Pope Francis: Atheists Are Alright!

by Good German on May 26, 2013 in News
Mary Elizabeth Williams writes at Salon:

In a message delivered Wednesday via Vatican Radio, the new pontiff distinguished himself with a call for tolerance and a message of support – and even admiration – toward nonbelievers.

Naturally, a guy whose job it is to lead the world’s largest Christian faith is still going to come at his flock with a Jesus-centric message. But he’s taking it in an encouraging new direction. In his message, Francis dissed the apostles for being “a little intolerant” and said, “All of us have this commandment at heart: Do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not (a) Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can. He must. Not can: must.”

And the pope spoke of the need to meet each other somewhere on our on common ground. “This commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: We need that so much. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.” It was a deeper affirmation of his comments back in March, when he declared that the faithful and atheists can be “precious allies… to defend the dignity of man, in the building of a peaceful coexistence between peoples and in the careful protection of creation.”

That’s a message that’s vastly different from Catholicism’s traditional “We’re number one!” dogma. Six years ago, the Vatican reasserted the church’s stance that while there may be “elements of sanctification and truth” in other faiths, “that fullness of grace and of truth… has been entrusted to the Catholic Church.” In other words, close but no cigar, everybody else.

The pope was not, of course, addressing the non-believers of the world in his Wednesday sermon, or trying to win them over. Instead, he was telling his Catholics about the importance of cutting outsiders slack. And it’s a hugely important message for Christians to hear. It’s not about being right. It’s about being loving. And it’s a necessary concept, one that needs to be expressed again and again, in a world in which the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in Virginia is justifying his repulsive hate speech against gays and lesbians because “I’m a Christian, not because I hate anybody, but because I have religious values that matter to me.” Coming within a week when atheists have been stepping into the spotlight here in America with their own messages of live-and-let-live tolerance, it’s downright refreshing to get a similar message from the biggest Christian in the world.

There are plenty of atheists out there who will no doubt take the pope’s message with a grain of salt or even flat-out disdain. The last thing somebody who doesn’t believe in heaven could possibly need is some guy in a funny hat telling them that they’re okay in God’s eyes anyway. But maybe, whatever we believe or don’t believe, we can consider that the man is on to something when he speaks about “the culture of encounter.”

Read more here.

The Pope? The "biggest" Christian in the world? ha! Sorry, but he is simply a sinful man just like the rest of us. He is nothing more than a puppet to a bunch of fools who believe in him.. A man-made idol for more mindless idiots to adore and worship.

This is all propaganda to promote, "The New World Order" B.S.
Eventually, they will have 100% control of the population with the technology to enslave the people against their will to accept their corrupt beliefs. even though they'll claim to never use this technology against their own people, but experiment with it overseas in foreign countries also forcing countries to accept the "Federal Reserve" bank that is run by the Rothschild's the very family associated with corrupt church, ironic isn't it? These religious criminals have mastered the art of deception and corruption and have been in power for centuries. Oh, and don't dismiss the "Jesuit Order" either the secret army of the Pope.. One of the most powerful and corrupt organizations in the world is the "Roman Catholic Church" and let's not forget either, "Islam" originated from this religion and eventually separated.. Why, do you think the U.S.A. is at war on "terrorism?" There is more behind the mask; this is what they want you to believe you should realize the problems are rooted deep from within.. Especially, when comedians tell more truth than the state run media.

Do not overlook the corrupt corporations and the GMO's the (Genetically Modified Organisms), there are way too many "brain dead" folks.. There is too much information in the world, unfortunately, people are too lazy to actually have to use any "critical thinking" skills and/or "reasoning" to get to the bottom of the issues.. The entire system is broken, even the educational system is screwed, why? Well, do your research and come to your own conclusions..

-Merica A Relic
"Ultimately enthralling & entertaining"

noone is too dumb to teach someone else SOMETHING,,,,or too religious, or too atheist,,,etc,,,