As far as I can see, the various schools of "Buddhism" in the East play almost exactly the same roles (for good and bad) at very similar level to that which the Vatican does in the West.
I would underline the one obvious difference thought, and I would have thought it was a major influence in this topic's thesis ... that of the one realm and the one angry, jealous, megalomanic monotheistic God - which the BKs have adopted - versus the more accommodating pluralism of the many gods and many realms that comes up in various Hindu, Buddhist and, yes, Hellenic, Nordic, Celtic and so on schools. The Pagans you speak of. How I have come to loath that insane Middle Eastern tribal god Yahweh ... and all his would be 'pretenders to the throne' like ShivBaba.
As an aside, this also come up in the news recently. Would anyone really care and listen if they did not have all those huge pieces of real estate in Rome and elsewhere in the world.
I would underline the one obvious difference thought, and I would have thought it was a major influence in this topic's thesis ... that of the one realm and the one angry, jealous, megalomanic monotheistic God - which the BKs have adopted - versus the more accommodating pluralism of the many gods and many realms that comes up in various Hindu, Buddhist and, yes, Hellenic, Nordic, Celtic and so on schools. The Pagans you speak of. How I have come to loath that insane Middle Eastern tribal god Yahweh ... and all his would be 'pretenders to the throne' like ShivBaba.
As an aside, this also come up in the news recently. Would anyone really care and listen if they did not have all those huge pieces of real estate in Rome and elsewhere in the world.
Catholic confession is not therapy, Vatican warns
Confessing in the Catholic church has long provided material for Hollywood screen-writers, with a dark wooden booth, a priest's stern silhouette glimpsed through a screen and the uttered phrase "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned." But, according to the Vatican, real life confessions are in danger of turning into cosy counselling sessions, which is why priests are to be issued with a handbook instructing them to give their flocks a sharp reminder of what sin is all about.
Explaining the initiative, an official at the Vatican office on clergy told Vatican Radio that ... "an ever decreasing number of people see a clear difference between good and evil, between truth and lies and between sin and virtue, and therefore fewer are taking confession," said Archbishop Mauro Piacenza.
"It's not always easy to find a priest ready to listen to the confessions of the faithful for hours," he said. Recent studies showed that only about 40% of Italian Catholics and 55% of American Catholics go to confession. Of that total, 12% confess once a year and only 2% confess once a month or more.
The Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court, did its part last year by publishing a list of new sins, including genetic manipulation, experiments on humans, polluting the environment and taking drugs.