RELIGION....(part 2)

[tearsforfears]

---

Hmmn...religions...devils...angels...etc...etc...a ll this friggin' stuff are worthless...worthless...all that matter are the stuff you do to your fellows...hmmn...i prefer not to blab my anticipations and frustrations here about the stuff you're debating...one thing I want to say is...there's no such thing as heaven or hell...all are just from the friggin' imaginatons of ancient scholar mortals to justify their faiths and beliefs...err...that's my friggin' opinion...so spare me with your arguments...err

That's a bold thing to say. Yes, lots of people don't believe in heaven and hell.

That would also tantamount to saying a lot of people are not Christians because heaven and hell are basic doctrines of Christianity.

Disbelief in heaven and hell therefore is atheism.

[Gwynhuever]

@tearsforfears...di man sad siguro conclusive bro....ako i believe in God...as in grabe jud nga pagtuo...pero i don't believe in hell.....di ko makatuo nga sa ka buotan ug ka masinabtanon ug ka all loving sa akong God....allow siya ug hell.....aw ako lang sad na ha....

[mannyamador]

I cannot see the incompatibility between a loving God and hell.

Why should a loving God force those who don't love Him to adore Him for all eternity? That would be unjust.

Hell is ETERNAL SEPARATION from God, and the suffering there is the pain of loss. Those who go to hell are those who have chosen NOT to love God. Therefore a loving God let's them be away from Him. To say there cannot be hell because God is a loving God is to totally misunderstand the concepts of love and hell.

God bless!

[mosimos]

RISING CHURCH ATTENDANCE IN CONNECTICUT

Bridgeport, April 12, 2006 (CNA) - Despite a widespread priestly sexual abuse scandal which has shaken the Catholic Church in the U.S. over recent years, Mass attendance is actually on the rise in a number of dioceses. In the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut for example, attendance at 87 parishes is up by 14 percent this year, reported WTNH TV.

Diocesan officials say they can't pinpoint why exactly attendance is up other than the fact that priests in the diocese have been working hard to reach out to their church communities with different programs and activities to nurture the faith.

Msgr. William Shultz told WTNH TV that the diocese had to rebuild the faith of the community after the 2001 sexual abuse scandal. He said it involved much dialogue and reconciliation.

"I hope they realize we all need faith and Christ in our lives, especially when you look around the world and see what's happening," the monsignor told the television station.

The nearby Archdiocese of Hartford says it has also seen an increase in attendance.

[mosimos]

SEMINARIES FULL IN SOUTHERN INDIA
Facility in Chennai Is Turning Away Candidates

KOENIGSTEIN, Germany, APRIL 11, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Vocations in India seem to be booming as increasing numbers of young men stepping forward to prepare for the priesthood.


In a recent interview with the international charity Aid to the Church in Need, Father Ignatius Prasad, rector of the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Chennai (formerly Madras), gave this optimistic assessment of the Church.


The priest explained that his seminary now has 286 students and that -- due to a lack of space -- he had to turn away 23 candidates, who have been forced to continue their training elsewhere.


The seminary is one of four in southern India with a combined total of almost 800 students from 28 dioceses. More than 60 of them are due to be ordained to the priesthood next month.


In Chennai, there were now more than 30 students in each year-group in the seminary's theology section, double the number in the late 1980s, Father Prasad said.


"Vocations are going up; this has been the case for the last five years or so," the rector said. "We find it difficult to admit all the applicants and set a tight deadline for them to get their papers in on time."


Father Prasad revealed that there was growing "political pressure" to limit the growth of the Church with a new anti-conversion law introduced in the state of Tamil Nadu: Preaching in public is forbidden and would-be converts to Christianity now face a barrage of paperwork thrust upon them by government officials.


Retreats, sodalities


The seminary rector said that people were turning to the Church in protest against the new regulations.


"The more pressure they put on people, the more they feel like proclaiming their faith," he said.


The priest went on to explain that lively youth programs were drawing people to the faith and encouraging men to discern a possible vocation to the priesthood. Retreats, sodalities and altar serving had all helped to boost the number of seminarians.


He also praised the work of Aid to the Church in Need, describing how the charity had supported key training for seminary staff, Mass intentions, library books and a generator.


