The movie we are watching in class

The mission is a very powerful movie.  It shows the true importnace in life.  It isnt the new electronics and the new game systems, and nice clothes.  It is about each other and about God.  The indians really display this, and they know where to put their priorities.

The Jesuits also show great courage and bravery.  The stand up for what is right. They do not give in to the power hungry king.  They know that they are very important to the indians.  The mission that the Jesuits started is now their home,  and they want to protect it and stay therre.

From auto shop to synagogue

The old Chevrolet paint and body shop was an empty space with no use.  A new Jewish community in Atlanta saw it as a new home for their place of worship.  Since 2003 this group had gone from place to place renting buildings for their weekly service.  As the community grew they would have to find someplace bigger.  

In 2010 the community bought the land and building.  Nothing was sacred about the auto shop. It was spacious and affordable.  Their budget was 4.8 million, and they wanted To take as little to the landfill as possible. At the completion the members were wowed. People are amazed to learn of the transformation. 

"From auto shop to sacred space." CNN Belief Blog RSS. CNN, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. 

The Pope has crosshairs on his forehead....

Pope Francis has recently started a crusade against corruption in the Catholic Church.  He has also sought to stop corruption in the Vatican Bank.  According to organized crime experts the Pope has put crosshairs on himself from the Italian Mafia.  Nicola Gratteri writes, "The strong will of Pope Francis, aiming to disrupt the gangrene power centers, puts him at risk. He disturbs the mafia very much.(Burke)"  

The Italian Mafia has obviously been part of the scandals in the Vatican Bank.  Within the past year there has been six different instances of suspicious activity.  They have been greatly upstted about the Popes will to reform the bank.  A deputy prosecuter in Southern Italy says she does not know the exact plans of the Mafia but if she did she wouldn't tell.

Burke, Daniel, and Livia Borghese. "Prosecutor: Pope faces threat from the mafia." CNN Belief Blog RSS. CNN, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

Aethiests no likey prayer

An aethiest that lives in uptown New-York recently brought up the matter of pray in public.  The Supreme Court is now getting involved.  At a town meeting a prayer is said to start it off.  Since she is aethiest she does not think the prayer should be said especially at a civil meeting.  

On  wednesday Justices will hear the arguements of the two sides.  They will make a decision on whether or not prayer on governemnt property will be allowed or not.  

CNN reporter writes, ""It's very divisive when you bring government into religion," Stephens told CNN from her home. "I don't believe in God, and Susan is Jewish, so to hear these ministers talk about Jesus and even have some of them who personally question our motives, it's just not appropriate."."

Mears, Bill. "Supreme Court to review dispute over public prayers." CNN Belief Blog RSS. N.p., 1 Nov. 2013. Web. 2 Nov. 2013

Steven Colbert says BANG BANG to the Pople

Steven Colbert, a Christian comedian, recently poked fun at the pope.  Although a christian, he does not agree with all the actions of the pope.  Part of his words can be considered for show, but most people do not realize this, and they take him literally.  He puts a bad image on the pope.

Here are some quotes from Colbert:

-"saying that if the pontiff were in charge of the white-tie charity event, it would have been held at an IHOP, not New York's glitzy Waldorf-Astoria hotel."

-"'But it's not just his humble lifestyle,' Colbert continued. 'He's off message. He says Catholics need to stop obsessing about homosexuality, contraception and abortion. For Pete's sake, we need something to obsess about now that `Breaking Bad' is over.'"

Burke, Daniel. "Stephen Colbert roasts the Pope." CNN Belief Blog RSS. N.p., 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.

Oprah and Aethiests

Oprah recently interviewed an aethiest swimmer by the name of Diana Nyad. This is an exerpt from their conversation.

"Nyad, 64, who swam from Cuba to Key West last month, said “I can stand at the beach’s edge with the most devout Christian, Jew, Buddhist, go on down the line, and weep with the beauty of this universe and be moved by all of humanity — all the billions of people who have lived before us, who have loved and hurt.”

Winfrey responded, “Well I don’t call you an atheist then.”

Winfrey went on, “I think if you believe in the awe and the wonder and the mystery then that is what God is… It’s not a bearded guy in the sky.”"

While Oprah may have wanted good, the Aethiest audience did not like it.  The audience perceived it as if Oprah was saying that aethiest don't experience awe and wonder.  

Stedman, Chris . "What Oprah gets wrong about atheism – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs." CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs. CNN, 16 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2013. 

Ex-Pope on Sexual Harassment

The ex-pope says he never tried to cover up the abuse of priests.  This is the most threatening thing to his legacy as a church leader.  He wrote a letter in response to an aethiest newswrite that had written the letter in 2011.  He accused Bennedict of trying to cover it up, but Benedict says he didn't.

