Well, as someone who is gay, I can say in no uncertain terms that I felt at times that what he said was hurtful and disappointing. But I also realize that this came from what his religion taught him. I really couldn't expect him to go against his faith. Likewise, it is hard to imagine the leader and spokesperson of his religion saying "I'm cool with atheists not believing what I think is the most important factor of human existence." He believed that those that didn't believe were subjecting themselves to eternal torment and suffering. If that is what you believe, you are going to do your best to change people because you truly think that is what is best for them. Now, I don't have to believe the same thing and I don't. But I can understand that, in his view, he wasn't coming from a place of hate, but rather of love.

I remember when my grandfather told me at the dinner table one night that "The Beatles are responsible for destroying this country with their music and their drugs." He was telling this to someone who had already worn out most of my Beatles albums from hundreds of listens. I realized though that we only have our own life experiences in which to base our decisions on things. He came from a very different time and place than I did. As uninformed as he may have been, in his heart, he believed his position was correct. That had a profound effect on me to learn that I could respect someone and still think that some of their opinions are totally out of touch with reality. ( Hi scaeagles! :))

Well, I guess I'll choose to be flattered that thinking of your grandfather would remind you of me rather than pointing out it is because you thought he was out of touch with reality. :)

And those Beatles did ruin our country, dag nab it!

i hear ya, sister:snap: :evil:

In high school, we always called priests like that "Fr. Whatawaste".

I must see a photo of Fr. Whatawaste!

I think MBC has pretty much summed up everything I'd like to say perfectly.

While I may not agree with him or the church all the time, I do have respect for the position he held, much the same way I do for the president or other leader of a large group. It is not always an easy job, and the decisions he made affects many people. I happened to be with my parents at a catholic church function yesterday, and seeing how the Pope's condition affected them reinforced that point.
My thoughts are with those that are touched by this loss.

CNN has PLENTY of coverage if you want more. I don't think they have covered anything else today.

:p

[Derail cont.]If the "sins" were juicy enough, you may have been doing him a favor, but that is just my state of mind right now. :eek: [/derail]