Pope Francis: It is 'better to be an atheist than hypocritical Catholic'
- Status
O
oldcelt
Guest
I like Francis…a true servant’s heart.
M
M-Dent
Guest
But…but, what he really states may not grab your attention with a headline.
J
J_Peterson
Guest
Going by the article it sounds like that’s the spirit of what he was talking about. How is the headline inaccurate?
A hypocrite doesn’t go to confession and if they do it’s only to be seen in the confession line. Hypocrites know the “rules” but willfully break them while chastising others for breaking the same rules. They are only interested in the appearance of holiness but don’t care to do the work of repentance. So no, if you go to confession with repentance then you are not a hypocrite. I’d even say if you are trying and failing everyday you are not a hypocrite.
An atheist is operating in ignorance. God doesn’t punish ignorance unless it’s willful. So yes, I’d rather be an ignorant Atheist before God than a well educated hypocritical Catholic.
A hypocrite doesn’t go to confession and if they do it’s only to be seen in the confession line. Hypocrites know the “rules” but willfully break them while chastising others for breaking the same rules. They are only interested in the appearance of holiness but don’t care to do the work of repentance. So no, if you go to confession with repentance then you are not a hypocrite. I’d even say if you are trying and failing everyday you are not a hypocrite.
An atheist is operating in ignorance. God doesn’t punish ignorance unless it’s willful. So yes, I’d rather be an ignorant Atheist before God than a well educated hypocritical Catholic.
R
Richard_White
Guest
Yes, I do believe that the article is misleading. What Pope Francis said was simply that, when people see hypocritical Catholics, many might say, “if that person is a Catholic, it is better to be an atheist.” In other words, people might see Catholics do evil and atheists do good and think that living as an atheist could be better than living as Catholic. Pope Francis presents this viewpoint to show us that we must be the light of the world, practice the Gospel everyday, and show everyone that the best way to live is as a fully practicing and believing Catholic, loving God and neighbor!
May God bless you all!
May God bless you all!
J
JHC
Guest
Atheists don’t knowingly reject God?
P
PluniaZ
Guest
I really don’t understand why people trust news sources other than the Vatican itself.
Here is what His Holiness Pope Francis I actually said:
““But what is scandal? Scandal is saying one thing and doing another; it is a double life, a double life. A totally double life: ‘I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this association and that one; but my life is not Christian, I don’t pay my workers a just wage, I exploit people, I am dirty in my business, I launder money…’ A double life. And so many Christians are like this, and these people scandalize others. How many times have we heard – all of us, around the neighbourhood and elsewhere – ‘but to be a Catholic like that, it’s better to be an atheist.’ It is that, scandal. You destroy. You beat down. And this happens every day, it’s enough to see the news on TV, or to read the papers. In the papers there are so many scandals, and there is also the great publicity of the scandals. And with the scandals there is destruction.””
news.va/en/news/pope-dont-put-off-conversion-give-up-a-double-life
Here is what His Holiness Pope Francis I actually said:
““But what is scandal? Scandal is saying one thing and doing another; it is a double life, a double life. A totally double life: ‘I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this association and that one; but my life is not Christian, I don’t pay my workers a just wage, I exploit people, I am dirty in my business, I launder money…’ A double life. And so many Christians are like this, and these people scandalize others. How many times have we heard – all of us, around the neighbourhood and elsewhere – ‘but to be a Catholic like that, it’s better to be an atheist.’ It is that, scandal. You destroy. You beat down. And this happens every day, it’s enough to see the news on TV, or to read the papers. In the papers there are so many scandals, and there is also the great publicity of the scandals. And with the scandals there is destruction.””
news.va/en/news/pope-dont-put-off-conversion-give-up-a-double-life
S
SAVINGRACE
Guest
Often his words are misconstrued or printed out of context by media outside the Vatican. I prefer to read official Vatican media.
D
DignumEtJustum
Guest
Seems he’s taken a cue from the fake news outlets.
T
TCEL
Guest
Mother Angelica told a joke once that stuck with me.
Someone is invited to Church but says, “No, I don’t want to go to Church, because it’s full of hypocrites.” Her companion replies, “Well, one more won’t hurt.”
Someone is invited to Church but says, “No, I don’t want to go to Church, because it’s full of hypocrites.” Her companion replies, “Well, one more won’t hurt.”
A
adamhovey1988
Guest
Take note that the site is NOT a Catholic site.
