Pope Takes Pop At Games

Or get rid of all the people who think violence is bad, then everything will be fine!

Another thing - what the Pope may not realise is, the impact that would occur if somebody decided to publish a Jesus game, for example. Also, Jesus' death was violent, so what's all that about?

I think what the Pope was trying to say was,

I prefer to punctuate arguments of this nature with a basic and understated:

"Yeah....and....so....what?"

Oh... and I've been taking a pop at Catholics for years. Fairs, fair.

I think that's a really, really good point.

One could argue the Bible could cause all sorts of violent behaviour.

Maybe violent books are next on the hit-list... Agatha Christie would turn in her grave.

the bible is full of sickening depravity.

did you know that in the entire bible, satan kills only a handful of people, and even those he was told to kill by god. the rest of the deaths initiated by supernatural beings 'recorded' in the bible fall at gods feet. and thats in its millions!

a brilliant role model!

sieg heil, mein popen

Well it seems nothing is sacred anymore, not even the Pope. While I don't agree with his statement, I don't feel the need to bring up that he was part of the Hitler Youth. I find that comment by spong to be of poor taste. I don't have to tell anyone that the Nazis didn't go about their business by "asking nicely". You didn't join the Hitler Youth, you were forced into it. Honestly, who wrote this article? Sure take a stab at the Pope, but why mock him for something he had no control over and is likely ashamed of.

I don't think he is really speaking of "violent games make violent people". As much as he speaks of games portraying real life atrocities.

Let's further the stereotype of half legible ignorant gamers spewing acid at eachother.

The pope may not have had a choice over whether he was in the Hitler Youth or not - membership was made obligatory in 1936, when the Pope was 9 years old.

But the Catholic Church certainly had a choice over who they elected Pope.

Many post war political figures were previously members of the Hitler Youth, even Anti Nazi activists.

His membership of the Hitler Youth is a fact, there's no reason why we shouldn't mention it when he is decrying an artform for depiction of violence without mentioning the tradition of actually performing violence and suppression by his own organisation - I am referring to the Catholic Curch, not the Hitler Jugend here...

SPOnG writers wrote the story, I cleared it. And just hold your horses a second. In a story recounting the opinions of a major figure in world politics on the effects of stimuli on CHILDREN, it is of course relevant that as a CHILD the speaker was heavily affected by his environment. In this case, that was Nazi Germany. This is nothing to do with good taste.



I do think he was. The value trying to re-tell what you think he said is empty. What he actually said is here.



The fact that you've taken the time to express your opinion in a clear manner, and others have to, undermines the view of gamers spewing acid at each other.

To finish, and on the subject of violence, taste and introducing 'selective' editing... in the speech we quoted, the Pope quotes Luke 17:2 in relation to the people who make violent content: "It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck".

However, he misses the end of that quote. Here it is in all of its non-violent lovingness...



In short, "drown the bastards".

religous moderates have to selectively edit the bible and its meanings all the time, to reconcile their human morals with the twisted logic and intolerance found inside that ridiculous collection of yarns.

Richard Dawkins describes the god of islam, judaism and christianity very well:

'the god of the old testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully'

also, see south park "go, god, go" both episodes for more on Richard Dawkins, "Darwin's Rottweiler"

i wouldnt say South Park was the place to go to be informed on any subject

youll get more sense out of wikipedia, and thats saying somet :D

Strongly Agree, though his membership in the Hitler Youth, IMNSHO, enchances his credibility in a way, since he's been made intimately aware of the effects of social manipulation on children.

Thanks for the link. Once again strongly agree.

Ah yes, but drown them for their own good, 'It were better for him...' since with alla the ebil sinning the'll get the hellfire and the damnation and whatnot. So game devs are in league with the Debil and firmly in the path of the Jebus.

Pope has never been sacred, except to Catholics, and not always them. Hell look at what Sinead O'Connor did to the picture of John Paul Jones II on Saturday Night Live, and this new guy, he's no JPJ II. How many countries has he helped liberate from Communism? How many times has he been shot?



Yeah, I thought so...


What about the affects the Catholic Church on children? I say 'better a millstone...' right back atcher Popemeister. Better your entire organization crumble into dust than another one of your clergy 'offend one of these little ones'. For your protection of and concealing of accused clergy in the US I think they need their tax-exempt status threatened, if not revoked.

it should be revoked, why they are given preferential treatment for being delusional is quite beyond me.

we should start giving massive rebates to the local asylum residents by that logic

yeh probably, im wasted right now, (as was majin dboy) so i have a rare moment of clarity, i personally believe that while the big bang theory and the THEORY of evolution is very plausable, i suggest that it could be the answer to "how" and not the answer to "why" as per young stanleys observation and i dont see any reason why science and religeon cant co-exist and prove each other right. what was this subject about again, i forget. hooray for spong!

Science and religion cannot co-exist. (You must have been REALLY wasted!)

All religion is based on unprovable superstition, whereas science is based on provable facts. There is just no way you can believe in any god WITHOUT basing your belief on FAITH not proof.

What's more - despite science and modern philosophy since Darwin urging us to be rationalists instead of believers - is it not fair to argue that the fundamental (and fundamentalist) disconnect between Islam, Christianity and Judaism is currently the major reason or excuse for wars across the world today?

These are just my opinions, which I try to base on facts. If you can prove me wrong then I'm willing to change my opinions.

I've just read Dawkin's latest book - The God Delusion - which I highly recomment to anybody, whatever their personal religious belief, or lack of it, may be. Check - http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1878706,00.html

and may i add, that we humanists know that all thw worlds problems wont melt away with the demise of religion, but its a big step toward global peace.

because pro-religion people always say, when you mention all the wars caused by difference of religion and how good it would be to be without them, that we will still have war without religion. yeah but we wont have half as much!

religion requires irrationality to subscribe. when irrational people get into positions of power, wether the leader of an armed unit, the head of a school, an imam or a president, youve got problems.