Slog - Comments on So Long, Limbo http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo My brother Billy was born was born prematurely and a Catholic priest was rushed to the hospital to baptize him and perform last rites. This was done so that Billy would get into heaven if he died and not have to spend all of eternity in limbo. Looks like my parents needn't have bothered. So the Vatican admits that for 500 years the Church got that limbo thing wrong. Wrong. The Church has been wrong? Yeah, they also admitted a few years ago that they wrong about the whole sun-rotates-around-the-earth thing. Maybe one day they'll admit they were wrong about... Copyright 2008 Sat, 21 Apr 2007 10:54:52 -0800 Mon, 23 Apr 2007 10:08:33 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Tiffany What does it say about our species that the church can just make shit up, and millions of people will accept it as fact? This has to be some left over trait that at one time helped our species thrive. But in the modern world it could very well lead to our downfall. This type of behavior is not beneficial for a species that has learned how to split the atom.

]]> Tiffany http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697890 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697890 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:08:06 -0800 Comment by COMTE ...the God thing.

Okay, that might be a bit much to ask of a church, but if we're going to hope they eventually come to their senses about all those other boneheaded notions, why not go all the way?

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697896 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697896 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:15:14 -0800 Comment by Aexia Slow as it may be to change, at least the Catholic Church does. Its acceptance of evolution practically makes it bleeding edge compared to most other mainline denominations.

]]> Aexia http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697907 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697907 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:38:48 -0800 Comment by Giffy What's next? Will they try to tell us there were actually FOUR bears with Goldilocks or that the Big Bad Wolf was really a camel.

]]> Giffy http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697919 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697919 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:50:36 -0800 Comment by O'Brian Up until the mid 1960s Catholics were forbidden from eating meat on Fridays under pain of sin. Suddenly some guy in Rome says it is okay. Did the folks in Purgatory for Friday meat eating suddenly move to heaven? Is there still a Purgatory? Are you sure that it was not just that under the stick dance they are talking about?

]]> O'Brian http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697924 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697924 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:58:04 -0800 Comment by bma What people don't seem to be grasping is the *purpose* for this. This will not make a damn bit of difference to Catholics in North America today. It's a footnote. A factoid. This *does*, however, improve the ability of the Catholic Church to market itself in poorer countries. Churches of all stripes are working in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe to convert as many people as they can, and they need to keep up.

But it goes to show you that the Church is quite willing to make changes that benefit itself (limbo) as opposed to changes that would benefit their flock (promotion of condom use).

]]> bma http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697930 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697930 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:12:22 -0800 Comment by flamingbanjo You are all missing the bright side. Thanks to this ruling, somewhere untold millions of babies who have been floating in a formless void somewhere for God knows how long just found themselves instantly transported to heaven! Even as we speak they are joyfully crawling around the gold-paved streets of heaven in platininum Huggies™. Probably taking turns getting breastfed by angels.

Hallelujah!

]]> flamingbanjo http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697946 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697946 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:46:13 -0800 Comment by john Actually I don't think the church claims to be certain about anything besides what the Pope says ex cathedra.

aaaand you guys are jerks (not Dan cus of the Catholic card).

I actually feel this pretty strongly: Catholics can criticize the Church. Even expat catholics like me and Dan that don't believe in God anymore. Cus we at least have some degree of understanding of what Catholicism is all about. Other people can shut the hell up.

]]> john http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697980 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697980 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 13:57:24 -0800 Comment by john Actually I don't think the church claims to be certain about anything besides what the Pope says ex cathedra.

aaaand you guys are jerks (not Dan cus of the Catholic card).

I actually feel this pretty strongly: Catholics can criticize the Church. Even expat catholics like me and Dan that don't believe in God anymore. Cus we at least have some degree of understanding of what Catholicism is all about. Other people can shut the hell up.

]]> john http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697981 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c697981 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 13:57:40 -0800 Comment by bob The fundies are upset because this has traditionally been used to convince women not to abort lest their unborn baby be denied heaven.

]]> bob http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698000 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698000 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:37:16 -0800 Comment by paralogist @9: by that logic only republicans can fault Bush.

]]> paralogist http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698004 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698004 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:43:55 -0800 Comment by Ed John- So unless I was unlucky enough to be raised in, or stupid enough to join the catholic church, I'm not allowed to have an opinion about it. You believe that one of the largest and most powerful organizations in the world cannot be criticized, except by it's members or former members.

]]> Ed http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698016 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698016 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 15:11:14 -0800 Comment by Giffy When the Catholic Church stops criticizing others then and only then will I "shut the hell up"

]]> Giffy http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698022 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698022 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 15:25:23 -0800 Comment by monkey SWEET!!! I could never lean back that far without falling down anyway.

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698038 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698038 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 16:04:40 -0800 Comment by COMTE FWIW John, I was raised until about the age of seven by an Irish Catholic grandmother who used to drag me to Mass twice a week. She was so devout, the priests in her parish would often ask HER for advice. I even did a year of parochial school, although thankfully I never had to go through confirmation, or give a priest a blow job, or whatever it is boys do in Popeville.

So, I guess that does make me an "ex-Catholic", in which case I would kindly ask you to SHUT THE HELL UP TOO, since there's no way you can know the religious upbringin of posters here, unless they tell you.

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698045 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698045 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 16:21:27 -0800 Comment by Eric I guess now that Papa Nazi is 80, he's just too decrepit to make it under the limbo stick...

]]> Eric http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698065 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698065 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 17:21:14 -0800 Comment by Gabe Global The most interesting thing about the article is the seriousness at which these people take a question that absolutely no-one will now or ever know the answer. The absurdity of the history, the argument, the people/money/time spent on this is beyond belief. I think Giffy @4 makes the point perfectly. Hopefully, Dan’s original point will eventually ring true.

]]> Gabe Global http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698077 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698077 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 17:50:23 -0800 Comment by lee Actually the way I read the article we now go back to St. Augustine(he was a SAINT after all)and the babies go to hell. Serves them right!

]]> lee http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698154 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698154 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:43:30 -0800 Comment by lee For O'Bryan(comment #2)
Back when eating meat on Friday was a sin, it was a mortal sin. Purgatory? I think not.

]]> lee http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698158 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698158 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:53:01 -0800 Comment by lee Oh, it was comment #5. But nonetheless Hell for eternity with all those crying babies. Probably getts real annoying after a few centuries.

]]> lee http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698159 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698159 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:55:45 -0800 Comment by Anonymous I love Seattle...equal rights for everyone! Unless you're religious or you haven't been born yet. Or you're from Auburn.

]]> Anonymous http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698199 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698199 Religion Sat, 21 Apr 2007 23:13:06 -0800 Comment by J.R. @21 The right to be made fun of is applied equally to people of all religions here in Seattle. Dig the equality!

]]> J.R. http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698383 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698383 Religion Sun, 22 Apr 2007 15:15:17 -0800 Comment by elswinger I thought this was purgatory.

]]> elswinger http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698866 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/so_long_limbo#c698866 Religion Mon, 23 Apr 2007 10:08:33 -0800