Pope Benedict is expected to remove Limbo from Catholic doctrine today, abolishing not the dance version but the concept/belief long held since the Middle Ages, of a sacred place for souls of good people and unbaptized children to dwell in hopes of eventual eternal salvation. I don't know about you, but I've always embraced the whole idea of a Limbo, kind of like a "save" for those of us who aren't saintly enough to get into Heaven, but we're not exactly ax-murderers either. Limbo was good enough for me, like staying at the Marriott instead of the Ritz Carlton, flying coach instead of first class (with an excellent possibility of an upgrade)
His timing couldn't have been worse, what with this unsettling pronouncement coming right on the astrological heels of Pluto being snatched out from under us, barely two months ago. The horoscope people are still reeling, word is they may never recover their professional integrity again.
But I digress. Seriously folks, my question is, if there is no Limbo - does it not stand to use the same reasoning that there is no heaven or hell as well? If Heaven is a "state of union" with God, and Hell is a separation from Him - what is to become of those of us who still fall somewhere in the middle?
Friday, October 06, 2006
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6 comments:
Limbo never was part of official Catholic doctrine. The current debate is whether to officially denounce it or not.
well, i guess dante wasted his time writing purgatorio then.
growing up as a congregationalist (aka, seriously mellowed out puritanism) i never had limbo. didn't have to talk to priests or confess either. nor did you even have to have saints intervene. nope, you just talked directly to jesus, and if you fucked up you just said you were sorry. as long as you sorta meant it and tried to avoid fuckups, you went to heaven.
hey though, if you're lucky, they might get another schism out of this. or, check out the episcopalians. they might have limbo for those who want it.
the real question is how will the loss of theological underpinnings effect future limbo contests?
tell that to all the poor little pagan babies I paid for, way back when.
By the way John, no offense but you look older than 31 in your picture. I think it could be the 5 o'clock shadow thats doing it.
you bought pagan babies? what's the going rate for those these days?
[grin]
They're about $5,000 a-piece not counting airfare last I heard. That's what a couple in our office who just adopted two kids from China paid.
Or wait... are they heathens or pagans? I forget.
Why? Do you want one? ;)
I have an adopted daughter from Korea - but the "pagan babies" I was referring to were different. When I was in Catholic grade school, the nuns would hand out little flyers every month with pictures of adorable little babies from third world countries. These were the pagan babies and if we "adopted" them (by sending 50 cents a month) we would get updates reporting that our small change bought: bowls of rice, books, and a religious education, and last but not least, the sacrament of baptism. Essentially, (we were told) we could "save" these babies from going to Limbo.
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