thom space

Below is the segment of the Pope’s address in Regensburg that is causeing such a stir in Muslim nations. Particularly the part where he makes a quotation that says: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman”

“In the seventh conversation (*4V8,>4H - controversy) edited by Professor Khoury, the emperor touches on the theme of the holy war. The emperor must have known that surah 2, 256 reads: “There is no compulsion in religion”. According to the experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur’an, concerning holy war. Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the “Book” and the “infidels”, he addresses his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached”. The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. “God”, he says, “is not pleased by blood - and not acting reasonably (F×< 8`(T) is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...".

The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God's nature." a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14848884/">full text)

I think that it is understandable that reasonable Muslims be upset by the suggestion that the founder of there faith brought only “evil and inhuman” things, but I think that any reasonable person would see the context of the statement and the importantance of the overall message, which is that violence is not an acceptable form of communication and to act as though it were is wrong.

I think that the pope is right on with his message, but I am glad that he made an apology for not useing clearer language.

I am sore, my back hurts, I tweaked it the other day and now my spine looks more like a question mark you’d find in a dali painting. My computer decided to fry it self to death when I left it un-attended on my bed. so I am sad. however I am going to go to Oktoberfest tommorow so my spirits are bound to rise and my leder hosen are ready

I just returned from a fantastic trip to switzerland where my friend Paul Neuman and I climbed the Jungfrau and a number surrounding peaks. It was perfect.