How great it is that the Catholic Church can do all of my thinking for me...I can get back to my Holy Deeds now...

1. Torturing people to death for questioning religious dogma.
2. Starting holy wars.
3. Suppressing any science that refutes official doctrine. (Galileo, anyone?)
4. Teaching that birth control and non-procreational sex are wrong.
5. Thinking you speak exclusively for God.
6. Supporting fascist dictators. (Mussolini and Franco, anyone?)
7. Making up a complicated theology that goes far beyond what the New Testament says.

As an official pope of the Church of the Subgenius (TM), I hereby ex-communicate the pope for being a pretentious ass. And also looking like Palpatine from Star Wars...

I really wouldn't expect the Vatican or the Catholic church to condone the use of drugs, but the ostracism of "morally debatable scientific experiments", genetic studies, and DNA reseach seems like it should be beyond the realm of the church to decide what's right and wrong.

We don't even have ALL the answers to drug use yet, still we are finding useful medical purposes for marijuana and other perviously "unsocial" drugs all the time. Who knows what good lays ahead for mankind if we continue DNA studies, genetic manipulations, and other "debatable" experiments? The cure to AIDS or cancer, ending world hunger, even the enviroment may benefit from these studies.

Even excessive wealth, to my knowledge, hasn't killed anyone directly, I thought that fell under the old greed thing anyway. But most rich people are happy people, albiet there may be a large percentage of corruption in that population. Greed may hurt people, but money doesn't.

If the church wants to have their "not to do" list, I think they should stick with the personal stuff. It's served them well this long, why fix something that's not broke?

So, does that mean no more aspirin, cold meds, or anti-biotics? Aren't those drugs too? The priests and politicians would tell you those are "different" drugs.. those are safe. The truth be told, thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of people die from taking legal drugs everyday, while not a single person has every died from a lethal dose of marijuana.

While I disagreed with Buckley on many issues, on the second prohibition we were in complete agreement. Now that the new Pope has added drug use and drug selling as new sins, will Buckley be ex-communicated post humously?

All sin has _always_ been about social context.
Moses intuited as much when he handed down the Ten Commandments and attributed them to a metaphysical entity.
Moses and subsequent leaders wanted to keep the peace in the middle of nowhere among 12 angry tribes. He understood human emotion and impulses hard-wired into our brains by evolution. His focus was: how will my actions arouse the feelings and passions of those around me?
If I in my "pride" I choose to appear wealthy and/or accumulate resources, will that arouse envy in my neighbors? Will their wives want to enter my tent? Do I act with the intent of inviting females into my tent?
Theologians condemn "sloth," as communal societies need every member to pull his weight and do his share of the work. Has anyone heard of depression and "melancholy?" If I chose to get angry will I direct my anger toward others?
If I over-eat and over-drink won't that take resources from another? Won't that simply make me less efficient and less productive to the tribe?
As most people who read this journal understand, drug (ab)use is a conditioned response, a reaction to some nastiness in one's social environment. And the drug of choice provides a short term "pleasure," an escape and solace. If the Pope and his acolytes invested their neurons into trying to improve the socio-economic environment that corners a lot of folks into the despair that borders the addiction realm, maybe some of us would take theologians more seriously. As it is, unlike the Pope, I don't believe I have an immortal soul. My hubris or vanity or "pride" doesn't go that far...

I hope the pope knows how sinful and ruinatious the sacramental wine is. I hope he knows that a previous pope or two publicly extolled the virtues of Vin Mariani, aka coca wine. I really hope he's familiar with page one of Genesis wherein God gave man the plants and herbs of the fields and forests to use for his benefit.
If the pope, prohibitionists, and the pious do-gooders of this world are so concerned about sinful drugs, then why won't they take their idiotic efforts to the frontlines and try to make booze illegal again? The #1 drug of abuse. Make that illegal and we can all settle down to an exciting life of prayerful religous subservience, holy wars, and witch burning.
I say this to the pope and all: I use my drugs in many ways and as wisely as I can-- despite the insane drug war monoculture that drives many poor saps to huffing vapors, swilling rotgut, and popping pills. My herbs, extracts, elixers, and anodynes are mostly illegal now thanks to drug warring morons---but continue to serve me well. As the good Lord intended.
Religous folk often scare me. Verily my brethren beware, for in the last great days there shall be many charlatans and pretenders to the throne.
Rage against the drug war folks--let's end it. And punish it's supporters quite severly!

sicntired This is the same guy that drew up the blueprints for the Vatican policy of hiding pedophile priests and moving them around to different diocese to hide their crimes and spread the damage. He also made a striking figure in his Hitler Youth uniform.Not the best example of truth and justice but the church has never been about either of those any way.

