Pope to world: I miss the dark ages.
Offline Pope: Religion has a place in politics
PARIS, France (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians to make their voices heard in France and other countries that have strong traditions of secularism, saying Friday that politics and religion must be open to each other.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Pope Benedict XVI
The pope embarked Friday on a four-day trip -- his first to France as pontiff -- that will take him from the presidential Elysee Palace to the Roman Catholic shrine in Lourdes.
Benedict was greeted by President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, at a Paris airport, where a military band in plumed hats played a fanfare. Later in Paris, the pope was to address a gathering including Muslim leaders on the second anniversary of a speech that heightened tensions with much of the Islamic world.
Traditionally Roman Catholic France is wrestling with its changing religious landscape, and how to reconcile it with the secularism that underpins the modern French Republic. The country has a growing number of Muslims whose visible customs, such as wearing headscarves in public schools, have raised the hackles of officials determined to preserve the boundaries between church and state.
On the plane, Benedict expressed understanding for secular traditions, but added that, nonetheless, "Religion and politics must be open to each other."
"The presence of Christian values is fundamental for the survival of our nations and our societies," he said.
Politics should be open to religion in this one way: We protect religion by not getting involved.
That it also protects secularists and non-belivers is icing on a tasty cake.
"Anyone can repress a woman, but you need 'dictated' scriptures to feel you're really right in repressing her. In the same way, homophobes thrive everywhere. But you must feel you've got scripture on your side to come up with the tedious 'Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve' style arguments instead of just recognising that some people are different." - Douglas Murray
- Login to post comments
Funny, I thought secularism was specifically being about open to religion openly, ALL religions evenly.
I'm really getting sick of secularism being redefined as atheism.
Organised religion is the ultimate form of blasphemy.
Censored and blacked out for internet access in ANZ!
AU: http://nocleanfeed.com/ | NZ: http://nzblackout.org/
"...politics and religion must be open to each other."
Yeah, ok, and to keep 'em honest both must be open to science.
I miss the dark ages too. I'd be able to garner an army and march on Rome, destroying the heathen christians along my way. *sigh*
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
If you ever do that, can I be in charge of artillery? I've always wanted to level a castle with a full-scale trebuchet.
"Yes, I seriously believe that consciousness is a product of a natural process. I find that the neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers who proceed from that premise are the ones who are actually making useful contributions to our understanding of the mind." - PZ Myers
Meanwhile, in Mecca, a new god-man and his followers were afoot...
I suppose so, though I had always dreamed of utilizing something along these lines....
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Are you listening Thomas Jefferson? The Pope says, "Fuck your wall and take your no religious test with you". I am so glad that dickhead pope had no hand in writing the Constitution.
This is more of the same fearmongering crap that Chrisitans sell other Christians and Muslims sell other Muslims and Jews sell other Jews. WE MUST GET INVOLVED IN POLITICS!
NO DIPSHITS! |That is exactly why theocracies exist, this is why humanity cant get allong. This is exactly why economies tank, because the people, instead of being focused on common issues are more intrested in the government promoting one gang over another.
The human species is NOT A GANG! It is full of morons like you who think there gang is intitled to tell other gangs what to do.
Remember when you tried to threaten Kerry with excommunication? I was proud of all Americans who said, "FUCK YOU" you don't even live here.
|Here is a clue asshat. NO ONE OWNS OTHER INDIVIDUALS, human beings would do well to leave their fantacies out of politics and focus on issues that affect us all. Western society is a result of rejection of authoritarianism and an imbracement of advise and consent. Interjecting more religion into politics will cause more division and more theocracies.
Hey Pope, you love government run on religion so much, grow some some balls and go live in Iran!
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
As I've said before, the Pope is an asshat.
I'll bet he really does.
After all, control is the name of the game for theism.
Control of the masses was never more successful than during those dark ages.
Plus, the popes had concubines back then. If that's not a reason for him to miss the dark ages I don't know what is
Well I was born an original sinner
I was spawned from original sin
And if I had a dollar bill for all the things I've done
There'd be a mountain of money piled up to my chin
Did they bugger altar boys back then too?
Who knows?
But what, with the concubines, I would suspect not.
If they were gay they'd have to have male concubines. And if they were pedo's even that wouldn't help much.
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team
It's a chicken/egg thing.
What came first, the celebacy or the peadophilia?
I suspect the former.
Probably. I know they used to encourage people with sexual disorders (they include gay as such) to become priests hoping they'd stay celibate. Obviously that doesn't work. Of course celibacy is such an unnatural thing - especially when masturbation is also forbidden - you wonder why there aren't lots more priests going crazy.
And even as to the abstinence before marriage thing they encourage - around here Catholic school girls have reputations as being incredibly slutty - they just go to confession a few days after fucking the football team.
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team
When you're going back that far, you have to remove preconceptions in your mind considering what exactly constitutes paedophilia in the first place. Modern conceptions are not necessarily applicable.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
This thread got me to mulling over what I miss these days...
This year: Sanity in Politics. Seems worse than ever to me.
This month: The money I'm due. Well, there's always lump-sum backpay.
This week: My 1967 Chevelle SS
Today: A new and really nasty [YOU RESPOND] thread.