Pope Decrees "No Sports on Sundays"

[ProfessorCool]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/pac...nosundaysports

The Pope Says Don't Do THIS on Sundays

No more watching movies or football games on Sundays. Pope John Paul II has decreed that Roman Catholics should reserve Sunday as a day for God only and not for secular diversions, such as entertainment and sports, reports Reuters.

"When Sunday loses its fundamental meaning and becomes subordinate to a secular concept of 'weekend' dominated by such things as entertainment and sport, people stay locked within a horizon so narrow that they can no longer see the heavens," the pontiff said in a speech to 35 Australian bishops, who recently made a pilgrimage to the Vatican. The pope blasted what he called "the pernicious ideology of secularism."

Condemning the "culture of the here and now," the Holy Father encouraged the leaders of the church to "lead men and women from the shadows of moral confusion and ambiguous thinking." Noting the secular culture is undermining family life, the pope encouraged Catholics to remain faithful to the Sunday Mass.

Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, admitted to The Boston Herald that he was "kind of flabbergasted by the pope's suggestion, because it seems like it's coming out of left field. We've been playing sports on Sunday his entire papacy." Of course, most professional teams, including those in Europe, play their games on Sundays. Who can imagine a Sunday afternoon between August and January without a National Football League game?

To which the pope says this: "Sunday is the supreme day of faith, an indispensable day, the day of Christian hope. Any weakening in the Sunday observance of Holy Mass weakens Christian discipleship."

Lapchick had harsh words in reply. If the Catholic church did place a ban on Sunday sports, he thinks the church would lose congregants. "Sports is a religion in this country and a lot of the world," he said.

My dad isn't going to take this lightly.

[davinxtk]

Originally Posted by Pope John Paul II

I should be dead by now

[Bobo Adobo]

Has anybody told the pope that church is only an hour long? Not to mention an hour of complete boredness, unless you are a southern baptist.

[Brandon]

He's a fine Catholic celebrity, that Pope. Give him his lifetime achievement award and show him the door.

[Perndog]

I agree with the pope wholeheartedly. I'm sick of Christians who think all they need to do is go to church for an hour a week at most. Ingrateful bastards should show a little more devotion to the creator of all existence. Especially those smug athletes (I'm sure some of them are Catholic) who will be praying in the locker room right before they go out and blatantly defy the Pope and the Bible. Fuckers.

[ProfessorCool]

I hope that wasn't just a bunch of sarcasm, asshole.

[El Blanco]

He didn't say no sports on Sunday. He said that he didn't like how people were giving precedence to the sports over worship on Sundays.

And did any of you know that the reason we have Saturdays and sundays off (well, traditionally, anyway) is because Christian and Jewish leaders joined the AFL and CIO in order to get them? No, because then you wouldn't be so quick with the smarmy, wise ass remarks.

And Pern, lip service Christianity is a whole other discussion all together.

[Anonymous]

I expect the pope's message to have a vast effect on the American people. Don't be surprised if the price for ad time during the Superbowl drop to $1.25 an ad.

[Perndog]

Yeah, Cool, I was quite serious. I don't think religion is something that should be done half-assed, especially when there's a god involved.

And Blanco, I'm an entertainer and I work much more on Saturdays and Sundays than during the week *because* everyone else has those days off. I feel quite confident tossing wise-ass remarks wherever I like on this topic.

I think lip service Christianity is exactly the issue. The pope is offended by Christians who treat the holy day as nothing more than an excuse to watch or play sports.

[Zebra 3]

[Protoclown]

APRIL FOOLS!!

[El Blanco]

And Blanco, I'm an entertainer and I work much more on Saturdays and Sundays than during the week *because* everyone else has those days off. I feel quite confident tossing wise-ass remarks wherever I like on this topic.

I wasn't aiming that line at you.

I think this issue is a symptom of a much greater issue.

[Big Papa Goat]

Ya, that religion is irrelevant, and that people are finding more efficient irrelevant activities to waste their time with. That being said, I can't wait for the hockey playoffs to start.

[Zebra 3]

Originally Posted by Big Papa Goat

...I can't wait for the hockey playoffs to start.

- What he said.

[Rez]

pope doesnt know anything
pope is almost dead
pope will guest star on sitcoms and ski down mountains like in the 1950's
pope needs an air conditioner right now

[Bobo Adobo]

But he is the pope. Don't ever forget it.

[El Blanco]

Hahaha. The Pope is old, he knows nothing.

I don't believe in God so the spirtual lives of several billion people have no bearing on my life and they are big poopy-headed dummies.


I think that sums up the majority of responses here.

[teh_mastar!]

Originally Posted by Bobo Adobo

Has anybody told the pope that church is only an hour long? Not to mention an hour of complete boredness, unless you are a southern baptist.

Actually, that's pretty boring too. It's different if you're talking Pentecostal Holiness. My grandmother was the Southern Baptist Association's Deacon of the year or some shit. Her church is boring as hell. Or heaven, whatever. I have some friends that go to PH church and it's fucking wild, I swear. When I went there, this one elderly lady was convulsing and clucking like a chicken loudly.

I agree with Perndog. If you're going to do the Religion thing, you'd better go all the way.

[The_Rorschach]

Why?

I mean, assuming someone is religious, why should they hold themselves to your standards of acceptability in regards to their faith. I would think they'd only have to answer to their God of choice.

[mew barios]

halfassers are the only thing that make religion tolerable.

[teh_mastar!]

Originally Posted by The_Rorschach

Why?

I mean, assuming someone is religious, why should they hold themselves to your standards of acceptability in regards to their faith. I would think they'd only have to answer to their God of choice.

I'll correct myself: If I should, by some remarkable means, become religious, I would not be half-assed about it. I was using more of an editorial "you," I guess.

[The_Rorschach]

Even so. I'm with Mew on this. Zealots are never very much fun.

[Perndog]

Like I said, you'd think those ingrates would show a bit more appreciation to the being that they believe created them and all the rest of existence. If they identify as Roman Catholic, their faith dictates that they follow Catholic doctrine, which includes listening to the pope; if they can't do that, they should stop calling themselves Catholic. I know other sects of Christianity are more liberal as far as living spiritually goes - just enjoying life may be considered a way of appreciating God's works. However, even with the doctrine of human fallibility, I doubt anyone who is a half-assed Christian is doing his religion justice. This is a cosmic, infinite, amazing thing they believe in, and they would rather watch football? Give me a fucking break. There's a difference between being a hardcore zealot and showing some goddamn reverence instead of observing only as often as it's convenient and doesn't conflict with sports. Again, aside from some very liberal sects of the religion, I really doubt your convenience is more important than God.

Oh, and the pope is a big, poopy-headed dummy.

[mburbank]

Gosh, I wish we could ll get the input of an impartial observer who's both a devout Catholic and a real man's man. If they had their own website, it would be a great place to write and discuss this apparent conflict of religion and sports to boot.

I mean, since time and memoriam we have played out sports for the watching public and athelets hve sported for us by proxy. I bet if I go out and ask a hundred people straight down the line in loot of a tough guy Catholic spokesperson who says what needs to be said it would be as close to the gold standard of truth as I could have been gotten to.

[Perndog]

Max, the proper phrase is "time and memorial."