The Pope and history

[flexibeast]

Okay, i just came across the article "Pope warns of rising anti-Semitism", and i'm pissed off:

"In the 20th Century in the darkest period of German and European history, an insane racist ideology, born of neo-paganism, gave rise to the attempt - planned and systematically carried out by the regime - to exterminate European Jewry," [said the Pope.]

What??? So hundreds and hundreds of years of Christian anti-Semitism had nothing to do with it? What about the anti-Semitic propaganda in the Gospels, involving Jesus dissing "the Jews" (John 8:44-47) and the blaming of the Jewish people for the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:25)? What about the promulgation of anti-Jewish laws (the Theodosian Code¹) by Christian Emperors of the Roman Empire and successors? What about Martin Luther's work "Against the Jews and their lies"? What about the Christian-created caricatures of Jewish people as horrible little money-grubbers (e.g. "Shylock" in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice")? What about the Spanish Inquisition's expulsion from Spain of those Jews who would not convert to Christianity - over 200,000 people? What about the Dreyfus affair in France in the late 19th century - was that instigated by 'neo-pagans'?

The Vatican continues to disgust me.

Update, 21.8.2005

So the Pope has admitted that the Church has shortcomings . . . . but somehow, i don't think he includes the Church's stance on HIV/AIDS and same-sex marriage in that. :-/

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1. Unfortunately, i couldn't find an English translation. An article in the Journal of Religion and Society entitled "Christian Anti-Semitism: Past History, Present Challenges" provides the following summary:

The imperial legislation went even further and directly interfered with the life of the Jewish community through a series of new laws. The culmination of this process took place with the publication of the Theodosian Code in 438. Some of the laws in this code actually protected Jews from violence and asserted their basic rights and freedom. But the largest section restricted Jewish cult and activities.

Comments

[jomaraubat.livejournal.com]

I'm fucking impressed with your breadth of knowledge. Didn't the Roman Catholic Church pretty much roll over for Hitler?

[flexibeast.livejournal.com]

Well, in 1933, the Vatican and the Nazi government signed the Reichskonkordat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichskonkordat); but Nazi violations of the Konkordat led to Pope Pius XI issuing an encyclical in 1937 entitled "Mit brennender Sorge" ("With deep anxiety (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_14031937_mit-brennender-sorge_en.html)").

[choke-me-hard.livejournal.com]

You are so well informed! I can't stand the impressions the Catholic Church put on other religions...Pagans and Wiccans have such a hard time as is as do most religions and the Catholic church tends to drag everybody down...I never followed religion that well *at least not Christian based religions* and I don't know my ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to the Jewish faith but I do know that most Christian based religions *and most Muslim and Jewish based religions* seem to think their religion is the only way to go...No one religion is right and they need to just get it thru their thick skulls that ppl will believe in what they are comfortable believing in...Look at me...Most of my family is either Methodist or attends a Church of Christ...My Mother, step father and myself are all Wiccan, my brother just converted to Baptist when he married my sister in law, my bf is atheist , his Dads family is Jewish and his Moms is Baptist. None of the ppl in my life care what religion the other is...They trust in what they know and let the others have their own beliefs...I wish the entire world could be this open minded :-( It makes me sad knowing that religions are supposed to be based around love and understanding...No they're not...It's just another excuse for man to make war over

[flexibeast.livejournal.com]

Yes, the "Our God is the only God and so therefore you have to live by our God's rules and you're crazy because your God doesn't even exist" thing gets a bit tiresome. Here's one recent experience (http://www.livejournal.com/users/hierodule/7561.html) i had in that regard.

[mzmartipants.livejournal.com]

Shit will always emanate from an anus.

[flexibeast.livejournal.com]

Hey! As a fan of anal sex, i resent you dissing anuses like that! ;-)