453 Comments
User's avatar
wreck's avatar

The dog is a better person than anyone associated with that church.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Dogs are atheists who have never read the bile...er, bible.

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oraxx's avatar

Everyone who ever walked a dog knows full well they love to stop and read the mail. ;)

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Puppies sure pour over newspapers. :)

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Keith E. Cooper's avatar

Yep: They read their pee-mail!

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Bill Wilson's avatar

And over the body of their mail self person.

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larry parker's avatar

The dog ate my bible.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Poor dog. Bad source for fiber.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

:-D

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Julie Duggan's avatar

They do like to eat homework though.......🤣

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NOGODZ20's avatar

We never owned a dog when I was a kid. so I never got to try out that excuse. :)

(We had a succession of cats)

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Leave your homework assigment in the litter box overnight then turn it in.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

The dog leaves behind better things than the people in that church.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

You never had to walk Aria in summer 🤣

It's incredible how much a difference of diet can influence waste level of smell.

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wreck's avatar

Is that you? Who did you have to pay off?

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Hemant, I had him harass substack immoderation on my behalf 😏

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

Well, that's a given.

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Sean's avatar

Years ago, halfway through a flight, the guy next to me pointed out a miniature service horse on the plane. Yes! Horse. I hadn't even realized it was there, it was that well behaved. More so than some passengers. And now, church goers.

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Joe King's avatar

AFAIK, a service dog counts as medical equipment. Kicking this woman out because of the (very good boy) dog is like prohibiting wheelchairs. Jesus H Motherfucking Christ on a cracker, just when you think they can't get any lower, they start blasting bedrock.

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Holytape's avatar

Jesus put little Jimmy in that wheelchair for a damn good reason, and don't you all forget that. You motherfuckers better be tithing right. 10% is 10%. Jesus can make the lame man walk, but he can sure put your broke ass in a chair.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Well Jesus better not heal my neck pain, I’m on disability.

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Timothy Brown, MD's avatar

Many churches in effect prohibit wheelchairs as well. There is no disability access and they are not required to provide it. Many churches fiercely and successfully fought inclusion in ADA requirements on the basis of “religious freedom”. Shameful.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

People in wheelchairs can't wait for the paralympics games this year, most venues are wheelchair friendly, it's mandatory*,. The problem is the access with taxus and public transportation who are severely lacking.

It's also illegal to bar people with service dogs from entry anywhere, included supermarkets and grocery stores.

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Julie Duggan's avatar

Your second paragraph - that's how it should be in the US, a federal law to allow service dogs literally everywhere including churches- although I would just recommend they not go to church at all, but that's just me. Quite frankly anyone that's disgusted by a service dog obviously doesn't like animals, so as a result I do not like them, they are not worth my time, they can get pissed off and stomp out of the restaurant for all I care, I say: "bye-bye have the day you deserve"

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I never brought my Dogesses* to a restaurant because it would have been a disaster but I wouldn't bar or badmouth someone who come with their dogs.

* Aria was a bundle of nerves and had a meltdown every time we tried to took her somewhere and Rhapsodie was afraid of people. Too bad, for a country girl, she could take trains and escalators like a champ.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

All that money from tithes and offerings is better used to line pockets than to put in a ramp or two at a side entrance.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Be careful. Sometimes they just ask for a shovel.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

Or jackhammer.

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David V. Miller's avatar

Churche$ are tax exempt, exempt from labor laws, exempt from work safety laws, exempt from Americans With Disabilities Act too. Boy, churche$ certainly do exempt themselves from decency too!

Bet most of those churchlings vote Republikan too!

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Matri's avatar

How could they not vote for their God, Felon Trump?

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Lynn Veit's avatar

The Orange Jesus? He's not a felon, he just answers to a higher law. /s

Kidding. The Mango Messiah answers to no one but his own monsters from the id.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

I detect a pattern here.

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oraxx's avatar

Some of the most compelling arguments against Christianity, are the people who call themselves Christians. I'm convinced, the majority of the people in the churches value the authoritarianism of the institutional churches far more than anything Jesus supposedly said.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Churches that encourage and teach: do unto another as the other, are chill, compassionate, and rare.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

If all Christians and their churches were like that, no one would have a problem with them.

