Was the Pope right to put his own faith people before politics?

[Hamble]

Pope Francis has delivered a keynote speech in Myanmar, demanding "respect for each ethnic group" but without referring specifically to its Muslim Rohingya community.

Rights groups had urged the Pope to use the term to back the community.

However, the Catholic Church in the country had told him the term could cause difficulties for Catholics.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-42152146

[said]

Pope Francis has delivered a keynote speech in Myanmar, demanding "respect for each ethnic group" but without referring specifically to its Muslim Rohingya community.

Rights groups had urged the Pope to use the term to back the community.

However, the Catholic Church in the country had told him the term could cause difficulties for Catholics.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-42152146

Western society has progressed since recognising that religion and politics should not be mixed. The Pope should not get involved in politics, it is unethical, and various leaders of countries should not get involved with religion. Those of the Islamic faith do combine religion and politics - and that is the reason more zealous Muslims like to take over the countries that they settle in - and why the Myanmar people are encouraging Muslims to leave their country. They are not alone - according to surveys taken, the majority of Europeans want the Muslims to leave and be repatriated in their own countries.

[Hamble]

Western society has progressed since recognising that religion and politics should not be mixed. The Pope should not get involved in politics, it is unethical, and various leaders of countries should not get involved with religion. Those of the Islamic faith do combine religion and politics - and that is the reason more zealous Muslims like to take over the countries that they settle in - and why the Myanmar people are encouraging Muslims to leave their country. They are not alone - according to surveys taken, the majority of Europeans want the Muslims to leave and be repatriated in their own countries.

Most people I think would support the right of a country to be Islamic
in religion and politics and the right of people to chose to live within that
region or not.

The question is whether a 'minority' means different things in different contexts.
Myanmar's government rejects the term Rohingya, labelling the community "Bengalis". It says they migrated illegally from Bangladesh so should not be listed as one of the country's ethnic groups.

[seivad]

Western society has progressed since recognising that religion and politics should not be mixed. The Pope should not get involved in politics, it is unethical, and various leaders of countries should not get involved with religion. Those of the Islamic faith do combine religion and politics - and that is the reason more zealous Muslims like to take over the countries that they settle in - and why the Myanmar people are encouraging Muslims to leave their country They are not alone - according to surveys taken, the majority of Europeans want the Muslims to leave and be repatriated in their own countries.

Encouraging? Burning hundreds of Muslim villages. Mass murder, raping women and killing children... yeah, that would send the message loud and clear

The Pope is not getting involved in politics, it's humanity

[silver fox]

Most people I think would support the right of a country to be Islamic
in religion and politics and the right of people to chose to live within that
region or not.

There is your problem, too many alleged followers of the Islamic faith not only demand that people in an Islamic country must follow the faith, they also believe that other countries should comply.

Before you say it, I am well aware that this is an extremist view, but there is too much support for comfort of this view in many European countries.

Religion as ever, the greatest sin of all.

[jamyramy]

the ironic thing about all belief systems and their self ego led dogmas,is ultimately,we all pass over from the timeframe of our lifes allotted span. the ultimate desire of all dogmas within all humans is the same the need to love ,be loved and accepted amongst us all.its that ego that gets in the way,of it all .once over the spirit comes through regardless of the dogma led life ,with the same innate state of being.

[Hamble]

There is your problem, too many alleged followers of the Islamic faith not only demand that people in an Islamic country must follow the faith, they also believe that other countries should comply.

Before you say it, I am well aware that this is an extremist view, but there is too much support for comfort of this view in many European countries.

Religion as ever, the greatest sin of all.

By trying not to bias the question I made it too broad.


Specifically on the subject of the Rohingya it is a double failure.
First that Myanmar refuses to recognise them as a distinct minority group and secondly the most famous man in the world sidesteps upsetting their persecutor.

Knowing that a minority population of Christians already vulnerable to terror in Myanmar was the Pope right to put their lives first?

[silver fox]

By trying not to bias the question I made it too broad.


Specifically on the subject of the Rohingya it is a double failure.
First that Myanmar refuses to recognise them as a distinct minority group and secondly the most famous man in the world sidesteps upsetting their persecutor.

Knowing that a minority population of Christians already vulnerable to terror in Myanmar was the Pope right to put their lives first?

No, certainly not, but as with all religions when it really comes to the point, self interest takes over.

[gazaprop]

The fact that anyone in this day and age can mould their life around what are effectively books of fairy tales at the same time amuses, amazes and saddens me.
There are those who muddle along quite benignly banging the odd tamborine, dressing in orange or meeting up at a Friday men's club - but - it's the zealots who are the danger, those who believe no matter how heinous the act some all seeing omnipotent being is sanctioning their deeds.

