The Big Story, according to Google: the Gates of Regensburg
My home page is Google, which always contains a feature entitled “Top Stories,” listing what Google considers the five biggest stories of the hour. Usually it has a variety–I’ve never seen it with the same story five times before. But right now it looks like this:
Fadlallah Demands Personal Apology from Pope Over Remarks on Islam
Naharnet – all 706 related »
Key excerpts: The Pope’s speech
BBC News – all 706 related »
Muslims Enraged by Pope’s Remarks on Spreading Islam by Violence
CNSNews.com – all 706 related »
Pontiff’s quote on Islam draws criticism, anger
Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription) – all 706 related »
Pope’s remarks anger Muslims
United Press International – all 706 relate
So, what’s new? That Moslems are angry? That Moslems are angry at someone suggesting their religion might have some flaws? That Moslems are angry at someone suggesting their religion might have some connection with the jihadist violence certain groups of Moslems commit in its name? Or is it the fact that it’s the the Pope who made the remarks in question?
[Here are some excerpts from the Pope’s controversial remarks about Islam, for those who aren’t familiar with what he said.]
It had to be me :
Image here
What’s that saying? “Being unoffended is a skill, not a right”…
This link via Pajamas Media gives a somewhat better context; I found the BBC link a bit muddled (and I avoid the BBC if I can: personal bias).
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20408552-2703,00.html
In his first visit to Germany (World Youth Day?), Benedict made remarks directed to Islam, I think, but less open. It is said that Benedict is much more ready to play a part in world politics than was his predecessor.
I had not yet read complete Pope’s speech, only excerpts to which Neo linked, but some points in them deserved comments.
1)The idea that God is limited by realm of reason, indeed, is absolutely Hellenistic. During Antiquity this was most important divide between Greek and Hebrew cultures. Not only Jews considered God transcendent, above any human understanding, but many early Christian philosophers too. (Tertullian expressed it especially sharply: We preach Messia crucified, for Jews temptation, for Hellenes insanity). Only after Thomas Aquinate Roman Catholics accepted rationalistic theology as mainstream approach. Protestants reversed this tendency back to Tertullian’s transcendentalism.
2) Pope expressed his disapproval of positivistic reduction of reason to scientifically and logically provable reasoning. He was absolutelly right in it: universal truth, just as God, is transcendental, too.
3) His solution – extend framework of reason to include into it moral and religious dimensions as a basis for inter-cultural dialogue – is utopical. Such extension is, of course, badly needed, but is possible only within particular civilization, and every civilization can do it only by its own, particular way. This is the basic fallacy of ecumenism.
I wonder if extreme Islamism will finally subdue the world through righteous indignation. Whoever screams the loudest, throws the biggest tantrums, wins.
It’s becoming a high, vociferous art these days.
And I wonder how regressed we will have to become before, like a fed-up parent, we no longer give in to the screaming 3-year-old who has been allowed to take control of the family.
This is getting ridiculous.
Short version: the Muslims are pissed off because they just found out the Pope is Catholic.
I’ve wondered about Google’s impartialty. They claim to get their postings by ranking, but I strongly suspect human bias. The “706 related” in every item is real suspicious.
For example: right now (about noon Friday), the “Top Stories” has two items: the Muslim snit over the Pope’s comments (now “all 1079 news articles”), and a feature story from al-Jazeera.
Is al-Jazeera really the best they could do to put in slot #2?
(I’ve stopped using Google for news. So for, the only thing I’ve found is Breitbart, but even that features Reuters.)
Google’s top “World” story:
“Kofi Annan Pays Tribute to Fidel Castro’s Leadership” (from Fox)
Part of the problem is that Reason doesn’t have the central place in the Islamic tradition as is has in the European tradition. These goons are getting violent to show how much they *love* the prophet Mohammed (pigs be upon him).
People in the hippie-fied west don’t see what’s wrong. All you need is love, right?
Trusting logic and not God is the arrogance of man, many think. As a result, a lot of Muslims won’t consider that by acting insane over every perceived slight, they verify the claims of those that criticize them.
The Pope says jihad is a bad idea, and the jihadis prove him right.
I love it.
“It is said that Benedict is much more ready to play a part in world politics than was his predecessor.”
It would be almost impossible for Ben to have the impact on world politics that his predecessor had. JPII was one of the 2 chief players in the decline and fall of the Soviet Union. Compared to the SU, the jihadis are a bunch of country bumpkins.
Things are said publically now that even a year ago we hardly dared to whisper. Maybe there’s hope. We all, in our small and seperate ways, blow on this hopeful flame.
I think the brilliance of what the Pope said is that there is nothing wrong with what he said, yet it forces Muslim leaders to face the reality of radical Islamism; is it the root cause for the distain, rioting, and terror or not? With one answer they prove the Pope correct, with another answer they admit the resurgence of Jihad and the innocence of the West, with no answer at all, hmmm. . .
Let’s hope some other religious leaders take the example and start speaking out against the Islamofascists. And let’s find out if there are moderate Muslim religious leaders who will join the Pope and speak out against terrorism conducted in the name of religion.