Quote from: Jamie D on August 05, 2013, 03:48:03 PM
I guess you can "thank" Henry VIII for that.

I can, and I will. Without him there would have been no reformation, and no golden age thanks to Elizabeth I.

If none of that had happened I shudder to think how we would have turned out.

Quote from: MadeleineG on August 05, 2013, 03:29:25 PM
I'm very curious to see how these organizations respond when (not if, when) reproductive technology overcomes the current barriers to trans* and same-sex reproduction.

Maddy

I would assume they'd still be against it. For same-sex reproduction, they'd still have their "Adam and Eve" argument. For trans people, they'd still argue it's "not natural" (i.e., that transitioning is contrary to god's purpose for trans people, due to being "made *insert birth gender* by god"). Being able to reproduce wouldn't change much; instead of listing an inability to reproduce as an argument against it, they'd just start arguing against technologically-assisted reproduction (ignoring the fact that some straight couples opt for IVF, which isn't that "natural"--just like they ignore the fact that the "you can't reproduce" thing would mean that elderly, infertile straight couples shouldn't [by their logic] be able to wed).

R.I. priests try to interpret pope's remarks on gays
http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20130817-r.i.-priests-try-to-interpret-popes-remarks-on-gays.ece
Source: Providence Journal Author: Richard C. Dujardin

"Many people were surprised when Pope Francis appeared to set a new tone on the church's relationship with gays, telling reporters, "If [homosexuals] accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn't be marginalized." In a church that continues to hold homosexual behavior to be a sin, his remarks on July 29 have left many local parish priests, the Catholic Church's boots on the ground, wondering how to mesh his comments with their experiences in Rhode Island, which has just legalized gay marriage and where a startling number of Catholics now believe it's OK for a couple to live together without getting married."

"Some of the topical questions facing priests now: Should they deny communion to an unmarried couple who lives together? Should they tell gay couples that their lives are disordered and they should refrain from Communion or go elsewhere? Or should they welcome the couples with open and forgiving arms?"

This article features some interviews with various Catholic priests in the state.

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If the link no longer works in a day or two, it's because it's no longer "Breaking News" (don't know why it's breaking news now lol), so just PM me if you can't read it and I'll find the article's new link. 

I am not Catholic, but I think I really like this pope now just looking at things he has done since he became pope...

But, I can see how other Catholics are probably freaking out now, waiting to see people start saying the pope is just joking, or is crazy or something stupid like that.

Yeah as far as Pope's go, Francis is alright. He's really humble and from what I've seen, his heart is in the right place.