But most of them love being professional martyrs too much. If they couldn't get their "persecution" fix, they'd have a stroke.

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

As my father told me when I was young, "those who proclaim loudly they are christian...aren't."

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

🎯🎯🎯🎯The actual practitioners, however, few though they might be, try to do as the J-dude said, are usually a joy to be around, and don't waste your time with pontifications.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Church: 𝑊𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑜 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒.

Boy, howdy, they're sure trying, aren't they? Telling a woman she can't attend church because her highly trained guide / service animal (who is likely calmer and more together than some humans I know) MIGHT not like flashing lights and noise? I have to shake my head and wonder at the lack of intelligence being displayed by those who rejected this woman's presence.

Then I have to remind myself. These people would rather BELIEVE than KNOW, and they'd rather REJECT a stranger than ACCEPT one. Didn't their "J" guy say something about that?

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Joe King's avatar

The cruelty is the point.

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oraxx's avatar

Believing is easy. It takes no effort at all. Knowing, on the other hand, requires a lot of study and thinking.

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Matri's avatar

Thinking leads to changing. Changing leads to acceptance.

And acceptance is 100% against their religion of hate.

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oraxx's avatar

Religion is zero for a lifetime against science.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

I think, with all those lights and noise, the churchman was worried that the dog would detract from the glamor he wants to woo the audience with. The last thing they want to happen is for one of God’s perfected creations to be sitting in the pews.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

OR ... he was afraid that his congregation would see Betty and instantly go, "Oh, see the nice doggy!"

And there goes his audience! 🤣🤣🤣

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Fun fact, I know a woman, who was not especially fond of dogs, who bought what must be an expensive ceramic dog dish for Aria. Just because "her face is so cute" 🤣🤣🤣

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RPat's avatar

“Boy, howdy” …? “Boy, howdy” …? Did you really say that? I haven’t heard that expression since I was a child in rural Missouri, like 65-70 years ago. Thank you for the memories.😊

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

I think I picked that one up fairly recently, though I don't quite recall from WHERE! 😁

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NOGODZ20's avatar

When they introduced Lee Majors' illegitimate son Heath character in "The Big Valley," he uttered "Boy Howdy!"

And "Boy Howdy!" is also the catchphrase/name of the mascot/icon for CREEM Magazine.

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Julie Duggan's avatar

Well..... it's applicable since this particular case is in Texas. 🤣

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NOGODZ20's avatar

See my reply to Troubleshooter about "Boy Howdy." :D

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RegularJoe's avatar

She's far better off with real Dog than imaginary God.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Except when the dog your neighbor Sam owns is a demon infested dog that just wont stop yattering about murdering random people. I’ll take the imaginary over the uncanny every time.

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RegularJoe's avatar

Ol' Davey lived near me for a couple of months back in the late '70s....he was institutionalized for a spell at the secure psych hospital in Marcy prior to being shipped to Attica.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

I know why she was kicked out. It's obvious.

Jesus didn't heal her blindness. That just proves that she didn't have faith in Jesus. So she shouldn't be in that church to begin with.

Do I have to explain everything?

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Mr Mild - BlueVotingBastard💙's avatar

This ^^^^

It's like blaming someone who died from cancer (or some other disease) that it's theirs fault because they didn't believe/pray/try every crazy treatment.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Brilliant!

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Thanks.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Reposting

No entiendo.

Tu peux recommencer*, steup ?

*Not sure about that part.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

No, Jesus yelled, “Heel, heel, heel!” and a spotted dog ran in and sat at His feet…

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Lynn Veit's avatar

Right - church is a place for the righteous and holy, shiny, perfect children of gawd. The disabled need not apply.

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User's avatar
Comment removed
Jun 10
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Bagen Onuts's avatar

Was this another BHM post?

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Joe King's avatar

Yes

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Steup? Je ne sais pas ce mot.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Reposting. S'il te plait = STP = Steup.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Thanks. I saw this yesterday. I've been traveling.

