Oh this is too easy for a comment. I’ll just let you do it.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060728/ap_on_re_us/priest_luxuries_2
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – A priest who resigned from a church in an affluent Connecticut community misspent up to $1.4 million in parishioner donations to lead a life of luxury with another man, according to a church-directed investigation.The Rev. Michael Jude Fay spent church money on limousines, stays at top hotels, jewelry, Italian clothing and a Florida condominium shared with the other man, auditors hired by the diocese found. About half the money he spent was kept in a secret bank account, according to their report, which was mailed Friday to 1,700 parishioners of the Darien church and obtained in advance by The Associated Press
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Actually I live in Lakeland,and work in Orlando,my daughter works for NASA
JonBoy
I think we like to delude ourselves that our nature is any less aggressive than “lower level” animal behavior.
We kill each other over sex (he was screwing my wife!), property (he stole my cocaine shipment!), territory (get off our land!), and rarely for food (Donner party).
The only significant advancements (if you can call them that) humans have made is that we can kill vast numbers of each other more easily and that we can kill each other over ideas (namely religion and politics).
I’m not sure I’d qualify that as an advancement. In fact, I consider both of them more barbaric than “lesser” species. We have the technology to make the world a better place for all the species that live on it. We would rather use what we have learned to kill one another.
AT:
Well, as the old adage says, “Hope springs eternal.”
We may have done a lot of shit things as a species, but we’ve done some wonders as well.
Alas, that last 1 is a misconception. Cannabilism is fairly common in Africa. Probably in other parts of the world.
‘Everything I Ever Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten’. Never read it: the title tells it all.
We have learned to share, as a species. Needs polish, no doubt.
Here’s a tip of the glass: to the chance we may climb yet another rung on the evolutionary ladder, ere we implode on ourselves.
RA sez:
Here’s a tip of the glass: to the chance we may climb yet another rung on the evolutionary ladder, ere we implode on ourselves.
I’ll drink to that, although this hope and reality kind of collide. I’m not sure that we atheists should be included in the collective “we” you refer to, that will be responsible for the implosion.
The Pious really do get off on killing each other, don’t they?
I haven’t read every post, so sorry if I repeat something already said…
The priest was Catholic…we all know how Catholic priests love little boys. So is it so surprising that this particular priest is gay? I think he shocker is that he was with an adult male, not a prepubescent one.
The outrageous spending is nothing compared to the touchy-feely priests of a few years ago. If anything, that shows a major betrayal of trust and abuse of power. Spending the money of rich people is nothing.
reverends and priests are two different things. catholic priests are not the same as protestant reverends. who is what? is the guy a priest or a reverend? he can’t be both.
***abuse deleted *** (hz)
Javier,
No, we just don’t care. They’re just synonyms for propagandist, liars, crooks and pedophiles.
And monestary is latin for “circle jerk”.
godless77,
please don’t respond to him (javier) or this topic will go straight into the tank like all the others when he intrudes.
as far as the topic goes, it is amusing that someone of such presumed trust and integrity duped his flock. but it seems to happen with equal frequency across the full spectrum of those in a position to do so.
the only difference in this case is the hypocrisy of those who don’t practice what they preach. the religious are most susceptible to this beacuase they hold themselves up as so moral and pious so it makes them look all the sillier when they get caught.
godless:
Yeah, but 1 can hope otherwise.
Hey, we’re all in it together, like it or not.
Hey, it’s hard turning a page in their book, w/o finding some sort of blood sacrifice.
Then again, most of it’s just human nature.
flanonblvr,
Sorry, but I couldn’t resist. He’s just such an incredible idiot! I mean, the guy isn’t angry at us. He’s angry that he’s so gullible but can’t admit to himself, so he has to insult those who aren’t gullible.
And really, that fact is relevant to this gay embezzling padre because it’s that same gulliblity that allowed him to get away with it all for so long.
And I do find him humorous, in a sad, pathetic way.
RA: Yeah, but 1 can hope otherwise.
Oh and I do, right along with you. I would like nothing more than for peace on earth.
Guess I just don’t like the odds right now. The times we live in erode my optimism.
That and the stupidity of the global leaders hypnotized by apolacyptic visions from the fairy tales told by every religion on the face of the earth.
Men of Peace my ass!
godlees,
i know. it is excruciatingly tempting to call them out. i have slipped and done it on several ocaissions with some of the other pious xtians that visit. but the relief is temporary and they just don’t get it and keep coming back. they are like a cancer looking for someplace to roost and wreak havoc.
i agree that they are pathetic and i do pity them, but it gets old after a while.
RA wrote:
well spoken. we all sink or swim together. unfortunately, i view the religious folks like the instructor that only lets you swim the backstroke through life even if it’s uncomfortable.
i prefer free-style myself.
HZ and JONBOY
Thanks for the limericks!
DNA
Really appreciated your post on the Lost Christianities. Something new learned today-gracias.
One of my favorite sayings:
Pessimism is better than optimism. People are always proving you right, and when they’re not you’re pleasantly surprised.