[Hamble]

The fact that anyone in this day and age can mould their life around what are effectively books of fairy tales at the same time amuses, amazes and saddens me.
There are those who muddle along quite benignly banging the odd tamborine, dressing in orange or meeting up at a Friday men's club - but - it's the zealots who are the danger, those who believe no matter how heinous the act some all seeing omnipotent being is sanctioning their deeds.

It is more about power and control.

Religion also has a good influence on peoples who feel safe with power and control in Western style Law and Order.

There have been enough non religious zealots who used their power as a radical murderous religion.

One cannot take the religion out of people.
It is part of man's evolutionary development.

The World can do something about undesirables and borders.

[said]

Encouraging? Burning hundreds of Muslim villages. Mass murder, raping women and killing children... yeah, that would send the message loud and clear

The Pope is not getting involved in politics, it's humanity

That is as it is published in the media - Myamar enlist child soldiers. However the conflict arises from the fact that Myamar do not recognise people who settled in the country after the second world war as being of their nationality. Only those whose ancestors are of Myamar birth are considered nationals. The conflict is by far not just one sided - the Rohingya conflict is thought to be driven by an Islamist political agenda to impose religious laws, which as shown in every other country that Muslims have settled in appears to be the case.

[gazaprop]

It is more about power and control.

Religion also has a good influence on peoples who feel safe with power and control in Western style Law and Order.

There have been enough non religious zealots who used their power as a radical murderous religion.

One cannot take the religion out of people.
It is part of man's evolutionary development.

The World can do something about undesirables and borders.

Indeed it is part of man's evolutionary development which is why I can't believe people today swallow it as they do.
When man first tried to rationalise powerful natural events we couldn't and so blamed it on the gods or ethereal forces beyond understanding. As we became more sophisticated the opportunists in society pinned everything down to one omnipotent being who most certainly had his beady eye on you. The more savvy amongst those opportunists saw this terror as means to control (Marx and opiate of the people etc). There are still opportunists at the head of these religions - or cults as I prefer to call them - that are doing very nicely indeed out of people's gullibility. Some will even promise you the world and a bike to go around it on if you only do ............ fill in the gap yourselves - a quantity of virgins springs to mind.
I think the explanation can only be either stupidity, blind faith or those looking to fill a big yawning gap in their lives.
I love the Father Ted episode in which Ted is trying to explain to Dougal who the Pope is and Dougal exclaims - 'oh yeah, that fellah who lives in the Art gallery!'

[Albion102]

Western society has progressed since recognising that religion and politics should not be mixed. The Pope should not get involved in politics, it is unethical, and various leaders of countries should not get involved with religion. Those of the Islamic faith do combine religion and politics - and that is the reason more zealous Muslims like to take over the countries that they settle in - and why the Myanmar people are encouraging Muslims to leave their country. They are not alone - according to surveys taken, the majority of Europeans want the Muslims to leave and be repatriated in their own countries.

It actually goes beyond combining religion and politics, in traditional Islam faith and philosophy, there is no real concept of secular society at all. That is one of the difficulties of many (but not all) muslim groups integrating into a multicultural society.

[Hamble]

Indeed it is part of man's evolutionary development which is why I can't believe people today swallow it as they do.
When man first tried to rationalise powerful natural events we couldn't and so blamed it on the gods or ethereal forces beyond understanding. As we became more sophisticated the opportunists in society pinned everything down to one omnipotent being who most certainly had his beady eye on you. The more savvy amongst those opportunists saw this terror as means to control (Marx and opiate of the people etc). There are still opportunists at the head of these religions - or cults as I prefer to call them - that are doing very nicely indeed out of people's gullibility. Some will even promise you the world and a bike to go around it on if you only do ............ fill in the gap yourselves - a quantity of virgins springs to mind.
I think the explanation can only be either stupidity, blind faith or those looking to fill a big yawning gap in their lives.
I love the Father Ted episode in which Ted is trying to explain to Dougal who the Pope is and Dougal exclaims - 'oh yeah, that fellah who lives in the Art gallery!'

Christians have the right to be culturally 'Christian' without being religious.
They are by default 'Christian' in having ancestor's so and also (I notice at work) many ethnic or foreign born Christians are anxious to document their religious allegiance from others in fear of ethnic pigeonholing.

The latter is unjust to ethnic children born in the UK and unequal religiously to other UK born children.

[Hamble]

It actually goes beyond combining religion and politics, in traditional Islam faith and philosophy, there is no real concept of secular society at all. That is one of the difficulties of many (but not all) muslim groups integrating into a multicultural society.

The earlier ethnic religious immigrants decades ago assimilated and kept their religious devotions as strongly as their cultural.

What has changed?
The UK has for the better on past racism discrimination and unequal opportunity.

For the worse?
The fact any racist extreme religionist hardliner with no intention of living by the rules of Western Society can enter the UK as a foreign born relative/dependent/worker/student and bully religious adherents to death.