Religion of Peace Update, #251
Pope quotes historical figure who had issues w/t Islam, to the effect that it’s just not right to spread your religion by violence, that violent conversion is inconsistent with God’s nature.
Muslims hear this as “Muslims engage in forced conversion and religiously motivated violence, and then express outrage at this untruthful slander directed at their religion by attacking 5 Christian churches in Palestine.
Q.E.D., methinks.
My heart goes out to Muslims who agree with the Pope – that the Almighty eschews irrationality and calls us to Himself, rather than forcing us to Him. On the other hand, I have no pity for the intolerant ones, and am rapidly losing patience with our government’s (and the West’s general) kid glove treatment. I believe it’s necessary that we try to avert What Comes Next, but in the end we may all be forced into Brent Scowcroft/John Derbyshire’s Arabist Realist position – ‘rubble don’t cause trouble.’ Do with that what you will.
- Entries
I want the rubble to bounce.
Repeatedly.
Can we now quit pretending Islam is anything other than the Church of the Perpetually Aggrieved? Enough with the PC BS.
The pope said something to start discussion, and....
So far, the chances are slim and none, and slim left town. Going to be a lot more blood, I'm thinking, before the muslim world wakes up from its nightmare.
Predicability like that is usually reserved for things like sunrise.
Heck, the French are so proud of French culture, French art, French dance, the traditions of the Revolution... so stand up for those things, already. At least for the rights of citizens new and old not to have some of the fundie stuff that is foisted on them. You're the country of Lafayette, and Curie, and Eiffel, and Verne and Voltaire, for crying out loud!
However, the Vatican is big enough that anything they say will get some coverage no matter if it's the 3002nd time, so this is doable - it just requires balls and patience in large measures, and then eventually some sector of the global muslim population will become willing to listen and behave seriously (intellectually that is), and then perhaps we'll have taken our first major step toward winning the GWoT at the ideological level.
But there will be a lot of damage to undo - principles first of all must hold true every time, i.e. one of the biggest problems with bringing Islam into the modern world is that their religion tells them it is okay to behave however they want toward non-muslims, i.e. lying, cheating, stealing, murder, rape etc is all fine and dandy if it's being done to a kuffir. Can't base a civilization on that, sorry. Contracts and laws must be 100% binding, no excuses.
Still, I remain hopeful that the Pope will stay the course.