[arreskslarlig]

the antics of the papacy never cease to amaze me. they boxed themselves in badly when they invented papal infallibility. how can they backtrack on doctrine without falsifying prior popes?

i've always thought purgatory was the only good idea that catholics had. after all, christian damnation doctrine is the most dismal doctrine any religion has ever thought of. it needs mitigation, and without reincarnation, how is it to be accomplished. and i think there is a great seed of truth in it - people are equally unready for heaven as they are undeserving of eternal hell. they need a purification process.

of course, purgatory need not be that process. its just an idea to express certain spiritual necessities.

foosnik, you have funny ideas about how karma works. why assume a person would be an alcoholic life after life? progress may be a bit slow, but not necessarily as hopeless as all that.

the idea that hell might exist through karma has some merit, i think. for example, if i've been pretty bad, i could get reborn as a girl in afghanistan or saudi arabia.

you are not responsible for other people's emotional reactions, but you are responsible for what you put out. it's very simple.