[Nono]

Quote by: PatrickHenry My skepticism of Roman doctrine has led me away from ritual, which they love, towards the life of the Spirit of God in my own soul...

I'm an agnostic myself, but I know where you're coming from. If there's one thing that has screwed up some promising religions, it's clergy. And one has never seen clergy on quite the scale served up by the Vatican.

As for ritual, it pretty well amounts to superstition in my view -- not that ritual can't be reassuring to some people in sore need of reassurance in this world.

Here's another conspiracy theory to add to your list:

Quote by: Nono ... the life, work and mafia murder of Roberto Calvi, "God's Banker", and the apparent role played in all that by the present pope -- though no one will ever be able to prove it.

Strangely enough, I received Dan Brown's Angels and demons as a birthday gift from my fervently Catholic wife this past week. I have no idea how much serious scholarship -- if any -- lies behind it, but obviously you don't have to be a raving Orangeman to have a healthy dose of skepticism about the Vatican.

Quote by: Rod Why be such a jackass? If you don't have to say anything for the topic, you should stfu. Seriously, I am not Catholic - but respect doesnt have a religion.

I think Org was saying something on-topic, though perhaps not terribly eloquently.
I also think that such respect is misplaced, especially here. In my opinion, clergy gets a bit too much respect it hasn't always earned.