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Pope Francis rocked some religious and atheist minds today when he declared that everyone was redeemed through Jesus, including atheists.

During his homily at Wednesday Mass in Rome, Francis emphasized the importance of "doing good" as a principle that unites all humanity, and a "culture of encounter" to support peace.

Using scripture from the Gospel of Mark, Francis explained how upset Jesus' disciples were that someone outside their group was doing good, according to a report from Vatican Radio.

“They complain,” the Pope said in his homily, because they say, “If he is not one of us, he cannot do good. If he is not of our party, he cannot do good.” And Jesus corrects them: “Do not hinder him, he says, let him do good.” The disciples, Pope Francis explains, “were a little intolerant,” closed off by the idea of ​​possessing the truth, convinced that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good.” “This was wrong . . . Jesus broadens the horizon.” Pope Francis said, “The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation”

Pope Francis went further in his sermon to say:

"The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can... "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!".. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

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Gay Pride Week in OK. One day before worst tornado in HISTORY!


PPSIMMONS News Exclusive
May 21, 2013

Another striking coincidence ... or something else? While we are deeply saddened by the horrific loss of life and the destruction of families and community in Moore, Oklahoma - it is also a fact that just one day before the worst tornado in the history of the planet strikes Oklahoma - Gay Pride Week is announced to begin on the Lord's Day - Sunday at 4:00 pm. This particular Sunday also happened to be the day of Pentecost for 2013 - the birthday of the Church of Jesus. (Hear Pastor Carl Gallups' sermon for Pentecost Sunday HERE.) For those who know the Word of God - this seems like an ominous connection. We are simply pointing out the correlation. Our prayers are with the dear people of Moore.


http://www.okcpride.org/ GAY PRIDE WEEK WEBSITE
The website proclaims - 2013 Gay Pride Week - Starts SUNDAY at 4:00 P.M.
The next day - the worst tornado in the history of the planet!


Moore, Oklahoma: 'Perhaps the Worst Tornado in the History of the Planet'
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sh...#ixzz2Tviy6PKO

HERE IS A SITE LISTING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR MOORE, OK. Please get involved in helping the people of Oklahoma:
http://www.babble.com/kid/relief-for-moore-oklahoma

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TAKE TIME TO READ. It's worth reading it. Trust me :)

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theatre became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

P.S.

I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends / colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?

Forward this to increase their knowledge … or FAITH.

By the way, that student was EINSTEIN

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In a post titled “Can Science Lead to Faith?,” Gary Marcus writes, “Most scientists I know are nonbelievers, convinced that there is no deity, or at least there is no convincing evidence of one.” On the other hand, practically all the politicians I know of claim to be believers, with “claim to be” as the operative phrase.

On this issue, I’ll let my cartoons speak for themselves.



Perhaps they’re not speaking loudly enough. Just to clear up any ambiguity, I’m not a believer, or even agnostic, I’m an atheist (denomination: Jewish). That means the God I don’t believe in is different from the God you don’t believe in if, for example, you’re a Muslim atheist, a Catholic atheist, or a Protestant atheist. But if we’re all wrong and God actually does exist, in my opinion He’s going to turn out to be Jewish. At least, I certainly hope so, because if He is Jewish I figure He can take a joke.

That’s my opinion. Is it representative of other cartoonists? Here’s a sample from an informal poll I took—I couldn’t find my tux for a formal one.

Frank Cotham:

I think of myself as a believer, but without interference from a church.



Jack Ziegler:

Agnostic, I suppose, but it’s not something I ever think about. Raised Catholic, but stopped at age thirteen, when I realized what a load it was. Don’t like any religions at this point—think they’re all nuts to one degree or another. And they cause way too much trouble in the world—as they always have.

Don’t get me started.



Roz Chast:

I’m an agnostic. I would be an atheist, except that when I was a young ’un I took L.S.D. a few times, and, especially the first time, had an experience that made me not so sure of my atheism. When I am old and farther along Decrepit Highway than I am now, I want to try them mind-expanding chemicals again. Because what will there be to lose?



Michael Shaw:

It’s too big of a question for just one answer. And I’ve always been skeptical of passing judgments on the spiritual world while still mired in my mortal coil. It seems that with this test, the best you can hope for is an incomplete. Though I do admire people who can take a firm stand in one camp or another. They’re usually kind of annoying, but in a sincere way. Plus, I just took a job at Xavier University, in Cincinnati, a fine Jesuit institution. And with a Jesuit Pope, I might have connections. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I was raised a Southern Baptist (those who will not make love standing up lest God think they’re dancing). I am married to a fine Catholic woman, so I do have Christianity fairly well covered. My daughter says she wishes she was Jewish. I told her, Go marry a Jewish guy, that’s close enough.

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