Don´t you just love malignant narcissists? Always inserting themselves into the story...leaving everyone thinking, "like, whaaaa?"

No wonder he loves Obama.

I am not a scholar of Catholic history, but I believe we were witnessing the first time the papal throne was vacant. It may have been occupied by rogues, scoundrels, impostors or even a woman, but always there was someone sitting there.

What?!?!

That´s as far as I´m reading. Roger was either not paying attention in school or his mind is failing.

There´s always a "vacancy" after the pope dies. It´s called the interregnum.

"How I Use my Leftism to Justify Being a Cafeteria Catholic and Bash Republicans"

There, I fixed it.

Oh my word, what a nasty article. FTA "those nuns guided me into supporting universal health care, the rightness of labor unions, fair taxation." He then goes on to announce he´s pro choice, and that he doesn´t believe in God. Though he describes that as a technical loophole. And of course he´s friends with Andrew Greeley whose voice he uses to bash republicans in the last sentence. What a toad.

Ebert gets the facts wrong, the logic wrong, and the conclusions wrong about Roman Catholicism. Like many, he uses his liberalism (which, of course, is all good and infallible) to validate his religion (which, in his mind, is a very bad and flawed institution).

"I consider myself Catholic, lock, stock and barrel, with this technical loophole: I cannot believe in God."

That´s quite a jaw-dropping statement.

The careless errors in this essay are too many to refute on an otherwise-fine Sunday morning. It´s like reading a self-proclaimed expert on capillaries, arteries, and veins who denies the existence of the heart.

Yet Ebert seems to have a nostalgia for the truth and goodness he left behind, like an old seducer wistful for his innocent first love. Good. If that is the case, there is still hope. Let´s pray for him.

He may yet bow his head and bend his knee to the only One who will help him find --- and then fully satisfy -- his heart.

The Roman Catholic Church is the only denomination in the world that is pro-labor. And the reasons for that are good ones.
There is dignity in work, and the workers have a right to be treated properly by the employers. And in the late 19th century and early 20th century, too many employers treated too many employees badly. Thus came the labor unions.
Ignoring that history is not wise.

Right #6 - of course Ebert does not realize that if that is true then he is an utter fraud. However I bet there are millions of people like this - people who sort of like the cultural legacy of Christianity, the charity, the ritual etc. but who actually do not care at all about God. This is why it is so easy for them to ignore clear teachings that they just do not like.

I am going to write an article or post of about 2 trillion words explaining why I did no finish this silly article. I do not believe that any of Christ´s followers declared themselves to be a pope.

2 - you really should have kept reading. Then you might have come to the place where Mr Ebert says ´´I do not believe in GOD´´.

I´m accustomed to: I´m Catholic, but I don´t believe in (fill in the blank). Considering Cafeteria Catholicism, we´ve all heard variations.

as another of us said - jaw dropping. This may be a first - I´m Catholic but I don´t believe in GOD. What do you think the Baltimore Catechism says about that? hmmmm???

Besides not understanding that there´s a God, Roger Ebert also never seems to understand that many more people would read his movie reviews on the Internet if they were not shown against a dark tan background, making them difficult to read.

How long would the Chicago Sun-Times have stayed in business if it was printed on dark tan-colored paper?

Liberalism is a mental disease in many different ways.

FTA ´´I do not believe in GOD´´. Don´t feel too bad Roger, many Episcopalian bishops feel the same.

FTA: In current practice that commandment has been twisted to political convenience, as our Second Amendment has been adapted to the convenience of gun lovers.

Roger is one ´twisted´ catholic.

I don´t think Roger has read the Rerum Novarum. It is a repudiation of socialism.

He seems to be unclear on the concept of classical liberalism also.

#11 - rather than reaad the rest of the article, I said a prayer for his salvation.

Rush is right again! Liberalism trumps everything, even your religion.

So he´s an agnostic but couldn´t find the right word? Does he believe in karma? Might explain a few things.

I don´t know what order of nuns taught Ebert.
I had Dominicans, who never missed an opportunity to celebrate FREEDOM of the individual.
God knows, they told me often enough that I was free to remain stupid. I chose not to be.
Ebert evidently chose to be free to be stupid his entire life.

#6
I see what you did there.

I take it he doesn´t believe in Christ, either. It´s certainly a novel interpretation of what it means to be a Catholic.

I think Roger i trying to hedge his bets. Wants to make sure the priest hears his confession and gives him absolution before he dies. Doesn´t he know God knows his heart?

"I consider myself Catholic, lock, stock and barrel, with this technical loophole: I cannot believe in God."

What an amazing thing to say! How can you be the first and not the second? Does this statement pass the logic test?

To his good fortune, God believes in him.

Nice to know that all those people praying for his recovery didn´t waste their time.

I remember neighbors once inquiring whether the parish offered "social memberships".

I believe what we have here is a continuing example of what is called chemo brain. In this instance it seems to be really bad.

Dear Roger:
Please go sit in a corner and recite, quickly:
"O wat a goo siam".
A Catholic? And not believe in God?
Just what happened to that Baltimore Catechism?
Was it a cafeteria program?
I hope any surviving sisters who taught this guy are sentenced to ten days of penance. They let this one slip through the cracks without a clue!
And all of the Old Testament is a myth? Wow.
I guess that makes Jesus a mythical Jew.
I would hate to be there when he stands before the Bema and tells the Judge of All that the Judge of All does not exist.

That ought to be a real hoot!

Ebert claims to be Catholic but does not believe in God? Ebert, that does not pass the smell test.

I guess Roger doesn´t go to Mass, much, either--even if he is Catholic "lock, stock and barrel" (does he know this is an expression based on guns?).

Every Mass, Catholics recite the Nicene Creed: "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,and of all things visible and invisible" being the first line. How can Ebert claim to be Catholic and not believe in God?

Methinks that Rog wants to be connected with the ´struggle´ of being a white Christian Catholic male as that gives him creds as a minority. Much like BillyJeff´s bible toting was his accessory of choice to ´be´ [appearances] a man of the South, so does Mr. E dress his windows as one more of the Church Militant that shamefully refuses to pick up his weapons and fight the good fight. Wuss.

FTA: We made a side tour through Genesis, observing it’s “all the Jews have,” but cautioning that it was written as a fable not to be taken literally. Some Protestants took it as fundamentalist truth, but not Catholics or modern Jews. That led us toward the Theory of Evolution, which in its elegance and blinding obviousness became one of the pillars of my reasoning, explaining so many things in so many ways.


Well, when you believe you are ascended from the goo thru the zoo to you, that is bound to affect your thinking in many ways.

What a perfect illustration of what "beclowning" means.

i.e. "To make a complete idiot of oneself in public. To behave or speak in such a way, or to make a comment or express an opinion that is so profoundly witless, senseless and obtuse, that you have forever after defined yourself as a person of comical value only. Never to be taken seriously again. Of worth only as an object of ridicule and derision.

Roger, you forgot the quotation marks. Lefties who support abortion and pick and choose tenets of the faith they´ll follow like dishes at a smorgasbord are called "Roman Catholics". Pelosi and Kerry are "Roman Catholics", for example.

Why read anything by this nasty man?