The Pope and Muslims

[kozulich]

So who bears reponsibility for what we have now?

1) Unethical Journalist(s)?
2) People who look for reasons to get mad?
3) The Pope?
4) News orgs that just ran with the story?


At the end of the day I would blame #4 for not clarifying the actual events around the (non) story. It's like they have no accountability.

I think the journalists were, at least, sloppy if not downright unethical in the way they quoted the pope. I think the muslims got upset without knowing the full story, and they got upset in a most revealing and almost comical way (it has the makings of a Monty Python routine). The news orgs and editors certainly have a responsibility for capitalizing on an ethically suspect piece of journalism, and for not issuing retractions or corrections, and for fomenting religious strife (in the name of profit or politics?).

 

[fuerein]

I found this on Yahoo News. This opinion article offers by far the most reasoned arguements concerning the Pope's speach. Is the commentator right or wrong? I don't know, but he is at least giving the Pope the benefit of doubt that the comments may not have been intended as an intended swipe at all Islam.

The Pope's Dilemma

 

[ada8356]

Adam,

Thank you for posting the link to that very good article.

It is nice to think that possibly the Pope/Vatican are working intellectually to challege the moderates.

 

[guenron]

Something that all of this erudition has missed.. The Byzantine Emperor quoted by the Pope also happened to be the LAST Byzantine Emperor. At the time of the commentary he was already besieged by the Ottoman Turks. The Pope's address to the Reggensburg students and faculty was aimed at a question transcending Christianity and Islam, one question more at the heart of religion and reason. I am sure though, that it would have mattered to the philosophical giants we have heard calling for mayhem. Any excuse is a good excuse to raise the rabble. It would seem that they are far more effective at getting out their message than the Pope.

 

[ada8356]

It would seem that they are far more effective at getting out their message than the Pope.

Put another way, people hear what they want to hear.

 

[guenron]

Put another way, people hear what they want to hear.

That's it, just like the faithful believe what they want to believe.