, immaculately) by my favorite dwarf, whose alcoholism I prefer to ignore.
My claim to knowledge of religion is, I dare to say, an academically and generally recognized fact. I may not be able to quote all the books of the Old and New Testaments, chapter and verse; though a former priest and Professor of Theology, I was, after all, only a Catholic and not a Protestant. But I know my stuff, and my Paris professors who gave me my degree “with high distinction”, seem to have agreed.
One does not, of course, need to have spent seven full years in undergraduate and graduate studies of Theology to know how ridiculous religion is. I’d love to hear what you think is the silliest belief, rule or ritual in the religion that is – or used to be – yours. If I get three replies, I’ll tell you mine.
RIDENDA RELIGIO
A difficult task – there is so much to choose from. But as I am desperate to know what gets your vote (as well as getting on your goat) here goes with mine.
Original Sin – all good Catholics know that the cute little bundles of joy that come into this world as a result of people doing what comes naturally are tainted. Yes, tainted so badly that they cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven when they die unless they have been baptised by having water poured on their tainted brows whilst the incantation “I baptise thee in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” is recited.
Absurd.
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One of the best – worst ? One down, two to go. And I thought no one would take up the gauntlet !
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Married to Joseph, but still a virgin. Mary was carried away in a cloud (as told to me by mother) to become impregnated by gawd, so she was an adultering virgin, (my opinion at the time).
Slavery is good, & women are chattel.
Store-bought, broken up white bread, & tap water for the ”sacrament”.
Caffeine is sinful.
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That’s two. Do we have a third ?
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New to the blog but always ready to rise to a challenge.
How about the Trinity – sounds like the Triumvirs of Roman times – and not a femme fatale in sight or mind. The grumpy old bearded sky daddy, the also bearded, better looking and more rational son and a bird that’s not a guy or a bird. Weird.
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Welcome, Debbie, and thank you ! You are the third person of the blessed trinity which responded to my opinion survey (naturally I do not include the ravings of Lumen which I have left for readers to discover). Now it’s my turn. As promised, I will post my personal choice of the Silliest Beliefs, Rules and Rituals. With one exception, they are different from those you and Thom and atheistsmeow have posted.
I am writing this on the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. That “event” could have been one of our choices. Providential, don’t you think ?
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That Christians believe that there is room in the universe for a second God beside the almighty Frank.
If Frank humbly tells us one more time of his great academic achievements in learning all about Him , who is not there, yet failing in his doctorate, I’ll throw up.
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A fourth, before Frank hops in with the pearl that he is bursting to reveal:
– That the professors in Catholic Institute, Paris awarded Frank his mediocre licence with praise.
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A fifth:
That Christians think that “some things around us are seen to change(in position, size, shape or composition)”.
That something that changes can only directly be changed to something to which it has the potential; e. g.water can be changed to ice but not directly to sand( in which those uncomfortable with this reasoning like to bury their heads).
That things don’t cause themselves to change but are caused by something else.
That everything that changes can be traced by a series of causes and effects to a starting point to the fundamental sub particles of matter (currently electrons and quarks…). If anything more fundamental is discovered then what causes these etc. until a starting cause is necessary to kick off the process? What is this first cause?
That this first cause is linked with a Being, termed God.
That this God is not Frank (nor within his trinity of prof cat, thom cat and me-too-wcat).
That it is possible to deductively know something, but not all, of the nature of this Being by human reasoning.
That this Being has revealed something further of it’s nature by revelation to humans, the highest known form of intelligence in the universe and produced by a sequence of cause and effect .
That humans who have believed this argument have developed the highest form of civilization since the universe began.
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There are my three, mon prof. Now we await the learned one to respond.
Fanfare!!!
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So Frank spent 7 years studying something, that after all that time, he found to be nothing. That must go into the Guinness book of records.
Can any one cap spending 7 years to discover absolutely nothing?
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To trash or not to trash – that is the question I face after this outburst, which I have decided, for the nonce, not to delete, leaving it stand as evidence of a fanatical Christian’s HATRED of a theologian who did not “fail” his doctorate but decided simply not to pursue the writing of his thesis and settle for his S.T.L.(magna cum laude).
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Spoilt, whiny, name-calling, little brat comes to mind………
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While awaiting my fate before the guillotiner;
In full accordance with your previous blog, re hatred and love, it is not the atheologian that I hate, but the atheology. I hate it because it is pride-driven and attempts to pervert others from their path to salvation.
That which prompts me to yet another Catholic silly belief:
Incredible as it seems, God, in His infinite mercy, is prepared to forgive a repentant atheist, who daily heaps scorn, ridicule, blasphemy and bitterness on his Creator.
Jesus prayed that His murderers be forgiven, an associated silly Catholic belief.
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I know several, and I have daily contact with some, doctors of theology or philosophy. They all concluded quite the opposite to Frank. They never parade their qualifications since pride is inconsistent with their learning and belief. They can argue, rationally, their beliefs and don’t recourse to emotional slogans.
Another silly Catholic belief is that humility is a virtue.
It gets sillier and sillier, the more I think about being a silly Catholic. Why am I so silly that I don’t see the logical argument that we all exist through blind chance, despite the incredible proven odds against it? Why am I so silly as to see order and intelligence, as science concludes, in the universe?
When will Frank explain why I can’t believe the conclusions of most of the greatest minds?
It just shows how silly I, we, are. It seems that those who have never studied, or who have completed studies in theology, know less than those who have incompleted studies.
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Having read all the comments above and weighed them by length, if not breadth, it will perhaps not be a surprise that I am reminded of the apposite aphorism regarding empty barrels.
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One, armed with plenty of lethal ammunition against four sling shots. It’s not the number of infantrymen but the superior weapon power.
If God is for us, who can be against?
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