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The Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club invites your participation in our open, yet civil and (hopefully) respectful discussion of topics by and about Pope Benedict XVI and general issues in Catholic faith & theology. Members, please acquaint yourself with our FORUM RULES -- failure to abide by the rules will result in warnings from the moderator and possible expulsion by the management. |
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 rcesq |
Values in a Time of Upheaval |
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Member
Posts: 1751 08/01/06 23:39:16 Moderator |
For a description of Cardinal Ratzinger's discussion of the "just war" tradition and responses to the war of terror, see the thread Toward a Proper Understanding of the Just War Tradition under Catholic Ethics.
Another part of the book is discussed in my post 158 (7/19/06 5:17 am) on the Auschwitz thread under Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict. |
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Benodette |
Re: Values in a Time of Upheaval | #1 | ||
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Member
Posts: 6015 01/18/07 06:55:17 |
 This review, by Amir Taheri, is from the Arabic international site Alawsat. Although Pope Benedict does not quite tell us what "upheaval" he is referring to in the title of his new book, it soon become clear that he observes the present condition of mankind as a whole and Europe in particular with a degree of pessimism unexpected from a Christian prelate. After all, Christianity is known as the "faith of hope." The first cause of the Pope's pessimism is the domination of the world by what he calls "the three mythical values of today". These are progress, science and freedom. The trouble is that the Pope dopes not spell out what he means by any of those terms. For example, does he mean to say that the recent unprecedented progress in medical sciences represent a threat to mankind? Should we steer away form a science that has helped us uncover more and more of the mysteries of nature and mobilize its resources for improving our lives? And, last but not least, in what way can freedom be regarded as a "mythical value"? By coincidence, the Pope's book has been published at a time that the world prepares to mark the centenary of the ablution of slavery, an evil that Christianity, along with other faiths, never even questioned. For those released from the shackles, freedom was real, not mythical.... The second cause of the Pope's apparent pessimism is the demographic decline of Europe. The Pope's europhilia, not to say eurocentrism, is at times to passionate that one wonders whether he regards Christianity as little more than an ingredient in a more complex ideological mix in which the Hellenic heritage and medieval scholasticism are also present... If we consider Europe not in ethnic terms, a method that is always dicey, but as a model of civilization, it is clear that the world as we know it now is a European production.. aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=8&id=7687 Values in a Time of Upheaval |
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galantarie |
Re: Values in a Time of Upheaval | #2 | ||
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Member
Posts: 4550 01/18/07 07:19:38 Member |
It appears that Amir Taheri really has no concept of the ingredients of true Christianity; and he ignores that this book was published in Germany two years ago...written when Our Papa was Kardinal....
Amir Taheri's assumptions are shallow, biased and confused. He has no below-the-surface concepts of what words mean beside the simple literal upper-creme! When Papa spoke of cloning and deicide-genetic research, etc. Amir Taheri pushed the unwarrented Liberal Press's first thought of life-enhancing techniques and wonder-drugs and discoveries which have extended the health and marvel of the human-being. When Papa spoke of true freedom, when one surrenders to Christ...the only TRUE freedom, Amir Taheri thought only of political-liberation! Amir Taheri apparently is certainly not familiar with Our Papa's other declarations and writings; nor does he have a mind capable of being open to the "enlightenment of Christ" vs the enlightenment as conceived in progressive-man's man-made movement.... Amir Taheri's "review" was quite lame and sickening.... "I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it."
[Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"]  May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world! |
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