Comments on: Why Some People Should Stay In Their Office

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:26:18 +0000

Of course, CDDS. Everyone know that Los Indios were anxious to become part of the Church, just as anxious as my Prussian ancestors were when the Knights of the Teutonic Order showed up to enlighten them.

By: cat daddy and dr squeeky

cat daddy and dr squeeky — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:06:04 +0000

I liked how he said that Islam is spread through the sword, because Catholicism was spread through Latin America and other places solely because the missionaries and priests were swell guys…And certainly, no one was hurt… or burned… or stabbed… or extorted… of course…

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 15:46:08 +0000

I’m not sure what his point really was, without a transcript of the entire speech, but this is the bit that the audience remembers. He may have been attempting to be conciliatory, but the people will remember this description of Muslims.

It has been written, and is entirely believable, that Martin Luther was only interested in a scholarly debate, not a revolution, with his theses, but words have power.

By: Steve Bates

Steve Bates — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 05:59:15 +0000

Sigh. I believe UU’s can appreciate what Muslims must experience, though for us it’s modern-day Calvinists (or their equivalent) who make us nervous. Ever since John Calvin reluctantly but unashamedly allowed his friend Michael Servetus… a unitarian in philosophy, though the term probably hadn’t been invented yet… to be burned at the stake, we grow nervous when we see zealots gathering firewood, even if only metaphorically.

In the long term, the Catholic Church, and of course the Pope himself, have nothing to gain and much to lose by fanning the flames of religious conflict, especially this one. People may be intimidated into doing or not doing something, or even saying or not saying something, but I’ve yet to see anyone who was intimidated into believing or not believing some article of faith. And some people get mighty angry when anyone tries to intimidate them.

If the Pope wants a target, he should go after UU’s. We’re UUsed to being targeted. There are fewer of us. And we’re as heretical as he could hope for in a target. Most of us are not even “people of the Book,” which Muslims most certainly are. As it is, the Pope is going after the fastest-growing religion in the world. Is that wise?