W
Wedge_Antilles
Guest
And interestingly, he is addressing of often-minimized sin of scandal. Nice to hear, and worth recalling the next time a poster tries to poo-poo the sin of scandal in our lives. How many of us publicly profess our faith but behave in ways that belie other beliefs?
P
PseuTonym
Guest
When thinking about sin or evil, I usually focus on goals and methods. For example, the Katyn massacre was committed by the Bolshevik government of the USSR, according to Gorbachev. I doubt that studying Marxist-Leninist theories of economics will shed much light on that massacre. However, studying the goals and methods of Stalin and those who worked with Stalin might shed some light on that.
Before somebody becomes Catholic, is one required to make a statement of belief with respect to Freemasons? I am curious about that, because there are many obscure groups of people, and such groups may change over time. What sort of independent research would somebody do to confirm claims about various obscure groups so that those claims become plausibly described as “beliefs” of the person who has been simply told the official position of the Catholic Church?
Now, if people accept pejorative claims about Freemasons as part of an effort to adhere to the Catholic faith, then they don’t necessarily have a negative attitude towards Freemasons. They could become curious and seek information via direct interaction, just as – according to the book Freakonomics – Stetson Kennedy joined the KKK as an undercover opponent of the KKK organization, gathering information that he used to the detriment of the KKK.
Suppose that a member of the Catholic Church – who joined the Freemasons as an undercover opponent – remains a member of the Freemasons, but abandons the point of view of being an opponent of the Freemasons. Would that be a sin? If it would be a sin, then a dedication to truth would prevent people from joining the Catholic church until after they have gone beyond hearsay information, and actually investigated Freemasons.
Before somebody becomes Catholic, is one required to make a statement of belief with respect to Freemasons? I am curious about that, because there are many obscure groups of people, and such groups may change over time. What sort of independent research would somebody do to confirm claims about various obscure groups so that those claims become plausibly described as “beliefs” of the person who has been simply told the official position of the Catholic Church?
Now, if people accept pejorative claims about Freemasons as part of an effort to adhere to the Catholic faith, then they don’t necessarily have a negative attitude towards Freemasons. They could become curious and seek information via direct interaction, just as – according to the book Freakonomics – Stetson Kennedy joined the KKK as an undercover opponent of the KKK organization, gathering information that he used to the detriment of the KKK.
Suppose that a member of the Catholic Church – who joined the Freemasons as an undercover opponent – remains a member of the Freemasons, but abandons the point of view of being an opponent of the Freemasons. Would that be a sin? If it would be a sin, then a dedication to truth would prevent people from joining the Catholic church until after they have gone beyond hearsay information, and actually investigated Freemasons.
B
Beryllos
Guest
The actual title of the news article is “Pope: Don’t put off conversion, give up a double life.”
The CAF member who created this thread changed the title.
chin06, next time please use the original title of the article as your thread title.
By the way, I don’t see a problem with the article itself, or its real title, or what Pope Francis is reported to have said.
The CAF member who created this thread changed the title.
chin06, next time please use the original title of the article as your thread title.
By the way, I don’t see a problem with the article itself, or its real title, or what Pope Francis is reported to have said.
O
Origen52
Guest
Isn’t it scandal when the church keeps allowing politicians who openly support all abortions, including late term abortions, to go to communion? What about allowing those living in openly adulterous situations to fully participate in the church, including going to confession without the intent of stopping the sinful activity?
I know someone will say, who are we to judge. If we can’t judge people in sexual sin, why are we, or in this case, the Pope allowed to judge those in monetary sin? in a church whose attendance at mass barely hits 35 %, I don’t think anyone goes to mass as a hypocritical act. Who would they be trying to impress?
I know someone will say, who are we to judge. If we can’t judge people in sexual sin, why are we, or in this case, the Pope allowed to judge those in monetary sin? in a church whose attendance at mass barely hits 35 %, I don’t think anyone goes to mass as a hypocritical act. Who would they be trying to impress?
B
Beryllos
Guest
I just deleted my post, because I had the wrong news article.
My apologies to anyone who bothered to reply. You can delete your reply if you act quickly.
My apologies to anyone who bothered to reply. You can delete your reply if you act quickly.
G
goout
Guest
Aren’t there forum rules pertaining to the integrity of thread titles and news sources !!!
J
John_Lazarus
Guest
I don’t think there is anymore – someone correct me if I’m wrong?
E
Expatreprocedit
Guest
Thank you. Pope Francis is simply saying that we must act in accordance to our faith, and he gives some common examples of not doing so.
- Status