Padriag
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quote:
ORIGINAL: MstrTiger
What do you think about the Popes recent speech and the uproar it has caused across the Muslim world? Do you think it was a misjudgement on his part to include the quote in his speech or do you think he knew it would cause outrage and he was playing on the fact that it would?
Reading the text of the speach it seems to me that his remarks were not meant to be inflamatory at all. I say that based on the particular way he noted first that this was a quote from a long dead Byzantine emperor who was at the time having a theological debate with a Muslim scholar. He also notes that the quote was probably not something the Prophet actually said, but a reinterpretation from a later sura (in short, he's alluding that the Prophet never actually approved of jihad or spreading the faith by the sword, a point further made in the larger context of his remarks regarding "faith and reason" and that such behavior on the part of Muslims and Christians alike is against the nature of God.). Given that, no, he's not only not calling for another crusade, he is in very academic language condeming all crusades and jihads.
And then he spends a helluva lot more time blasting western colleges, universities and western culture in general for pursuing science, philosophy and academia separate from belief in God. I mean... really... how dare they! Philosophy without God... that's... that's like... well... actually that's pretty much the norm, welcome to reality old bean.
I think his only misjudgement was a) underestimating how incredibly thin skinned many Muslims are, and b) underestimating how much attention the media and Muslims pay to what he says. Which is odd, cause it would appear Muslims pay more attention to what the Pope says than most westerners.
Personally, if he wanted to condem both the crusades and jihads as being against the nature of God, it would have been smarter to have just plainly said so instead of doing it in a very left handed, academic way not likely to be entirely understood by many. This guy has a gift for obscurity that surpasses Dennis Miller and Nietzsche (speaking of being godless... )!
These Muslim protesters need to get over themselves. Or at least learn that if they can't take it, then stop dishing it out and just shut up. They have no problem cheering an Iranian president who denounces Christianity, Judaism while calling for genocide, but if somebody quotes a emperor who's been dead for 600 years who said something unflattering about the Prophet... oh heaven forbidden... time to call for another jihad. I mean really, that makes what... jihad #5,973? Just how many jihads do they suppose they can wage (are they concurrent or consecutively... or just more meaningless rhetoric from a humiliated people desperately trying to convince themselves they're still the center of the universe)? And why is it everytime there is anything like this they go right back to talking about the crusades. Get over it already, that too was more than 700 years ago. You don't see Europeans still bitching about the Muslim and Moorish invasion of Europe prior to those crusades. Apparently some of us know when to stop beating a 700+ year old dead horse (the ninth crusade, the last of the "official" crusades was launched in 1271, however by 1291 it had ended in complete disaster for the crusaders, which in fact most of them did.)!
But then again, as long as its in fashion to beat long dead horses, here's a few westerner's can scream about at Muslims. How about an appology for the children sold into slavery in 1212 during the ill-fated (and ill-conceived) Children's Crusade? Not to mention those who just plain starved to death and were otherwise abused and ill-treated? Where was all the religion of peace then? Its one thing to hack up a knight in armor on a battlefield, after all that's war and such and pretty much expected. But children? Come now... shame on you... I want an appology... right now... or I'm gonna burn something in effigy... soon as I'm over my cold... maybe next week... if I don't forget... what was I talking about again?
And while we're at it, what about all those Muslim invasions of Europe, particularly the baltic countries? The attrocities committed against those people by Muslims who were opposed by that holy defender of the faith... Vlad Dracul... okay, maybe not a good example but a) he did kick their ass for awhile and b) if they can call Osama Bin Laden a hero, then I say we scare'em with Dracula... who is infinitely cooler! So there... ha... our maniacal mass murdering defender of the faith is cooler than yours... ha... so there.... take that! Let's really annoy them and celebrate Vlad Dracul day... which I propose to conveniently fall on October 31st... we'll bob for apples while wearing capes and chasing maidens.... who's with me?
And if you're getting by now that I don't really take any of this seriously... congrats. And actually... about the only people who do seem to be taking the old fa.... er the Pope, seriously are Muslims... which is kinda ironic all things considered.
Ain't life funny. Apparently not if your the Pope or a Muslim extremist. I'm neither... but I am laughing my ass off. Feel free to burn me in effigy, I'll bring the marshmallows.
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Padriag
A stern discipline pervades all nature, which is a little cruel so that it may be very kind - Edmund Spencer
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