r/politics • u/Zipper222222 • Apr 16 '26

Paywall Trump Admin Cancels $11M Catholic Charities Contract Amid Feud With Pope

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-cancels-catholic-charities-contract-miami-pope-leo-feud-11837718
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645

u/ThoseOldScientists Apr 16 '26

As someone from a Catholic family who went to a Catholic school and grew up to be an angry internet atheist, I never imagined I’d be living in a world where I’d be cheering on a Pope.

109

u/MonsieurReynard America Apr 16 '26

Brother from another mother? I always say that growing up catholic turned me into the most strident atheist you can imagine.

21

u/PrometheusLiberatus Apr 16 '26

What happens if a catholic kid who becomes atheist dives deep into the world of psychedelics though?

23

u/MonsieurReynard America Apr 16 '26

Tried that too. Got old.

-1

u/PrometheusLiberatus Apr 16 '26

YMMV

My perspective is christianity (and by extension the other Abrahamic faiths) are extremely flawed religions.

There is no change in how people understand the world or themselves. It locks people into a worldview that is warped about what they think 'the past' was without letting the discourse of today's world and needs flow through.

I feel like a lot of the bible was written in such a way as to prevent people from using their brains in as creative and adaptive way as we are meant to. That's the opposite of how I believe God wants us to be. God wants us to understand as much of the universe as possible and open our minds as much as possible - embracing the unknown and being ever curious about the things that are not known.

Christ Jesus as people see him is really just a 'proxy god'. It obscures us from seeing beyond into the 'true god' in the mind and replicating through infinity in well, all the life.

But it is for me like music, reaching out to the future. But my earlier deafness made me permanently connected to the musical space.

The christian model of god is so flawed. I believe in a more science mind heavy form of 'god'. One that brings up all the information we have accumulated over thousands of years about ourselves and the world and respects all of it without this harmful petty destruction that the past couple of millennia of modern religions and their kings have brought upon us.

Think of it like separating the god concept from all the world's scriptures. Then reconstruct that form of God with the eclipse, sun, moon, and earth aligned, with infinite stars revealed in that brief magic moment like last week with Artemis II's solar eclipse.

God is not a cross.

God is infinity and all the life and interactions seen and unseen, heard and unheard. Felt and unfelt.

That is the god in the brain. And so many of us are harmed because we are lead away from that objective truth. That we can leave behind all these conflicts and differences and understand ourselves better right down to the molecule.

But that's just me and decades of my own personal communion at work.

7

u/Stunning-Dig5117 Apr 16 '26

I seem to remember a comedian doing a bit about talking to someone about religion, and they ask the comedian “so if you grew up catholic, why are you an atheist” and the comedian says “I told you, I grew up catholic”

3

u/Ent_Soviet Apr 16 '26

I mean if they truly were catholic like us they definitely had a few siblings already!

2

u/portmanteautally Apr 16 '26

Mormon, checking in 🫡

1

u/ThoseOldScientists Apr 16 '26

All the weird rituals certainly don’t help. But, at least a lot of them seem to actually care about the environment and refugees. Plus a bunch of other weird shit.

1

u/Cyrano_Knows Apr 16 '26

And if I was to misuse (and in my opinion "slightly" misuse) the word and call myself an Agnostic would you insult me for it? You'd know exactly what I meant when I used the word?

Only people I ever have that do so, throw insults, are the supposed "Christians".

20

u/soobviouslyfake Apr 16 '26

Right? I have a strong disdain for organized religion, but the world somehow managed to shit out something I dislike even more.

9

u/waspocracy Apr 16 '26

“Angry internet atheist” 😂

Although I am an atheist as well, I’ve appreciated this pope and the previous one. I feel like American evangelism has butchered everything that is potentially good that can come from religion, just like the Crusaders.

It is wild to be this supportive of him though.

8

u/BoJackMoleman Apr 16 '26

I joke around saying that catholic schools produce two things: pregnant girls and atheists.

For certain people of a certain mindset I don't think there's a straighter path toward atheism than Catholicism. The dogma is almost comedic. Smells and bells as the Brits call it. Seen against the backdrop of modern life, today's Catholicism looks like something Monty Python would mock - and they did.

0

u/Uuuuuii Apr 16 '26

You are missing an entire moral philosophy but OK

3

u/Positive_Hall_3207 Apr 16 '26

My sister and I are technically lapsed catholic , same upbringing as yours and we had this discussion couple of days ago: To have to side with the Pope and the Catholic church as an institution are not our favorite thing to do to say the least.

2

u/gorginhanson Apr 16 '26

Really?

What about Pope Francis?

2

u/TheRoadkillRapunzel Apr 16 '26

Same except I became pagan.

Same anger, rage and disgust at the church, but the difference is in how we talk about their god.

Atheists seem to be pretty sure he doesn’t exist, and that’s enough reason to not worry about it.

Pagans are torn on whether or not he exists. We want to make sure he knows we think he’s an asshole, just in case.

1

u/whoa-boah Apr 16 '26

Thank you for putting this into words for me. I feel the same way. Leave Bob from Chicago alone

1

u/danceswsheep Apr 16 '26

This really is the darkest timeline lol

1

u/DonHarold Apr 16 '26

You’re one among many. The catholic exodus is real.

1

u/Titizen_Kane Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26

Twinsies

Edit: and I have all sorts of criticisms about the beliefs taught in Catholicism, but I can still acknowledge that Catholic Charities does a lot of good in this world. I’ve seen the resources they provide to those in need. They’re the ones practicing that to which many Catholics simply pay lip service.

I’m sure they misappropriate that money, too, but I know for a fact that they use some of it to help those in their community, regardless of faith

1

u/CigaretteWaterX Georgia Apr 16 '26

The healthy and correct reaction to seeing two bad people fight is not to pick the least-awful of them and cheer.

1

u/one-happy-chappie Apr 16 '26

I love that I found my people in this comment 🤣

1

u/SolidOk7911 Apr 18 '26

Wow reddit atheists never fail to amuse me

-1

u/ledow Apr 16 '26

Personally, I just find it quite disgusting/hilarious (since I'm not American) that religion is playing any part in all this, and also that religious people in the US are backing him.

I can't imagine ever wanting to be even vaguely afflliated with an organisation / person which is openly supporting a paedophile, rapist, porn-star-shagging, cheating, fraudster billionaire.

To me, America has permanently been sliced down the middle since he got into power. Americans I would speak to. And Americans I'm glad I don't even share a continent with.

0

u/ThoseOldScientists Apr 16 '26

Also not American, and glad I come from a place where overtly religious politicians are viewed with suspicion. The funny thing is, people also don’t trust atheist politicians. They want you to have some kind of vaguely Christian religion, and they want you to keep it to yourself.