The Pope and the President

Benedict and Bush, both men of their time. If their time was the Middle Ages. To say what the Pope said in Germany about Islam is one of the most effective ways to return to those nostalgic days of religious warfare. Exactly what Islamic fundamentalists like bin Laden want.

For the Vatican to say that the Pope was quoting someone else's insult is disingenuous at best. If you use a quotation, you adopt it as your belief unless you expressly qualify or disclaim it when you use it. Questioning the perversion of the concept of "Jihad" by Islamic fundamentalists is perfectly fair game.

Questioning the whole premise of someone's religion is antagonistic and insulting. The fact that the Pontiff quoted a Byzantine emperor from the Middle Ages is apropos because it reflects Middle Age thinking on his part.

Both the Pontiff and the President say they do not want a clash of civilizations. Yet they are bumbling into something much worse with their poorly chosen words and ideas. They are widening the already strained relations between theologies.

Religious wars are much bloodier and ruthless than nation-state wars. During the first crusade Christians slaughtered 30-40,000 Jews and Arabs (who actually fought together) in the conquest of Jerusalem. There are no Geneva Conventions for religious war.

People feel they can do anything they want since they are killing in behalf of their God. Bin Laden and Zarqawi and every suicide bomber is evidence of that belief. We do not need negligent, undiplomatic rhetoric by Christian believers to stoke the fire that is already underway among Muslims in the Islamic world.