"What we feel is so important," Father Prasad added, "is to help the students to realize what they are learning about is not so much an academic subject but a mystery, something that is very personal and with a strong human dimension to it."

[mosimos]

MEDIA REPORTS SPIRITUAL REVIVAL IN GERMANY TRIGGERED BY BENEDICT XVI

BERLIN, April 19 (CNA) - The German newspaper Handelsblatt is reporting that Pope Benedict XVI has triggered a spiritual revival in his native country, which he will visit for the second time in September.

In a special edition for the first anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate, the German daily noted that in visiting his native country twice in such a short period of time, the Pontiff has set off a spiritual awakening among many Germans.

The article in Handelsblatt points out that the September trip is "not an official visit, but rather a visit to the roots of his life." While there exists among Germans a general euphoria about havi! ng the Pope so close, the article adds that "there is another perspective that many previously thought impossible and that must be pointed out: this 79 year-old wise man could spark in this moment a revival in the Church in Germany."

The newspaper also points out the impact that Pope Benedict XVI's visit for World Youth Day had on young people in Germany "in speaking to them about frustration, dissatisfaction and love in a way perhaps unlike any other pastor of the Catholic Church in Germany before."

"He awoke in young people especially, who see in the person of the Pope a true father and pastor, a true wave of optimism," the article states.

[mosimos]

BAPTISM OF ADULTS INCREASING STEADILY IN FRANCE

Paris, April 18, 2006 (CNA) - The number of adults receiving the sacraments of Christian initiation is increasing steadily in a country strongly affected by secularism. This year, 2.650 adults were baptized on the Easter vigil. This figure shows a steady increase from last year, when 2409 adults were baptized, according to figures from the national service of Catechumens of the French Bishops Conference (CEF).

The number of catechumens, refering to the adults currently preparing the sacraments of Christian initiation, grew as well, amounting to 9.564 in 2005 ( 9.364 in 2004) . This time of preparation lasts two years.

Among these adults entering the Catholic Church, 48% proceed from other Christian denominations, 5% from Islam, 3% from oriental religions and 22% were atheists. Adults receiving this sacrament of baptism, also receive the sacrament of Confirmation and participate for the first time in the Eucharist during the Easter vigil, steps that are taken progressively by children.

[scarecrow]

for me any religion will give us salvation.

only if we

be good (and give thanks and pray to HIM), and do good (and give thanks and pray to HIM).

that's it!

it's a very simple recipe for me and i'm sure God will bring me with HIM.

[Gwynhuever]

I cannot see the incompatibility between a loving God and hell.

Why should a loving God force those who don't love Him to adore Him for all eternity? That would be unjust.

Hell is ETERNAL SEPARATION from God, and the suffering there is the pain of loss. Those who go to hell are those who have chosen NOT to love God. Therefore a loving God let's them be away from Him. To say there cannot be hell because God is a loving God is to totally misunderstand the concepts of love and hell.

God bless!

bro..i do not believe in hell because i believe in reincarnation....and that is entirely a different topic....so let's just leave it at that...

[shoeless_rebel]

I cannot see the incompatibility between a loving God and hell.

Why should a loving God force those who don't love Him to adore Him for all eternity? That would be unjust.

Hell is ETERNAL SEPARATION from God, and the suffering there is the pain of loss. Those who go to hell are those who have chosen NOT to love God. Therefore a loving God let's them be away from Him. To say there cannot be hell because God is a loving God is to totally misunderstand the concepts of love and hell.

God bless!

bro..i do not believe in hell because i believe in reincarnation....and that is entirely a different topic....so let's just leave it at that...

ate gwyn, mu sunod ko gamay ha? pero naa difference sad gamay. i dont believe in the concept of hell but i haven't mmmm... should i say accepted the concept of reincarnation as of yet. kulang pa ako knowledge... pero i think hell is what you make of yourself while u are alive. and the concept of eternal suffering and an all loving all merciful god (whose mercy is rumored to be infinite) is simply contradicting. lisod i-reconcile. mao ni ang issue sa monoteism gyud... lisod i reconcile ang pain ang suffering sa all loving god figure and at the same time sa concept of a god made flesh. maybe thats the reason why they invented the concept of devils as well as the concept of the holy trinity. para lusot... this is just my opinion and i hope walay ma offend na catholics...