Pope Benedict to retire for health reasons

[Schlosser85]

Yea, all the talk about Ratzinger being a Nazi is unfair and irrelevant IMO.

There are far more relevant things to criticize him for.

 

[KalMart]

Ratzinger was 14 when he joined the Hitler Youth which was required by law. His brother claims that he avoided meetings and wouldn't endorse Naziism.

That's what I mean in being forced into it. What was Arnold's dad again? Like a policeman in Austria of some sort or what have you?

 

[Marvolo]

That's what I mean in being forced into it. What was Arnold's dad again? Like a policeman in Austria of some sort or what have you?

Gustav Schwarzenegger voluntarily applied to join the Nazi Party on March 1, 1938, two weeks before the country was annexed. Austria became part of the German Reich through the Anschluss on March 12, 1938.[2] A separate record obtained by the Wiesenthal Center indicates he sought membership before the annexation but was only accepted one day of January, 1941. He also applied to become a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the NSDAP's paramilitary wing, on May 1, 1939, the year after the annexation of Austria, at a time when SA membership was declining. The troops had 900,000 members in 1940, down from 4.2 million in 1934 which was mostly due to the outbreak of the second world war.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0814-07.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0825-06.htm

Even with him volunteering I'm not quick to judge. Hindsight is 20/20 and he may have regretted it later in life.

 

[KalMart]

What about Van Damme?

 

[NickNitro]

It.....was.....a..........joke lol

 

[Marvolo]

It.....was.....a..........joke lol

We know it was a joke. It is still worth discussing.

 

[KalMart]

What would one call a Nazi pope?


A Potsy?

A Nazinger?

 

[NickNitro]

"Is the pope waving at us or hailing Hitler? I can't tell"

 

[Marvolo]

What would one call a Nazi pope?


A Potsy?

A Nazinger?

I like that onet:

 

[Thundercrack85]

Worst Pope ever.

And even my devout catholic relatives agree.

 

[Thundercrack85]

He may not have chosen to be in the Hitler Youth, but he sure as hell chose to be a divisive, gay-bashing, atheist-hating misogynistic relic.

 

[NickNitro]

As a Catholic I must say, ever since he was ordained Pope he always looked demonic to me. Am I the only one?

 

[Thundercrack85]

We been making Palpatine jokes for years. Where have you been?

 

[NickNitro]

Not talking about the Pope on The Hype

 

[Marvolo]

He may not have chosen to be in the Hitler Youth, but he sure as hell chose to be a divisive, gay-bashing, atheist-hating misogynistic relic.

No one said he didn't. But I have to wonder how much he actually chose those things. When he was growing up and being indoctrinated in the ways of his society, culture, and religion of his time those things were normal. Its hard to fight indoctrination. Just like my current generation is one of a higher acceptance and tolerance in those areas it is, I am sure, hateful and rejecting of things that one day will be viewed as normal and acceptabe and my generation will be viewed just a hateful and ass backwards as Mr. Ratzinger and his generation. Not excusing him of these things just pointing out that given his upbringing and the circle he runs in can you expect anything else?

 

[terry78]

As a Catholic I must say, ever since he was ordained Pope he always looked demonic to me. Am I the only one?

Suddenly a choir chanting in Latin when he appears takes on a whole new perspective.

 

[Thundercrack85]

No one said he didn't. But I have to wonder how much he actually chose those things. When he was growing up and being indoctrinated in the ways of his society, culture, and religion of his time those things were normal. Its hard to fight indoctrination. Just like my current generation is one of a higher acceptance and tolerance in those areas it is, I am sure, hateful and rejecting of things that one day will be viewed as normal and acceptabe and my generation will be viewed just a hateful and ass backwards as Mr. Ratzinger and his generation. Not excusing him of these things just pointing out that given his upbringing and the circle he runs in can you expect anything else?

I don't really go for moral relativism, at least not in this context. Being a hateful ***** is being a hateful *****. Not to mention that Ratzinger is living in the 21st century, and he should know better by now.

Why people put up with this crap is the real question.

