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Oy vey, Benedict
Sep. 15th, 2006 11:03 amBBC had a transcript of the pope's speech. The main thrust of it was about the relationship between reason and faith. The now-infamous quote from Manuel II seemed to serve three points:
1) Manuel's primary objection to jihad was that conversion by the sword offended reason. Benedict was exploring the Greek-rational roots of Christianity. (And questioning them and their validity - but he eventually comes down in support of a rational God.) The part of the quote that's actually relevant has very little to do with the part that's rambling on about how awful Islam is.
2) Conversely, he quoted some other ancient Islamic scholars who maintain that God is so transcendental, reason doesn't apply. God wants what God wants, and it's not our place to question the whys and wherefores.
These two points lead to the third:
3) An understanding of Western rationality and its blind spots, as well as how it is perceived (e.g., with hostility) by folks in other places where it is not the dominant philosophical paradigm, is necessary before actual dialogue can begin between the folks living in those places.
It's a nice enough speech and with some good points, but come on, your Holiness. You couldn't find any other way to make your points than a 700-year old quote, from a Byzantine, that included extraneous inflammatory statements? If you were a twenty-year old trying to get a rise out of people, I'd expect the behavior, and the kinda lame justification that "it's just a quote." You're the freakin' pope. Piss people off by taking principled stands on moral issues, not by including outdated and bigoted quotes in your speeches.
1) Manuel's primary objection to jihad was that conversion by the sword offended reason. Benedict was exploring the Greek-rational roots of Christianity. (And questioning them and their validity - but he eventually comes down in support of a rational God.) The part of the quote that's actually relevant has very little to do with the part that's rambling on about how awful Islam is.
2) Conversely, he quoted some other ancient Islamic scholars who maintain that God is so transcendental, reason doesn't apply. God wants what God wants, and it's not our place to question the whys and wherefores.
These two points lead to the third:
3) An understanding of Western rationality and its blind spots, as well as how it is perceived (e.g., with hostility) by folks in other places where it is not the dominant philosophical paradigm, is necessary before actual dialogue can begin between the folks living in those places.
It's a nice enough speech and with some good points, but come on, your Holiness. You couldn't find any other way to make your points than a 700-year old quote, from a Byzantine, that included extraneous inflammatory statements? If you were a twenty-year old trying to get a rise out of people, I'd expect the behavior, and the kinda lame justification that "it's just a quote." You're the freakin' pope. Piss people off by taking principled stands on moral issues, not by including outdated and bigoted quotes in your speeches.
