Catholic Culture Clash Links 3-24-2011

Aggie Catholic gives us some good news. We don't have to abstain from eating meat tomorrow due to the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord falling on a Friday.  This is great! Somehow I have managed to remember to avoid eating meat on Fridays during Lent so far this year.   I am usually so very awful at remembering to abstain from eating meat on Fridays.  Canon 1251 says:

Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.


The Vatican has been silent on the military action in Libya.  I find this quite strange since usually either the Pope or authorities in the Church speak out when a military conflict arises. Sandro Magister from ExpressOnline is even questioning this. He has further thoughts on the matter here.  Do you think that the U.S., France, and Great Britain should have gone into Libya?  Do you think this military action is just or unjust?  


Then we have a radical priest who has crossed the line into absurdity on a number of occasions.  Father Pfleger is a disgrace to the priesthood.  Cardinal Francis George recently had a talk about with him about moving him from the parish, St Sabina, that he's been at for over 30 years to taking a leadership role at St. Leo High School.  This "priest" plays the race card and supports extremist political causes. ChicagoNow points out that: 


"Father Pfleger has indecently involved himself in numerous political causes. His favorite activism is to organize news camera grabbing pickets. He's picketed TV shows, business owners, and companies. He's called gun shop owners murderers and Threatened their lives, he's tried to get radio stations shut down, and he's erected billboards attacking musicians." 


Father Pfleger needs to be kept on a shorter leash on my opinion.  He has caused great scandal to the Church.  I just can't help but wonder why Cardinal Francis George hasn't done more to reprimand him or stop his radical political escapades.  Here are just a couple examples of how radical Fr. Phleger is: 








Do you honestly believe that Fr. Pfleger should be allowed to be in charge of school children?  

Is Islam a "Religion of Peace?"

Here is one Muslim cleric named Anjem Choudry who says differently, and openly praises jihad.  


H/T CBN

I am posting part of an article written by an ex-Muslim named Mohammad Asghar where he states that in the beginning Islam was really only supposed to be adopted by those living in Mecca.  But, It's original purpose radically changed when the Prophet moved to Medina.

"Here, he saw a different prospect for his creed. Here, he found a group of people he could make pay him with their life and wealth for refusing to accept his Islamic doctrines. And these people were the rich Jews of Medina whose other offence was that they exercised great influence on the Pagans of this City. "

In order to subdue the Meccan Pagans and the Jews of Medina and its neighborhood, the Prophet of Islam launched over one hundred raids and expeditions. He personally took part in twenty-seven of them. He tried to loot a peaceful and unarmed caravan of the Meccans (cf. Quran; 3:13; and also see Abdullah Yusuf Ali's comment 352, The Holy Quran, Vol. 1. p. 125). He fought three major battles against the Meccan Pagans and these were the battles of Badr, Ditch and of Uhud.


Muhammad had launched all the raids and expeditions and fought all the battles not only to spread Islam but also to kill and plunder his enemies as well as to enslave their women for his and his followers' sexual pleasure. On deriving sexual pleasure from the slaves (who are referred to in the Quran as "the possession of the Muslims' right hands"), the Muslims' Holy Book says:

"O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possess out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and the daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Mecca) with thee; and any believing women who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her; - this only for thee and not for the believers (at large); We know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess; - in order that there should be no difficulty for thee. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (Quran; 33:50).

The fact that Islam had become a dominant force in the Arabian Peninsula through murder, loot and enslavement negates all the claims we now hear from Muslims and their scholars. A doctrine that took birth in such a violent manner can neither be a peaceful one, nor its application at any time and at any place can be defended by anyone who has some elements of intelligence and common sense.

Intolerance towards non-Muslims was one of the important characteristics of the Prophet of Islam. On the authority of Ubaydullah b. Abdullah b. Utba b. Masud tells us the following: "The only dispositions that the Apostle made at his death were three: He bequeathed to the Rahawis land which produced a hundred loads in Khaybar, to the Dariyis, the Sabais, and the Asharis the same. He also gave instructions that the mission of Usama bin Zayd b. Haritha should be carried through and that two religions should not be allowed to remain in the Peninsula of the Arabs" (Sirat Rasulallah, p. 523).

It is in keeping with the Prophet's instruction from his deathbed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not permit any religion other than Islam to exist on its soil. The fact, being what I have briefly stated above, does not support the claim made by all Muslims and their scholars. Their claims are simply untrue and baseless.

Put in a nutshell: Islam is not tolerant of other religions. Therefore, to claim that it is a religion of peace and harmony is simply untenable.

I agree with his assessment of Islam.