Popes and Nazis

I'm willing to give this the benefit of the doubt.

It's an article by Michael Coren, rare in that it does little to raise my blood pressure. Coren is, to put it bluntly, a bigot. He, to paraphrase Tegan and Sara, wouldn't like me if he met me. I, like nearly 6 million other Canadians, don't believe in god. He tends to look down on atheists (Muslims and Anglicans, too, and leftists of all kinds), maybe because he was beaten up by an atheist when he was a child. He likes Jews, though. Really likes the Jews. Unless they're Marxists. So I guess he wouldn't have liked Marx. But I'm not sure I would have, either. He's was probably angry all the time, and with all that hair, I bet he smelled a bit...

Can you imagine? Little Mikey Coren face down in the dirt, a big bully on his back, twisting his arm up and repeating, "Say it. Say it. 'There is no god.' Say it! And then say, 'uncle'."

But enough of picking on him, or even imagining him being picked on. We are bullies in our hearts, as Mr. Coren will attest. "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Mat. 5:28. I expect the rule applies:

"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a bigot and wants to kick his ass has
already committed assault on him in his heart." Brett 1:1

I admit it. I'm a bully. I'll say a Hail Mary and flog myself (but not in the way a good Catholic like Coren would...).

About the only thing I found annoying in his article is this:

"In The Myth of Hitler's Pope, Rabbi David Dalin points out that because of the
presence of the Pope, the Jews of Italy had a far higher survival rate than in
most other countries."

So that's all right, then. Italy killed fewer Jews than, say, Germany, so obviously Catholicism is good. :)

Do you suppose the Dutch, or Belgians, or Canadians, or Americans killed a lot of Jews? Does that make the Dutch Reformed Church or the Anglican Church of Canada better than Roman Catholicism? Mr. Coren, I dare say, would argue that they're not. And how about secular humanists? Are humanists better than Catholics because of our lack of historical genocide against people of faith?

Coren would point at Stalin (who was, granted, an atheist, but also a sick motherfucker, which had little to do with his disbelief in god, I'd argue) and screech, "No! See? He was EVILLLL!"

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I don't know why I read this guy's articles. Still less do I know why I refer other people to them. It only encourages him. But I cannot stop. It's like poking a bruise, or sticking your tongue in the space that used to be a tooth, or playing with that loose flap of skin on the roof of your mouth after a run-in with Cap'n Crunch or hot pizza cheese.

Somebody tell me to stop. Then give me a good reason why I should give up my perverse little joys.