Got to start somewhere.
Well it may as well be with our glorious pope. He gave a speech this week in germany that has many muslims up in arms. I read the speech and I can see why. You can start with the "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" sentence which is of course what seems to have insulted many. This isn't the problem though because as people correctly correctly point out it's a quote from some long dead byzantine emporer. It's a complete red herring. No the problem is the pope's percieved differences between islam and christianity. He see's christianity as subtle, influenced by hellenistic philosophy and to use his words reasonable (as in reasoned). He see's islam as unreasoned, undebated essentially barbaric. This is utterly untrue. You could easily, in fact, turn it the other way around. Through history islam appears to have undergone much philosophical debate as to it's meaning. The catholic church on the other hand has violently suppressed debate. You might say that there are elements within islam that want an unreasoned and barbaric world where reasoned debate no longer exists in favour of simplistic absolutes but that is equally the case with christianity, just look at evangelists.
That brings me on to something I watched on telly last night, The Doomsday code with Tony Robinson. In the program he went through the worrying effect that "end timers" or believers in the apocalypse are having on american and our societies. It's scary stuff! Unfortunately I can also see the element of truth in it. The leader of the only super power believes in this shit. And he hasn't been put in a padded cell. Over here people tend to get a bit awkward about religion. And most people ignore the bollocks (fire and brimstone etc). But over in america they love it. They (the end timers not all americans) seem to get a semi every time they hear about a new tragic event because they think it's a step closer to the messiah's arrival, thats just sick. Now I know that not all americans are like this. I have met many whom I like very much, hell some of you have even got passports. But you voted these nutters into power and they are trying to forment world war III. Can't you see why most of the world hates you
