[ExI] Religions and violence [Was Re: Sarah Palin]

[Damien Sullivan]

On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 09:46:46AM -0500, Max More wrote:

> point -- there *is* something about the Muslim religion that commands 
> Muslims to go out and kill the infidel. Most Muslims don't do that, but 

Many Muslims seems to disagree about that very point, as opposed to
simply not following their religion.  And historically... for centuries
Christians were rather prone to forcible conversion of the heathens,
while for a long time, Muslims coexisted with Jews and Christians rather
better than Christians did with anyone else.  If this has changed
recently, which it seems to, perhaps the reasons are not fundamental to
either religion.

Jews rarely had much power, but in the brief Maccabean period, they seem
to have forcibly converted a neighboring kingdom, Edom.  Or conquered
and forced to live by Jewish laws, at any rate.  Wikipedia says the
Pharisees objecting to annexation, showing dissent even then.

> It reminds me of the great majority of Catholic students I taught in the 
> Los Angeles areas some years ago. In my Philosophy of Religion class, I 
> would ask if they were Catholic, central to which is the view that the 
> Pope is infallible on matters of religions (ex cathedra). After affirming 
> that, they would nevertheless say they disagreed with the Pope on sex 
> before marriage and wearing of condoms.

Papal infallibility can't be that central, seeing as it was put forth in
1870.  It's only been invoked on a couple of items: the Immaculate
Conception and the Assumption of Mary.  Sex not included.

More relevant and central is the infallibility of the *Church*,
ecumenical councils and widespread bishopric teaching, under some
circumstances.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infallibility_of_the_Church
and the supposed "submission of the intellect and will"[1] by the faithful
to even the fallible magisterium.

Immorality of pornography is apparently infallible.  Birth control might
be too.  But this would be less because the Pope says so and more
because all the bishops have always said so.

[1] 'submission'... just like the meaning of 'Islam'

-xx- Damien X-)