Posted on 09/21/2006 8:24:09 PM PDT by Pyro7480
His [Mohammed's] many and cruel executions, his craftiness in planning and allowing assassinations, his treachery, in his attacks on the unarmed during the sacred months, his insatiable hatred towards Jews and Christians, his raids and highway robberies, distinguish him among the most notorious brigands, and make him a tyrant of no mean degree. His unimaginable cruelty as well as the debauchery of his private life, go to show in him a very great degree of moral degeneracy and height of self-delusion, which are scarcely compatible with the practical wisdom of many of his actions.
We find him, after his early struggles and the commencement of his preaching, constantly imbued with fatalistic ideas; he believed in predestination, he had many superstitious beliefs and was guided by omens and prognostications. His many inward struggles, his moral debates, and his aspirations seemed to him the very voice of God speaking to him. Although he pretended to denounce idolatry, and to preach the worship of the one true God, still his conduct towards the Kaaba and the superstitious practices he ordained to be practised there, his veneration of the black stone at Kaaba; his superstitious belief in the water of Zem Zem well, all make us doubt whether he really denounced idolatry generally or denounced only such idolatry as did not meet his taste.
However, his denunciation of idolatry on the whole, his preaching the one true God, the equality of man before God, his precepts of charity and fraternal love; his injunctions forbidding the use of liquor and other spirits as well as of the practice of usury to his followers, really distinguish Mahommed [sic] honourably as a great religious teacher; though on the other hand his sensuality, deception, cruelty and intolerance stain the Prophet's life to the highest degree and prove him to be both an erring mortal and in no sense an infallible model of conduct.
It is simply astonishing to see over 180 millions [in 1912] of the people of the globe, quite ignorant of the true life and character of the Prophet of Islam, blindly and fanatically profess the religion taught by the Prophet besides promising them heavenly paradise after death, gives them full scope in this world to lead a life as easy as one could desire and to satisfy their sensual pleasures to the highest imaginable degree.
"the superstitious practices he ordained to be practised there, his veneration of the black stone at Kaaba; his superstitious belief in the water of Zem Zem well,"
Like turning wine and bread into flesh and blood, then eating it ?
Like creating golden crosses, then kissing them ?
Like the superstitious belief in the water of Lourdes ?
But at least this guy is from only 80 years ago, not 600.
From Usury:
In 1745, the Catholic teaching on usury was expressed by Pope Benedict XIV in his Vix Pervenit, which strictly forbids the practice as such, although he adds that "entirely just and legitimate reasons arise to demand something over and above the amount due on the contract" - such reasons could include the risk of loss, the time value of money in the modern economy, etc.
...St. Thomas Aquinas, the leading theologian of the Catholic Church, argued charging of interest is wrong because it amounts to "double charging", charging for both the thing and the use of the thing. Aquinas said this would be morally wrong in the same way as if one sold a bottle of wine, charged for the bottle of wine, and then charged for the person using the wine to actually drink it. Similarly, one cannot charge for a piece of cake and for the eating of the piece of cake. Yet this, said Aquinas, is what usury does. Money is exchange-medium. It is used up when it is spent. To charge for the money and for its use (by spending) is to charge for the money twice as if one were to charge for a piece of cake and then make a further charge for eating it. It is also to sell time since the usurer charges, in effect, for the time that the money is in the hands of the borrower. Time, however, is not a commodity that any man can sell.
This did not, as some think, prevent investment. What it stipulated was that in order for the investor to share in the profit he must share the risk. In short he must be a joint-venturer. Simply to invest the money and expect it to be returned regardless of the success of the venture was to make money simply by having money and not by taking any risk or by doing any work or by any effort or sacrifice at all. This is usury. St Thomas quotes Aristotle as saying that "to live by usury is exceedingly unnatural". Islam likewise condemns usury. Judaism condemns it save when practised against non-Jews. St Thomas allows, however, charges for actual services provided. Thus a banker or credit-lender could charge for such actual work or effort as he did carry out e.g. any fair administrative charges. The Catholic Church, in a decree of the 5th Lateran Council (Session 10, 4 May 1515) expressly allowed such charges in respect of credit-unions run for the benefit of the poor known as "Mons Pietatis".
BUMP
Like turning wine and bread into flesh and blood, then eating it ?
Read John 6, and all of the Last Supper passages in the Gospels.
Like creating golden crosses, then kissing them ?
