Sunday, April 25, 2004
According to the latest talk in one of my classes, the Pope should just shut up.
After several members of the class blamed the Pope for the spread of AIDS in Africa (due to his anti-condom stance) and the death of women in third world countries due to back-alley abortions, I replied:
"So you're saying that Catholics should disobey the Pope?" and I was told, well yes, but even better - the Pope should just shut up.
One thing, the Pope did not give those people AIDS or force those women to have abortions. Plus - he's the spiritual leader of millions of people. It seems he has a religious compulsion to speak out. People don't have to agree with him or like him or even listen to him. But to claim he should be quiet is ludicrous.
But I have learned there's nothing most liberals fear like actual debate. They prefer sound bites and a fascist like crushing of the opposition. (To be fair, conservatives have behaved just as badly in the past. But conservatives aren't running the academy now - and in either case, it's still wrong).
After several members of the class blamed the Pope for the spread of AIDS in Africa (due to his anti-condom stance) and the death of women in third world countries due to back-alley abortions, I replied:
"So you're saying that Catholics should disobey the Pope?" and I was told, well yes, but even better - the Pope should just shut up.
One thing, the Pope did not give those people AIDS or force those women to have abortions. Plus - he's the spiritual leader of millions of people. It seems he has a religious compulsion to speak out. People don't have to agree with him or like him or even listen to him. But to claim he should be quiet is ludicrous.
But I have learned there's nothing most liberals fear like actual debate. They prefer sound bites and a fascist like crushing of the opposition. (To be fair, conservatives have behaved just as badly in the past. But conservatives aren't running the academy now - and in either case, it's still wrong).
