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Over the last few days I've really surprised myself. I'm not a very religious person myself, much less a Catholic one, but there's something about the plight of Pope John Paul II that's tugged at my heartstrings.
I've come to realize that I am very lucky to be as spiritual a person as I am. Even though I'm not a religious person I am, in a sense, spiritual, very in tune with the relationship between mind and matter. I don't follow anyone's example in my personal beliefs and get along just fine this way, but many people can't. To hundreds of millions of Catholics, John Paul II was a person they looked to get spiritual guidence from. The Pope has been an immensely influential figure in the world, and whether you are Catholic or not I think we all owe him a debt of gratitude for helping so many people find some meaning in their lives. Perhaps many of us can find meaning on our own, but the majority of people need someone to look up to to find it.
Can the human spirit survive outside of the ephemeral lattice of carbon that is the human brain? I don't know, and the idea of this notion honestly seems ridiculous to me. It was deeply moving for me to see John Paul II there, his death coming in a matter of hours, totally serene with the absolute conviction that he was going somewhere after he died. My beliefs are unchanged, but seeing the Pope during his final days really hit home. Maybe there is hope. Maybe I'm just giving in to bandwagon. Either way, no matter what your personal beliefs are, Joh Paul II's serenity when faced with death is inspiring, at least IMHO.
To many people, he guided and comforted them at least indirectly in their spiritual lives. John Paul II revitalized and invogorated the Catholic Church and his position will be a difficult one to replace. In any case, political and religious differences among us aside, the Pope's death is a very sad event for the world. Rest in peace, John Paul II. See you on the other side (hopefully).
A mind is like a parachute- it works best when open.
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*Nice, MGS.
I'm a die-hard agnostic, and would like to make a few comments. He's been Pope since I was a young teenager. I barely recall the two Pontiffs prior to him (his immediate predecessor died shortly after becoming Pope), and it seems John Paul II has been the Pope all of my life; it's going to be strange seeing someone else filling that position now.
Of all high-profile modern religious leaders, I feel PJP II was one of the -very few- who actually cared about people, the plight of the human race, and was gracious and humble despite his exalted office.
Despite my lack of religion and various points of philosophical disagreement, I am sad to see him go.
--Cindy
We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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'Pope accepts resignation of Peru bishop linked to scandal-plagued group'
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-ameri … gued-group
so many cases of crimes linked with the Catholic Church, theft and abuse, a rotting institution, sexual abuse cases, covering up criminal activity, a place of history and art written music and recorded art but the jurisdiction of 'The Pope' a place of moral decay
Pope summons US church leaders on sex scandal
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl … andal.html
Pope John Paul has summoned U.S. cardinals and American church leaders to Rome for a special meeting next week to discuss the paedophilia crisis that has rocked the Church
Turkish President Sends Letter To Pope On Palestine
https://menafn.com/1108091454/Turkish-P … -Palestine
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