my laptop, which still remains comfortably on Windows 7
Microsoft has been quietly rolling invasive Windows 10 features (like Telemetry/Tracking) into recent Windows 7/8 updates. So remaining comfortably on Windows 7 requires some vigilance blocking/uninstalling key updates. See list here and more info here.
...after seeing the Slashdot article: "Former McDonald's USA CEO: $35K Robots Cheaper Than Hiring at $15 Per Hour" it polished up its resume and dressed nice for an interview at the nearest Mickey D's.
Your history is flat out wrong. Belief in purgatory is well substantiated among Christians in the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries, long before the Middle Ages, citing the scriptural basis for it in 1 Cor 3:10-15:
"If a man departs this life with lighter faults, he is condemned to fire which burns away the lighter materials, and prepares the soul for the kingdom of God, where nothing defiled may enter. For if on the foundation of Christ you have built not only gold and silver and precious stones (I Cor., 3); but also wood and hay and stubble, what do you expect when the soul shall be separated from the body? Would you enter into heaven with your wood and hay and stubble and thus defile the kingdom of God; or on account of these hindrances would you remain without and receive no reward for your gold and silver and precious stones? Neither is this just. It remains then that you be committed to the fire which will burn the light materials; for our God to those who can comprehend heavenly things is called a cleansing fire. But this fire consumes not the creature, but what the creature has himself built, wood, and hay and stubble. It is manifest that the fire destroys the wood of our transgressions and then returns to us the reward of our great works."
(Origen, Patres Groeci. XIII, col. 445, 448, 185-232 A.D.)
"Accordingly the believer, through great discipline, divesting himself of the passions, passes to the mansion which is better than the former one, viz., to the greatest torment, taking with him the characteristic of repentance from the sins he has committed after baptism. He is tortured then still more--not yet or not quite attaining what he sees others to have acquired. Besides, he is also ashamed of his transgressions. The greatest torments, indeed, are assigned to the believer. For God's righteousness is good, and His goodness is righteous. And though the punishments cease in the course of the completion of the expiation and purification of each one, yet those have very great and permanent grief who are found worthy of the other fold, on account of not being along with those that have been glorified through righteousness."
(Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, 6:14, ~180-210 A.D.)
In warning against those who forbid people to marry, St. Paul was referring to Gnostics who taught dualism which viewed material things as bad, and thus rejected marriage and procreation. He was not referring to the Christian practice of celibacy which recognizes the great good of marriage but "have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:12).
Celibacy is a charism, a gift given by God for the building up of the Body of Christ. It is not given to all ("Whoever can accept this, ought to accept it" (Matthew 19:12). Speaking of his own celibacy, St. Paul says, "I wish that all were as I myself am, but each has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and one of another" (1 Cor 7:7).
In the Catholic Church, celibacy is imposed on no one. Rather, in the western rites of the Catholic Church, candidates for the priesthood are chosen from those who have freely promised celibacy. In the eastern rites, candidates for the priesthood are chosen from both married and celibate men, but bishops are chosen only from celibate priests.
You might want to read the rest of the New Testament before implying that requirements to abstain from certain foods is against Christian teaching. In addition to teaching the unchanging moral law, the Apostles had the authority to make disciplinary regulations on abstinence from certain foods: "It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right." (Acts 15:28-29).
Christians recognized this authority, and that these decisions were binding on all Christians ("necessities"), even though the disciplinary parts were subject to later adaptation as circumstances changed in the Church.
The Didache
In the Didache (Gk. "Teaching"), which most scholars date at the end of the 1st century A.D., Christians were instructed by their pastors to practice fasting and abstinence at specific times:
Prebaptismal fasting: "Before the baptism, let the one baptizing, and the one being baptized, and any others who are able, fast. Command the one being baptized to fast for one or two days beforehand" (Didache 7:4). In a commentary on the Didache, Aaron Milavec comments that although this is the earliest known reference to fasting in preparation for baptism, it is likely "giving voice to a tradition already practiced (although it is impossible to gauge how widespread this practice might have been)."
Postbaptismal fasting: "Do not let your fasts coincide with those of the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and on the fifth day of the week [Monday & Thursday], but you should fast during the fourth day and during the Sabbath preparation day [Wednesday & Friday]" (Didache 8:1).
Fr. Terry Donahue, CC
Hopefully everyone will realize that this clip is actually a satirical comedy sketch made in the 1990s (not an actual 1940s/1950s public information film)...
Just to bring you up to date about the Catholic Church's position on the possibility of salvation of unbelievers (including atheists & agnostics!):
"Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel. She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life." (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium,DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH, 16)
Check it out: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html
Those are good questions, and they can be addressed: The Bible is God's revelation to humankind, not to alien life. In fact, there is Christian science fiction that speculates on alien life forms that perhaps didn't experience the effects of a Fall, and what could happen on other worlds (C. S. Lewis Space Trilogy: Out of a Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength). So it is an open question theologically as to whether or not God would need to or decide to become incarnate in those worlds, if they exist.
