Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.
(NEWSER) — Pope Francis continues to show he's anything but traditional. During a recent public appearance, Francis comforted a boy whose dog had died, noting, "One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God's creatures."
Theologians say Francis — who took his papal name from the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi — was only speaking conversationally.
But the remark is being seen by some as a reversal of conservative Catholic theology that states because they are soulless, animals can't go to heaven,The New York Times reports.
In 1990, Pope John Paul II said animals have souls, but his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, gave a 2008 sermon that seemed to say the opposite.
Francis' comment has now sparked a new debate on the subject, and the Humane Society says it has been flooded with e-mails. If Francis does, in fact, believe animals have souls, "then we ought to seriously consider how we treat them," a rep says. "We have to admit that these are sentient beings, and they mean something to God."
PETA is also running with Francis' remark, suggesting Catholics should move toward a vegan lifestyle.
Animal souls aside, a recent Pew survey finds Francis has a 60% approval rating worldwide and 78% approval in the US, the Washington Post reports.
I'm shocked. I would have thought a Cat-a-holic Pope would be on the side of the felines. Still, this seems like the sort of thing only the most dogmatic of his followers would follow. I'm not sure howl well it will go over with the puplic.
I suppose most of us will have to stick with their own purrsonal convictions.
Klawz-Ramming is a subset of citrus fruit?
Gwar- "And everyone wants a bigger Spleen!"
Mercurial wrote:
I admire your aplomb and instate you as Baron of the Seas and Lord Marshall of Privateers.
Orkeosaurus wrote:Star Trek also said we'd have X-Wings by now. We all see how that prediction turned out.
Orkeosaurus, on homophobia, the nature of homosexuality, and the greatness of George Takei.
English doesn't borrow from other languages. It follows them down dark alleyways and mugs them for loose grammar.
curran12 wrote: In 1990, Pope John Paul II said animals have souls, but his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, gave a 2008 sermon that seemed to say the opposite.
It's almost like they were 'making it up as they went along'... almost.
My childhood dog is probably one of the few 'beings' that I think I could stand having to spend eternity with. Paradise would certainly be lacking without him. He was good natured and intelligent, I still miss his personality. However, I suspect he was mainly hanging around with me because he was broke, and didn't know how to work the can opener. If heaven is a personal paradise then that shouldn't be an issue for him. Which makes me wonder, would he be there for his own benefit or for mine?
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/12/13 07:26:49
Mandorallen turned back toward the insolently sneering baron. 'My Lord,' The great knight said distantly, 'I find thy face apelike and thy form misshapen. Thy beard, moreover, is an offence against decency, resembling more closely the scabrous fur which doth decorate the hinder portion of a mongrel dog than a proper adornment for a human face. Is it possibly that thy mother, seized by some wild lechery, did dally at some time past with a randy goat?' - Mimbrate Knight Protector Mandorallen.
Excerpt from "Seeress of Kell", Book Five of The Malloreon series by David Eddings.
"You need not fear us, unless you are a dark heart, a vile one who preys on the innocent; I promise, you can’t hide forever in the empty darkness, for we will hunt you down like the animals you are, and pull you into the very bowels of hell." Iron - Within Temptation
SilverMK2 wrote: Do priests who do horrible things but say they are really sorry and love god go to heaven too?
If they actually mean it, yes.
Same deal as anyone else.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
(next pope clarifies that yes, cats can indeed go to heaven, where they follow their dreams of slaughtering humans and assorted cute animals by the bushel)
Insert atheist comment here
(ducks behind a wall template and casts deflection, camps rest of focus)
Quote from chromedog
and 40k was like McDonalds - you could get it anywhere - it wouldn't necessarily satisfy, but it was probably better than nothing.
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
The idea of heaven is quite interesting to me personally. I'm not knowledgeable about the subject in the slightest, it'd be good to hear religious dakkanauts understanding of Heaven from their beliefs point of view.
My heaven is just being able to sleep forever.
Blokus wrote: Dogs do not go to heaven. Nothing goes to heaven, and if you believe that anything does you are an ignoramus.
If you don't care about heaven existing or not, why do you bother posting?
Medium of Death wrote: The idea of heaven is quite interesting to me personally. I'm not knowledgeable about the subject in the slightest, it'd be good to hear religious dakkanauts understanding of Heaven from their beliefs point of view.
My heaven is just being able to sleep
Whenever I think of heaven, it makes me wonder, is it just peace there? Is it like a 5 star resort forever? Do I still get carnal desires? If not will we still be the same people? With our desires no longer making us act in the same way
will I still be able to get drunk?
I'm a staunch atheist, so I tend to be fairly dismissive of ideas such as 'heaven' and the afterlife. However, recently I've been reading a little about Christopher Langan, who is alleged to have an IQ of around 200. His idea about the universe is that it can only be understood as a physical AND a mental construct. While this sounds a little bit Star Trek, it appeals to me because the deeper we look at the universe the more paradoxical and impossible it seems. Concepts such as order, chaos, infinity, nothing -- they are all deeply paradoxical. Unable to exist together but meaningless without each other. The universe is quite dream-like in nature.
Christopher Langan has suggested that heaven exists in so far as thought creates things. This is a philosophical take that I can get on board with in some sense. However, the Pope having a direct line to Yahweh, and they chat about if cats and dogs get to go up some white escalator to heaven is clearly BS. I'm actually with Blokus on that one.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2014/12/14 07:21:07
I'm around death quite a bit (it's part of my job, see), so I'd like to think that something was up there. Maybe we all have our personal heaven? Maybe Medium of Death is right and it's nothing but a long sleep..Which sounds sooo good right now.
I guess we believe in whatever makes us comfortable. If I was with a loved one at the moment of their death then I'd like to think that they were going somewhere palatable, be they human or animal. You want the best for the ones that you love, right?
Smacks wrote:I'm a staunch atheist, so I tend to be fairly dismissive of ideas such as 'heaven' and the afterlife. However, recently I've been reading a little about Christopher Langan, who is alleged to have an IQ of around 200. His idea about the universe is that it can only be understood as a physical AND a mental construct. While this sounds a little bit Star Trek, it appeals to me because the deeper we look at the universe the more paradoxical and impossible it seems. Concepts such as order, chaos, infinity, nothing -- they are all deeply paradoxical. Unable to exist together but meaningless without each other. The universe is quite dream-like in nature.
Christopher Langan has suggested that heaven exists in so far as thought creates things. This is a philosophical take that I can get on board with in some sense.
Blokus wrote: Dogs do not go to heaven. Nothing goes to heaven, and if you believe that anything does you are an ignoramus.
Comments made like this really don't help or add anything to the discussion.
It's much better all round if we can at least phrase our thoughts/opinions in much less confrontational manner, or at the very least not be insulting to a considerable number of other human beings for no good reason.
.. anyway let's ignore this and move on.
Thank you.
The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
off.
and 
WIP
5000pts 
6000pts 
3000pts
