The Pope

[rainforests1]

What has the Pope done that makes any of them worthy of any kind of admiration? Some celebrities get singled out for not having talent(Kardashian, Oprah, porn stars, etc.). What talent does the Pope have?

 

[ledboots]

I think that most people have some kind of talent. Oprah certainly does, look at the empire she has built. And people like to talk to her. I don't warch porn, but I am sure there is some talent involved in being a porn star. Don't know much about the Kardashians except that they have also created a financial empire.

The Pope? Leader of one of the world's largest religious congregations, the first Christians. He gives hope to the world's hopeless, that's a huge thing. One of his accomplishments of late is assisting relations between the US and Cuba.

Per wiki:
"Pope Francis played a key role in the talks toward restoring full diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba. The restoration was jointly announced by US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro on Wednesday, 17 December 2014. The headline in the Los Angeles Times on 19 December 2014 was "Bridge to Cuba via Vatican," with the further lead "In a rare and crucial role, Pope Francis helped keep U.S. talks with Havana on track and guided final deal."[363] The pope was a behind the scenes broker of the agreement, taking the role following Obama's request during his visit to the pope in March 2014. The success of the negotiations was credited to Francis because "as a religious leader with the confidence of both sides, he was able to convince the Obama and Castro administrations that the other side would live up to the deal."[364]

 

[Moll Flanders]

I think that most people have some kind of talent. Oprah certainly does, look at the empire she has built. And people like to talk to her.

Exactly, I think she is very inspiring as she had a very hard childhood but her fortune and fame was self made and she is a great philanthropist.

 

[Spang]

Oprah definitely has talent. You don't become a "self-made" billionaire with no talent. And she's "self-made" insofar as she didn't inherit her billions. But a lot of workers helped in creating that wealth.

 

[Andy_T]

The subjects you come up with!
Kudos to your creativity.

 

[Spang]

Also, porn stars have talent, some more than others. Having scripted sex in front of people is not easy, and having sex whilst looking like you're enjoying yourself is even more difficult. Some of the bigger names in porn are quite good at social media, among other things.

 

[Clueless Git]

According to the biblical parable of the talents the 'talent' was/is a form of money.

Funny in a way, that is, as making large amounts of money was, is and always be a highly envied 'talent' in itself.

 

[Moll Flanders]

Also, porn stars have talent, some more than others. Having scripted sex in front of people is not easy, and having sex whilst looking like you're enjoying yourself is even more difficult. Some of the bigger names in porn are quite good at social media, among other things.

Yes, porn actors are probably good at using their bodily and interpersonal skills.

Theory of multiple intelligences - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[rainforests1]

This thread makes me think the Pope has done little good for humanity. They do a lot of talking(rarely about the important things though) but when it comes to actions they rarely do anything. Just another human being that deserves as much fame as I do.

 

[Mischief]

This thread makes me think the Pope has done little good for humanity. They do a lot of talking(rarely about the important things though) but when it comes to actions they rarely do anything. Just another human being that deserves as much fame as I do.

As soon as you're chosen to head an organization with 1.2+billion members, sure.

 

[ledboots]

This thread makes me think the Pope has done little good for humanity. They do a lot of talking(rarely about the important things though) but when it comes to actions they rarely do anything. Just another human being that deserves as much fame as I do.

Distractify | I Knew Pope Francis Was Good, But When I Found Out Everything He Did in 2013, I Was Blown Away

 

[Spang]

The idea that a person can rise through the ranks of a major religion with no talent is utter nonsense.

 

[Joe]

Oprah definitely has talent.

From what little I've read of her, one of Oprah's principal talents is that she has a finger on the pulse of the public. In other words, she has an unerring and uncanny sense of the sensibilities of her audience.

One story I remember reading about her was this. Early in her career, she was a guest on some TV show. She was asked what she would do if she won a million dollars in the lottery. She immediately blurted out: "I'd be a spending fool!" That's exactly what 99 percent of her audience would have said.

 

[Andy_T]

This thread makes me think the Pope has done little good for humanity. They do a lot of talking(rarely about the important things though) but when it comes to actions they rarely do anything

Well, you describe "politician". Which the pope is, most assuredly.
So, like the US or Russian president, many may argue that he deserves fame and attention, and that his actions are more or less impressive.

What makes sense, IMO, is to compare this pope to his predecessors (where I think he would possibly compare favourably to some, and possibly not so favourably against others), same as comparing Obama to Bush or Clinton and Putin to Medvedev or Yeltsin.

 

[beancounter]

What makes sense, IMO, is to compare this pope to his predecessors (where I think he would possibly compare favourably to some, and possibly not so favourably against others

Just about anyone or anything can look favorable in comparison to a memeber of the Hitler Youth.

 

[yakherder]

Whether the rewards that come with fame are deserved or not, fame in and of itself only comes when the people choose to give it. It is, in that regards, not arbitrary.

 

[rainforests1]

Have any of them ever tried to address population size or animal rights to their followers? If not(and I certainly haven't heard it) they're likely part of the establishment. I can't say I have any respect for them. As an agnostic religious leaders have never appealed to me, so maybe I'm just biased.

The idea that a person can rise through the ranks of a major religion with no talent is utter nonsense.

I'd love to hear about the talent they have.

 

[Mischief]

I'd love to hear about the talent they have.

Well, they have the talent of getting people to like and/or respect them; to boot, enough people that they get selected to lead an organization of 1.2+ billion people.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I know Oprah did promote a vegan challenge on her show which must have turned some people vegan as she has massive influence over public perception.

 

[Spang]

Have any of them ever tried to address population size or animal rights to their followers?

The Catholic Church is not a big fan of birth control, but the Vatican almost embraced it:

[Pope] John [Paul XXIII] did establish a small commission for the Study of Problems of Population, Family, and Birth, which his successor, Paul VI, expanded to 58 members. Its job was to study whether the pill and issues such as population growth should lead to a change in the church's prohibition on all forms of contraception (other than abstinence during periods of fertility—the "rhythm method"). The commission was led by bishops and cardinals, including a Polish bishop named Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II. (The Polish government did not allow Wojtyla to attend meetings.) They were assisted by scientists, theologians—including Protestants, whose church had ended its own opposition to contraception three decades earlier—and even several lay couples. One of them, Patty and Patrick Crowley from Chicago, carried letters and stories from Catholic women worn out by multiple pregnancies, medical problems, and the financial burdens of raising large families. The commission deliberated for two years, amid much anticipation from the faithful.

Then, in 1966, Paul VI's birth control commission presented its preliminary report to the pope. It held big news: The body had overwhelmingly voted to recommend lifting the prohibition on contraceptives. (The former Archbishop of Brussels, Cardinal Leo Suenens, went so far as to say the church needed to confront reality and avoid another "Galileo case.")

Catholics rejoiced, and many began using the pill at once. But their hopes were dashed when, in July 1968, Paul VI released an encyclical titled Humanae Vitae ("on human life"), reaffirming the contraceptive ban. It turned out that three dissenting bishops on the commission had privately gone to plead with the pope: If the position on contraceptives was changed, they said, the teaching authority of the church would be questioned—the faithful could no longer trust the hierarchy.

Also, the priests and whatnot aren't allowed to have sex, so, like Oprah, they're not co-creating any babies.