Pope Benedict XVI condemns Islam's violence

Pope Benedict XVI condemns Islam's violence. He said, quoting Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologos, show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find "only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

In a major lecture at Regensburg University, where he taught theology between 1969 to 1977, Benedict said Christianity is tightly linked to reason and contrasted this view with those who believe in spreading their faith by the sword.

In his lecture, the Pope quoted, among others, the 14th century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologos who wrote that Mohammad had brought things "only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

The Pope, who used the terms "jihad" and "holy war" in his lecture, added in his own words: "Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul". source

January 24, 2006

Pope Benedict XVI believes that unlike other religions, Islam cannot be reformed and, therefore, is incompatible with democracy, according to a Catholic leader who participated with the pontiff in a secretive meeting on the subject.

The pope, according to Fessio, believes Islam cannot become compatible with democracy because a radical reinterpretation of the religion would be required, which is "impossible, because it's against the very nature of the Quran, as it's understood by Muslims."

In July, when asked by reporters, Benedict refused to declare Islam "a religion of peace", a phrase often invoked by President Bush.

These are amazing statements from the leader of the Catholic Church.

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Comments

[Muslim]

RoadKnight:
1st It's very good that you did read the Quran, but to understand the Quran you have to read it alot because you will understand something new everytime,you will never feel bored because noone will feel bored reading any holy book .

The Quran doesn't have any violance and I can explain any verse that you think it's a violance. Like when I told you about "The sword" and you did explained to me , I can do the same and explain it to you.

The Pope’s address focused on the reconciliation of reason and faith, and the implied accusation that Islam converts at swordpoint and therefore offends reason. But it is noteworthy that the Qur’an, revealed in the 7th Century, often encourages human beings to use their reason in spiritual matters and proposes no theology that would challenge human reason. The Qur’an in more than seventy verses specifically invites people to reflection (tafakkur), understanding (‘aql), and reason (nuha). It is also widely appreciated that Islam incorporated the metaphysics and vocabulary of the Greeks during its early centuries by being deeply conversant with the Greek classics. In fact, Islamic civilization preserved the knowledge of the classical world until it good be handed off to Europe after Europe’s own Dark Ages.
did you see christians and jews outrage defending muslims after pope speech, this was greate.

I don't feel extremely lucky to live now and not in the past , People changed muslims or non muslims. They want everything even by killing people. I wanted to live in spain when it was under islamic rules http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/spain_1.shtml.

Let me tell you something happend to me . I was watching cn8 and I found there is program called "It's your call." about muslims and USA "Why muslims hate America?" which the subject itself was wrong , so I tried to call and tell them that Muslims don't hate USA and when I told them my name they put me on hold forever. so I said may be I can write email to them and I did. They didn't read it.At the end they switched the result of the online poll to match what they want so they showed in tv result different than the online result,Do you beleieve that!!
I felt that there is bad media going on.

I cann't stand up and be heard and the world still think that my religion is a violance religion, so I think my message or duty to the world will be telling the world that my religion is a peace religion. What do you think?

[RoadKnight]

Muslim: "As you don't know about Islam except from media." Actually, I have read the Qu'ran. I can clearly see where the violence comes from.

"Pope’s choice of example engenders a reaction among many Muslims" First, the Pope quoted a speach made long ago. They were not his own words. Second, millions of Moslems go and prove the quote accurate by rioting and committing murder.

"Within recent decades Muslims feel that they have endured not only injustice but humiliation in Palestine, in Bosnia, in Chechnya, in Iraq, and in Lebanon." Proving that they know nothing of history or facts. Which, based on the societies in which most Moslems live, is not surprising.

Frankly, from a strictly historical perspective, Moslems should feel extremely lucky. Despite all their aggression in the early centuries of Islam, the Cruisaders (among others) chose to simply push them back into their own lands (with the exception of the 2nd Cruisade that tried to create a "buffer" zone) instead of exterminating them, which, incidently, they were entirely capable of doing. The "western world" would never have had to intervene in the "Moslem world" had Moslems not been intent on establishing a world wide caliphate.

Muslim, if you truely are one of those "moderate" Moslems I keep hearing so much about, then you need to be doing much more to get your fellow moderates to speak out. Christians don't seem to have a problem denouncing Pat Robertson or Timothy McVey or other Christian "radicals".

Tyrants can only govern with the consent of the oppressed. If you truely do not consent to being governed by a tyrant, then you need to overthow them and prove it.

