i think it's sad

when people of any religious persuasion think they are holier than thou AND will get into heaven before everyone else. i was talking to a young man on saturday night. he was raised catholic (as was i). however, he still has that faith, i do not. anyway, he told me he thought everyone who did NOT believe in jesus was (or is that were) not going to make it to heaven (granted it was HIS idea of heaven, but still). i asked him if he thought jews and muslims and hindus and buddists and the like were included in that; they were NOT getting into heaven. he said, yes, they were NOT. i was in no mood to argue (surprisingly, that DOES happen at times). i simply told him i disagreed with him and i changed the subject.

oh and one more thing, THE SINS OF MY FATHER ARE NOT MY SINS!
Opus Dei is unique in Catholic world
By Tim Townsend ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Oct. 08 2005
When Terry McHugh gets to his desk at Computer Associates each morning, he resolves to do things the hard way. For Jesus.McHugh, 52, and a member of the Catholic movement Opus Dei, proofs all his e-mails to make sure they are punctuated correctly and capitalized in the right places before he hits "send." If he has to return six phone calls and there is one he's dreading, McHugh makes that call first.But not just to get it over with. McHugh attacks the difficult, if sometimes mundane, parts of daily life to identify with Christ's suffering and offer his daily work to God - the central idea at the core of Opus Dei."Even the little details, the menial tasks of life, if done well can be done well for the love of God," he said. "You bear the crosses that are coming your way anyway - you embrace the cross."Opus Dei, a conservative, largely lay movement within the Catholic church, has been shrouded in mystery and myth since its founding in Spain in 1928. Perhaps the brightest light has been shined on the movement in the two years since the publication and mammoth success of "The Da Vinci Code," a novel featuring Opus Dei members as its murdering, scheming bad guys. That light promises to get even brighter for Opus Dei next year when the movie, based on Dan Brown's novel and starring Tom Hanks, is released.Opus Dei leaders were so disturbed by the group's negative portrayal in the book that they have devoted an entire section of the group's Web site to debunking some of Brown's claims.Next year also happens to be the 50th anniversary of Opus Dei's presence in St. Louis. Its 100 or so members here will celebrate with conferences and parties, according to the Rev. Michael Geisler, spiritual director of the Wespine Study Center, the organization's St. Louis headquarters for men.Opus Dei has a special classification in the Catholic church. It is a "personal prelature" - the only one in existence - which means it does not report to individual diocesan bishops, but to its own leader in Rome, who in turn reports directly to the pope............