Benny's in hot water

When was the last time I defended the Pope? Um, probably never but this latest fabricated “outrage” over Benny’s speech is ludicrous. This is a speech given at a university on the subject of faith and reason. His point was not to say that the two are mutually exclusive, but the reaction to his speech certainly makes that argument. This is just stupid.

The Pope’s now controversial speech is a theological one given at a university. It’s not Larry King Live or five minutes with Katie Couric.

He was quoting a debate that took place in 1391. To take this quotation out of context and report it as Ben’s own words is dishonest, an obvious ploy to look for an argument and pick a fight.

Here’s a quote from the lecture: “Is the conviction that acting unreasonably contradicts God's nature merely a Greek idea, or is it always and intrinsically true?” I’m not even sure what he’s asking here. These questions demand study and serious consideration. These are philosophical questions to be debated among academics and theologians, not something that Joe Shmoe decides over a coffee. This is intellectual stuff, and I think it is dumb, dumb, dumb to try to turn this into a street-level protest.

From BBC: “Salih Kapusuz, a deputy leader of the Turkish Prime Minister's political party, said that Benedict’s remarks were either "the result of pitiful ignorance", or worse, a deliberate distortion of the truths. “Benedict, the author of such unfortunate and insolent remarks is going down in history for his words. However ... he is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini."

Hey, Mr. Kapusuz gets to go on my Big Board. As soon as you compare your opponent to Hitler you’re out. Into the penalty box, Mr. Kapusuz.