"Even in our own lifetime, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live. I also recall the regime’s attitude to Christian pastors and religious who spoke the truth in love, opposed the Nazis and paid for that opposition with their lives. As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus to a 'reductive vision of the person and his destiny'."
This is what Pope Benedict XVI had to say upon his arrival in Edinburgh. There are so many little nuggets of complete audacity and outright lies within his whole speech, it's difficult to know where to begin. Let's start with the man himself. This is a man that "cares" so much for his flock that he condemns the use of condoms purporting they in fact can spread AIDS. The Pope continuously covers up and covers for the "religious" men within his organization that have committed horrible acts of pedophilia. And now, apparently he's out to rewrite history.
The next little nugget of complete and stunning crap is the indication that the Nazi party was comprised of nothing but atheist Germans who's intent was to remove "God" from society. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most Nazi Germans were Catholic or Lutheran. It was Pope Pius XII who was responsible for The Reichskonkordat (ratified on September 10, 1933). According to articles 16 and 32 of the Concordat, the German government of Hitler achieved a complete proscription of all clerical interference in the political field. All bishops were required to state by oath their loyalty to the state and all priests were required to be Germans, subject to German superiors. There were also restrictions put in place on the Catholic organizations. So, it seems the Catholic regime was very well entangled in the goings-on of a party who was responsible for the death of millions.
The part I take the largest objection to is the phrase "atheist extremism" and how the Pope has equated this to Nazi Germany. Take a moment to reflect how many times as an atheist you've heard how you're going to burn in hell for eternity for not believing. How many times has a theist implied you were flawed or somehow lesser than he/she because of being an atheist? Recall recent news about the uproar of theist citizens when hearing a person is atheist and running for political office. Is it me or does this smack quite a bit of something I've just been writing about?
Let's face it. This is a horrible little troll of a man embedded in an organization that is steeped in blood and death. And it's profoundly sad that so many believe and follow this bigoted, spiteful liar.
Author: Renee Hendricks | Source: Belief Blower [September 16, 2010]