HI Chris 93! Were you born in '93?
RE: “Free from religion” is commonplace these days and extremely dangerous as you noted. No role models and followers by nature are descriptive of people I call “shallow” meaning no depth of religion, ethics, fairness, the common good, equity, goodness, sympathy and so forth. Just between me and you I believe that the very active, very vocal pro-aborts and their monetary contributors are psychopathic.
RE: .“Free from religion” is commonplace these days and extremely dangerous". I feel that the problem lies in the fact that so many people have been disappointed by the church, in various ways. Therefore there is lot of talk about hypocrisy. I have seen documentaries in which there are men’s groups in which the men who gather together, share their experiences of being sexually molested by priests in the church. Some of them turned to their parents for protection, but they were sent back into the hands of these same priests. Because. they were just little boys when these things happened, and they were told that these men represented God…it really left a profound emotional scar, and questions about religion with these people. Then there is the educational system which advises the public that science has all the answers and that religion is for primitive people. Then we have the media filled with so much nonsense, vidoes, etc. All these factors pollute the mind of the public, and it is all sanctioned by the governments of the world.
RE: … followers by nature are descriptive of people I call “shallow” meaning no depth of religion, ethics, fairness, the common good, equity, goodness, sympathy and so forth. But it is a sociological fact that most people are followers. This is why good leadership is required. If the leaders of nations really love and take care of their citizens, the people feel it, and want to be “part of the family”, and participate socially, in a healthy way. But when the leaders utilize their positions simply to maintain the status quo between the rich and the poor, and maintain low income for the masses…the result is that the man in the street feels that “It’s every man for himself. Nobody cares about me. These men in politics are taking care of themselves. They make promises that they don’t keep. They are “ripping us off”. So I am going to get a piece of the action.” And therefore the nation is filled with scams, on the web, on the phones. It is all because the people at the top are dishonest. Even the president of the U.S. has some 35 felony counts against him.
As far as ethics goes, Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This is not a sentiment. It is also a warning. No one gets away with anything. This is God’s law…what scripture calls “sewing and reaping.” But people are simply not educated to understand these things. If a man knew that we cannot get away with anything…he would not try to be dishonest.
I am not in a position to admonish you or anyone else, Chris. I was just feeling some sympathy for Stephen. Yes, he is eccentric, and probably experiences rejection in different ways in different sectors. But he wants to be part of our little group. And yes, Mother Mary, I can only imagine that she is specially chosen by God to have Jesus within her womb. She must be a very special spiritual being. In a sense, the concept of God is somewhat broad in Catholicism, to include the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Surely Mary is part of the family. In a broader sense God includes God and His family of spiritual associates in the spiritual realm, some of whom come to our planet to give us teachings. I know that we must accept the dogma as it is given to us by higher authority in the church, but the fact that Stephen holds Mother Mary in great esteem is not a bad thing. I know that Catholics pray to Mother Mary on their rosary beads. In any case, I am finding that the kinder I am to others, the more my heart feels better. I am slow in following my own advice…but I am trying to move forward.
Best wishes, Peter
