tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33424426.post2176412248184172812..comments2023-09-01T07:04:13.381-07:00Comments on Reflections on Faith and Culture: The London ConferenceGil Bailiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481878663941134090noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33424426.post-64115377799715430382009-09-02T19:36:58.811-07:002009-09-02T19:36:58.811-07:00Your London talk was dead on!
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Allow to me to q...Your London talk was dead on!<br /><br />.<br /><br />Allow to me to quibble on the margin, Gil.<br /><br />In time I winched whenever I heard Pres. Bush call Islam a <i>religion of peace</i>, but I also found myself recalling a conversation. Some years ago I spoke with a CEO, a confident master salesman, who named his young company “National”, as in say National Widgets, Inc. Queried why he described his company as “national” in light of the fact that it did not operate in all 50 states, this CEO justified the name explaining that his company already operated in 38 states and that he, the CEO, anticipated that it would soon operate in all 50 states because he would make it so. In this light it seems that it would do the world no good for the leader of the Free World to have identified “Islam” as the implacable terrorist enemy of the Free World. Such a response to 9/11 would certainly ratify the worst Occidentialist paranoia and likely condemn us all to a century long religious war of mutual annihilation. Pres. Bush’s hopeful fiction has a downside of which you are aware. However, it seems wise that Pres. Bush framed the conflict otherwise, focusing on the evident evil, seeking Muslim allies and leaving a way of escape for Muslims of good faith into a hopeful new Islam of freedom and democracy without Jihad. The job of challenging the link between Muslim religious heritage and violence would by necessity fall to others. Pope Benedict rose to this task, which Pres. Bush wisely left in capable papal hands. Yet sadly too oft the corrupt and the craven mocked the Pope, turned on the POTUS and won the day. And now we have a time of appeasement of and accommodation with evil. <br /><br />Also thank you for relaying Dr. Jann’s meaningful remarks [Dr. J-A-N-N that is?] following 11:20 or so on the third audio file.Mike O'Malleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03786963522098086259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33424426.post-23002103138300721492009-07-21T06:48:28.589-07:002009-07-21T06:48:28.589-07:00You know, Jeremiah didn't have a great time do...You know, Jeremiah didn't have a great time down there in the cistern. The false and lying prophets, among whom Hananiah who busted up Jeremiah's yoke-bars (that prophetically signified the up-coming Babylonian captivity), really didn't like Jeremiah's reality checks, Gil.<br /><br />But I guess you know that already. CheersAthoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09158421880497827083noreply@blogger.com