Pope Benedict XVI has cancelled plans to give a speech at La Sapienza University in Rome.
The pontiff cancelled plans amid protests of a speech he gave in 1993 in which he called the trial and conviction of Galileo in 1633 for heresy over his observation that the earth was not the center of the universe (contradicting the doctrine of the medieval church on the subject) "reasonable and just" and suggested that the church back in the early 1600's had more reason on its side than Galileo.
I guess I'll quit worrying so much about creationists who want to censor my biology book. Now I'll have to start worrying about real fanatics, led by the Holy Father himself, who want to burn my physics book.
What comes next? Defending the 'reasonableness' of the Inquisition? Come to think of it, with the willingness of the Bush administration to justify torture, maybe as a matter of fact that will come next.
Only a radical LDS liberal post crap like this. I thought you libs were against hate speech.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Michael Shermer's "Why Darwin Matters," a depressing litany of the church's hostile protectionism of its silly mythology.
ReplyDeleteI never expect anything but harm and damage from the Pope and his minions.
(And I love how your courageous anonymous commenters try to use "liberal" as an epithet. Doesn't work, pal.)
The problem is the doctrine of 'papal infallability' which makes it practically impossible for the church to admit making any mistake, any time in history. Therefore modern day Catholic theologians have to defend the indefensible from the middle ages, or else their whole doctrine becomes suspect.
ReplyDeleteanon:
ReplyDeleteWhat hate speech? He said it, I'm unhappy that he said it. Snarky, yes. But show me where I made a threat, real or implied.
As Jack said, some things are indefensible, and defending them makes one look ignorant and stupid. Since you bring up that I'm LDS, it would be like if an apostle of the LDS church today defended the Mountain Meadows massacre. I don't defend it, and some things it is better to chalk up to human failings and let them recede into history.
Besides, just look at this pope's predecessor. He was exemplary in his ability to admit to past failings and move forward in a spirit of enlightenment rather than division.
There are some Mormons who still do defend the mountain meadows massacre though. I'm glad that you aren't one of them.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous (from November 30, 2008):
ReplyDeleteOnly someone who is insecure in their religion feels compelled to defend the truly indefensible.