whats your reaction to the POPE statement about MUSLIMS?

Question

here's mine: we all have the right to say what we want but together with it is the responsibility to know the consequence of your statement, cliche goes that if you dont have good things to say might as well keep it to yourself esp. if u think that it will cause alot of tension and this is for you POPE! u might think im a muslim but im not. i was raised catholic and grew up in a place where we look at all the priests as holy, not prejudice and keeper of truth and peace. and obviously i opposed the POPE'S statement whether it is just an expression or the mere fact. sorry to those thats been hurt by this mistake. and please lets not add to the chaos thats already happening. peace out!

Answer 1

THE POPE'S STATEMENT IS A FACT !!! AND THE MUSLIMS PROVED IT WITH THEIR VIOLENT ACTS !!!

Answer 2

How is that even an opinion? Have we lost the right to state history? It is a fact that's how the religion was spread, even by it's founder. Of course the Pope should not take back what he said. Now I did not hear the way he said it, perhaps he said it in a rude manner and for that he may need to apologize. But for the snippet you posted here, he would be a coward to. This isn't a question over one's rights to state opinions, this is about whether or not history is allowed to stand, even when it speaks against a group of people. No one can deny that the Catholic church spread itself through violence many times, are we not allowed to talk about that either?

Answer 3

http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/b16bavaria11.htm

Did you read the whole speech? I actually agree with the Pope non violence is the way, it is not God's command or what he wants. Okay what about Darfar where a genecide is happening NOW radical Islamists killing Christians and Animists is the south why because of their belief system. In Sri Lanka and other East Asian countries Tiger wars are happening radical Muslims are killing people that don't believe in the Koran, Christians included. Why has this not been on the news more? It's been happening since 2001 people are dying and have died from this so called holy war. It is evil and inhuman to force belief by sword and it is happening right now! Long before his speech was made.

Answer 4

I am not Catholic or Muslim, but I think reactions have been way too extreme. To me if people don't think the Pope's response is sincere, a forced apology is even less sincere. What he really needs to make clear is WHY he quoted from that particular book. He must have known that the source of his quote was controversial, so what point was he really trying to make?

Answer 5

for a person of his caliber, he holds far more responsibilities. he should try bringing communities closer , rather this Pope seems to be driving communities further apart. to quote someone using as an excuse was something wrong. there were many qoutes but instead he chose to quote a man who killed many people himself. shows the Ignorance, doesnt it?.

the Pope could have qouted what people like --
Thomas Carlyle in 'Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History,' 1840
Mahatma Gandhi, a statement published in 'Young India,'1924.
Dr. William Draper in 'History of Intellectual Development of Europe
W. Montgomery Watt in 'Muhammad(saaw) at Mecca,' Oxford, 1953.
K. S. Ramakrishna Rao in 'Muhammad(saaw): The Prophet of Islam,' 1989
Jules Masserman in 'Who Were Histories Great Leaders?' in TIME Magazine, July 15, 1974
Gibbon in 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' 1823

Answer 6

Who are you to apologize for the Holy Father? I don't think he should apologize - he stated fact. A religion that cries how peaceful they are killing a nun because they are upset?

I get upset all the time at the muslims (in the real world and some of the idiotic people here) and their "peace" but if I say or do something against them I get called a bigot a racist and the police charge me with a Hate Crime.

They really need to grow up and rather than prove how right the Holy Father is - prove him wrong by acting in peace. It won't happen. . . it is easier to hate than to forgive.

Answer 7

I think the Pope would have done better to condemn the Crusades and perhaps quote Muslims from that era who described the horror of those Crusades.

Then he could have condemned Christians who tell people who suffer a disaster that it was God's will. Or who call for the assassination of a foreign leader.

After helping to clean the mess in his own house, perhaps he would find his neighbors more understanding.

Answer 8

I think that the Pope should have either not said those things or he should have told the truth about Islam as it is found in God's Word. Islam teaches that Jesus was merely a prophet and not God's Son and that He didn't die on a cross to pay for our sins. According to the Bible that teaching comes from the inspiration of the anti-Christ which means "instead of" Christ.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

If the Pope wants to say anything about the people who practice Islam he should say that he loves them and he respects them as people who are created in God's image and that he is praying that the veil of darkness might be removed from their hearts and minds so that they can come to Jesus and be saved.

2 Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Answer 9

I think the pope did not anticipate the reaction of his simply relaying an historic exchange between two dead guys! He also said protestants smell like fumunda cheese.

Answer 10

For the pope, the head of his sect of christianity to say something quote someone who bashes Muhammad and Islam and not say whether he agrees or not, is a very weak and ignorant move.

The pope never made a comment on whether he agrees or not to the quote. We all know what he said, so we can see where he wanted to finish off? With the idea that Islam is spread by the sword.

Second, the Pope does not represent his religion by such a comment and lack of explanation of his stance. He is showing the world what his faith is all about.

Thirdly, you cant insult someone's religion and not expect any of response. Moslems are devout to the death to their faith, so to incite them and say "Oh look, see, they hate us, look at what they are doing". Moslems would never act out of anger (keep in mind, REAL MOSLEMS, not terrorists) for no reason.

If a shiekh or someone said that Jesus was an a**hole and did nothing good, then what do we do? We get pissed off and **** on all Moslems...right? So why is it bad that they respond. I'm glad they do. It shows that they care about their religion and it makes people want to learn about Islam, which I myself am thinking of converting to Islam soon because of the hatred from my people I see toward moslems I see, so it has made me want to read the Quran, and beleive me...its amazing. But I digress

Lets analyze if Islam was spread by the sword.

It is a common complaint among some non-Muslims that Islam would not have millions of adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of force. The following points will make it clear, that far from being spread by the sword, it was the inherent force of truth, reason and logic that was responsible
for the rapid spread of Islam.

1. Islam means peace.
Islam comes from the root word ‘salaam’, which means peace. It also means submitting one’s will to Allah (swt). Thus Islam is a religion of peace, which is acquired by submitting one’s will to the will of the Supreme Creator, Allah (swt).
2. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace.
Each and every human being in this world is not in favour of maintaining peace and harmony. There are many, who would disrupt it for their own vested interests. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. It is precisely for this reason that we have the police who use force against criminals and antisocial
elements to maintain peace in the country. Islam promotes peace. At the same time, Islam exhorts it followers to fight where there is oppression. The fight against oppression may, at times, require the use of force. In Islam force can only be used to promote peace and justice.

3. Opinion of historian De Lacy O’Leary.
The best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book “Islam at the cross road” (Page 8): “History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping
through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated.”

4. Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years.
Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the adhan, that is the call for prayers.

5. 14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians.
Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British ruled, and for a few years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would
not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.

6. More than 80% non-Muslims in India. The Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. If they wanted, they had
the power of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today more than 80% of the population of India are non-Muslims. All these non- Muslim Indians are bearing witness today that Islam was not spread by the sword.

7. Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, “Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?”

8. East Coast of Africa. Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, “Which Muslim army went to the East Coast of Africa?”

9. Thomas Carlyle. The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book “Heroes and Hero worship”, refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: “The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in
a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and try to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can.”

10. No compulsion in religion. With which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use it to spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from
error”
[Al-Qur’an 2:256]