I prefer the dead man’s float. You don’t really have to work at it all that much and you usually end up in all kinds of interesting places.
um…hate to point it out…but did u know that over 75% america CLAIMS to be christian? and also did you know that in the bible it talks of false prophets and teachers CLAIMING to be christian? dont you see? of COURSE there there are going to be bad apples in the church. But God told us that. NOT EVERYONE WHO CLAIMS TO KNOW GOD KNOWS GOD!!!!
heis:
The CLAIMing is where the issue with xtians, I think. In my experience, those who claim to be xtian are into the religion because it provides them with a reason to feel big about themselves.
Then, there’s the KNOWing part..How can someone know an imaginary person. Xtianity is just one big acid trip–everyone involved is having the same hallucination.
heiswhoheis:
Yeah, I’ll bet you hate pointing it out. What’s your point, besides an argument from popularity?
-YAWN- Wolves in sheep’s clothing, yeah, heard it before.
What’s the old adage? Oh yeah…1 bad apple spoils the whole barrel.
Unless you meant oranges…hehehehe.
Then how in hell do you tell them apart? Do you issue badges, or what?
JONBOY
We drive past Lakeland everytime we go to Tampa (about once a month). What’s up with all the traffic on I-4 around the Lakeland exits? The town must be growing by leaps and bounds.
I think we’re the only family in Brevard County who are not employed by NASA! But, it’s sure nice to live near enough to watch the shuttles take off!
Well, if we were to use the bible the old testament God himself claims that nobody can know him. When God decides to give being a human a spin, forming God 2.0 or “Jesus” he decided, in the new testament, to say that all that other stuff he said in the past was now moot and that the only real thing that is needed to get into heaven is to believe in him.
There is a distinction to be made between belief and knowledge. Knowledge is based on facts. Belief does not require so rigorous a standard to adhere to. Thereby, the big J doesn’t really give a crap how much you “know” but merely how much you “believe.” Hell, he even said that you don’t need to keep any more of those hundreds of silly laws that Moses came up with since they were part of the covenant with the Jews. If not, I hope you aren’t wearing any clothing made from more than one fabric (cotton-poly blends would be a no-no), and if you’re female you’d better not be wearing pants (the trappings of a man), and you definitely can’t be eating beef stroganoff.
Unless you’re not a faith-based xian and you’re works-based. I’m really confused about the works-based ones because hey-zeus didn’t say anything to give the impression that more than belief was required to enter the kingdom of heaven.
But I really can’t complain, I like the works-based ones much more. At least they do something productive with their faith. The faith-based ones seem to merely hang around attempting to terrify the shit out of everyone about some cataclysm predicted by revelations (which we have been assured is “coming any day now” and have been assured of that for the last… oh… 2000 years), pining about the good old days (where owning slaves was legal and you could burn heretics I have to imagine), and whining to anyone who will listen about the “moral decay” of society.
Jees. I like stroganoff. Specially wen made with fresh cream, meat, onions, and mushrooms. MMMHHH.
The way I look at this, is that the difference between this guy, and any other church is that at least he spent it on himself, instead of adorning the church with gaudy gold plated ornaments, and hideous religious paintings.
You all can’t hear this right now, being on the other side of a monitor and all, but I am quite contentedly golf clapping in appreciation of this.
Good show Father Fay. In a Christian perspective, what he did must seem terrible I am sure. But as an existentialist, I say: way to grab life by the balls and run with it! LOL Hats off to you.
Since I have little sympathy for the church as it is, since many of them are already corrupt, stealing from them doesn’t surprise or offend me, especially by one of their own.
Javier: The basic difference between a priest and a pastor is that a pastor can get a wife, and lead a normal, but delusional life, while a priest needs those altar boys for those late night escapades….
I have to argue against the Christianity of Albert Einstein
http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Albert_Einstein
If the link doesn’t work (I’m not sure what the XHTML code is for a link) you can find Mr. Einstein’s listing on the Celebrity Atheist page in Dave’s Blogroll.
On topic- I have to agree with Zac Hunter. At least this guy did himself well, instead of his church.
The church gets fat off of donations, and what do they do with it… a lot of the priests, I’m sure, spend money on themselves.
This fellow just spent it on his boyfriend ! And it was a grown man for once !
That, alone is impressive. That he didn’t go groping on some poor 10 year old.
And to the Limerick Writers… great jobs… both of ya
Do what I say or spend eternity in hell- That’s not love, that’s blackmail.
Atomictesting, I’m sure you will like this quote: “You can’t say civilization don’t advance, for in every war they kill you in a new way.”–Will Rogers
you seem to blame your problems and society on christians, we will make mistakes and so will our stars,and so will you, friends Someday the USA will collapse and when someone controls every aspect of you life the food you eat or how much food you get it’s going to happen and your cause won’t mean diddly squat. since most the bible has been proved as history you might want to rich out to a christan
MitchBX:
I think you may want to learn punctuation.
& where might we have come to these conclusions?
Ah, the great Beast is almost upon us?
Sorry, Revelation was topical, not futuristic.
Obviously you haven’t kept up on the latest findings:
bible is most assuredly not historical.
Take some deep breaths, compose yourself, & do try to converse w/us as if we’re adults, & we will do the same for you.