[go(r)d]

I think that attacking the Catholic Church for its "backwards" practices is wrong on two counts; one, it distracts from concerns that some Muslim practices, like apostasy and shar'ia, are even more backward than their Christian cousins and two, some of the attacks from the left are based on the supposition that tradition has no place in shaping and protecting society.

I think I would have to disagree strongly with the first point. I think that it isn't right for us to criticize Islam because it's not our culture. Do I thiink it's backwards and repressive? Yeah the way they run their socieities, I think that's the case.

But the Christian faith was instrimental in building what we call society and so it is the one that we should be criticizing. It's a "we take care of our own before we strike out at others" mentality. Saying we shouldn't criticize Christians and Catholics because they're less backwards than Muslims is just wrong. That's like saying Paul Martin is a better PM because he's not quite AS crooked and devious as Chretien.

And anyway, this all goes way beyond the issue of whether the Pope is too frail and feeble to do his "job". Dame said its a spiritual position, but it's not JUST spiritual - it's morel, philosophical, etc because the Pope is a moral and philsophical LEADER. And what kind of leading can he do in his state? Now that it's possible to keep someone alive decades longer than they naturally would be, this debate is going to arise every 20 years until they start retiring popes.