[lit-ideas] Re: 21. century European anti-Semitism
- From: "Phil Enns" <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2004 19:14:17 -0400
With Steve Cameron, I don't want to make this discussion contentious. I
am drawing on a logical distinction most of us make quite naturally.
For example, in the last few days the public has gained a better
understanding of how the decision was made to go to war against Iraq.
Does the reliance on faith and prayer as a means of Presidential
decision-making identify a specific and direct correlation between
American behaviour and the United States of America? That is, does a
study of the Bush administration satisfactorily identify the character
of the United States of America? Well, it is true that Bush represents
a significant proportion of the population and that he continues to have
significant support. However, one can legitimately argue that the
actions of the Bush administration betray some important aspect of the
identity of the United States. One can argue that Bush should be
impeached or that he should not be re-elected on the grounds that the
decisions he is making run counter to the principles, traditions,
convictions, or whatever else comprises the identity of the United
States. Put differently, one can identify criteria, from within the
tradition of the United States, that serve to evaluate the actions of
Bush even when he is acting on behalf of that same tradition.
The same applies to the Church. It is possible to argue that specific
decisions made by Church authorities were bad decisions according to
criteria from within the Church. No particular individual, group of
individuals or even tradition can serve as exemplar of the Church. It
is true that some priests wore/used swords, that Church authorities
actively supported some of the Crusades and the Inquisition, but it is
another thing to claim that these actions were true to the identity of
the Church.
Sincerely,
Phil Enns
Toronto, ON
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