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Kim Cronan's avatar

There really is no hate quite like Christian love, is there?

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

Weirdly, Adolf Hitler, of all people, said that. "Christianity kills its enemies in the name of love. Its keynote is intolerance."

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Munchygut's avatar

There is no hate like christian love.

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

They burned and murdered Jews. They also destroyed Jewish homes and towns for killing jeebus. HOW tHE HELL does one kill an immortal god?

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Stop believing in the god. It will fade from our waking mind, only to take up residence into our unconscious. Information is never destroyed. Only lost.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

And we tolerate what we hate.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

I’d call it fanatic hate and even worse fanatic love. Hate and love unbound from the chains of reason and consensual validation. Creating a dead worldview/reality for themselves. The fanatic gets to execute guilt free love and hate because they are following God’s will. And if they are judged they shrug their shoulders and say “Ich befolge nur befehle.”

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

Not the way most, that are the loudest, do it.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

According to Leviticus 21:16-21, YHVH tells Moses to tell Aaron that people with defects are not allowed in his temple. It's a laundry list of disabilities that include the lame, the disfigured, the deformed, people with crippled hands or feet, hunchbacks, dwarves, those with festering/running sores and those with damaged testicles. Most notably in this case, neither those who are blind or have any sort of eye defect are allowed to enter the temple.

These Texass xtians worship an ableist god.

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ericc's avatar

Ah yes the purity of the holy of holy places. But I thought even in the most orthodox versions of Judaism, this mostly referred to what we now call the Sanctuary. i.e. the part of the building where the altar is kept. Not the entire building. AFAIK the synagogue/church building itself has always had what is considered 'public' places.

I mean, they even allow *women* in the building, and it doesn't get more impure than that. /s.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Notice believers don't question why an 'almighty' god is so fearful of people with defects? Just like they don't question why that same almighty god couldn't defeat people equipped with iron chariots. Or feared the people who built the Tower of Babel (so fearful he "confused their language" so they couldn't work together).

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

You could have stopped at the fourth word. Notice believers don't question.

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

Questions are not allowed by gods. ALL truths are as revealed even if they contradict each other. The Big 10 says honor parents. Mark(?) then says you must hate your entire family. Makes you want to bang your head against a newel post.

Just in case...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newel

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Die Anyway's avatar

Doesn't make me want to bang MY head against a newel post, makes me want to bang THEIR heads against a newel post.

Or,

"The appropriate tool for solving almost every vexing problem is a BFH."

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

An ornate, wrought iron, pointy newel post.

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Julie Duggan's avatar

Damaged testicles? I literally can't stop laughing. Do they make the men turn and cough as well.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Some translations say "crushed" instead of damaged. Youch! What the heck were they doing back then to mess up their sacks?

The KJV is a hoot. It describes it as having their stones broken. :)

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Julie Duggan's avatar

Maybe they thought damaging their sack would bring them closer to god? Or some type of ancient STD? 🤔

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cdbunch's avatar

Those aren't the part that's supposed to be rock hard.

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

Eunuchs, probably.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Eunuchs ? Since they can't reproduce, it would a violation of one of yhwh's commands.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

"For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others--and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

-- Matthew 19:12

That Jesus. Messing with daddy's rules again,

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

Ah, GMTA!

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

History major ?

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

History buff, mostly of European history (I hated American History) with an Associate in Science for medical career.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

I was wondering that as well. Do they actually examine each man upon entry.

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Yiftach Levy's avatar

You know that was written in Hebrew, right? And after the destruction of that Temple, those of us who kept using that language recognized that those texts could be interpreted in other ways, and no longer hold these views. Too bad xtians didn't get the memo. Maybe they're just reading from left to right...

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

You have to wonder...they certainly seem to prefer OT smitey God, to the gentle (except to money-changers in the temple) Rabbi J-dude.

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Julie Duggan's avatar

Translation: "I am Moses...... while I pretend to be sane, it's a hot mess inside my head, so many voices I'm not sure which one to listen to first......Men, listen up, here's the proper way to sell your daughters"

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

Probably not a coincidence that those were the poor, downtrodden.

