Faith, Reason and the UniversityMark Alexander
Memories and Reflections
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a moving experience for me to stand and give a lecture at this university podium once again. I think back to those years when, after a pleasant period at the Freisinger Hochschule, I began teaching at the University of Bonn. This was in 1959, in the days of the old university made up of ordinary professors. The various chairs had neither assistants nor secretaries, but in recompense there was much direct contact with students and in particular among the professors themselves. We would meet before and after lessons in the rooms of the teaching staff. There was a lively exchange with historians, philosophers, philologists and, naturally, between the two theological faculties.
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": The reality 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 -- this reality became a lived experience.
The university was also very proud of its two theological faculties. It was clear that, by inquiring about the reasonableness of faith, they too carried out a work which is necessarily part of the "whole" of the "universitas scientiarum," even if not everyone could share the faith which theologians seek to correlate with reason as a whole. 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. That even in the face of such radical skepticism it is still necessary and reasonable to raise the question of God through the use of reason, and to do so in the context of the tradition of the Christian faith: This, within the university as a whole, was accepted without question.
I was reminded of all this recently, when I read the edition by professor Theodore Khoury (Muenster) of part of the dialogue carried on -- perhaps in 1391 in the winter barracks near Ankara -- by the erudite Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both. "Faith, Reason & The University": Pope Benedict's Speech At The University of Regensburg
Courtesy of the RomanCatholicBlog.com
Monday, September 18, 2006
YNET: Jews, Christians should join forces to fight common enemyMark Alexander
Islam is a religion that espouses violence, said the Pope, and he's right! We all know that all those who qualify the statement or condemn it – priests, world leaders, academicians etc. – are all scared of Islam's vengeful sword and of "pouring oil on the fire."
I do not agree with Rabbi Shlomo Amar, who last week told an interfaith conference in Kazakhstan that these days the tendency is to tie events to religious matters. Israel's war mustn't be tied to the Jewish and Muslim religions, he said. I assume that his motives for saying that, as are the motives of most objectors, is the fear of fanning the flames and a desire to escape from the truth in the hopes it would not chase them.
And I, the little one, from where I sit at Gush Etzion, am standing up and yelling out, and to my regret I must rely on the words of the…Pope: The entire world is facing existential danger! We're in the midst of a one-sided religious war. As opposed to the days of the crusades, where Christianity and Islam fought for control of the Holy Land, this time around Islam's fundamentalist faction is resorting to murderous religious zeal in order to fight the West's hedonistic culture.
Any denial of this reality, even if its motives are clear, will lead to destruction and surrender. Benedict is right by Yisrael Rosen
THE GUARDIAN: The Pope's remarks were dangerous, and will convince many more Muslims that the west is incurably IslamophobicMark Alexander
In the 12th century, Peter the Venerable, Abbot of Cluny, initiated a dialogue with the Islamic world. "I approach you not with arms, but with words," he wrote to the Muslims whom he imagined reading his book, "not with force, but with reason, not with hatred, but with love." Yet his treatise was entitled Summary of the Whole Heresy of the Diabolical Sect of the Saracens and segued repeatedly into spluttering intransigence. Words failed Peter when he contemplated the "bestial cruelty" of Islam, which, he claimed, had established itself by the sword. Was Muhammad a true prophet? "I shall be worse than a donkey if I agree," he expostulated, "worse than cattle if I assent!"
Peter was writing at the time of the Crusades. Even when Christians were trying to be fair, their entrenched loathing of Islam made it impossible for them to approach it objectively. For Peter, Islam was so self-evidently evil that it did not seem to occur to him that the Muslims he approached with such "love" might be offended by his remarks. This medieval cast of mind is still alive and well.