Your concern has turned up from time to time in the history of Christianity. From the perspective of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, veneration of icons is an essential part of practicing religion. The Second Council of Nicaea states, "As the sacred and life-giving cross is everywhere set up as a symbol, so also should the images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the holy angels, as well as those of the saints and other pious and holy men be embodied in the manufacture of sacred vessels, tapestries, vestments, etc., and exhibited on the walls of churches, in the homes, and in all conspicuous places, by the roadside and everywhere, to be revered by all who might see them. For the more they are contemplated, the more they move to fervent memory of their prototypes. Therefore, it is proper to accord to them a fervent and reverent adoration, not, however, the veritable worship which, according to our faith, belongs to the Divine Being alone — for the honor accorded to the image passes over to its prototype, and whoever adores the image adores in it the reality of what is there represented."
Like the superstitious belief in the water of Lourdes ?
Catholics aren't required to believe in anything associated with the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes. The Church has verified only a few of the miracles that have taken place there. But the pious use of water from Lourdes is a demonstration of a person's faith in the healing power of God that has manifested itself through the springs at Lourdes, not in the water itself.
The strangest part of the cult of Islam is that every country where Islam is prevelent is a festering sh!thole that God has forsaken, yet they pray 6 times a day to a God that only blesses their land and lives with nothing but poverty, hate and violance! If this is their God, how bad can their devil really be?
P.R.O.P.* Ping!
How to P*SS OFF mozzies...[It's easy - just tell the truth about their idolized false prophet moo-ham-mad!]
Another recognized religious leader heard from {Fr. Menezes} on the Religion of piss...errr peas...errr, nevermind.
Since Pope Benedict XVI quoted Byzantine Emperor Manuel Paleologus...albeit briefly
I feel it is appropriate to cite another renowned leader from the pages of history, one who had no compunctions about provoking or maligning muhammadans:
Chief Hetman Zaxarcenko
__________________________________________________
Letters written sometime between 1672 and 1680:
Sultan Mohammed IV to the Zaporozhian Cossacks:
I, the Sultan, son of Mohammed, brother of the Sun and Moon, grandson and Vice Regent of God, sovereign of all kingdoms of: Macedonia, Babylonia, and Jerusalem, of Upper and Lower Egypt; king of kings, ruler of all that exists;
extraordinary, invincible knight; constant guardian of the grave of Jesus Christ; trustee of God himself; hope and comfort of Moslems, confusion and great Protector of Christians, command you, the Zaporozhian Cossacks, to surrender to me voluntarily and without any kind of resistance, and don't permit yourselves to trouble me with your attacks!
Turkish Sultan Mohammed
Zaporozhians to the Turkish Sultan:
You Turkish Satan, brother and comrade of the damned devil and secretary to Lucifer himself! What the hell kind of knight are you?
The devil shits and you and your army swallow. You aren't fit to have the sons of Christians under you; we aren't afraid of your army, and we'll fight you on land and sea.
You Babylonian busboy, Macedonian mechanic, Jerusalem beer brewer, Alexandrian goat skinner, swineherd of Upper and Lower Egypt, Armenian pig, Tatar goat, Kamenets hangman, Podolian thief, grandson of the Evil Serpent himself, and buffoon of all the world and the netherworld, fool of our God, swine's snout, mare's asshole, butcher's dog, unbaptized brow, may the devil steam your ass!
That's how the Cossacks answer you, you nasty glob of spit!
You're unfit to rule true Christians.
We don't know the date because we don't have a calendar, the moon is in the sky, and the year is in a book, and the day is the same with us as with you, so go kiss our butt!
Chief Hetman Zaxarcenko with all the Zaporozhian Host
___________________________________________________________
Quite frankly, this seems just as current, timely, relevant accurate, and perfectly appropriate today as it must surely have been three hundred and thirty - odd years ago.
I cannot add a thing to any of it except -
"AMEN!" & "What he said!"
A.A.C.
"The Final Crusade has commenced: let's get virulently anti islamic!"
Correct me if I am wrong here, but: Is not Lourdes representative of both the faith and weakness of the followers of Jesus, where as, the Zem Zem well is attributable to the weakness of Mohammad?
For later
This is stupidity. It takes an immense lack of economic understanding to say this. I think the Church has gotten over its misunderstanding of what a person lending money risks. Muslims have not.
Obviously a fake and forgery; he doesn't mention "Palestine"/"Palestina"!
Need I add a 'sarcasm" tag, for the sake of the illiterati?
Jesus' admonition "....do not cast your pearls before swine"; comes to mind.
Here's an admonition that's just as appropriate:
Matthew 5: 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
Tsk! [This is obviously a plot by Karl Rove.]
What - you think this is DU, DNC, seeBS or something?
ROTFLM*O!
A.A.C.
Must? Must of else what? Let me guess.
Like turning wine and bread into flesh and blood
There's physical evidence for that, at least.
Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano.
Even Jesus granted that His saying that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood was "a hard saying," a saying at which most of his disciples turned away from Him. Perhaps that's why He's provided the above-mentioned public miracle.
Bump & Ping
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