♦ nivek ♦ Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20279326/?GT1=10252 Dutch bishop: Call God 'Allah' to ease relations Roman Catholic leader stokes already heated debate on religion AMSTERDAM - A Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands has proposed people of all faiths refer to God as Allah to foster understanding, stoking an already heated debate on religious tolerance in a country with one million Muslims. Bishop Tiny Muskens, from the southern diocese of Breda, told Dutch television on Monday that God did not mind what he was named and that in Indonesia, where Muskens spent eight years, priests used the word "Allah" while celebrating Mass. "Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn't we all say that from now on we will name God Allah? ... What does God care what we call him? It is our problem." A survey in the Netherlands' biggest-selling newspaper De Telegraaf on Wednesday found 92 percent of the more than 4,000 people polled disagreed with the bishop's view, which also drew ridicule. "Sure. Lets call God Allah. Lets then call a church a mosque and pray five times a day. Ramadan sounds like fun," Welmoet Koppenhol wrote in a letter to the newspaper. Gerrit de Fijter, chairman of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, told the paper he welcomed any attempt to "create more dialogue", but added: "Calling God 'Allah' does no justice to Western identity. I see no benefit in it." A spokesman from the union of Moroccan mosques in Amsterdam said Muslims had not asked for such a gesture. Religious tensions on the rise Signs of tension had already surfaced in the last two weeks after the head of a committee for former Muslims was attacked and populist anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders called for the Koran to be banned. Bishop Muskens, who will shortly retire, has raised eyebrows in the past with suggestions that those who are hungry may steal bread and that condoms should be permissible in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Some Dutch Muslims welcomed his comments as a valuable gesture of support coming just days after Wilders branded the Quran a "fascist book" in the vein of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" which legitimizes violence. Wilders, whose new party won nine seats out of the 150 in parliament in last November's elections, is well known for his firebrand remarks on Islam. He said an attack by two Moroccans and a Somali on the head of a Dutch group for "ex-Muslims" had spurred him to write. Issues of immigration and integration had faded from the Dutch political agenda over the last year, after a period of unprecedented social tension sparked by the 2004 murder of Theo Van Gogh, a filmmaker critical of Islam, by a Muslim militant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Benny the P won't approve... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
מה טבו Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Ehhhh... I don't think calling G_d "Allah" will bridge the divide between religions. Christians use the Jewish Tanakh in their Bibles, and we have 2000 years of violent antisemitism courtesy of the church to prove that didn't work. This smacks of a band-aid on a sucking chest wound. Besides, while the word "Allah" may just mean G_d in Arabic, the use of Arabic does have a theological connotation. The whole reason the Q'ran is in Arabic is because it is the language of Muhammad. Saying "Allah" rather than the name you normally use in your own language shows deference to Muhammad and his religion. If your native language is Arabic, no big deal, because "Allah" is just a word for a broader concept. Otherwise, it's a big deal. Jews have retained Hebrew for thousands of years, and it has a real theological purpose. You don't see any Rabbis suggesting Muslims pray to "Adon Olam", thinking it will bring peace in the Middle East. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 I suggest the even more friendly term "Fuck Monkey." mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie Goodnow Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Next this guy will be calling for everyone to become Muslims, pray five times a day and buy plane tickets to Mecca! (Typed Ramadan as the original location LOL!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Seems like a bad idea to me. Neither Christian nor Muslim would be happy with this solution. It does make me wonder how many priests and ministers actually believe what they are preaching. Seems cavalier to just suddenly change God's name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 While ever Jesus remains a god there is no basis for discussion with either Judaism or Islam... they both think it's Pagan Bullshit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahh! Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Pat Robertson pointed out that this fellow also recommended using condoms in the past. Oh Noes! More seriously, this is an example of how the liberal church screws us as much as the conservative church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Pat Robertson pointed out that this fellow also recommended using condoms in the past. Oh Noes! More seriously, this is an example of how the liberal church screws us as much as the conservative church. Mmhmm - liberal or conservative, Xianity is trash no matter how you swing it. But the bishop's pronouncement does inspire a sardonic giggle or two; this is what has become of the mighty Roman Catholic Church? Instead of launching themselves on bloody crusades to give those wicked muslims what-for, now some of them attempt to use "Allah" in place of "God"? Rich - just rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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