Last week, Pope Benedict XVI quoted, without qualification and with apparent approval, the words of the 14th-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." The Vatican seemed bemused by the Muslim outrage occasioned by the Pope's words, claiming that the Holy Father had simply intended "to cultivate an attitude of respect and dialogue toward the other religions and cultures, and obviously also towards Islam". We cannot afford to maintain these ancient prejudices against Islam by Karen Armstrong
THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope quotes a barbed medieval criticism of Islamic violence in the course of a scholarly discourse, and Muslims all over the world go into uproar; churches are firebombed. The Prime Minister's wife delivers a playful slap to a cheeky teenager, and six detectives rush to question her.Mark Alexander
We are living in a world that has lost not only its sense of proportion but also its ability to discriminate. Islam, like Christianity, is not above criticism
Sunday, September 17, 2006
BBC: Initial returns in German state elections show gains for the far right in one eastern state and a poor showing for Chancellor Angela Merkel's party.Mark Alexander
The far-right National Democratic Party (NDP) is projected to have won 7% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - with 5% needed for a state parliament seat.
The previous government compared the NDP to the early Nazi party. 'Poll boost' for German far-right
LA REPUBBLICA: MOGADISCIO - Una suora operatrice umanitaria italiana, 70 anni, è stata uccisa a Mogadiscio da due uomini armati. "La attendevano all'uscita dell'ospedale in cui lavorava. Erano nascosti dietro un taxi parcheggiato vicino al cancello. Non appena l'anno vista hanno fatto fuoco; la guardia del corpo ha subito risposto e c'è stato uno scontro. Suor Leonella è stata ferita a morte, mentre la guardia è deceduta sul colpo", ha riferito Suor Giuseppina Barbero, responsabile della casa delle suore Missionarie della Consolata a Nairobi. Tutte le religiose hanno accompagnato a Nairobi in serata la salma di suor Leonella. Somalia, uccisa religiosa italiana "Forse a causa della crisi Papa-Islam"Mark Alexander
EL PAIS: Benedicto XVI aprovecha el rezo del Ángelus para "lamentar vivamente" sus comentarios negativos sobre MahomaMark Alexander
El Papa ha reiterado hoy por boca propia las disculpas que ayer hizo públicas el jefe del Gobierno vaticano. El secretario de Estado, Tarcisio Bertone, dijo que Benedicto XVI "lamentaba vivamente" que sus alusiones críticas al islam "pudieran resultar ofensivas" para los musulmanes. Esta mañana, durante el rezo del Ángelus, el pontífice ha pedido perdón con las mismas palabras, y ha expresado su esperanza de que eso "calme los ánimos". El Papa pide perdón de nuevo por sus críticas al islam y espera que se "calmen los ánimos"
ARUTZ SHEVA: In his weekly speech outside the Vatican today, Pope Benedictus XVI related to the Muslim outrage at his recent comments against Mohammed, expressing sorrow at the Muslims' reaction to his words.Mark Alexander
The Pope did not apologize outright, as Muslims demanded, for his remarks last Tuesday implying that Mohammed's teachings were evil and inhuman.
Instead, he said he was "deeply sorry" over the reaction to his words. He added his hope that the statement issued by the Vatican yesterday would suffice to explain his intentions.
Pope doesn't quite apologize to Muslims by Hillel Fendel
Pope says sorry for offending Muslims
Photo courtesy of Google Image
JPOST: As security was beefed up around Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday night, the Mujahideen's Army movement in Iraq threatened to carry out a suicide attack against the Pope in revenge for his comments about Islam and jihad.Mark Alexander
On a website used by rebel movements in Iraq, a message posted by the Mujahideen's Army said members of the organization would "smash the crosses in the house of the dog from Rome."
European religious and political leaders have backed the Pope in the wake of the Muslim protests over his academic lecture at Regensburg University Tuesday, saying the pope's words had been misinterpreted.
"Rather than criticizing Islam, the pope is actually offering it a helping hand by suggesting that it do away with the cycle of violence," Fr. Samir K. Samir, SJ, one of the Vatican's leading experts on Islam, wrote in the Catholic newspaper Asia News. Mujahideen's Army threatens Pope with suicide attack
YNET: Muslim world newspapers filled with articles slamming pope’s remarks; ‘it is clear that such remarks only contribute to the fueling of the fire raging between Islam and the West,’ op-ed published in al-Sharq al-Awsat saysMark Alexander
The recent remarks made by Pope Benedict XVI on Islam are threatening to ignite the entire Muslim world.
