The Popes Speech (15-09-06)

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

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:

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:

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.

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:

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.