Pope Francis allows for Atheism

I am of two or three minds on this whole thing. The sardonic atheist in me gives it a big "Meh". It moves my needle about as high as someone telling me that I don't need to believe in Santa Claus in order to get nice gifts. It also seems like kind of a chicken shit sort of move given the number of non-believers in Europe. It has the feeling of closing the barn door after the cows are gone.At the same time, I sympathize with people like Tempe who may be having a tough time being "honest" with their family. While it may not affect me in any noticeable way, I can see how it can create bridges between friends and family members.Then comes the epiphany. If we put this into a historical context it really shows how far we have come. There is simply no way a Pope from the 8th century would have said this. Hell, we have Charlemagne converting pagans at the point of a sword during this era. I really get the feeling that we are starting to see the fruition of the Enlightenment. I think Voltaire would be proud.So, I'm all over the board with respect to this announcement. Overall, I can't really say anything really bad about it . . . so . . . Meh.

I really don't think this is limited to the RCC. A lot of protestant sects have become more "liberal" in recent times. I really see this as christian sects trying to stay relevant in an increasingly secular society. Christianity no longer holds the reigns like it once did in Western culture.In some sense, it feels insincere. Atheists and non-christians have been persecuted by the church for centuries, but now that christianity has lost it's political power they want to be all chummy chummy. Part of me wants to give them the finger . . . but, it is actually really nice to see people reaching out to other people because we are all humans and deserve to be recognized as fellow humans. It may be a little late, but at least it happened.

Really?When Charlemagne conquered the Visigoths he gave them two choices. They either had to convert to christianity or be executed. Many chose execution. Even in recent American history there were states who passed laws which banned atheists from holding public office."During the Inquisition, several of those accused of atheism or blasphemy, or both, were tortured or executed. These included a priest Giulio Cesare Vanini who was strangled and burned in 1619 and a Polish nobleman Kazimierz yszczyski who was executed in Warsaw,[3][9][10] as well as Etienne Dolet, a Frenchman executed in 1546. Though heralded as atheist martyrs during the nineteenth century, recent scholars hold that the beliefs espoused by Dolet and Vanini are not atheistic in modern terms"
Discrimination against atheists - WikipediaYou didn't even have to be "full" atheist, just a little. That's all it took to have your life threatened and have your rights taken away.Are you really unaware of the Church's history?

I clearly said atheists AND non-christians. I would love to see any evidence you have to back this up.Edited by Taq, : No reason given.

Seriously? Read up on the Inquisition. Let's see . . . religions have millions of followers who blindly follow the edicts of the priesthood . . . why would Nazis be inspired by this again? Oh, that's right. THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO DO!!! Do you think it was a coincidence that the phrase "Gott mit uns" was found on the buttons of SS uniforms? It was christians doing the persecution. I guess atheists, pagans, and muslims were in low numbers at the time, so they turned on themselves.

If we don't make mistakes how can we learn from them? Even more, should we restrict democracy based on religious views?Edited by Taq, : No reason given.

And yet, there it is as a part of christianity. I am not talking about a fantasy world of how you think christianity should be. I am talking about the real world. The Roman Catholic Church accepts the Nicene Creed and is therefore christian.Edited by Taq, : No reason given.