"whoever Does Not Pray To God, Prays To The Devil"

[LazyGun]

Seems the new Pope has a somewhat "scorched-earth" policy when it comes to them there pesky atheists, humanists and a.n.others who may not worship the catholic version of god..

Seems the new Pope has a fondness for raising the spectre of Satan - invoked the father of lies when talking about Argentina's plans to legalise same-sex marriage .....

What little respect I might have had for this new vicar of christ - his seeming frugality etc - is rapidly dissipating. I thought they would struggle to find a more fundamentalist pope than the last one - seems I was wrong..

http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/the-devil-and-pope-francis.html

[naomi24]

Ah, right. Perhaps he didn't mean what he said. That sounds familiar. Well, him being an honest man whose word is infallible - allegedly - I fell for it, so I have to wonder what the less well educated will make of it - and there are many of those amongst his followers.

[vulcan42]

very clever this religion, it's all allegorical unless it isn't.

[LazyGun]

All sayings, all comments, are open to interpretation, and I suppose it is no surprise that Christians will seek to see the good in the utterings of the Pontiff.

It seems pretty clear to me that his exhortation is pretty direct; If are not an active believer in god, then you are in thrall to Satan. And even if you dismiss this public quote of his from my OP, he has alluded to Satan on several occasions, memorably when attempting to halt the passing of new civil rights laws in Argentina for gay marriage.

It will be interesting to see the developments, but there seems no hint of progressive or liberal values in his stance; No hint of reaching out or inclusivity beyond pageantry and symbolism....

As Vulcan says ; Its all allegorical, or metaphorical, unless a faithhead says its literal.....

[naomi24]

//As Vulcan says ; Its all allegorical, or metaphorical, unless a faithhead says its literal..... //

Exactly.

[Old_Geezer]

Get thee behind me, Satan: for it's so nice to know you are behind me all the way. We need all the support we can get.

[wildwood]

I do wish you people wouldn't keep using all those big words, I keep losing the thread when I have to repeatedly refer to my dictionary.

[jomifl]

You cannot pick and choose from the 'word' of god ( as fortunately recorded in the bible ) so if the bible says that satan exists then he/it exists as much as god and all the other stuff does...or of course not at all.

[society]

"whoever Does Not Pray To God, Prays To The Devil"

Avery bold and judgmental statement to make.

[modeller]

Do devil worshippers believe in God ?

[jomifl]

Of course modeller, but they call the devil god and god the devil. Those cathars were very perceptive, not that it did them any good at all

[mibn2cweus]

Those who pray to God are the devil.

There . . . how do you like them apples?

[beso]

The concept of secular living continues to be reinforced as the ordained religious continue to reveal their more outrageous attitudes.

The church is digging its own grave.