I came across a section of the Baltimore Catechism that recommends certain prayers be said daily. Nothing too exceptional, but this little ditty caught my eye.
FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
This is familiar language to Catholics, but, wait a second! Is “eternal rest” all we get?
I thought the faithful departed were supposed to enter into the presence, eyeball to eyeball with God.
But, “eternal rest” sounds like lying in the grave for a real long time.
One childish notion of heaven is that if we deny our sinful cravings here on earth we will be able to satisfy them in heaven. Take, for instance, a guy who for some cockamamie reason is sexually attracted only to sheep. But he’s a good Catholic and, difficult as it can be, he lives his whole life virtuously and never commits bestiality.
So, when the guy gets to heaven, he will be able to have all the sex he wants with an unending supply of incredibly beautiful sheep. No?
Come to think of it, we don’t hear much about the Christian heaven. The RCC has chosen instead utilize the threat of eternal damnation as a way of coercing desired behavior from those under its thumb.
And those who still don’t cooperate, just kill them, that’s how Pedro de Arbués earned his halo. Those who go to Catholic heaven get to rub elbows with this sainted Inquisitor Provincial of the Kingdom of Aragon.
I thought the faithful departed were supposed to enter into the presence, eyeball to eyeball with God.
But, “eternal rest” sounds like lying in the grave for a real long time.
One childish notion of heaven is that if we deny our sinful cravings here on earth we will be able to satisfy them in heaven. Take, for instance, a guy who for some cockamamie reason is sexually attracted only to sheep. But he’s a good Catholic and, difficult as it can be, he lives his whole life virtuously and never commits bestiality.
So, when the guy gets to heaven, he will be able to have all the sex he wants with an unending supply of incredibly beautiful sheep. No?
Come to think of it, we don’t hear much about the Christian heaven. The RCC has chosen instead utilize the threat of eternal damnation as a way of coercing desired behavior from those under its thumb.
And those who still don’t cooperate, just kill them, that’s how Pedro de Arbués earned his halo. Those who go to Catholic heaven get to rub elbows with this sainted Inquisitor Provincial of the Kingdom of Aragon.
Jesuits could gain some credibility by repudiating the cannonization of this murderer-for-Jusus.
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2 comments:
Wait! Before you flame... I believe that for a human to have sex with a sheep is a definite disservice to the sheep
I think you have missed the mark a bit on your interpretation of "eternal rest."
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