We have one of these Saint Pius comedians over here (Ireland) who obstructed a Health Board investigation into an incest/abuse case on the basis of the sanctity of the family.

It's not just the crazy crap that they believe, it's the horrible, evil shit that they do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=415pHFQfc…

It's a lovely day for drinking
And for watching people fry!

Can I complain about Benaroya Hall now?

Ok, here goes. While the auditorium and sound is good, the comfort level is nil. The seats are more crowded together than on a economy class jet liner. Luckily there were three empty seats next to me at Thursday's Listz performance so I could move over and use the two on either side as arm rests -- that's about they size there are!

The foyer is a small percentage of the auditorium so during breaks people are crammed up against each other like cattle.

There are little or no places to sit...certainly there are no comfortable seats or sofas or places to read. On the 2nd level there are something like 5 tiny round tables that if I move away from the wall and lean up against the column make somewhat of a place to read a book, but only for a few minutes.

In the ante area where Wolfgang Puck's is, many many people come to have dinner before hand. The line often gets in terminably long, and there doesn't seem to be enough tables to accommodate everyone...what is more, the area is dark, almost dim with a blackish radiance to everything. The thing that would seem the most grim, the windows onto 3rd Avenue, are actually the only happy thing since they look out to the street life and present a great dissonance -- poor commuters hurrying in the rain, retirees sitting eating waiting for some classical music.

You'd think with all the billionaires pumping ready cash into this thing, they'd build something where people could sit down and relax!?!

I nominate @3 to be the first guy tortured to death by the "new Inquisition." Heck, maybe they'll get really lucky and he'll be Jewish or an Arab too.

The current pope is mentally ill, if you ask me. It's a trickle-down effect, apparently.

@5: Popes' extreme age must also weaken their grip.

@6 uh oh, then less star systems will slip through their fingers

The Inquisition was possibly worse than the Holocaust (a Roman word for "furnace" BTW). Jews were often burned even after they'd "converted" to Catholicism, which (according to these folks) is the One True Church, even today. Such a lovely sentiment these Pius X'ers have, analogous to the Bush-era concepts of "not-torture", which 'we don't do', of course. The Inquisition can only be effective in a society which is already profoundly delusional and gullible, a Dark Ages Society if you will. Perfect for those red states.

WOW - and you guys have been having shit fits 'cause Mormons wear special underwear. What a focus on the evil of religion, gotta commend you.

Some magic underwear might do these fanatical Catholic clergy some good.

Or castration by modern generations of their victims.

(by the way, moving the story to the mundane local, The Catholic Bishops Council of Washington just testified this week AGAINST domestic partnerships, you know, they know, we know just how dangerous queer couples really are to the Catholic god order of things.)

"I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition."

the inquisition
what a show!
the inquisition
here we go!
i know you're wishin'
that we'd go away!
but the spanish inquisition is here to stay!

@10 No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

If reason and civilization could survive the Catholic age, it can survive ANYTHING.

Lets start a trend to deny that Christians have ever suffered for their faith. While we are at it lets do the "unforgivable" sin. Lets mock the holy spirit with the intent of keeping people from Jesus. The "holy: spirit is a worthless pile of crap and he had better stay away from my house cause he ain't welcome. "holy" spirt is not good enough to shine my shoes. Saty away form Jesus at all costs. Now let us all say the "lords" prayer backward while wishing the worst for the pope.

You know who else\\\'s reputation should be rehabilitated? The Romans who crucified Jesus. Sure their methods were strict, but without them the One True Church would never have existed. In these troubled times, we could use more brave men like Pontius Pilate, men who aren\\\'t afraid to arbitrarily order the agonizing executions of heretics on the word of an angry mob.

14

is the next round on Heather?

a round of consecrated wine for for everyone on slog.

#17

prefer eating flesh - course some wine helps

What else would one expect from a Nazi Pope?

Few moderns can appreciate the Inquisition, whose purpose was to weed out heresy, by administering the death penalty to heretics. (N.B. only the secular authorities actually administered the death penalty.)

Jews were often burned even after they'd "converted" to Catholicism,

@8 has it exactly backwards. Jews were burned because they pretended to convert, to avoid expulsion. But they continued to practice Judaism. Ferdinand and Isabella supported the Inquistion, because the condemned crypto-Jews forfeited their property to the crown. This gave F&I plenty of money to invest, in for example, Columbus's voyages to the New World.

So the Spanish Inquisition facilitated the discovery of America.

Thankfully any of can now be heretics and never face consequences for that fact because we live in a secular country. More people should practice heresy just to remind the Christians of their total lack of power. Secularism has had a civilizing influnce on the Christian Church.

I'm with Heather. But I'd go farther and make forcing religion on children illegal.