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Linda LaScola's avatar

There was a similar article in The NY Times yesterday, written by a Christian columnist, David French, who was shunned by his presbyterian church after adopting a black child. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/09/opinion/presbyterian-church-evangelical-canceled.html

I remember David and his wife from a few years ago when we were all Patheos Blog writers (along with Hemant). Then, David attacked me on the bloggers private Facebook page - not for anything I said - but apparently simply for being an atheist. Other atheist writers came to my defense and he backed off.

His wife didn't allow me, or other atheists, to post on her blog. She actually blocked us.

Needless to say, I feel no sympathy for him and am glad that he's getting a taste of his own medicine.

Meanwhile, I doubt that these supposedly good people will ever make the connection between how they treat others and their own bad behavior.

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

It appears he left the superstition. Somebody said he found a new one but did not specify the branch.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

He found a new evangelical church where he lives.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

Somebody should tell these jerks that the Pope said pets go to heaven.

Oh, wait...these clowns are Protestant evangelists....they think the Catholic Church is the Anti-Christ.

Christians...fighting a 30-year-war over whether or not a wafer IS the body of Christ or REPRESENTS the body of Christ......

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wreck's avatar

"the Pope said pets go to heaven"

I thought that was Disney.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

No, Pope Francis did say it while chatting with a kid in a walkabout.

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wreck's avatar

Actually, I was wrong. It wasn't a Disney movie. My bad.

"The film is an Irish, British and American venture, produced by Goldcrest Films and Sullivan Bluth Studios Ireland Limited."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Dogs_Go_to_Heaven

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

Well then, if it isn't Disney, it isn't official. Only Disney can claim to speak for god.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

No, The Mouse has entered the public domain. 𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 can speak for him now!

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

They both did.

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Julie Duggan's avatar

Either way the Catholic death cult is weird- it's okay for me to say that I feel because I was raised Catholic...... they have Pagan rituals......it's macabre to drink wine that represents the blood of christ and eat wafer that represents the body of christ.... that's just creepy. If we did that same thing out in the woods in a circle wearing a priest robe they would claim we were worshiping the devil- they do it in a church and everything seems legit to them.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

It’s all magickal.

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

Don't get me started on them keeping a mummified dead pope, in St Peters Cathedral in Vatican City! I'm still creeped out by using a corpse for decor.

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Julie Duggan's avatar

The obsession with burying dead people, when they already believe that the soul went up to heaven......there are millions of mummies all over this planet. Just look at all the land and the millions of dollars spent on wooden coffins that have been wasted, all to stick mummified humans into the ground.

I'm donating my body to science so the medical students can practice appendectomies on me, just like the game Operation.... then they can cremate me. No grifter selling overpriced plots and coffins is getting any of my fucking money. Lol

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

I vote for cremation as well. I already have a gifted family plot beside the home I grew up in. You can put several urns in it, and I already had my favorite Aunt 's urn interred there.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

You have to remember that the original Christians stole most of their rituals from the Mythraic religions. The original churches were built on the sites of or in converted Mythraic temples. The Christmas tree is a sun-worshipping ritual to bring that big yellow ball back in winter. The golden orbs around Christian holy figures' heads in their art is more sun worship.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Almost all dogs go to heaven. Though there are a small minority that are alphas and hate humans when they try to domesticate them. These rare pups have a short lifespan, but will be waiting for us at the gates of Hell.

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cdbunch's avatar

I'm sure they're waiting for Kristi.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

I know that when my wife gets to the Rainbow Bridge, nine dogs will jump on her. At least.

However, I’m certain that Monster the Mighty Moose will be by her side. Here he is.

He was 50 percent Rottweiler (size and shape), 25 percent Terrier (intelligence), and 25 percent Retriever (sweetness).

He was an unbelievably sweet, warm, loving, and smart dog. He had more personality than some people I knew. Look at that expressive face!

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Bill Wilson's avatar

The terrier is also part samurai berserker who go to Valhalla when they decide to take on death.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

They’re very smart dogs.

