Papal Bull: JudeoRomanism Versus Islamism
By Dr. Gerry Lower
Created Sep 21 2006 - 7:43am
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find
things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the
faith he preached."
Pope Benedict XVI, September 12, 2006 (1) - quoting the 14th century Roman
emperor, Manuel II.
It is difficult not to see that this statement places Islam to blame for all
its warring in the name of Islam. It also implies that Romanism is above any
blame for justifying its wars over the millennia. Is the Pope so
ill-educated on nascent Christian human rights so as to not witness what
Bush's Old Testament Roman religion has done to capitalism and what
religiously-justified capitalism has done to American democracy and its
proper role in the world?
As head of the Roman Catholic church, Pope Benedict is being paid to know
better than to be ideologically aligned with the Bush administration in its
newly renamed war against "Islamic fascism." In spite of all Papal apologies
to the world of Islam, one can still ask "What was he thinking?" (2).
One can more productively ask "Why was he thinking that way?" and the answer
would be that this sort of self-righteousness in thought is ingrained in all
the branches of Abrahamic religion when taken as absolute and infallible
truth. This is just an inherent characteristic of these religions, all of
which see themselves as the only true western religion.
In contrast to George W. Bush, however, the Pope is mindful (within the
confines of Romanism) and articulate and his remarks may well have been "a
calculated, intentional strategy designed to help George Bush and the
Republicans" (3) as the lesser of world evils. The Pope did not really
apologize for his having quoted Manuel II on Islam. He apologized for "the
reactions in some countries" (4).
This does not really qualify as an apology. The Pope can be seen as
continuing to place blame on Islam for the way it responded. It is just more
Old Testament Roman self-righteousness, Pope Benedict having shown little
interest in the interfaith gatherings established by his predecessor, John
Paul II (5).
At the same time, the Bush administration has already clearly aligned itself
with Israel in providing enthusiastic support for Israel's recent demolition
of Lebanon (6). In other words, Old Testament Romanism (Bush and Benedict
style) has aligned itself with Judaism to further solidify JudeoRoman hatred
of Islam and to further solidify Islamic hatred of Judaism and Old Testament
Romanism (aka "christianity").
None of these three Abrahamic religions is one iota better than any of the
others. None have shown any hint of enlightenment or any interest in human
values and human knowledge. None have show any interest in nascent Christian
human rights. None are above violence in defending themselves from each
other. None embrace such an abundance of relevant truth that they would be
justified in killing anyone in their names (7).
This is Spinoza's late 17th century truth of it, truth that inspired
Jefferson's separation of church and state. Disagreement with this "keep
your religion at home" policy inspired Leo Strauss, a Jewish political
"philosopher" at the University of Chicago in the 1960s and 70s, and the
religion-based neoconservatism of the Bush administration was given birth
(8), to hell with the EuroAmerican enlightenment, Thomas Jefferson and
American democracy.
The Bush administration becomes capitalism's version of the Papacy, with
George W. Bush the befuddled and infallible Pope, backed by a nefarious band
of appointed underlings in charge of virtually everything, all of them
living firmly in the "here and now" (9), along with the right wing press.
The inherently self-righteous belief by each of Abraham's religions that it
is the one true religion guarantees that these three religions will fulfill
their own prophecies in self-termination, the battle lines having already
been drawn. The Bush administration's program, under the neoconservative
"leadership" of Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld, has succeeded beyond their dreams
in making the world a much more dangerous place, a world in need of
virtually continuous war (7).
There will be no continuous war. Now that the stage has been set for the
fulfillment of religious prophecy, several scenarios could easily lead to a
Middle Eastern meltdown as the result of religious self-righteousness and
belligerence. The self-destruction of the Middle East would discredit the
Abrahamic religions and capitalism forever from the global political arena.
Consider, as an example, a U.S.-led assault on Iran (10). In the case of an
attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, Iran's only targets for retaliation
would be U.S. military positions and Israel - the homeland of the Abrahamic
religions, armed with nuclear weapons so as to be more than able to initiate
the "end of times."
To claim that the world is coming to an end is nothing more than a western
religious exercise in self-righteousness and self-aggrandizement. When these
religions discredit themselves from the global political arena, as British
Old Testament Romanism did in America two centuries ago, it will constitute
religion's "end of times." It will also constitute the beginnings of a
global human revolution in the interest of a human rights-based democracy.
Welcome to the larger human evolutionary program in which all people on
earth are currently embedded, a program that transcends all ancient cultural
programs insofar as we are hoping for a human world finally at peace with
itself. How much violence this evolutionary transformation will require is
largely up to the people on earth. As we stand on the edge of the abyss, we
stand on the threshold of a dream.
People, people, embrace nascent Christian human rights and think for
yourselves, as Jefferson did. The Bush administration doesn't know anything
or care anything about nascent Christian values. The Bush administration
doesn't know anything or care anything about the values of jefferson's
Democracy. The Bush administration will blindly pursue its neoconservative
agenda until the "end of times" for religion and capitalism has been
achieved. Of that, we can all be certain. Its in their bibles.
--
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"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
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