The Popes Speech (15-09-06) | INFJ Forum

The Popes Speech (15-09-06)

S

Shai Gar

The Speech given by Pope Benedict XVI (may he burn in hell with the rest of the catholics), has been thrust into the forefront of mainstream news media. Unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. Many muslim extremists, and indeed western anti-catholics have taken hold of one quotation which was meant to lead onto his main thesis about reason. Given that he was talking to representatives of the science faculties, Reason was not the worst topic to use. In fact he even spoke about when he was a professor at university where Reason was the way of life for the Body of Professors

“Once a semester there was a dies academicus, when professors from every faculty appeared before the students of the entire university, making possible a genuine experience of universitas - something that you too, Magnificent Rector, just mentioned - the experience, in other words, of the fact that despite our specializations which at times make it difficult to communicate with each other, we made up a whole, working in everything on the basis of a single rationality with its various aspects and sharing responsibility for the right use of reason…”.

In fact the university that Benedict went to was rather atheist, and still got on well with the theological faculties in a form of humanitarian brotherhood which is what the lecture on Reason was implying. To quote:

“This profound sense of coherence within the universe of reason was not troubled, even when it was once reported that a colleague had said there was something odd about our university: it had two faculties devoted to something that did not exist: God.”

Humourous definitely. Anti-Religous, certainly. Did anyone make a fuss? No.
Before quoting the seven centuries old passage Pope Benedict first gave the reason for why the there was no response to the Emperors argument. But for those too stupid to read it themselves it is here:

“It was presumably the emperor himself who set down this dialogue, during the siege of Constantinople between 1394 and 1402; and this would explain why his arguments are given in greater detail than those of his Persian interlocutor.”

I am rather amused actually by the responses of the religous leaders who were not at the lecture to understand what the lecture really was, and instead merely reacted to the small quote that mentioned islam.

“Modifying the first verse of the Book of Genesis, the first verse of the whole Bible, John began the prologue of his Gospel with the words: “In the beginning was the λόγος”. God acts, σὺν λόγω, with logos. Logos means both reason and word - a reason which is creative and capable of self-communication, precisely as reason. … In the beginning was the logos, and the logos is God”

Those who have at the least a semblance of knowledge about me know that i am agnostic and follow Reason very closely in my philosophies. This quote from the popes speech is one that i consider very important to the understanding of the universe, from the basis of christianity (although i am also an adherent to the order of shai gar). Since the universe started with god, and god is both reason and the word, then surely the world is run by logic (the combination of reasoning and words*). If the world was formed by reason then it must logically be run under certain rules, which we are still today coming to understand by a study and testing of the physical universe which we call science. It is also Reasonable to test for the existance of god as its existance may explain many things, and hopefully raise a great many more questions. However current and past tests for god have all been inconclusive, so it is reasonable to state that god may not exist. It is also reasonable to state that those who worship unfailingly an entity that may not exist, while believing strongly in its existance are fools who deserve death. But if God is Logos, which is an admirable ideal and belief then why do so many people worship in a state of unreason, claiming faith as the key to a heaven which was added after Zorastrianism was introduced to Judaism. Logically if there is a god who rewards people after their life has been lived, and that god is reason incarnate, then only those who live their lives devoted to Scientia (knowledge) and Logic will be rewarded. These are the agnostics and generally the atheists.

Another quote that i found very interesting while reading that speech was this:

“The mysterious name of God, revealed from the burning bush, a name which separates this God from all other divinities with their many names and simply declares “I am”, already presents a challenge to the notion of myth, to which Socrates’ attempt to vanquish and transcend myth stands in close analogy … This new understanding of God is accompanied by a kind of enlightenment, which finds stark expression in the mockery of gods who are merely the work of human hands”

In actuality “Ehyeh asher ehyeh” (the meaning of the tetragrammaton YHWH), means I shall be, who i shall be. This was in response to moses asking if the voice in the bush that burnt but was not consumed was God, the voice answered that it shall be what it shall be. I am under the impression that the voice was not condoning the use of the term god, but was rather saying that it had the power to be as it would, even make itself human. Reasonably, since In the beginning was Logos, and Logos was God, and God was the Universe, perhaps that which is worshipped as the Judaic/Christian/Muslim God, Is in fact our universe, speaking through an avatar. Angelology (study of angels) holds that the highest angel is Metatron, the voice of YHWH. Perhaps my theory is not far wrong, and Early manuscripts point towards a Logical Questioning based religion, in the appraisal of Logos.

I do not respect Pope Benedict as the leader of a denomination which strives to keep contraceptives out of Aids-Ridden continents and threatens them to keep them in line. But as a Philosopher he has gained a small, and definitely grudging respect from me.

The Original German Text
The Entire English Translation
The Entire English Translation In PDF


*Don't call that phone number they mention in that comic, I just did and it's the white house switchboard.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
wow, i always thank the universe for stuff,and tell my son if he needs something , to tell the universe and it'll do its best to put it in his path...usually does. i always felt unhappy saying god..i know what the universe means...everything.:rapture: