Pope Francis rocked some religious and atheist minds today when he declared that everyone was redeemed through Jesus, including atheists.I was tempted to just ignore this. I don't give two shakes what Francis has to say about anything; but, if for no other reason than to break up the heavy run of Doctor Who posts, I'll do my atheist blogger duty and tell the Pope he can keep his redemption. But, thanks for reminding everyone Pascal's Wager is a worthless consideration, or, more to the point, putting it in a way even the thickest religionists can understand.
The important thing is to do good. Period.
The issue I take with Francis's statement is he's still making it about heavenly reward, which remains fairy tale bullshit. But, at least he's saying faith doesn't matter, it's the doing good that does. So, good on him for that.
I suspect the ramifications of this statement are going to force him to walk it back, as theologians point out that it's not exactly motivating to their sheep to tell them they don't need the church to help them get to heaven. I mean, the Vatican has a monetary interest in motivating their marks to continue ponying up.
Update: Looks like the Vatican had already issued a clarifying statement when I'd posted this. Of course atheists can get into heaven as long as they remain blissfully unaware of the church, or upon becoming aware of it, instantly accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Ho-hum. Same old, B.S. Nothing new here.
