PAP(AL) SMEAR

On this Thanksgiving day I should be relaxing and watching the Macy's parade, instead I made the mistake of going through yesterday's mail only to find on the cover of this week's TIME magazine the headline "The Pope Confronts Islam". Seems the infallible one has decided he is the spokesman for the 'Christian' West and is going ironically to Turkey to enlighten the Muslims.

POPE TO HOLD UP CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE AS AN EXAMPLE TO BE FOLLOWED
So instead of relaxing I'm all fired up again by the hypocrisy. I don't know where he gets the idea that he speaks for the West. The majority of Americans are protestants and rejected his leadership, rightfully so, many years ago. The majority of Europeans have stopped going to church altogether. But he insists on stirring the pot and further his agenda. Crusades anyone?

"CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE" = HOLY OXY-MORON, BATMAN!
Seems as though the infallible one isn't happy with the Koran's intolerance of other faiths. Guess he'll just gloss over his own instruction manual. Let's take a few passages from the good book and see where moral Christians stand:

Exodus 22:20 "He who sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed." hmm...sounds very accommodating to me. Of course the Old Testament (OT) is shared by both faiths so we're on equal footing there. Tit for tat.

Exodus 23.24 "Do not allow others to worship a different god. Conquer them and destroy their religious property." One might argue that we worship the same god, just have different rule books, but we must take this as meaning salvation through Jesus.

Deuteronomy 17:2-5 (abbreviated) "If there be found among you...man or woman, that hath ...gone and served other gods, and worshipped them,...stone them with stones, till they die." This is interpreted as "Kill everyone who has religious beliefs that are different from your own" It's the world series of Faith, god as umpire, Play Ball!

Countless more examples in the OT. Let's move on to the more enlightened and tolerant son.

Luke 11:23 "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth" Didn't President Bush use this line after a "personal conversation" with Jesus, to justify the war against terrorism? I picture him on the red hotline phone "operator...long distance...get me Jesus on the line".

Luke 12:51 "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division" Well as least the Christians have taken that verse to heart! Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

Acts 3:23 "And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." All non-Christians must be killed! In a kind and caring way no doubt.

2 Corinthians 6:14 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" i.e. keep away from unbelievers (non-christian), neither marry nor be FRIENDS with them! No making nice! As Cartman would say "I'm taking my ball and going home!"

TOLERANCE 101
OK we get it already. Tolerance will not be tolerated! The idea that the Pope wants to make nice with other faiths is a direct violation of the prime objective! He needs to stay home in his guilded palace and leave the business of governing the world to our inept leaders. Clean up your own house and the mis-behavior going on there before enlightening others with your insincere message of tolerance.

SECULARISM IS OUR ONLY SALVATION
This all leads back to my argument that the only way the world will achieve some semblance of peace, since the uniformity of beliefs is impossible to achieve, is for all nations to be based on secular morality with the freedom of and FROM religion. Matters of sexual relations, thought and the pursuit of happiness should not be legislated. Religion should be a private matter and kept within the confines of your particular church, synagogue or mosque. Keep your blind illogical teachings to your pathetic followers.

I do not recognize nor am I bound to honor, observe, or condone your traditions or expression thereof.