What does "God created man in his own image" mean? According to Catholic theology, God is a pure spirit and has no body. Therefore the image of God is principally about aspects of our soul. Here are some quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to explain:
The human person participates in the light and power of the divine Spirit. By his reason, he is capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator. By free will, he is capable of directing himself toward his true good. He finds his perfection "in seeking and loving what is true and good." (CCC 1704)
By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with freedom, an "outstanding manifestation of the divine image." (CCC 1705)
It is in Christ, Redeemer and Savior, that the divine image, disfigured in man by the first sin, has been restored to its original beauty and ennobled by the grace of God. (CCC 1701)
Slashdot Mirror
my laptop, which still remains comfortably on Windows 7
Microsoft has been quietly rolling invasive Windows 10 features (like Telemetry/Tracking) into recent Windows 7/8 updates. So remaining comfortably on Windows 7 requires some vigilance blocking/uninstalling key updates. See list here and more info here.
...after seeing the Slashdot article: "Former McDonald's USA CEO: $35K Robots Cheaper Than Hiring at $15 Per Hour" it polished up its resume and dressed nice for an interview at the nearest Mickey D's.
Your history is flat out wrong. Belief in purgatory is well substantiated among Christians in the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries, long before the Middle Ages, citing the scriptural basis for it in 1 Cor 3:10-15: "If a man departs this life with lighter faults, he is condemned to fire which burns away the lighter materials, and prepares the soul for the kingdom of God, where nothing defiled may enter. For if on the foundation of Christ you have built not only gold and silver and precious stones (I Cor., 3); but also wood and hay and stubble, what do you expect when the soul shall be separated from the body? Would you enter into heaven with your wood and hay and stubble and thus defile the kingdom of God; or on account of these hindrances would you remain without and receive no reward for your gold and silver and precious stones? Neither is this just. It remains then that you be committed to the fire which will burn the light materials; for our God to those who can comprehend heavenly things is called a cleansing fire. But this fire consumes not the creature, but what the creature has himself built, wood, and hay and stubble. It is manifest that the fire destroys the wood of our transgressions and then returns to us the reward of our great works." (Origen, Patres Groeci. XIII, col. 445, 448, 185-232 A.D.) "Accordingly the believer, through great discipline, divesting himself of the passions, passes to the mansion which is better than the former one, viz., to the greatest torment, taking with him the characteristic of repentance from the sins he has committed after baptism. He is tortured then still more--not yet or not quite attaining what he sees others to have acquired. Besides, he is also ashamed of his transgressions. The greatest torments, indeed, are assigned to the believer. For God's righteousness is good, and His goodness is righteous. And though the punishments cease in the course of the completion of the expiation and purification of each one, yet those have very great and permanent grief who are found worthy of the other fold, on account of not being along with those that have been glorified through righteousness." (Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, 6:14, ~180-210 A.D.)
In warning against those who forbid people to marry, St. Paul was referring to Gnostics who taught dualism which viewed material things as bad, and thus rejected marriage and procreation. He was not referring to the Christian practice of celibacy which recognizes the great good of marriage but "have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:12).
Celibacy is a charism, a gift given by God for the building up of the Body of Christ. It is not given to all ("Whoever can accept this, ought to accept it" (Matthew 19:12). Speaking of his own celibacy, St. Paul says, "I wish that all were as I myself am, but each has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and one of another" (1 Cor 7:7).
In the Catholic Church, celibacy is imposed on no one. Rather, in the western rites of the Catholic Church, candidates for the priesthood are chosen from those who have freely promised celibacy. In the eastern rites, candidates for the priesthood are chosen from both married and celibate men, but bishops are chosen only from celibate priests.
Fr. Terry Donahue, CC
You might want to read the rest of the New Testament before implying that requirements to abstain from certain foods is against Christian teaching. In addition to teaching the unchanging moral law, the Apostles had the authority to make disciplinary regulations on abstinence from certain foods: "It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right." (Acts 15:28-29). Christians recognized this authority, and that these decisions were binding on all Christians ("necessities"), even though the disciplinary parts were subject to later adaptation as circumstances changed in the Church. The Didache In the Didache (Gk. "Teaching"), which most scholars date at the end of the 1st century A.D., Christians were instructed by their pastors to practice fasting and abstinence at specific times: Prebaptismal fasting: "Before the baptism, let the one baptizing, and the one being baptized, and any others who are able, fast. Command the one being baptized to fast for one or two days beforehand" (Didache 7:4). In a commentary on the Didache, Aaron Milavec comments that although this is the earliest known reference to fasting in preparation for baptism, it is likely "giving voice to a tradition already practiced (although it is impossible to gauge how widespread this practice might have been)." Postbaptismal fasting: "Do not let your fasts coincide with those of the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and on the fifth day of the week [Monday & Thursday], but you should fast during the fourth day and during the Sabbath preparation day [Wednesday & Friday]" (Didache 8:1). Fr. Terry Donahue, CC
Hopefully everyone will realize that this clip is actually a satirical comedy sketch made in the 1990s (not an actual 1940s/1950s public information film)...
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=358596
Just to bring you up to date about the Catholic Church's position on the possibility of salvation of unbelievers (including atheists & agnostics!): "Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel. She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life." (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium,DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH, 16) Check it out: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html
Those are good questions, and they can be addressed: The Bible is God's revelation to humankind, not to alien life. In fact, there is Christian science fiction that speculates on alien life forms that perhaps didn't experience the effects of a Fall, and what could happen on other worlds (C. S. Lewis Space Trilogy: Out of a Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength). So it is an open question theologically as to whether or not God would need to or decide to become incarnate in those worlds, if they exist.
For more on the topic: http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a1.htm