Thursday, September 14, 2006

A Benedict XVI Tour De Force

The MSM is freaking out about one of the most elegant, thought-provoking, and clearly expressed speeches ever made by a Pope. This blog post mentions the controversy, and includes a full translation of the address. Pity the MSM, to be in such willful darkness. They consider the address to be an inflammatory provocation against life, the universe, and everything. The MSM reporter seems genuinely perplexed that it could even possibly be the case that Islam is wrong in some sense (and also that secularity itself might invite philosophical criticism), and that the Pope, of all people, should believe so, and dare to say so. The reporter is also aghast that Islam might be offended. Oh the horror!

In any case, it is a remarkable address, and it is not surprising that the MSM would completely fail to comprehend its point.

A thought I had a couple of days ago ties into this. In Christianity, God is Truth, and all Power which he exercises is in service to Truth (and Goodness). In Islam, God is Power, and Truth is whatever Allah decides it is. It is interesting that the postmodern leftist preaches that "there is no truth, only power" (i.e. everyone has an ulterior self-aggrandizing motive, no texts can be taken at face value, society is nothing but people putting power plays on one another, no point of view is more right than another in any absolute sense, etc, ad nauseum). So it is not surprising that postmodern leftists, when push has come to shove, have taken the side of Islam against the West. In certain respects, the idolotrous idea worshipped by leftism is in metaphysical kinship with the very essence of Allah, Himself. And it is the deeper levels that count the most. By siding with Jihadis who are against everything else the leftist purportedly stands for, the leftist shows where his true loyalties lie. The important thing is the worship of sheer Power. Everything else is purely secondary. To the leftist pining for violent righteousness, meaning, and the open expression of his own hatred and malice, Allah beckons to be worshipped openly in "spirit" and "truth". This worship is implicit to begin with (effected by failing to "take sides" with the West), but may well become more explicit as time goes on.

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