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Muhammad’s Sword
Good old Uri is back with a great piece. Thank God it wasn’t written by another fundamentalist islamofascist…..
Since the days when Roman Emperors threw Christians to the lions, the relations between the emperors and the heads of the church have undergone many changes. Constantine the Great, who became Emperor in the year 306 - exactly 1700 years ago - encouraged the practice of Christianity in the empire, which included
Palestine. Centuries later, the church split into an Eastern (Orthodox) and a Western (Catholic) part. In the West, the Bishop of Rome, who acquired the title of Pope, demanded that the Emperor accept his superiority.Â
The struggle between the Emperors and the Popes played a central role in European history and divided the peoples. It knew ups and downs. Some Emperors dismissed or expelled a Pope, some Popes dismissed or excommunicated an Emperor. One of the Emperors, Henry IV, “walked to
Canossa”, standing for three days barefoot in the snow in front of the Pope’s castle, until the Pope deigned to annul his excommunication. But there were times when Emperors and Popes lived in peace with each other. We are witnessing such a period today. Between the present Pope, Benedict XVI, and the present Emperor, George Bush II, there exists a wonderful harmony. Last week’s speech by the Pope, which aroused a world-wide storm, went well with Bush’s crusade against “Islamofascism”, in the context of the “Clash of Civilizations”.  IN HIS lecture at a German university, the 265th Pope described what he sees as a huge difference between Christianity and Islam: while Christianity is based on reason, Islam denies it. While Christians see the logic of God’s actions, Muslims deny that there is any such logic in the actions of Allah.
One Response to “Muhammad’s Sword”
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Muhammad’s Sword
Good old Uri is back with a great piece. Thank God it wasn’t written by another fundamentalist islamofascist…..
Since the days when Roman Emperors threw Christians to the lions, the relations between the emperors and the heads of the church have undergone many changes. Constantine the Great, who became Emperor in the year 306 - exactly 1700 years ago - encouraged the practice of Christianity in the empire, which included
Palestine. Centuries later, the church split into an Eastern (Orthodox) and a Western (Catholic) part. In the West, the Bishop of Rome, who acquired the title of Pope, demanded that the Emperor accept his superiority.Â
The struggle between the Emperors and the Popes played a central role in European history and divided the peoples. It knew ups and downs. Some Emperors dismissed or expelled a Pope, some Popes dismissed or excommunicated an Emperor. One of the Emperors, Henry IV, “walked to
Canossa”, standing for three days barefoot in the snow in front of the Pope’s castle, until the Pope deigned to annul his excommunication. But there were times when Emperors and Popes lived in peace with each other. We are witnessing such a period today. Between the present Pope, Benedict XVI, and the present Emperor, George Bush II, there exists a wonderful harmony. Last week’s speech by the Pope, which aroused a world-wide storm, went well with Bush’s crusade against “Islamofascism”, in the context of the “Clash of Civilizations”.  IN HIS lecture at a German university, the 265th Pope described what he sees as a huge difference between Christianity and Islam: while Christianity is based on reason, Islam denies it. While Christians see the logic of God’s actions, Muslims deny that there is any such logic in the actions of Allah.
One Response to “Muhammad’s Sword”
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kimtelas Says:
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:34 amThank you.
Thank you for posting this.
I have studied religion and history but they are not what I can retrieve best in every day life. This article brought forth from the chest of my memory what I have studied in the past.
There is so much in the world to learn and know and see that I cannot always keep it all collated.
I am saddened by the “leadership” of my own country. A country that defines me also, it is what I know first hand, nothing more and nothing less. A country I find most beautiful, amazing, vulgar and ugly all at once. We are living examples of showing our paradoxes.
I cannot make peace with this continued evangelical cloak that hides a basice material imperialism.
It is as if as long as we disguise facts, truths, or just deny we can putter along in our cars, go to our jobs, eat macaroni and cheese, have cookouts, support our troops, sleep, and on and on.
It feels like smoke and mirrors listening to our government some days.
Yet, I also feel a vast discomfort.
Sometimes when I consider this discomfort I want to yell: So what!??!
Why did you agree to ANY of this in the first place? Crowd mentality? Who stopped to think? Not the ones in the drivers seat;I am thinking.
Do the “leaders” of the U.S. even grasp the minimal differences in culture? I do not see that they do.
The world is not here to be made over into little usa’s. That would be a global tragedy.
I am up late every night writing, thinking and reading. And certainly wondering. I am up late because I have a job that pays the bills and I teach several nights a week. I have to stay up!
I am completely taken by the art you share here and love to just read, sit a moment, read again, then look around.
I have been reading here for a month now and I wanted to thank you for your blog.
Kim
October 4th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
The banner says it all.