Op-Eds published in the Arab newspapers slammed the pope even after the Vatican’s apology.
The most extreme opinion was voiced by Hani Pahas in the London-based Arabic-language daily newspaper Al-Hayat, who wrote “the pope’s comments may lead to war; we fear that the pope’s statements may lead to a war that we, Muslims and Christians alike, are trying to prevent through dialogue between East and West. Arab op-ed: Pope’s remarks may lead to war
YNET: At 2:30 a.m., perpetrators fire gunshots at synagogue in Norway’s capital from passing car; police open investigation. Jewish Oslo resident tells Ynet: Since war in Lebanon atmosphere here has become unpleasant for JewsMark Alexander
Anti-Semitic incident in Norway: Shots were fired overnight Sunday towards at the synagogue in Oslo, Norway’s capital.
The incident occurred at 2:30 a.m. and the gunshots were apparently fired from a passing car, which quickly fled the scene. No one was wounded, but local police opened an investigation into the incident. Shots fired at Oslo synagogue by Meital Tzur
YNET: Six teenagers suspected of violently assaulting 12-year-old Jewish girl on bus detained, later released on bail. Police: 'This was one of the most shocking anti-Semitic attacks in Britain in recent years'
Six youths were arrested by Barnet police this week in connection with a vicious anti-Semitic attack on a 12-year-old girl, that left her unconscious with a fractured eye socket.
The young victim who asked not to be named told the Jewish News yesterday how the incident last month had shattered her confidence and left her suffering from terrifying nightmares.
The police said that four 14-year-old girls, a 10-year-old girl and a boy aged 10, had been arrested and released on bail in connection with the attack, which shocked London’s Jewish community. UK: Police arrest youths suspected of anti-Semitic attack
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Pope Benedict XVI’s return to his old university at Regensburg in Germany for a speech entitled Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections was not the most obvious trigger for a new front in the clash of civilisations. The Pope began with a mild joke at the expense of his own religion, recalling that critics used to ask why the university had two departments devoted to God when He did not even exist. Then he strayed into controversial territory.Mark Alexander
Arguments about whether religion is based on rationality are not quite on the level of how many angels it is possible to get on the head of a pin, but they are manna from heaven for students of theology. That was Pope Benedict’s audience and that was where he expected his remarks to stay. But these are unusual times, and his decision to quote the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaeologus’s views on Islam guaranteed that his speech rang out beyond the ivory tower. Leading article: Let the Pope preach
Benedikt XVI. will mit dem Islam einen offenen und harten Dialog führenMark Alexander
Nach einem ruhigen ersten Amtsjahr hat der Papst in Regensburg erstmals provoziert. Dabei sagte er nichts Neues, aber er sagte es deutlicher.
Benedikt XVI. habe die Muslime nicht beleidigt, sagt Bundesrat Pascal Couchepin. Der Islam müsse sich der vom Papst lancierten Debatte stellen. Lieber klare Worte als Gefühlsduselei
Couchpin [Swiss Interior Minister] backs Pope's Islam comments
LE FIGARO: Les propos de Benoît XVI sur l’islam et la violence continuent de provoquer une vague de protestations, malgré la déclaration du Vatican présentant les regrets du Pape. Le dispositif de sécurité sera d’ailleurs renforcé dimanche à Castel Gandolfo, autour de sa résidence d’été, où il doit réciter l’angélus.Mark Alexander
La colère des musulmans après les propos de Benoît XVI établissant un lien implicite entre islam et violence, mardi, ne faiblit pas. Et ce malgré le «mea culpa» du Pape, exprimé samedi par le nouveau secrétaire d’Etat du Vatican, Tarcisio Bertone. Il est «absolument désolé que certains passages de son discours aient pu paraître offensants pour la sensibilité des croyants musulmans», a-t-il déclaré dans un communiqué. Les regrets du Pape n'apaisent pas le courroux du monde musulman
Die islamische Welt ist in Aufruhr über die Regensburger Rede des Papstes. Selbst seine Entschuldigung besänftigt sie nicht. Sein bevorstehender Türkei-Besuch wird zu einem Wagnis.Mark Alexander
Zugegeben, der Text war schwierig. Wie oft zuvor sprach Papst Benedikt XVI. über das Verhältnis zwischen Vernunft und Glauben in der christlichen Welt, aber er tat es an der Universität Regensburg und im gewundenen Stil eines Theologie-Professors. Dabei fügte er als Ausgangsbeispiel für seine Erörterungen einen gelehrten Dialog aus dem 14. Jahrhundert ein, zwischen dem byzantinischen, also christlichen Kaiser Paleologus II. und einem persischen Schriftgelehrten. All das klingt ein wenig, als müssten Studenten dabei einschlafen. Die muslimische Welt aber hat Benedikts Rede hellwach gemacht.