Before this Benedict did well in steering away from public attention.  This was the first time that he emerged from his monestary.  When Benedict made his decision of retiring, he knew he would have to stay quiet.  This was an instance where it was okay for him to speak out.

 Burke, Daniel. "Ex-pope breaks silence, denies cover up – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs." CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs. CNN, 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Sept. 2013. <http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/24/ex-pope-breaks-silence-denies-sex-abuse-cover-ups/>.

Why does everyone like the pope so much?

As we all know, Pope Francis is a very loved pope.  There isn't anybody who doesn't like him.  But why is this?  Jesuit journalists interviewed the pope, and they made a list of the five lines of the pope that stood out to them.  

1.“My authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative."

2. “A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality.  I replied with another question: ‘Tell me, when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person, or reject and condemn this person? We must always consider the person.”

3. “The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent."

4. “If the Christian is a restorationist, a legalist, if he wants everything clear and safe, then he will find nothing.”

5. “I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition.  It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.”

The pope is obviously a very strong individual.  He knows what he believes and he is great at making other people believe it as well.  He is great at explaining teachings, and he is very east to like.  There is really nothing about him that you can't like.  

"New interview shows why the pope is so beloved – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs." CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. <http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/19/what-does-the-pope-interview-mean/>.

Yid in English football

Lately in English football fans have been chanting the word yid.  This is an anti-semeiotic word.  The fans in England are obviously really harsh and get into the game.  They still need to think about what they are saying.  Most players are so into the game that these types of things don't affect them much.  It puts a bad image on the league though.

The Fa has warned the fans to stop.  They want to keep the English football league clean.  They want to keep the reputation good, and they want to make sure no one discriminates.  They are doing a great job, and some Strake Jesuit fans need a rule like this at St. Thomas games.

"English Football Association issues 'yid' warning – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs." CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. <http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/12/english-football-association-issues-yid-warning/>.

Survey says.... NO!!!!!!!!!

As we all know the recent gas bombs in Syria have caused quite a problem in the international community.  The U.S.(Barack Obama) wants to take military action.  The rest of the international community says no and backs out.  As of now it looks like Obama will be shot down and military action will not go through.

The Pope recently wrote a letter to all of the G-20 countries and tried to persuade them to not take military action against syria and try to find a peaceful solution.  He was upset by the countries for putting their own interests above everything and not being able to find a peaceful solution.   U.S. Catholic leaders also urged Obama and congress not to use military force to find a solution.  They urged them to find a way to peacefully defuse the situation.

Twitter=heaven? #hashtag

As we all know the pope recently made a twitter account, and it has made a Big Bang in the media.  The latest rumor is that the pope stated that following him on twitter would bring you to heaven.  This is obviously not what he meant.  People are always trying to find a way to accuse the pope of doing something wrong, and this is just another example.

Before world Youth Day in Brazil, the Pope offered an indulgence to those who went.  He made it clear the the people who went had to repent and truly be sorry for their sins.  He also added a part to those who were following electronically.  The Pope went to those who couldn't attend because of financial issues or being sick, but tried to follow along through twitter.  The media took it that the pope meant if you followed him on twitter you would go to Heaven.

Martin, Rev. James. "Sorry, retweeting the pope won't get you out of hell – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs." CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs. CNN, 17 July 2013. Web. 29 Aug. 2013. <http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/17/sorry-you-cant-get-out-of-hell-by-retweeting-the-pope/>.

Not all are atheists are the same #2chainzzzzzzz #imdifferent

Researchers at the university of Tennessee ran a study and found that many types of atheists and agnostics in this world.  They found six different types.  Just like the diverseness of christianity, non-belief is the same way.  These researchers interviewed 59 people and based these categories off of the answers.  They think that in a few years there could be many more different branches or types of non-belief.

The Six Types

1) Intellectual Atheist/agnostic

this type seeks information and likes to argue on websites

2) Activist

this type is not only a solid non-believer but they want everyone to know why they don't believe and try to persuade.  Very vocal

3)seeker-agnostic

this group does not know if there is a God but they keep an open-mind

4)Anti-theist

regularly speak out against religion and think of people who have a religion as ignorant

5)non-theist

do not involve themselves in religion or non-religion

6)Ritual-theist

do not believe in god and do not associate with religion. they do not believe in an afterlife, but they think some religious teachings/traditions are useful

Merica, Dan. "Behold, the six types of atheists – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs." CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs. CNN, 15 July 2013. Web. 23 Aug. 2013. <http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/15/the-six-types-of-atheists/>.