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Well, you're going to see this all over the web today, so I might as well chime in: Islam has overtaken Roman Catholicism as the biggest single religious denomination in the world, the Vatican said on Sunday. Monsignor Vittorio Formenti, who compiled the Vatican's newly-released 2008 yearbook of statistics, said Muslims made up 19.2 percent of the world's population and Catholics 17.4 percent.

The reasons? A few possibilities: Neutered Europeans, half-neutered Americans, prolific Muslims, murderous Muslims (how many Catholics have been murdered by Muslims in Africa; it ain't a baker's dozen), Americans leaving the Church in wake of The Scandal. Please feel free to offer other reasons in the combox.
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Is marijuana addictive? I'm inclined to say "no," and the folks at Lew Rockwell agree (and want it legalized; I'm not in their camp on that one, but I'm not sure I'm opposed, either).

But can someone answer this: Is marijuana a "drug" in the sense the Catechism uses it (2291: "use of drugs . . . is a grave offense"). My first thought was, "Of course marijuana is a drug," but I've had at least one Catholic disagree with me (and no, it wasn't a surfer dude with a rosary in one hand and a joint in another). I'm also reminded of a story my father tells about visiting Jamaica in the 1970s. He was on the beach drinking a Red Stripe. A Jamaican asked if he wanted to buy some ganja. My Dad said, "No, I already have my drug" and gestured to his beer. The Jamaican got wide eyed and said, "You got drugs, mon?" My Dad said, "Yeah, ganja, beer, you know, drugs." The Jamaican said, "No, mon, it's just ganja. It's not drugs." Finally, when compared to the hard drugs (cocaine, heroin, meth), marijuana is mild.

I suspect the point could be debated until a Cheech and Chong reunion. Does anyone have any ecclesiastical authority for one side or the other?
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Nifty reference, though I'm not sure it's accurate after the lead story above:

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Great, killing by remote: University boffins have created the ultimate boy's toy - a full-sized remote control Hummer H3.

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