Religious Controversy

[poliphilo]

Jo, our chief carer is a Polish Catholic. She annoys me anyway with all her incessant chatter, chatter, chatter. (Dear Jo, if I want to know what your cat- the English blue-  has been up to I'll ask you.) This morning she started off about the beatification of Pope John Paul and how wonderful it was and if I hadn't checked myself and held up my hands and said, "No, lets not argue about religion," I'd have descended into the maelstrom...

Comments

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

The Vatican didn't move half so fast when it came to child abuse. There's meant to be a good while of due reflection before you canonise somebody, so that you aren't tainted by generational prejudice. To me, in the repressive and corrupt country I had the misfortune to be born in, Karol Wojtyla has some good intentions, but there are people who deserve to be canonised far more than he. FAR more.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

John Paul is one of the great figures of 20th century history, but also- as such people are- deeply controversial.

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

Not to speak of Wojtyla's obnoxious views on abortion and on liberation theology.

[splodgenoodles.livejournal.com]

Oooh good response! :D

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If she'd only known what a huge red rag she was waving in front of me....

[splodgenoodles.livejournal.com]

I reckon she might have noticed...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

People who talk all the time often do so because they don't want to have to listen.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Actually a very saintly response...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It alarms me that I'm so easy to wind up.

[artkouros.livejournal.com]

There's a blue cat?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Apparently

[matrixmann]

Don't open this religious chapter with a politcal interested.
It's always said about him that he was only elected as a Pope to abuse the weak spot of Poland in fighting the Iron Curtain - and according to the biography of Wałęsa that Wikipedia spits out just by itself, I am even ready to believe that.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm ready to believe that too.

[wyrmwwd.livejournal.com]

Not being a Catholic, I do not feel that I have either the right or the inclination to argue about Catholicism to Catholics. I'll argue about it to non-Catholics, though.

I don't argue about Islam to Muslims, either, nor Judaism to Jews, nor Buddhism to Buddhists.

If I find myself in the position that you describe, I just say "hmmmm... interesting" and go my way. Pope John Paul was Catholic, so he was HER pope. His beatification enhances her identity. What he actually did is not important.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Surely everyone has the right to argue about anything with anyone. Whether it's wise to argue is another matter.

I wouldn't argue with a Muslim about Islam because I know sod all about it, but as a person brought up- and trained as a priest- within the Anglican tradition I feel qualified to have opinions about our close cousins the Roman Catholics.