Re: Not always joking, it seems

In article <6mhmr3tolnfo2088le6nera980pa4imhtr@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Tim Merrigan  <tppm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>2) As I remember my Catholic education, the only unforgivable sin is
>despairing of God's mercy.

I'm pretty sure the unforgivable is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07409a.htm>,
frmo the 1911 Catholic
Encyclopedia, agrees:

    The sin or blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is mentioned in
    Matthew 12:22-32; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 12:10 (cf. 11:14-23); and
    Christ everywhere declares that it shall not be
    pardoned. ... "therefore I say to you: Ever sin and blasphemy
    shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not
    be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of
    man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the
    Holy Ghost, it shall not he forgiven him, neither in this world,
    nor in the world to come."

But what that blasphemy means has had various interpretations,
explained in the article.

    The sins against the Holy Ghost are said to be unpardonable, but
    the meaning of this assertion will vary very much according to
    which of the three explanations given above is accepted.

-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd@[EMAIL PROTECTED]