 

[Marvolo]

I don't really go for moral relativism, at least not in this context. Being a hateful ***** is being a hateful *****. Not to mention that Ratzinger is living in the 21st century, and he should know better by now.

Why people put up with this crap is the real question.

Well, it comes back to the brain, and the effect indoctrination has on it. Look at an extreme example, the Middle East and terrorists. Indoctrinated that the West and progressivism is evil. That they will go to heaven, and be in a special paradise for martyrs. In this day and age they should know its all BS, but they don't. It isn't that they are afflicted by a mental incapacity. It is that they are brainwashed and indoctrinated. Two things people today rule out much too quickly as a cause for general *****iness.

I must accept that if I had been born in the pre-civil war South there is a great chance that I would be a racist person to at least some middling degree and possibly to a great degree, and the me of today would have to resist the urge to kick the me of yesteryear in the face repeatedly. Our morals and our way of viewing things are greatly affected by the standards of the culture and society we grow up in. It is why among other things when great grandpappy let's his racism slip I don't proceed to throw him a verbal ass beating. He keeps it in check and follows today's standards, but to some degree it is ingrained in who he is.

 

[redhawk23]

Others of his generation were able to rise above the "indoctrination" of the time and society that they were born to. Considering that he was elected to a position of leadership on the world stage and for over a billion people, that is exactly the standard he should be held to.

 

[Marvolo]

Others of his generation were able to rise above the "indoctrination" of the time and society that they were born to. Considering that he was elected to a position of leadership on the world stage and for over a billion people, that is exactly the standard he should be held to.

I agree that should be the standard he is held to, but I don't see that being entirely practical given certain factors such as his age, amount of exposure at a young age to differing standards (limited given lack of internet and world-wide connectivity), amount of time in an indoctrinating body such as the Church, and various other factors that I can't even begin to think of. The development of a person is so nuanced that some things are impossible to judge in black and white standards.

I think the question to ask is does does a Pope let his racism (or any awful character trait/idea) effect how he performs his job? If he does let a character trait effect how he performs his duties then he should be fired or not picked at all. If the next pope is a racist, pig-headed, evolution-denying, homosexual hating, bigot I don't care as long as he doesn't use his powers as pope to push those ideas. The Pope is a figurehead of the church. He should represent and be the Church and push its ideas instead of his own. Quite literally, the Pope can be anyone as long as they understand that when they become Pope and take on their new name they are forsaking who they were and becoming quite literally the Church itself. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that the point of the Pope taking on a new name. They are the Pope. Symbolically, they are no longer that human they were. I still know he is that awful person, but I also know why the Church doesn't let that stuff get in the way of picking a Pope.

 

[Schlosser85]

I think the question to ask is does he let his racism effect how he performs his job? No, I haven't witnessed anything to indicate it does. If he does let his racism effect how he performs his duties then he should be fired or not picked at all.

I see no indication Benedict is racist, nor do I see anyone accusing him of racism.

I do think he's homophobic though, even by Pope standards. Look at how much he goes on about it compared to JP II (not saying JP II wasn't anti-gay, but he didn't talk about nearly as continually as Benedict).

 

[Marvolo]

I see no indication Benedict is racist, nor do I see anyone accusing him of racism.

I do think he's homophobic though, even by Pope standards. Look at how much he goes on about it compared to JP II (not saying JP II wasn't anti-gay, but he didn't talk about nearly as continually as Benedict).

I'll correct that. I have never seen racist tendencies from him either. I was speaking to make a point, and not necessarily about Benedict himself.

 

[Thundercrack85]

John Paul II was a good Pope. Not to say I personally agreed with him on anything, but he had charisma, and a way with the people. And look how much **** the church did while he was wearing the pope hat. AIDS, child abuse, you name it, but everyone loved the man. Well except certain Protestants, and all the godless heathens (gays, atheists, etc).

Now that's a vicar.

 

[Hawkingbird]

So, who do you think will take the next job. I'm betting it will be one of the African Bishops. This upsets me, only because they are so conservative.

 

[James]

I'll do it.