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By now, most Americans are aware of Rod Parsley and his brand of hate-preaching, but for whatever reason, Senator John McCain has not been pressured to explain his relationship with Parsley or condemn Parsley’s highly aggressive comments on Islam.
The Question: Pope Benedict's recent baptism of a well-known Italian Muslim has prompted criticism in much of the Islamic world. Has Benedict done enough to build bridges to Islam?
While Pope Benedict has consistently signaled his desire to extend a hand of respect and dialogue to the Muslim community, he has routinely acted without caution, thus impairing the bridge-building work of innumerable Catholics and Muslims. This is true in the case of the Magdi Allam baptism. Read my earlier post on this issue.
The Catholic Church has certainly supported a number of important interfaith initiatives. For example, high-level Catholic and Muslim leaders recently established the “Catholic-Muslim Forum” to foster dialogue. The first Seminar of this ongoing Forum, initially proposed by 138 Muslim scholars globally, will center on the theme “Love of God, Love of Neighbor.” Though this Forum represents a significant step sponsored by the Vatican, Pope Benedict has not yet lived up to former Pope John Paul II’s legacy of consistent and sincere outreach to Muslims.
The Question: In his speech to U.S. bishops last week, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted . . . To the extent that religion becomes a purely private affair, it loses its very soul." Do you agree or disagree? Why?
The Pope’s comments reflect the growing anxiety amongst religious Europeans that religion is being viewed with suspicion and even ire. This is nothing unprecedented, but the waves of Muslim immigrants have perhaps given the question a new dimension.
The Question: Jeremiah Wright's sermons continue to be an issue in the presidential campaign. Why? What do you think of his preaching style? What do you wish you understood better about it?
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s recent reemergence in the media is generating intense coverage solely because of his connection to Senator Barack Obama. Equally interesting, however, is the gap between Americans on Wright and his so-called “black preaching,” a gap which reveals the extent to which race and religion still divide our country.
What Islam Really Says About Violence, Rights and Other Religions
Gomaa, Fadlallah, Mubarak, Khan, Siddiqi, Ellison, others | On Faith
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