Talisman, it's not hard to get a bite from Al and Runner.

They are programmed as cartoon-Christians to act like, well, cartoon characters I suppose.

But I like this from Al:

"He [Pell] said: (in the broadest, most general sense)

"a)Life without God was 'life without purpose, without constraints'".

Funny eh? When these people regard the purpose of life is to keep having children like there is no tomorrow, yet their leaders, all male, of course, pretend they are celibate, and have no desire to have children at all.

So, Pell's life is one without purpose, yet the Vatican generally, as we all know from so many years of gutter exposures of their base behaviour-presumably somewhat distant from the gods they aspire to serve- are most certainly "without constraints".

Al must be thinking of the sex parties and orgies the sexually repressed get into all the time, from the fundie end of town.

I don't think I've ever even got a whiff of a sex party going on amongst the filthy evil atheists I know, and have known over many years.

But he is right about the undue influence of those horrible xtian pressure groups, changing laws all the time to take us all back to pre-Enlightenment days.

I suppose only someone who has been to a sex party, or watched any pornography, could tell whether or not they were 'coarse', so I'll defer to Al's greater experiences there, and accept that Al thought they were when he was there, so that's good enough for me too.

And I do agree with him that those xtian groups who seek to change laws are indeed sleazy, in fact, I'd say they are VERY sleazy.

I thought Jesus wanted to change the world, and that other fella, the Muslim guy, didn't he want the world changed too?

Probably all commos too.

runner, Thursday, 9 December 2010 1:42:23 PM

That assumes a degree of clearing - optimal or not - would have stopped the fires starting or spreading: a pretty big assumption. Your statement was not scientifically speaking, either.

Pell ... what a disgrace to the human race he is ! ! !

He has been in a position where he could have done so much good, but all that has sprouted from his mouth has been divisive and self-righteous rubbish.

History will judge him very harshly.

BTW: Great article, Chrys.

What a story! It amazes me how good (fairly ordinary) people can be vilified by an eminent (hopefully, not ordinary) person of the type of Herr Pell.
No more to be said, except to praise Chrys S. for her article.
"Good on 'ya!"
by,
Justmick.

I don't think Cardinal Pell is a good example of religion as the foundation for better humanity; I suspect him more of encouraging a sense of belonging and superiority amongst conservative Catholics by assuring them of how much worse people aren't conservative Catholics are. It's not a tactic unique to Catholics, having been lectured on the evils of Catholics, Mormons and Muslims etc by adherents of other varieties of religious belief. The most dislike - blurring into quite slanderous accusations - seemed not to be aimed at atheism but at other forms of religion. In a sense atheism is a less controversial target for criticism from Pell who has to be smart enough to avoid incitement of religious hatred.

There are certainly better examples of worthwhile attitudes allied to religious belief than that expressed by Cardinal Pell - showing compassion, giving charity, supporting education without turning it into opportunity to proselytize. I think that the religious, especially the narrow minded kind that condemns or dismisses the views of those that disagree with them could do with a bit more humanistic scepticism and critical thinking and less fervent faith.

There can be religious reasons for compassion and charity outside the family, clan, or tribe but religions don't have a monopoly. As the article shows, atheists do it too and probably with more interest in evidence based achievement of objectives.

Religions not only do not have a monopoly, they don't even have a solid basis for anything of any value in the first place.

Pell should be on charges of being a pig-ignorant ar seole in the first place, followed up by being a promoter of total ignorance as a way of life.

I've just been to a Catholic funeral... 'Jesus', if I can use that phrase here, but its full of mumbo along with good guidance for getting over a sad event.

But why bother with the mumbo?

To control people in moments of sadness during their 'normal' life.

To HELL with PELL.