Western Resistance

The quotes given of Pope Benedict's XVI's speech do not adequtely convey what he was saying.

Here's the entire speech in English.

Note especially the part about "logos" and God in differentiation from the Muslims undestanding of Allah's nature.

Here it is again (you guys don't allow links!)

http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=83303&eng=y

People who read both Christian and Islamic literature know that the ideas overlap substantially.

For example, there is little difference between Catholic and Islamic teachings on the position of the woman in society. Catholic teachings are adamant on this issue: the wife is subordinated to her husband (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15687b.htm), after marriage; before marriage she is subordinated to her father.

Another example; both the Bible and the Koran do not allow women to hold public office or to be in a position of command over men.

In spite of the fact that both Christianity and Islam concur on the position of women in society, it is only Islam that is subjected to heavy criticism on this matter. Why? Because they manage to enforce their viewpoints, while Catholics leave it to theory.

With all respect for the Pope and his stand on the jihad -- the islamic holy war against the infidel -- the proof is always in the pudding.

Catholic strategies of so-called "modernization" and accommodating the views of people who do not believe anyway, have proven to be very ineffective over the last fifty years.

The muslims, on their side, have generally implemented the exact opposite strategy, that is, "radicalization".

And really, if this strategy of radicalization had not been effective, none of us would be posting here today to this forum.

There is a reason why the muslim jihad is effective. In order to exact respect, one has to instill fear. Fear and respect bring credibility. Consequently, muslims are able exact respect from their environment, and therefore able to keep at least their own children within the creed; something Christians notoriously fail to do.

The same holds true for the law. If the government did not repossess or incarcerate people who violate the law, it would forfeit its credibility. Exacting respect always requires a threat of violence; and threats of violence only keep their credibility resorting regularly to real violence.

Catholicism, on its side, is neither feared nor respected. Consequently, it has little credibility, and therefore, generation after generation are leaving the creed and abandoning its ideas. It means nothing anyway.

Before criticising islamic strategies, the Pope should take into account the reasons why Islam is gradually taking over Europe and acknowledge the failure of Catholic strategies.

Dear Lucyna

We are very sorry that we have disabled html links, but we had automated attacks from porn and gambling sites, and decided to remove the ability of people to post links here. We apologise for the inconvenience, but when our trackbacks were being assaulted literally every three minutes, we had to take action, and sadly also disabled out trackbacks.

Dear Nasty Guy

The Catholic Church may have its faults. But it has nothing as odious as the Koran's Surah 4: 34, wherein it is advised that Muslim men can beat their wives to keep them in line.

I cannot endorse the satements: "In order to exact respect, one has to instill fear. Fear and respect bring credibility."

Islam is losing respect throughout the Western world precisely because it does instill fear, and people are fed up with being lectured by imams and activists with the mindset of "gangstas".

I am not a Christian, but I have great respect for the Catholic Church, because it follows the teachings of Christ - namely love and forgiveness. The Catholic church has survived for 2,000 years and overall it has enriched Western culture. Islam has lasted 1,400 years, and the only culture it has is based on a Bedouin barbarianism of the 7th century.

The Catholic Church has matured and developed and has acknowledged science. Islam only borrows from science in the form of its technology, and is incapable of creating anything with Western technology other than warfare.

It is precisely the jihadist mindset that is eroding Islam's credibility and exposing it for the hollow doctrine of tribal warfare that it really is.

"Islam only borrows from science [...] "

That's what the sophisticated and highly civilized Romans used to say during the Empire, with justified contempt, about the (anglo-)Saxon and other Teutonic barbarians, babbling nonsense in incomprehensible tongues, dressed in animal skins, and dwelling on the other side of the Rhine. Who would have thought?

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