Docta Corvina
Well-Known Member
So I noticed this story did not get as much traction as I imagined. Perhaps because at the end of the day, the Vatican makes it clear that one cannot be "saved" except through Christ. But I still think that in light of the rhetoric and attention to the more hardline facets of the faith through the years, this is something worthy of note. It's not something we hear terribly often, in my experience. I am by no means a scholar of Catholicism or otherwise overly familiar with the details of Church doctrine, so it would be interesting to hear others' reactions and even analysis of this. No doubt theologians will be debating this one.
Source article: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/23/heaven-for-atheists-pope-sparks-debate/
So, what are people's thoughts on this? Pleased? Impressed? Heartened? Skeptical? Indifferent?
I personally find it heartening, as an agnostic. But I embrace it more in the broader, more abstract sense rather than literal. In other words, putting the doing of good at the forefront in such a manner is a message that I think is significant and integral. It's something Humanists have been advocating for centuries, that (especially with no absolute otherworldly assurances) humanity assisting itself and looking out for one another is the greatest overall calling. This is a message that the world needs echoing, on a constant basis.
"But do good: we will meet one another there."
“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone,” the pope told worshipers at morning Mass on Wednesday. “‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!”
Francis continued, “We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”
Source article: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/23/heaven-for-atheists-pope-sparks-debate/
So, what are people's thoughts on this? Pleased? Impressed? Heartened? Skeptical? Indifferent?
I personally find it heartening, as an agnostic. But I embrace it more in the broader, more abstract sense rather than literal. In other words, putting the doing of good at the forefront in such a manner is a message that I think is significant and integral. It's something Humanists have been advocating for centuries, that (especially with no absolute otherworldly assurances) humanity assisting itself and looking out for one another is the greatest overall calling. This is a message that the world needs echoing, on a constant basis.
"But do good: we will meet one another there."