a very pious person, the same day he died, says to me that my father can't go to Paradise
Yes, that's exactly the sort of thing the nuns and I butted heads over from Day 1! What most by-the-numbers Catholics don't realize is that this sort of dogma isn't something Jesus even said--it's basically politics, created by popes. The idea of the pope's infallibility isn't even that old--less than a century--and there was tremendous opposition to the idea even within the church itself, when it was pushed through. I don't think there is any "one true Faith" - I think everyone's got a piece of the truth. My favorite holy person now living is the Dalai Lama--even though Buddhism doesn't traditionally accept gays, he has recognized the universal nature of affection. And when he describes his path with "my religion is kindness..." it's hard to find anything to object to.
no subject
Yes, that's exactly the sort of thing the nuns and I butted heads over from Day 1! What most by-the-numbers Catholics don't realize is that this sort of dogma isn't something Jesus even said--it's basically politics, created by popes. The idea of the pope's infallibility isn't even that old--less than a century--and there was tremendous opposition to the idea even within the church itself, when it was pushed through. I don't think there is any "one true Faith" - I think everyone's got a piece of the truth. My favorite holy person now living is the Dalai Lama--even though Buddhism doesn't traditionally accept gays, he has recognized the universal nature of affection. And when he describes his path with "my religion is kindness..." it's hard to find anything to object to.