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THE QUESTION
The Pope's Visit to Turkey
Pope Benedict XVI is in Turkey this week. What did you think of his remarks about Islam at Regensburg, and do you think he, and the Christian church in general, can help Muslims take on their more violent and extreme elements?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on November 27, 2006 4:10 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Returning Bronze Horses to Istanbul Might Heal Wounds
It is true that Christ practiced and commanded non-violence in a way that Muhammad never did. But granted that difference, history shows that Christianity used violence not only in just and unjust wars but also in direct and indirect conversions
Posted by John Dominic Crossan, on December 1, 2006 5:00 PM
Our Common Humanity
Pope Benedict...and representatives of other Christian communities, need to seek to understand the motives and history behind the present elements of extremism and violence in some segments of the Islamic population
Posted by Gardner Calvin Taylor, on December 1, 2006 11:45 AM
Strengthening Moderates in All Faiths
Since more extreme voices dominate the media, we can lift up and give support to moderate voices more effectively than we have done, providing access to media outlets and training in the use of new technologies for spreading moderate voices
Posted by David Saperstein, on November 30, 2006 2:20 PM
Needed: The Spirit of Pope John Paul II
Osama bin Ladin must've been gloating in his cave after hearing the Pope's comments because the "us against them" rhetoric is exactly what fuels Al-Qaeda's radical worldview...Nevertheless, I'm happy to see that [Benedict] has...begun to walk in his predecessor's footsteps
Posted by Salman Ahmad, on November 30, 2006 1:40 PM
Christianity's Record Not Blameless
All world faiths, including Islam... teach the duty of self-criticism
Posted by Karen Armstrong, on November 30, 2006 1:00 PM
"First, Take the Log Out Of Your Own Eye."
Those who wish for war and not peace among religions are exact mirrors of each other, actually helping each other bring about what they each claim to fear, a state of permanent war
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on November 30, 2006 11:45 AM
Location, Setting Matter When Promoting Dialogue
Unless and until Christians are prepared to confess their, our, complicity in the violence that has so wounded the human community, in the name of the God that we love and serve, that community will not be able to escape the seductive vortex of violence, nor will we ever be reconciled to the God who calls us into faith.
Posted by Mark S. Sisk, on November 29, 2006 6:28 PM
Faith Tempered By Reason Is An Antidote To Violence
If you’re going to get a hearing in the marketplace of ideas, you have to live by the rules of the market. Reason is a market force, but it’s more than that. Reason is a gift from God. A faith whose actions are tempered by reason is an antidote to violence and extremism.
Posted by William Tully, on November 29, 2006 4:08 PM
Pursuing Important Conversations
I pray for both wisdom and safety for the Pope as he represents all followers of the Prince of Peace in pursuing these important conversations
Posted by Richard Mouw, on November 29, 2006 2:02 PM
Courageous Muslims Should Be Supported
The best that outsiders can do...is to support those Muslims who are risking their lives to challenge a religious culture that attempts, as so many religions have in the past, to suppress dissent by killing dissenters.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on November 29, 2006 12:45 PM
Does the Pope Have a Speechwriter?
If a speechwriter did write the lecture that Pope Benedict gave in Regensburg on September 12, he should be fired
Posted by Marcus Borg, on November 29, 2006 12:40 PM
Fence-Mending Still Needed
We should be hanging our heads in shame for the bloody wars of religion that have been waged in the name of the Prince of Peace; we should speak as those whose faith has produced those who were responsible for the Holocaust, who supported apartheid enthusiastically as consonant with the Christian scriptures, as those who have as fellow Christians the Ku Klux Klan, and those who have spewed forth so much homophobic hate
Posted by Desmond Tutu, on November 28, 2006 7:45 PM
Pope's Comments on Islam Understandable and Clear
The central Christian concern about Islam should not be the undeniable threat of Islamic violence but the fact that Islam is incompatible with the Gospel of Christ...I do not expect Benedict XVI to say this in Turkey.
Posted by R. Albert Mohler Jr., on November 28, 2006 7:00 PM
Message to Christians: Look Inward First
When people in our country, especially American Christians, challenge evil uses of Christian traditions, they will be taking the most important step
Posted by Elaine Pagels, on November 28, 2006 5:32 PM
Praise More Desirable Now Than Condemnation
How now can the Pope and the Christian church in general encourage Muslims to face up to their more violent and extreme factions? Very gently, very carefully.
Posted by William J. Byron, on November 28, 2006 12:30 PM
Pope Put Himself At Physical Risk By Going To Turkey
The Pope's trip to Turkey is an example of a biblical mandate to "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Posted by Cal Thomas, on November 28, 2006 11:36 AM
Turks Troubled by Pope's Refusal to Apologize
How would the Pope feel if the Sheikh of Al-Azhar or a Grand Mufti publicly lectured him and Catholicism on their own serious problems such as pedophilia and the failure of many church officials in both covering up and not responding adequately?
Posted by John Esposito, on November 27, 2006 8:00 PM
Some Muslims Want Dialogue with Pope
Benedict XVI, at Regensburg, identified questions that are of concern to the whole world – and thus opened the door to a real dialogue, not an exchange of euphemisms and banalities.We should hope for the same in Turkey this week
Posted by George Weigel, on November 27, 2006 7:30 PM
FEATURED COMMENTS
Gaby: The more I read this forum, the more disenchanted I become with religion.
The intolerance that is exhibited here by some, and the fervenc...
candide: Christianity was once -- indeed not long ago -- just as violent and intolerant as Islam, if not more so. Christianity has changed owing to ...
RosaSion: Big question! My initial response is that when reading the Pope's remarks about Isalm, they seemed somewhat benign. My thinking at the time...
