Im confused why people think a religion should change its core beliefs?
People say, “They could get more members if they change.” Those people really have no clue what they are talking about, this is not a club that is trying to recruit members any way possible. lol
I’m on my phone now but when I have some time at my computer I’ll explain why you’re each wrong. 
If religion doesn’t “progress,” what was/is it considered when new areas are conquered in the name of religion?
It’s not a club. It’s a business. If they change their stance they could gain new customers.
Firstly, the church regularly has to change it’s core beliefs as often as they are proven wrong.
With that said, the article referred to the gospel roots of the church and is really about how the new pope will change the direction, not belief, of the church; so i don’t know where you guys were going with your comments.
you were being sarcastic right? because one of the core issues facing the church is the rise in secularism and the rate at which people are fleeing the church in favour of ‘modern temptations’;to quote the article.
My post was a barb at how the initial direction of the new pope, though noble, will not address the core challenges facing the church.
I’m not here to defend religion, but I find so many people are against something that they can’t properly define let alone understand. In much the same way as a homophobic person is homophobic even though they’ve never know a gay person or been gay themselves.
I was addressing your comments about the church progressing, not the content of the article at all:
I took from this that you (along with many others) were somehow expecting this pope to moderate the churches stance on something like gay marriage or abortion, which I pointed out was contrary to how a religion functions since these are core issues and therefore a silly thing to expect.
But then again if you were being sarcastic, it would imply that you knew this was a silly thing to expect. In that case we’re on the same page, lol.
For example… ? And don’t cite flat-earth vs. round earth, the age of the planet, etc. because these are not core beliefs. 
A core belief is something that if it were changed, it would cause a whole new religion to have to be formed. Like knocking out legs on a chair or pillars of a structure; the whole thing wouldn’t stand and need to be defined as something else or held up some other way. Jesus was a robot, etc.
I think you might be confusing denominations or lumping all of Christianity into one religion, but I could be wrong. Let me try to explain (I’m tired, lol);
a) When a bunch of Catholics got together and decided they could talk directly to God, they were no longer Catholics. They became Protestants.
b) When a bunch of Protestants got together and decided they didn’t agree with slavery, they were no longer Protestants. They became Wesleyans.
In example a) the Catholic church had a core stance that a group didn’t agree with. In Example b) the church did NOT have a stance but a group felt it should be a core issue.
At some point a bunch of Catholics will get together and decided marriage between 2 dudes is cool, or life doesn’t start at conception but at the moment of birth. At that point they will no longer be Catholics but they’ll be __________. (to be named after the person who breaks away from the church most likely.)
Why hasn’t this happened yet if so many Catholics are cool with gay marriage and abortions? Don’t ask me, ask a Catholic, lol.
We’re not talking about geographical expansion of a religion (for whatever reason) we’re talking about changing that religion’s core beliefs.
Politics gains new “customers” that way not a religion. If, as I’ve described above, a member of a religion no longer believes that religion is correct then a new religion is formed. Politics allows for multiple core issues to be contrary with one another, I’m sure we can all cite examples.
Sure they make money, no doubt there. Almost $200 BILLION in the US or something? But a 2000 year old religion with 1.6 BILLION followers (who provide 50% of the care industry in the US, and where about 50% of their money goes BTW) doesn’t need to gain new customers.
There will be puffs of white smoke coming from that chimney in Rome long after we’re dead, our kids are dead, and their kids are dead…
… unless Robot Jesus returns first…
This whole thread is funny lol.
josh, that was a great post. i am disarmed.
Bravo.
As the great George Carlin said:
So I was watching “The Bible” last night and the Devil made an appearance, it just so happens he looks like the Anti-Christ himself BHO.
Barack’s career must really be taking off.
Curious what you mean by this. There’s no real conflict with the Catholic faith and Theory of Evolution. Creationism isn’t supported by the Church. That’s a fundamentalist christian thing.
^It depends on who you ask. Some believe God created everything and that was it. Others Believe God created everything and evolution took over from there. Others believe God is a crock of shit and Science did all the work.
I don’t think anybody believe science is a thing that did something, but rather a mechanism that explains why things happened. Who knows, maybe one day since will show god exists?
cue higgs boson tweets
I’m not talking about individual beliefs. I’m talking about the position of the Catholic Church, and it doesn’t endorse creationism.