Pope Francis: ISIS Onslaught “offends God and offends humanity.”

Last updated on: January 22, 2015 at 1:44 pm by Frank Weathers

Pope Francis: ISIS Onslaught “offends God and offends humanity.” 2015-01-22T13:44:38-05:00 Frank Weathers

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Listen to our brothers and sisters. Listen to our shepherd. That our adversaries believe it does not offend God is, frankly, insane. Satanic, even. Which brings me to what Sir Salman Rushdie said a while back about fundamentalist Muslims.

The fundamentalist seeks to bring down a great deal more than buildings. Such people are against, to offer just a brief list, freedom of speech, a multi-party political system, universal adult suffrage, accountable government, Jews, homosexuals, women’s rights, pluralism, secularism, short skits, dancing, beardlessness, evolution theory, sex. These are tyrants, not Muslims.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that we should now define ourselves not only by what we are for but by what we are against. I would reverse that proposition, because in the present instance what we are against is a no brainer. Suicidist assassins ram wide-bodied aircraft into the World Trade Center and Pentagon and kill thousands of people: um, I’m against that. But what are we for? What will we risk our lives to defend? Can we unanimously concur that all the items in the preceding list — yes, even the short skirts and the dancing — are worth dying for?

The fundamentalist believes that we believe in nothing. In his world-view, he has his absolute certainties, while we are sunk in sybaritic indulgences. To prove him wrong, we must first know that he is wrong. We must agree on what matters: kissing in public places, bacon sandwiches, disagreement, cutting-edge fashion, literature, generosity, water, a more equitable distribution of the world’s resources, movies, music, freedom of thought, beauty, love. These will be our weapons. Not by making war but by the unafraid way we choose to live shall we defeat them. How to defeat terrorism? Don’t be terrorized.

Don’t let fear rule your life. Even if you are scared.”

Amen! I’m trying to keep the plight of all the people being subjected to the thuggery of ISIS on the front burner of my prayers. If you can give mateto help our brothers and sister out, I’ll pass around the plates from Catholic Relief, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), and for Aid to the Church in Need.

Give if you can, and don’t give up hope. Love is stronger than hope.

Previous Post

August 8, 2014

As The World Seems To Claim That God Is Dead, He Speaks To Us Today Via The Prophet Nahum

Next Post

August 12, 2014 Tune In To "A Closer Look" Tonight As A Passel Of Catholics Talk About ISIS, Iraq, And What It All Means

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog News Conversion Story Culture Learning Living Nature Prayer Uncategorized Working

Select a Month June 2016 May 2016 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Paul taught the Galatians that circumcision is necessary for salvation.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE