Francis has said so much that is so new so quickly that he can say some shocking things and they just get lost in the shuffle. He says (Joy of the Gospel 252) that “our respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalizations.” What a killjoy! Hateful generalizations are quick and cheap and fun! There’s a whole industry based on the sale of indignation and hate! He’s going too far with his anti-capitalist tendencies, and now he’s actually threatening the livelihood of hate-filled scandal-mongers! Does the Pope think he is an expert on Islam? He writes that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.” Is that what the Jesuits teach in Argentina? Has he ever met a Muslim? Has anyone ever seen the Pope’s birth certificate? Was he born in Kenya? Fortunately, Catholics don’t have to pay any attention to this drivel, because it’s just comparative religion stuff, not faith and morals. We don’t have to listen to his views on carburetors; why should we listen to what he thinks about non-Christians? Did you hear that “non” part? The “non” means, the pope is off his own turf, and doesn’t know what he’s talking about! Of course, there are some sober somber serious (or semi-serious) people who think that the Pope should be allowed to talk about peace and justice and Scripture and God. For those people, it’s important to hear his words. Avoid hateful generalizations. We will deal with Muslims beginning with the assumption that – fanatics aside – we are both opposed to violence. We share a deep conviction that “life, in its entirety, is from God and for God.” There is a Muslim prayer that I have been learning. It’s pretty simple: a recitation of 99 names or attributes of God. (Is it “names” or “attributes”? I guess we could start a war about that. Take, for example, “the King of kings” – is that a name, or a description?) The beginning of the list is the name for God that is most precious and central to the person reciting the prayer; I start with “Abba.” (We definitely could have a war about that, but we have decided not to.) For the rest of the 98, I’m still learning Arabic, still practicing. The recitation provides 99 (plus combinations and permutations) springboards to meditation. Hey, Malik! Thanks!
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 21:34:20 +0000
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