The Pope has passed away

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

I recall at one point he laid a lot of blame on the worlds ills on "atheism" - which I think, was a euphamism/synonym to him for communism. Still, replace that noun with a more familiar one, and it was hate speech pure and simple.

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! )