"VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict Saturday rehabilitated a traditionalist bishop wh denies the Holocaust, despite warnings from Jewish leaders that it would seriously harm Catholic-Jewish relations and foment anti-Semitism."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/090124/world/international_us_pope_jews
The Pope went to Colludge too didn't he?
Before going for a swim in this pond, I say I am not Catholic or Jewish. Nor am I Hindi, Buddhist, Evangelical or any other identifiable religious group. I am Comradian. Who or what is that you might ask? I'll get to that some other time, but for now I want to talk a bit about wtf is the matter with these people?
Regular readers of old Gart's blog may remember recent discussions about religion as a tool, and I want to expand that thought today and point out my sentiments on how Religious leaders are often Tools too. To what end is the question?
Given the situation in Gaza, and the overall volatility in the World presently, what would possess someone who is supposedly a great leader of millions to make a move such as this at this time? The Pope is old, his advisor's are mostly old, they are supposed to be wise. How wise is it to poke shit with a stick? Furthering that thought, how wise is it for a German Pope to poke that particular turd? Please excuse my Okie vernacular here, but dressing it up with nice words doesn't change the essence of it.
In my view, Religion is mostly a business, and represents various group interests. If the interest here is to further inflame emotions and lever umpteen million Catholics and non Jews toward antagonism and umpteen million Jews further down the road of them or us, then I understand the motivation. I neither agree with it, nor like it, but I understand. A moment of reflection here. Isn't Western Civilization supposed to be the evolved ones?
This move on four Bishops has no practical advantage for mankind that I can see, or significance beyond symbolism, and any States person, or messenger of Peace, Love and Goodwill toward mankind should see that.
If the old fart was truly wise, he would know that people are becoming to see Israel as representing the interests of some peoples vision of what Israel is and should be, and that this view is not shared by all Jewish people. If news reports are any indication, a lot of Jewish people don't share that view. He would also realize that these people have done far more harm to the reputation of Israel via recent actions, than he could with this approach.
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I am reposting Herb's post from this morning, as it appears to apply more to this thread than the last one.
ReplyDeleteHerb said...
Sidetrip to Gaza -
Gideon Levy examines the results of the Israeli invasion of Gaza in Haaretz:
The conclusion is that Israel is a violent and dangerous country, devoid of all restraints and blatantly ignoring the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, while not giving a hoot about international law.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1057670.html
January 24, 2009 9:14 AM
One man reaches for a stick, and another for an olive branch.
ReplyDeleteObama 'declared end' to war on terror: media
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090123/usa/us_politics_obama_guantanamo_media_reax
or
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090123/usa/
us_politics_obama_guantanamo_media_reax
Comrade, from your link.
ReplyDelete"President Barack Obama "declared an end" to his predecessor's "war on terror" and began to heal the US reputation abroad"
We are witnessing a defining moment in American history that has the potential to become the worlds.
Wether you agree or not after 9/11 there was the right President at the right time, sending a clear message to the world. The new message is we`re ready to heal old wounds from a President that has printed more hope currency than any other.
First you stand, then offer your hand, inherent human nature.
The variables dating back to 2001 leading to this set of circumstances would make any prediction of any outcome extremely remote and certainly not for this outcome.
After 7 years of `where are we going` we arrive at the best possible outcome even though the variables made prediction impossible for any of us, let alone plan. Only God is that clever.
Well I don't agree that Bush was the right President for the time. Speculating on what another might have done immediately after 911 isn't of much value, but based on history I expect the Afghanistan response to have been much the same. It's what they did afterward that made his Presidency so bad.
ReplyDeleteBeginning with the next move, the rest has become another black period in the annals of human history. John McCain straightened all that out recently when he spoke on renewable energy and America's dependence on foreign oil. Remember?
But Dubya and the Lethbridge Oilkings didn't have the vision to understand the shit storm.
They were just following orders.
In my way of thinking, the Dubya's of the world don't lead, they are merely the faces of the factions. Which ties in with what Herb said about Presidential power and hard power.
Oh, and that headline is a tad presumptuous. You have to read the rest of the story. Times must be tough in MSM.
ReplyDelete"despite warnings from Jewish leaders that it would seriously harm Catholic-Jewish relations and foment anti-Semitism."
ReplyDeleteAfter what happened in Gaza I think the relations are already 'harmed'. Slow in msm.
Interesting opinion piece.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,602827,00.html
Doesn't the apathy sound hauntingly familiar to the '30s? And wasn't the world condemned for it and still subject to recriminations?
Re: apathy.
ReplyDelete"According to Baltiansky, who was formerly a spokesman for Ehud Barak, this indifference toward Palestinians is the result of a lengthy process. As he see it, people have come to tolerate reprehensible social phenomena -- such as the racist "death to the Arabs" chants that can be heard in soccer stadiums."
What else is there to say?
Maybe this?
"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."
And Jesus wept.