Why is it that so many in the atheist community cannot bring themselves to get past their anger whenever they engage in discussions? The language of many of their contributions in public debate is laced with invective and dripping with sarcasm and bile. There are exceptions of course, but they tend to fall more into the category of being the 'exception that proves the rule' when compared to the hostility of many of today's atheist posters. Comment offered by the theists in the public square is often depicted as being 'malicious' or 'venomous' and intended to enslave the 'feeble minded and weak' by those who post. Nothing could be further from the truth. Venom is something that is oriented to death. Christians are oriented in a 180 degree different direction. We speak not to the culture of death that grips our world but rather for the culture of life and light which ends with the gift of eternal life. For example, the Catholic Church in its hum...
Go ahead and waste your time if you like, but your protests will have no effect. The governments of countries have no interest in the complaints of their own citizens; why would anyone assume they will listen to the complaints of non-citizens who don't even live there?
ReplyDeleteIt is against the law for anyone to convert away from Islam. It used to be against the law to convert away from Catholicism. Most western countries have outgrown such prohibitions. Eastern countries have yet to catch up. Time is the only rememdy.
Lady Janus: How about that old line: all that is necessary for evil to prosper is for good people to do nothing! You may be right... but unless good people complain whenever they see evil being done (and such an execution is evil) then countries like Iran will never change their ways no matter how much time passes.
ReplyDeleteFr. Tim
P.S. Nice to see you back! Hope you enjoyed your summer.
Lady Janus
ReplyDeleteWhen and where was it ever against the law to convert away from Catholicism?
Cheers
Paul
Tim, how about that old line? And who says it's true? There are lots of "old lines" in the world. And most of them can be found to have an exact opposite somewhere in the mess of them.
ReplyDeleteIran will change when it's beneficial to Iran, and not before. Complaining will not help motivate the change. Financial embargoes might be a good weapon to use, but we in the west are far too comfortable with Iran's being exactly like it is, and our governments are not about to do that. See...your government doesn't listen to you any more than Iran listens to its own citizens... ;D
Paul, try the fifteenth century to early sixteenth century. There were forced mass conversions of Muslims and Jews TO Catholicism at that time, and those who protested or tried to refuse were deemed heretics and slaughtered, sometimes as public entertainment (and as a warning not to backslide). I came across the information while I was researching something else, and I'll see if I can find it again and nail down the date I saw for the repeal of the law, and then we can track it back to its origin...
ReplyDeletePS, Tim, I have had a most busy and productive summer, thanks! There has been so much to do and I've had so much fun doing it! And now my order is presenting a service at the beginning of November for the local ecumenical gathering. This will be the first year for Pagans to be officially included on the calendar, and they gave us our choice of dates, so we chose Samhain. We're so looking forward to it... :)
ReplyDeleteJanus, when you get that source I'd love to read it.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Paul
Paul, the specific item I read was not on the Internet. It was in an actual book. So if you're looking for a link, you're going to be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I assume (perhaps foolishly) that you've heard of the Inquisition?