How many conventions are most of the people drugged up on alcohol yet the drug lord commissioners would never even consider them to be "obviously on drugs." Drug warriors are morally reprehensible and it is now time to attack them for their lack of family values and moral double standard. How dare these legal drug users separate themselves from the debate and sanctimoniously proclaim illegal drug users "lunatics" while alcohol, tobacco and PX drugs take the higher ground. 100 million people died of tobacco in the 20th century. One BILLION are expected to die from tobacco in the 21 century. How dare these double standard bigots and hypocrites attack anyone for any drug use when they support the most deadly drugs of all? They know the facts. It no longer matters to tell them no one has ever died of marijuana. This is a moral issue and that is what matters.
Drug warriors are morally wrong and must be called out for it. No more defensive crap about how good marijuana is, etc. It is time to shove morals and the Bible down their throat. Drug Warriors are an Abomination.
God's Green Herb was given to man on two of the 6 days of creation and after the Flood to Noah. It is in the Bible, not just some Rastafarians chanting "green herb." God gave us the green herb for a reason. It is morally reprehensible for anyone to take it away let alone punish anyone for using any drug.
Do your own Bible search using a Concordance to look up "green herb" in the Bible. Some versions have changed it to "vegetation" or some other way to explain away the specific "green" part of the 'herb.' "Green" as a color is specific because marijuana is the only herb that is completely green including its flower. God created 'trees, grasses' and other mentioned forms of 'vegetation' so changing the specific part about the 'green herb' to vegetation is an obvious religious distortion for questionable reasoning.
Religion and drug warriors have been sipping out of the same bottle of wine and sharing the same chalice full of self righteousness while condemning the rest of US to hell and damnation.
It is time to turn the tables and attack them: total moral attack against all drug warriors. Stop letting them act like they have some higher moral ground and kick their pedestal out from under their immoral platform.
IM
Belteshazzar

Holding up a chalice of wine and calling it the 'blood of Jesus' is as insane as drinking from the chalice and passing doctrine against drugs.
Drug Warriors always point out when a crime is committed by someone high on an illegal drug but nobody ever made the connection that pedophile priests were also alcoholics or at least had been drinking wine that same day they molested children.
It is time to attack the Pope and all moral crusaders against illegal drugs who in truth are defenders of legal drugs of which almost all drug warriors are users of.
Hypocrisy abounds among such bigots and now it the time to take it to the double standard bearers of self righteous moral rectitude by attacking them as defenders of tobacco and alcohol which kill millions every year but that is legal murder, so who cares.
IM
Belteshazzar

PS. I posted this following comment on another story but felt it appropriate for this article too.

How many conventions are most of the people drugged up on alcohol yet the drug lord commissioners would never even consider them to be "obviously on drugs." Drug warriors are morally reprehensible and it is now time to attack them for their lack of family values and moral double standard. How dare these legal drug users separate themselves from the debate and sanctimoniously proclaim illegal drug users "lunatics" while alcohol, tobacco and PX drugs take the higher ground. 100 million people died of tobacco in the 20th century. One BILLION are expected to die from tobacco in the 21 century. How dare these double standard bigots and hypocrites attack anyone for any drug use when they support the most deadly drugs of all? They know the facts. It no longer matters to tell them no one has ever died of marijuana. This is a moral issue and that is what matters.
Drug warriors are morally wrong and must be called out for it. No more defensive crap about how good marijuana is, etc. It is time to shove morals and the Bible down their throat. Drug Warriors are an Abomination.
God's Green Herb was given to man on two of the 6 days of creation and after the Flood to Noah. It is in the Bible, not just some Rastafarians chanting "green herb." God gave us the green herb for a reason. It is morally reprehensible for anyone to take it away let alone punish anyone for using any drug.
Do your own Bible search using a Concordance to look up "green herb" in the Bible. Some versions have changed it to "vegetation" or some other way to explain away the specific "green" part of the 'herb.' "Green" as a color is specific because marijuana is the only herb that is completely green including its flower. God created 'trees, grasses' and other mentioned forms of 'vegetation' so changing the specific part about the 'green herb' to vegetation is an obvious religious distortion for questionable reasoning.
Religion and drug warriors have been sipping out of the same bottle of wine and sharing the same chalice full of self righteousness while condemning the rest of US to hell and damnation.
It is time to turn the tables and attack them: total moral attack against all drug warriors. Stop letting them act like they have some higher moral ground and kick their pedestal out from under their immoral platform.
IM
Belteshazzar

