So it seems the Pope may be considering pulling together representatives of the three major Abrahamic religions to discuss why it’s not appropriate to kill others in the name of God. There’s a few problems I see right off and that seems to be who do you speak to as a representative of Islam who would have any say that would resonate with the Islamic world.
I could give a million reasons why something like this wouldn’t work but one must never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in the cause of peace. Pray that if the Pope decides to do this, some good comes out of it.
UCA News reports:
Israeli government sources claim Francis is apparently thinking of calling a meeting between leaders and faithful of the world’s three biggest monotheistic religions, in Rome, to launch a message of peace, countering violence and the use of God’s name to justify hatred and terrorist acts.
The sources say the Pope announced his intentions during an Audience on April 30, but there was no mention of this in the communiqué the Holy See’s issued after the Audience.
President Shimon Peres of Israel “told the pope that there are people who use God’s name to justify terrorism” and religious leaders should “say out loud that God did not give anyone permission to kill their neighbor.”
According to the information contained in a summary of the Audience received by the Israeli government, Francis told Peres he “whole-heartedly supported” his appeal against violence and that “he wanted to promote a meeting between religious leaders and faithful of the three major religions” founded by Abraham, “in Rome”. The aim would be to “make people see” that the religions “oppose violence and terrorism.”
If these statements were indeed made during the Audience, it looks like the pope is thinking about possible peace initiatives that would be restricted to the world’s three major monotheistic faiths.
June 1, 2013 at 7:57 pm
Steve-
that you can actually say "the Romans actually crucified Jesus, but the Jews are to be blamed! No matter what the Church, reason or anyone else says!" and act like there's something wrong with other folks speaks volumes.
June 1, 2013 at 9:19 pm
Steve. Jesus forgave those who crucified Him "for they know not what they do". Followers of Jesus need to imitate his example to be one with Him.
June 1, 2013 at 9:22 pm
The Islamic deity, "Allah" is the Bedouin moon-god, one of many in their polytheistic system. It was the deity that Abraham left when he answered Yahweh's call. Yahweh is the One True God. Allah is a false deity. But the founder of Islam tries to craft a coalition among Judaism, Christian and Islam so he pretended Allah to be the god of all three. Nothing a farther from the truth.
June 1, 2013 at 9:39 pm
Rick, Jesus was crucified for our sins, the Apostle Paul layed the guilt of his death upon the Jews. BTW, why are you still posing as a clergyman? To the best of my knowledge, you have never been ordained as a deacon, let alone a priest.
Foxfier, wasn't the Apostle Paul and his writings a part of the Church? That speaks volumes about your inability to understand the scriptures.
BTW, I'm not going to bother with answering anymore of your inane posts. I have no desire to have a flame war.
June 1, 2013 at 9:51 pm
Between Jesus forgiving and Paul "laying guilt", I choose Jesus.
Islamists won't scare me into silence. That's how Christian get massacred.
I wonder if the SSPX would side with Islamists just because they hate the Jews so much.
June 1, 2013 at 10:33 pm
Steve-
you have stated two mutually exclusive things as fact. One of them agrees with Paul's– and everyoneelses'– description of the events leading up to the Crucifixion, and one is an interpretation of a later letter that Paul wrote.
For bonus points, the one that is an interpretation of what Paul wrote would claim that Our Lady and Jesus Himself killed Jesus. They were Jews, after all.
Or, you are misreading.
June 2, 2013 at 2:52 am
Rick:
"Allah" is simply the Arabic word for God (cognate with Hebrew "El"). Arab Christians used this word (and continue to use it) long before Islam came along.
Dave
June 2, 2013 at 3:24 am
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June 2, 2013 at 3:29 am
Go back further than the Arabs. As I said, Allah is the Bedoiun moon god. Check Wiki and other sources.
Semantic of it referring to deity does not equate it to YHWH – Who is a totally different Person.
People have been buying into Mohammed's duplicitous narrative for centuries.
June 2, 2013 at 7:02 pm
Rick: Even before Mohammed? Have you ever been in a Melkite Rite, Maronite, or Coptic church? You will hear references to "Allah". It predates Mohammed. You also seem to have a willful ignorance of linguistics and Semitic languages.
Dave
June 2, 2013 at 7:45 pm
…whatever the outcome,
…we can do no less than, to hope for the best,
…and prepare for the the worst,
…we'll come with rosaries for peace and they'll come with IED's, fully loaded magizines, and AK 47's!
…with the "safety" off!
…in gettin' ahead of the situation, by tying up loose ends, sending out in advance, RSVP invitations to funeral Masses, for the "Rite of Christian Burial"!
June 2, 2013 at 10:25 pm
Speaking of the Coptic church, their calls to "Allah" have resulted in their women being raped on the streets and their men murdered by the Islamists who claim to be an Abrahamic faith.
So, the Islamic Allah seems to be different from that of the Christians otherwise the Islamists would treat them as brothers and sisters.
June 3, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Rick:
I'm not denying the Islamic distortion of God into an unknowable monstrous puppetmaster (more so than even Calvinism has done), but the word itself, which always has been used by Arab Christians and Jews.
Dave
June 3, 2013 at 5:33 pm
Dave: So we agree that while the term "Allah" is used to denote deity by both Islam and Christianity, the concept (or Person) denoted is not the same for both. As you wrote, Islam "distorted God" and I wrote, the Islamic deity is not the same Person as the Judeo-Christian One.
June 4, 2013 at 4:21 am
Rick:
I think we agree now, yes.
Dave