Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A question of tolerance
Well that is a good start to the Christmas holidays, not. The season of goodwill has fallen by the wayside following the objectionable pronouncement by Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is as important as protecting the environment.
It is an invitation to further discrimination and hatred against specific groups in our society, the triumph of narrow-minded doctrine over Christian tolerance and goodwill. In my view this Pope wants to take us back to the dark ages.
It is an invitation to further discrimination and hatred against specific groups in our society, the triumph of narrow-minded doctrine over Christian tolerance and goodwill. In my view this Pope wants to take us back to the dark ages.
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wow... makes you wonder what's next... banning of Jazz music, removal of gypsies, making Jews wear uniforms...
Except that's not quite what he said, Peter. Check out my blog for the relevant extract (unfortunately getting the full transcript is hard work, partly I suspect because the speech was not made in public).
The Pope, like the AB of Canterbury, is sometimes a bit careless in his phrasing, but this wasn't a specific attack on homosexuality, and the fact that it is being reported us such owes at least as much to bias in the media as to anything. What he really meant was that we should think more about men and women as separate entities who come together in a wonderful and amazing union to form the whole, something he regards as very precious and worth fighting for.
Speaking as somebody not very interested in sex I wouldn't know much about all that, but it seems reasonably restrained to me. Yes, it might be read as an attack on gender theory, but that's hardly new for the Catholic church is it?
The Pope, like the AB of Canterbury, is sometimes a bit careless in his phrasing, but this wasn't a specific attack on homosexuality, and the fact that it is being reported us such owes at least as much to bias in the media as to anything. What he really meant was that we should think more about men and women as separate entities who come together in a wonderful and amazing union to form the whole, something he regards as very precious and worth fighting for.
Speaking as somebody not very interested in sex I wouldn't know much about all that, but it seems reasonably restrained to me. Yes, it might be read as an attack on gender theory, but that's hardly new for the Catholic church is it?
Al Iguana's comments ring true, the Pope was part of an organisation that believed in the "removal or gypsies", Jews having to wear the star of David on their jacket/outer garment and gays wear pink triangles.
Also a couple of years ago, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor called for more anti-virals to be provided to Africans with AIDS/HIV rather than condoms.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6203620.stm
"...But Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor told the BBC's Sunday AM: "I have to say the prime minister is saying 'I am going to give more and more aid, including more condoms into Africa'.
"I think what I would like to say to the prime minister is that it would be much better if he used that money to provide more antiretroviral drugs - medicines - for the millions of children, women who are affected...."
Thus condeming roughly 2 million Africans per year to HIV infection which will lead to AIDS and a long and agonising death isn't very Christian.
Also a couple of years ago, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor called for more anti-virals to be provided to Africans with AIDS/HIV rather than condoms.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6203620.stm
"...But Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor told the BBC's Sunday AM: "I have to say the prime minister is saying 'I am going to give more and more aid, including more condoms into Africa'.
"I think what I would like to say to the prime minister is that it would be much better if he used that money to provide more antiretroviral drugs - medicines - for the millions of children, women who are affected...."
Thus condeming roughly 2 million Africans per year to HIV infection which will lead to AIDS and a long and agonising death isn't very Christian.
# posted by 
: 11:07 PM
: 11:07 PM
I always find that the wosrse type of catholic basher is ussually an ex catholic that never really knew what his or her Church taught. Well back to Benedict XVI, is this any different to what the Dalai Lama (every liberal's favorite religious leader) teaches?
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,6993,0,0,1,0
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,6993,0,0,1,0
# posted by : 6:18 PM
: 6:18 PM
Some of us ceased to be Catholics precisely because we had theological differences with the Catholic Church. However, this is not about Catholicism it is about unacceptable views and it does not matter which religion preaches them, they are still not acceptable.
'is this any different to what the Dalai Lama (every liberal's favorite religious leader) teaches'
He's not this liberal's favourite religious leader, so your blanket assumption falls. Happy Christmas!
He's not this liberal's favourite religious leader, so your blanket assumption falls. Happy Christmas!
# posted by : 10:32 PM
: 10:32 PM
Well "view" I take your point. I should have said "most liberals". Peter can I ask you, did you actually read the Pope's address? If not here it is http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/index.php/ccb/catholic_church/media_centre2/press_releases/press_releases_2008/pope_benedict_xvi_s_speech_to_the_curia_in_rome_22_dec Then I cannot seemed to find any reference to either Homosexuality or Transexualism! You (or someone else) said part of the duty of a blogger is to report the truh that sometimes the official media does not report. It seems to me that you have failed in that.
# posted by : 12:46 PM
: 12:46 PM
I have read it and I do not accept that I am misrepresenting it. The speech itself is quite complex and delves quite deeply into some theological and philosophical issues but the general consensus is that when you distil it down to ordinary language the Pope is clearly equating the departure from what he would consider 'acceptable' sexual norms with the threat to the earth's ecology and environment. Francesca deals with this far better than I can here.
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