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Post by KTJ on Apr 16, 2016 13:07:43 GMT 10
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Post by pim on Apr 16, 2016 17:21:57 GMT 10
"Evilness"?
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Post by pim on Apr 16, 2016 17:31:30 GMT 10
The church isn't doing evil. It's doing what it can within capitalism because it can. No more, no less. It's what wealthy and powerful clients have always done when they think they dominate the market: "Do things our way, or stop doing stuff we don't like, or we'll take our business elsewhere". It's up to outfits like Telstra to decide how they're going to respond. Like craven wimps? Or with balls ... err ... a healthy uterus ... err ... oh bugger it you know what I mean. Telstra's craven response assumed that the Catholic church held all the trump cards. I disagree that they did.
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Post by pim on Apr 16, 2016 18:32:25 GMT 10
Of course, being an atheist precludes the meanings associated with "Satan".   |
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Post by pim on Apr 16, 2016 18:44:19 GMT 10
A sneer? You call that a sneer?  |
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Post by pim on Apr 16, 2016 20:00:57 GMT 10
Pim's sneer count continues:  OK I'll bite - although something tells me I'll regret feeding the spam monster - in what way is my lighthearted c & p response to your parting "Satanic" quip a "sneer". |
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Post by pim on Apr 16, 2016 20:40:06 GMT 10
Oh diddums! An acerbic but jocular response in pictorial form that graphically demonstrates just how much difference your parting "sneer" (you're calling anything a sneer these days so why shouldn't I?) about atheists and Satan makes to the faith of people of faith is characterised by you with the whine that it's a "sneer"? Are you, Yorick, setting yourself up as the "sneer police" and arrogating to yourself the role of sole arbiter of what constitutes a "sneer" and what does not? Wow! The pope has nothing on you in matters of faith and morals!  |
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Post by pim on Apr 16, 2016 20:46:45 GMT 10
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Post by pim on Apr 16, 2016 23:30:57 GMT 10
 But as a famous pig might oink ...  |
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Post by pim on Apr 17, 2016 3:07:09 GMT 10
Oh c'mon Yorick, what with my sneering and your spamming we can take over the whole bloody board  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2016 6:45:20 GMT 10
Ahem!...back on topic....
"I wonder whether you have questioned whether it is the role of a corporation such as yours to be participating in such an important matter that impacts all of Australian society now and into the future," wrote Sydney archdiocese business manager Michael Digges
Business Manager??
Thanks Mr Digges...you have just given the best reason yet why your organisation should start coughing up some tax dollars!
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Post by pim on Apr 17, 2016 11:03:58 GMT 10
Now that is a no brainer and thank you Grim for bringing us back on topic. The Catholic Church has the most successful business model in history: 2000 years and counting. The God business is a licence to print money. Ever seen St Peters in Rome? Been awestruck by its lavish opulence? Ever wondered how they paid for all that? Think Borgia Popes ("God has granted us the Papacy. Let us now enjoy it!") and the sale of indulgences. Here's how it worked: an "indulgence salesteam" would set up in the marketplace of any town in Renaissance Europe and their sales pitch to the average peasant would go something like this: your old grandma who died some time ago, you'd like to get her out of Purgatory and up into heaven? It just so happens that we have a special offer for this month only. For a crazy reduced price we can have a Mass said for her with all the right prayers that are guaranteed to pluck dear old grandma right out of Purgatory and whizz her straight through the Pearly Gates. She'll be singing in the heavenly choir and putting in a good word for you with the Big Fella before you can say Hail Mary. But be quick! The offer ends tomorrow. It worked a treat. Next time you're in Rome saying "Dominus Vobiscum" to the Pope have a squizz at St Peters and reflect on just how successful that business model was. The Catholic Church understands about making money. They have always been very good at making and handling $$ or ££ or €€ or ducats or denarii or .. name the currency. So you shouldn't be surprised or shocked or outraged if they use their commercial leverage to "lean" on companies and corporations to get a desired outcome. It's what they do, and it's what they've always done. And what Grim said is spot on. Of course they should pay tax! In fact it's probably time for another Henry 8 gambit. Know what he did back in the 1500s? You know what I said about St Peters in Rome, how lavish it is and how they financed the building of it? It wasn’t just in Rome that they knew how to make money. King Henry 8 was having budgetary problems and he needed a fresh source of revenue. He'd been in heavy dispute with the Catholic Church over his marital issues and he was trying to take over the God business for himself inside his Kingdom and to squeeze the Pope out. So no more religious taxes paid to Rome. He'd have that action for his royal self. That was the easy part. Next bit was harder but he did it. England was dotted with monasteries that were rich beyond the dreams of avarice. Gold leaf fittings, sacred vessels made of gold and silver and dotted with precious stones. It was too tempting a target. What followed was the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In the short term it solved a budgetary problem for Henry. Long term it trashed Catholicism in England and it's been Protestant ever since. Now fast forward to the early 20th century in France. Something similar happened with its monasteries. The clerics were booted out, the assets were looted by the government and the buildings were turned into government schools offering free education to working class kids. So should the Catholic Church pay tax? That would be a start, but only just a start. There's a lot further to go and the pickings for any government would be rich beyond the dreams of avarice!! It's been over 500 years since the last wave of anti-clericalism hit the Anglo-Saxon world. And that was in the Tudor England of Henry VIII. Maybe it's time for the Dissolution of Church Business Models. If you drive along Canberra Avenue between Manuka and Parliament House on the Forrest side, look at all those properties between St Christopher's Cathedral and Dominion Circuit - prime real estate worth a squillion and owned by the Catholic Church. They’re currently putting up swank apartment buildings on some of it. Pay tax? My bloody oath they should pay tax!  |
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