As Monster the Mighty Moose was one-fourth Terrier, that explained his smartness.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

Detail, Kiwi, details! Battling each other over minutiae like a wafer is far, far, FAR more important than anything in the mortal realm, like helping the sick and the poor, or doing something helpful about climate change.

The devil is in the details.

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

Well, the 30-Years War over the wafer was fought in the 1600s, before the Climate Change issue materialized, but you're quite right.

It's the same thing with evangelicals' obsession over transsexuals and LGBTQ people. Never mind that farms are turning to deserts, people are still starving around the world, anyone with a physics or chemistry degree can now build an atomic bomb and start global thermonuclear war, the big issue is whether or not high schools will send transsexual students to the boys' room or girls' room when they ask to leave the room.

Priorities...

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Lynn Veit's avatar

Yep, gotta have them priorities in order.

(I still run into xtians who won't speak to other xtians because they hold the wrong views on transubstantiation. Geez if that's their biggest problem in life, they should count themselves fortunate.)

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Kiwiwriter47's avatar

If that is the biggest problem they have in life, they should get down on their knees and thank their fictional "Son of God" for giving them such an easy life.

Then they should visit a pediatric oncology ward, a Veterans' Administration hospital wing, and a domestic violence/rape crisis center, to get a slightly different take on things.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

This. YES!

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Timothy Fifer's avatar

The most telling line in that whole story besides the actual headline at the top was that her service animal does more for Mari than the church. How sad is that! Either the church needs to be educated as to the role and capabilities of a service dog or shamed into changing its policy. I favor the latter. That’s the only behavior those so called “Christian “ extremists seem to react to.

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Holytape's avatar

Well, first of all she was not wearing a head covering. (Genesis 24:6; Genesis 24:65; 1 Corinthians 11:5-10). She is wearing jewelry when she isn't supposed to (1 Timothy 2:9-10, 1 Peter 3:1-6, Isaiah 3:16-24). She's wearing make-up and a dress that not only shows her ankles, but her arms and neck, (Romans 14:13; Proverbs 7:10) So maybe when the pastor said, "get the bitch out" he wasn't referring to the dog.

(Just remember a careful reading of the bible can make any story worse.)

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Maine Skeptic's avatar

(Just remember a careful reading of the bible can make any story worse.)

Well, at least they didn't take her out and stone her to death for speaking ill of 'the church.' PROGRESS!

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

Yet.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

I know. I read the Bible whenever I want to be bummed out.

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OwossoHarpist's avatar

I bet Dumb Idiot Ken Ham does the same thing at his putrid faculties. Heck. He has been known to kick same sex couples out of his faculties as well as other types of people that don't fit into his toxic Christian ideology.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

Dogs don't need to attend church. They already have a free pass to heaven because we all know, all dogs go to heaven.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

Even Cujo?

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

Hey, I don't make the rules. Cujo was sick, he had a good excuse and was a very good boy before he contracted rabies.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Any decent god would have magicked the rabies out of ol' Cujo and fixed him up with a bunch of happy kids to play with.

Problem is: how many decent gods are out there? 😝

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Joe King's avatar

One, but Yahweh beat her up and locked her away.

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MNCathi's avatar

They can't go to heaven because there isn't one.

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larry parker's avatar

"there was a live band and "flashing lights”" - Just like Jesus had.

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RegularJoe's avatar

As commanded in Matthew 6:5.

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Julie Duggan's avatar

Do you think they have mosh pits?

Will they be passing around a one hitter?

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Oh those crazy Paleo-Christians were definitely passing a special sacrament around.

“Look at all my trials and tribulations

Sinking in a gentle pool of wine

What's that in the bread it's gone to my head

Till this morning is this evening life is fine”

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Lynn Veit's avatar

That explains why he heard voices. Got too close to the smoke.

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

The spouse and I were in Assissi and they were talking about Francis hearing voices in his head, telling him to build a church there. Spouse says, hmmm, sounds like he had schizoprenia, to me.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Jesus And The Brass Gongs.

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