I haven't been as averse to the Pope as many Catholics have been, but his recent comments in Turkey were really bothersome. The ever-growing reality that so many opponents of Christianity like Pope Francis is definitely a warning sign, and some of his comments warrant scrutiny, such as this one from this past weekend:
Referring to the Islamic State in Iraq (or, as Barack Obama and George Bush would have it, the anything-but-Islamic State in Iraq), Pope Francis so profoundly remarked that "What is required is a concerted commitment on the part of all ... [to] enable resources to be directed, not to weaponry, but to the other noble battles worthy of man: the fight against hunger and sickness."
Maybe Pope Francis plans on running in 2016 against Hillary for the Democratic nomination, because he sounds like he is trying to woo as much Democratic support in the U.S. as he can muster. He may as well have just quoted Jay Z and said that A-rabs are mad because the West is stuntin in Bentleys. The problem with his above-statement is not only that it is utterly materialistic in theological terms, but it is empirically and objectively false.
Contrary to the doltish line that Middle Easterners are just mad because they're poor and don't have body wash, much of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are comprised of well-educated, well-off, but religiously inspired Muslims across a wide array of ethnic and geographic lines. Allow me to quote another Catholic, Michael Scheuer, in his 2002 book "Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Radical Islam, Osama bin Laden, and the Future of America" (p. 73):
".....since the early years of the Afghan jihad, bin Laden's senior cadre always has been staffed by well-educated men who are experienced in their professions; (a researcher named) Atwan, for example, said he found bin Laden surrounded by men who 'hold high schientific degrees: doctors, engineers, and teachers.'"
Continuing on the same page:
"Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) leader Aiman Zawahiri is a medical doctor; Mustafa Hamza is an agricultural engineer; the late Abu Ubaydah al-Banshiri, the captured Mamdough Mahmoud Slaim, and the late Mohammed Atef were professional military or security officers; Salim also is an electrical engineer, as are Mohamedu Ould Slahi - who is linked to a thwarted 1999 bin Laden attack in the United States - and the jailed Ramzi Yousef; Khalid al-Fawwaz, awaiting extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States, is a graduate civil engineer; al Qaeda's explosives and CBW expert, Abu Khabab al-Masri, is a chemical engineer; Wadi El-Hage is a graduate urban planner; the jailed Yousef, Ahemed Salamh, Mabruk and the recently unjailed Khalil al-Deeq each studied computer sciences, and the latter teaches his skills to others; Chechnya-based Islamist Ibn Khattab is a propaganda master, brodadcasting video on the Internet - often on the Abdullah Azzam Home Page - to show Muslims insurgent victories and Russian atrocities; and Wael Juleidan and Mohammed Jamal Khalifah are experienced, well-traveled, and successful businessmen and nongovernmental organization operators."
Okay, so we have in that list:
- Medical doctor
- Military officer
- Agricultural engineer
- Electrical engineer
- Civil engineer
- Chemical engineer
- Urban planner
- Computer scientist
- Businessman
So what does Pope Francis have to say to this? Does he want more "dialogue" with these supposedly irrational maniacs?
Maybe he and other leftists should take 15 minutes to study the enemy. God can't help us if we don't do our homework and put in some effort. If doctors, engineers, computer scientists, businessmen, and urban planners are comprising the ranks of the Middle Eastern terrorist groups, then we need to give them more respect than to just say that they're jealous of us for being rich and having an infinite number of Mickey D's burgers to wolf down.
To Murat, I can only say that comments like this from Pope Francis show that the Church is both human and divine. Not purely divine.
Referring to the Islamic State in Iraq (or, as Barack Obama and George Bush would have it, the anything-but-Islamic State in Iraq), Pope Francis so profoundly remarked that "What is required is a concerted commitment on the part of all ... [to] enable resources to be directed, not to weaponry, but to the other noble battles worthy of man: the fight against hunger and sickness."
Maybe Pope Francis plans on running in 2016 against Hillary for the Democratic nomination, because he sounds like he is trying to woo as much Democratic support in the U.S. as he can muster. He may as well have just quoted Jay Z and said that A-rabs are mad because the West is stuntin in Bentleys. The problem with his above-statement is not only that it is utterly materialistic in theological terms, but it is empirically and objectively false.
Contrary to the doltish line that Middle Easterners are just mad because they're poor and don't have body wash, much of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are comprised of well-educated, well-off, but religiously inspired Muslims across a wide array of ethnic and geographic lines. Allow me to quote another Catholic, Michael Scheuer, in his 2002 book "Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Radical Islam, Osama bin Laden, and the Future of America" (p. 73):
".....since the early years of the Afghan jihad, bin Laden's senior cadre always has been staffed by well-educated men who are experienced in their professions; (a researcher named) Atwan, for example, said he found bin Laden surrounded by men who 'hold high schientific degrees: doctors, engineers, and teachers.'"
Continuing on the same page:
"Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) leader Aiman Zawahiri is a medical doctor; Mustafa Hamza is an agricultural engineer; the late Abu Ubaydah al-Banshiri, the captured Mamdough Mahmoud Slaim, and the late Mohammed Atef were professional military or security officers; Salim also is an electrical engineer, as are Mohamedu Ould Slahi - who is linked to a thwarted 1999 bin Laden attack in the United States - and the jailed Ramzi Yousef; Khalid al-Fawwaz, awaiting extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States, is a graduate civil engineer; al Qaeda's explosives and CBW expert, Abu Khabab al-Masri, is a chemical engineer; Wadi El-Hage is a graduate urban planner; the jailed Yousef, Ahemed Salamh, Mabruk and the recently unjailed Khalil al-Deeq each studied computer sciences, and the latter teaches his skills to others; Chechnya-based Islamist Ibn Khattab is a propaganda master, brodadcasting video on the Internet - often on the Abdullah Azzam Home Page - to show Muslims insurgent victories and Russian atrocities; and Wael Juleidan and Mohammed Jamal Khalifah are experienced, well-traveled, and successful businessmen and nongovernmental organization operators."
Okay, so we have in that list:
- Medical doctor
- Military officer
- Agricultural engineer
- Electrical engineer
- Civil engineer
- Chemical engineer
- Urban planner
- Computer scientist
- Businessman
So what does Pope Francis have to say to this? Does he want more "dialogue" with these supposedly irrational maniacs?
Maybe he and other leftists should take 15 minutes to study the enemy. God can't help us if we don't do our homework and put in some effort. If doctors, engineers, computer scientists, businessmen, and urban planners are comprising the ranks of the Middle Eastern terrorist groups, then we need to give them more respect than to just say that they're jealous of us for being rich and having an infinite number of Mickey D's burgers to wolf down.
To Murat, I can only say that comments like this from Pope Francis show that the Church is both human and divine. Not purely divine.
