Pell challenges Islam - o ye, of little tolerant faithIndeed -- quite the bloody book, makes the Old Testament look like a pleasant spring stroll in the park... Posted by DaveH at May 5, 2006 2:32 PM
Australia's most influential Catholic has said the Koran is riddled with "invocations to violence" and the central challenge of Islam lies in the struggle between moderate and extremist forces as the faith spreads into a "childless Europe".
The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, said reading the Koran, the sacred text of Islam, was vital "because the challenge of Islam will be with us for the remainder of our lives - at least".
But in a speech to US Catholic business leaders, Dr Pell said Western democracy was also suffering a crisis of confidence as evidenced by the decline in fertility rates. "Pagan emptiness" and Western fears of the uncontrollable forces of nature had contributed to "hysteric and extreme claims" about global warming.
"In the past, pagans sacrificed animals and even humans in vain attempts to placate capricious and cruel gods. Today they demand a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions."
Dr Pell said the September 11 terrorist attacks had been his personal wake-up call to understand Islam better.
He had tried to reconcile claims that Islam was a faith of peace with those that suggested the Koran legitimised the killings of non-Muslims.
While there was room for optimism in fruitful dialogue between faiths and the common human desire for peace, a pessimistic response began "with the Koran itself".
Errors of facts, inconsistencies, anachronisms and other defects were not unknown to scholars but difficult for Muslims to debate openly, he said.
"In my own reading of the Koran, I began to note down invocations to violence. There are so many of them, however, that I abandoned this exercise after 50 or 60 or 70 pages."
E.L.F.
Their top spokesman circa 2000, KIRO radio Seattle:
"I'm not in Operations, I don't know anything about all that. I haven't done anything."
"Sure, everyone can live a modern, self-sufficient lifestyle growing their own food and making their own products. They just need to lose the car, the driveway, the grass, and all the reliance on chemicals."
"Oh, well, the Police and Fire departments would be 100% volunteer when needed."
"Well, no one would have any guns, anywhere. Except Police."
"...yes, they are volunteers"
You didn't say 'worse than', you said _more dysfunctional_.
Posted by: Al at May 7, 2006 5:59 PMAh yes, a representative of the old firm that brought you the Inquisition lecturing mere mortals on violence; a celibate male-in-a-dress lecturing sinful man on fertility. Puh-leeze. If you can point out a more dysfunctional organization than the Catholic Church, I'd run in the opposite direction.
Posted by: Don McArthur at May 5, 2006 7:17 PM