Speaking Truthful Heresy

"IT IS NOT NECESSARY to believe in god to be a good person. In a way, the traditional notion of God is ouotdated. One can be spiritual but not religious. It is not necessary to go to church ad give money. For many, nature can be a church. Some of the best people in history did not believe in God, while some of the worst deeds were done in his name." (Pope Francis)------(allegedly)...that the Pope actually said these words is alleged, but unconfirmed as this edition of this website went to press. However, due diligently and doggedly, this website, its staff and management is conducting exhaustive research to verfiy the quote's author, which may be some fanciful blasphemer on Facebook. A contigent of ambassadorial scholars have been dispatched to the Vatican to gain enlightenment, fancifully. It is assumed that the Pope made remarks to the effect that God's mercy includes nonbelievers, and that people are free to conceive of God differently. What stands out about these words are their profound wisdom and truth, no matter who spoke them, or if anyone did. I would certainly be happy to take credit for them, and the mere fact that the Pope ever said anything remotely similar to them is encouraging to open minded people. If the Pope ever said or thought them, that alone seems amazing. On the surface, they are heresy. For it not the be necessary to believe in God to be a good person seems decidedly irreligious, particularly for the Pope. Also, that traditional notions of God are "outdated" is certainly not in Catholic doctrine, past or present, although traditional notions of God are not only outdated, but barbaric, primitive, and absurd. That a belief in God is not a requisite for goodness sounds like something an atheist might say. Next thing you know the Pope'll be declaring that women are fit for the priesthood and that communion is symbolic cannibalism, as George Washington is said to have believed. I have known and still know many protestant fundamentalists who absurdely assert that Catholics aren't Christians. These alleged sentiments of Pope Francis are grist for their grindstones, balm from Gilead for progressive pantheists or spinoza himself, for whom God is a god of the ubiquitous kind. Organized religion will not cease to be an albatrossical millstone around the neck of human cultural advancement until its billions of benighted votaries begin to believe, for example, in human evolution by natural selection, or begin to believe that a quaint collection of ancient manuscripts, replete with fictional accounts of an imaginary, murderous God and primitive barbaric, outdated dogma is not "The Word of God". But there is hope, and Pope Francis may be leading the way, gradually, to a true human spiritual enlightenment, one discredited, discarded outdated canon at a time.