I find that the catholic church is the original sin in that they corrupted the church and faith of Christ. Try the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for a more realistic version of what Christ wants. Bob Marley and Haile Selassie I would be disappointed in the lack of objection to the Catholic sin of trying to say they know what good morality is when their priests are molesting young boys and they are using the corrupt court system to keep known child molestors out of jail, and in addition they are not paying their settlements in the court cases resulting from their child molesting priests.

They allow divorce, child molestation and sin every day in their members but try to regulate others with their words and self created laws. The problem with politicians and priests is that they have always raised a moral bar for everyone, except themselves. People realize this hipocracy and that is why we have protestant type churches every where, the people saw the Pope kill people for sins and then the Popes and priests themselve committ the same sins and go free. At least in the past prior to Chalcedonia, the Catholic church told everyone what Christ wanted truthfully and tried to enforce His laws, now they dont really have any ground to stand on for they are all hipocritical, same as the politicans....

"Nothing strange and nothing changed.." Bob Marley from Wake Up and Live from the album Survival!

Genesis 1:29 G-d said, “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth,
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food. The Jewish Bible.

So maybe I should fear G-d and eat marijuana and opium with my fruit???????
Will I burn in hell if I do what G-d said to do???????
Or will I burn in hell if I do what the pope said???????

Popes are up, popes are down, and popes are all around.
We have only ONE G-D!!!!!!!

What is sin???????

If taking drugs is a mortal sin, then every catholic who has ever had communion is damned!!!

No matter how people try to obfuscate matters, alcohol is a drug, a chemical toxin that causes mind altering effects.

So if drugs are a mortal sin, and alcohol is most definitely a drug, and wine is a type of alcohol(ergo a type of mind altering, will weakening drug) then taking any communion where wine is used as the "blood os christ" (so christians are canibals and the basis of their faith is to consume the flesh and blood of their deity?!?!?) is a mortal sin.

Allright you ignorant papal bastard, dissemble your way out of that!!

WOW isnt that hipocracy at its finest: excessive wealth, creating or deepening social injustice, and pedophilia arnt those some of the favorites of the catholic church and they tell me im going to hell for not believing them

It seems the venerable Catholic Church has been a bit disturbed of late. According to one Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, director of the Apostolic Penitentiary (the Vatican body that oversees confessions), recent surveys had revealed that 60-percent of the Catholics in Italy weren’t going to confession. How awful—no sins = no priests.

The problem: how to get more people to confess their sins (preferably, without torturing them this time around).

The solution: increase the number of sins.

Yes, that’s correct. Bishop Girotti said that this spring’s fashions in mortal sins will include taking or dealing drugs, any social injustice that creates poverty, and “the excessive accumulation of wealth by a few” (i.e., money not yet donated to the Church). The Pope chimed in to claim that hedonism and consumerism has launched an invasion for “the bosom of the Church itself, deeply undermining the Christian faith from within, and undermining the lifestyle and daily behavior of believers”.

And on that basis alone, suddenly, there are newly declared sinners in the world, desperately deserving of some new punishments if they don’t go to their local confessional.

BTW, the original seven sins and their Church recommended punishments* (after all, what would a religion be without punishment?):

Pride: Broken on the wheel
Envy: Put in freezing water
Gluttony: Forced to eat rats, toads, and snakes
Lust: Smothered in fire and brimstone
Anger: Dismembered alive
Greed: Put in cauldrons of boiling oil
Sloth: Thrown in snake pits

*Source: The Picture Book of Devils, Demons and Witchcraft; Ernst and Johanna Lehner

Giordano

"weaken the mind and obscure intelligence," said Bishop Gianfranco Girotti
Is he describing alcohol? It's time to make all plants and fungi legal. Give Bishop Girotti some magic mushrooms and see if it enlightens his mind and intelligence. It's ridiculous that anything that grows naturally can give someone some of the penalities it does and I'm tired of it being lumped together with heroin, crack, etc.

Are they following the alcohol industry guidelines:
Avoid at all costs any connection between alcohol and the "other drugs"?