Denn in dem Dialog nannte der Kaiser die Lehren Mohammeds "schlecht und unmenschlich" und den Dschihad, das arabische Wort für den "Heiligen Krieg" oder das "Heilige Kämpfen", vernunftwidrig. Benedikt XVI. selbst ging noch einen Schritt weiter und erhob "Vernunft" zum grundlegenden Gottesprinzip. Damit bezeichnete er den Dschihadbegriff des Koran indirekt als gotteswidrig. Muslime lassen nicht locker von Boris Kalnoky
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Pope Benedict, once known for his tough views, seemed to have mellowed. But his remarks on Islam have sparked violence and anger. They are typical of the man they once called God’s rottweiler, reports John CornwellMark Alexander
With two unfortunate words, “evil and inhuman”, applied to the prophet Muhammad, Pope Benedict XVI last week in the sleepy confines of a Bavarian university lecture room set back relations with Islam several eras.
The comment has called down the wrath of Muslim extremists and the shocked dismay of Islamic moderates. Threats have been issued not only to the papacy but the entire billion-strong community of Catholics. One popular jihadist website operated from Kuwait declared that Catholics “are doing everything in their power to extinguish the light of God” and called for violent retribution. Focus: Pope vs Prophet
THE TELEGRAPH: "We want a personal apology from the Pope," said Mohammed Habib, the deputy leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. A cleric linked to Somalia's powerful Islamist movement last night called for Muslims to "hunt down" and kill the Pope. Pope's apology fails to halt Islamic uproar by Michael Hirst and Nick PisaMark Alexander
Saturday, September 16, 2006
BBC: The furore over the Pope's remarks about Islam has left many Catholics inside and outside the Vatican shaking their heads in disbelief.Mark Alexander
Aides of Benedict XVI are dismayed that a quotation used to illustrate a philosophical argument should have provoked such anger from Muslims.
But for others, the row has highlighted their concerns about the Pope's attitude towards the Church's relations with the Islamic world. Pope remarks reveal harder stance
BBC: Pope Benedict XVI has said he is sorry that a speech in which he mentioned Islam has offended Muslims. Pope 'sorry' for offence to IslamMark Alexander
DIE WELT: Benedikt XVI. stellt das Konzept von Gewalt im Glauben infrage und löst damit einen Sturm der Empörung bei fundamentalistischen Muslimen aus.Mark Alexander
Am 12. September hielt Papst Benedikt XVI. an der Universität Regensburg eine Rede, die zu einem definierenden Augenblick seines Pontifikats werden könnte. Er, der zum Thema Islam bislang vor allem geschwiegen hatte, erhob den Islam zum Kern seiner Vorlesung. Die Folge ist seit drei Tagen ein Sturm der Empörung in der muslimischen Welt.
Benedikt XVI. hatte das Konzept des Heiligen Krieges (Dschihad) indirekt als vernunftwidrig bezeichnet und "Vernunft" zum göttlichen Grundprinzip erhoben. Mit anderen Worten, Dschihad ist gotteswidrig. Das wird in der muslimischen Welt als Frontalangriff des katholischen Kirchenoberhauptes gegen den Koran gesehen. Der Papst als neues Feindbild
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