I woke from a dream, once, that I had been, in some previous life, forcibly buried alive. I could feel myself screaming in horror, in the dream. Well, horror – that is a bit of an understatement.

Anyway, this voice spoke through the dream and said: “You left that lifetime with a great feeling of defeat and despair, knowing that you could never get out of your circumstances of cruelty. That is why you come into this lifetime with such despair.”

Now, maybe that’s all a load of sh*t. It probably is. Maybe my mind used, symbolically, the notion of reincarnation, to explain something to myself.

At any rate, how many people are imprisoned in “coffins”, like I was, in the dream, screaming to get out?

And how many people are happy to be inside, and trying to lock others away, with them?

It’s good to rigorously question Everything, I think. But, as a “true believer” (we all have this side, I think), it’s very painful and resistance and pain is typical. Conviction is admirable, but only if one can also question it, from time to time.

Extremely Perceptive!!!!!

I cannot stand the yoke of “infallibility”. It’s as arrogant as anything is likely to be, in this world. It’s a terrible set-up for corruption. When we, either as believers or “subjects” (one in the same) give credence to this notion, we allow our own truth and insight to be trampled on. There is No Such Thing as “infallibility”. It doesn’t exist.

No representation of God could, as human, EVER be “infallible”, and if we are going to worship a “sun king” who is part immortal, then we had best be prepared to give up our right to speak our minds and live our lifes in (relative) freedom.

Btw – Mike’s column can be found here:

http://www.pnj.com/section/OPINION

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You have my total empathy, Mara. I feel that way in life with people at both home and at work. If there was such a thing as reincarnation, I would do it differently because I would learn my lesson from my previous life.

You want facts. How about the unemployment rate in this country? Why don’t our church leaders do a thing about that? They will not get a steady supply of money from their members if they are out of work. Church leaders should put pressure on the CEOs, but then again, the CEOs think that they are God and answer to no one.

Farron, I went to Ross’ website and he is also spilling out the same garbage that our top right winger political and business leaders are saying. Colleen, Mara, and I had a run in with him a few articles ago, and we kick his butt real good with real facts and figures. I told Ross that if he read the medical reports, court transcipts, and saw the pictures of the babies affect by the pollution in West Virginia, he would up chuck his stomach. Ross is the kind of guy who will argue about anything and everything that is favors the few rich people and corporations at the expense of the rest of us. Trouble is that there are too many of them out there and they occupied too many key positions in this country.

How and where do you find Ross on PNJ website anyway?

Regarding the infalliability of the Pope, I agree that has got to go. A long time ago, there was a thing called “divine right” which was a doctrine stating that monarchs derive their right to rule directly from God and are accountable only to God. Unfortunately, it gave members of the royal families to abuse their subjects and end result was many of them ended up on the chopping block or force to abdicated.

You and I have frequently disagreed on topics, particularly concerning the catholic church. Still, although we’ve fought w/each other, we can both not pull rank on each other as in: I am smarter than you, etc.

That’s the feeling I get, from you, at any rate.

You write:

“I hope that people will not get mad at me for saying what I honestly think. It is not my place as a Catholic to tell the Pope what he must do, but it is the Pope who tells us as Catholics what to believe as Catholics.”

I respect where you are coming from, but, at the risk of putting more logs on the fire….I think this is a big mistake in the church, and makes it very cult-like. In cults, one cannot question, as you certainly know

Infallibility on the pope’s part has Got to go. It’s a sham. I don’t believe, for one second, that the pople or *any Human Being* is infallible. It’s just not possible, and using religion as a cover for trying to convince your followers that you Are infallible is a set-up for a huge amount of abuse to go on, unchecked.

It’s sad. It is what drives many away from the church – any church, really, but esp. one as doctrinaire as the catholic church.

I write this w/respect for you, Chrisy. Maybe we will argue as heatedly as my exchange w/Deborah, but maybe not.

I calls ‘em as I sees ‘em. It’s MY opinion, and I stand by it. Someone has to be a truth-teller in this world. As many of us as possible. I tell the truth, as I see it, and I base my truth on observation and humane values.