The world is watching you and waiting for you to stand up and be heard.

[Muslim]

The 99% of Muslims that I'm talking about are trying to raise their voices but no one is trying to hear them, no one is even care to listen to them till they lost their voice.

I'm from these 99% and there is millions like me and I thought that to raise my voice and speak out against the violence in everywhere again, I have to get the people to understand me first. If I didn't get to that phase, I will be like a man who is screaming in empty city then I will lose my voice again.

[Debbie]

Muslim, if the majority of Muslims are peaceful and against violence, then we want to hear them speak out against the violence. They need to reign in those among them who are radical. If this is just a small segment of the Islamic religion, then the majority should do something about it.

These so called radicals get their support from someone, their financial support and other support.

If the 99% that you say are against violence, then let them join together, raise their voices, reject the radicals.

[Thomas Hamilton]

Yes, that is my reply.

[Muslim]

"I'm listening .I'm waiting"
!!!!!!!!! Is it your reply?

Tell me how do you want to see or to hear the outrage??

[Thomas Hamilton]

I'm listening............

I'm waiting..............

[Muslim]

How you can hear outrage and all the world saying they are criminals, how you want to see outrage and they are being killed "kids and women" by both sides these groups (Al-Qaeda), Iraq and Afghanistan by USA and England, Palestine and Lebanon by Israel and in the other places by their own governments which are supported by USA (Egypt, Jordan, KSA....).
Not all Muslims are in Iran.

Tell me how do you want to hear or see the outrage??

[Thomas Hamilton]

Hmmmmmmmmmm, if Muslims number more than 1,000,000,000 and there are only 10,000 causing all this trouble................

There should be 999990000 OUTRAGED muslims!

I say again, WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?

I'M WAITING!

I DON'T HEAR ANY OUTRAGE!

WHERE IS IT?

999990000 Muslims can't be wrong!

STILL LISTENING!

[Muslim]

Osama Bin Laden and his men and Hezbollah and Hamas "the terrorist groups Just in USA and Israel List" are not all muslims.
How many are these groups?? 10,000 as maximam , Muslims are more than 1,000,000,000 , which they are less than 0.001% from muslim .

So how do you think the rest of muslims could do and USA and all worlds against these groups with everything and they couldn't do anything.

[Thomas Hamilton]

"The emotional pain felt by the vast majority of Muslims over such events is immense."

Okay, so where is the OUTRAGE? Why aren't the "vast majority" of clerics in an uproar denouncing Osama Bin Laden and his ilk and terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas?

WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?

[Muslim]

Yes, I know nothing about Christianity but I read about it on the internet. As you don't know about Islam except from media.
So noone has to judge the other's religion without "understand it"

And now let me try to explain further why the Pope’s choice of example engenders a reaction among many Muslims. Within recent decades Muslims feel that they have endured not only injustice but humiliation in Palestine, in Bosnia, in Chechnya, in Iraq, and in Lebanon. Furthermore, Muslims suffer a deep wound from 9/11, an act which all but a tiny fanatical, or shall I say criminal element in the Muslim community would repudiate. The emotional pain felt by the vast majority of Muslims over such events is immense.

[RoadKnight]

Cute, Muslim. It shows that you know nothing about Christianity at all. If you did, then you know that the "sword" being spoken of is the Word of God which Hebrews 4:12 tells us:

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Revelation 19:15 says:

"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."

Obviously, Christ is not going to be swinging a sword dangling from His mouth (though I admit the thought does make me chuckle). If you read it in context, you see that this is clearly a vision given to John the Revelator. The sword in the mouth of Christ is the very Word of God.

[Muslim]

I support the Pope didn't read the bible to know that Christian is a violence religion too.
Matthew 10-34
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. "

[Raymond]

I left a false religion (Hinduism) to follow the true God.

When Christians speak the truth about religion(s) that preach lies & violence, I am not surprise to hear that those followers get offended. The Anti-Christians of the world like Muslims knows that the only way to keep their follower from leaving Islam is threaten them with violence and terror. That is why they are afraid to speak out.

If they will not speak out then everyone else who don’t buy their lies should speak the truth.

I support the Pope! May the true God Jesus bless him.

Raymond.

[jack]

Too late Trish. Muslims don't want to "understand". When something like this happens real or percieved ... they want revenge!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060916/wl_mideast_afp/vaticanpopeislampalestinianunrestchurch

[Trish Hamza Abdul]

I urge muslim to understand the points made by the Pope before they engage into violence as usual