comment

[Hgrove]

Today I was watching the news with coverage of the Pope's funeral when someone (not myself) said they wished they would stop all this tedious coverage of the Pope's funeral as it's getting in the way of the election coverage. I would like to know if anyone thinks this sort of comment is crass, insensitive and callous (as I do).

[THECORBYLOON]

I must agree with what IAP said. This country is a Protestant country and the views of any Pope have little or no impact on the vast majority of this country. There may be things for which the Pope was held in high regard but at the moment it is the election which is of more concern to me.

[Cheesefreek]

Election news or the pope's funeral!! Mmmm - what a choice!!

[slimfandango]

LOL I love the way Corbyloon kind of bent IAP's well balanced comment there into a kind of subtly veiled sectarianism. LOL.

[slimfandango]

How do you think "

I must agree with what IAP said. This country is a Nazi country and the views of any Jew Rabbi have little or no impact on the vast majority of this country. There may be things for which the Jew Rabbi was held in high regard but at the moment it is the election which is of more concern to me.
"

would have gone down?

[Hgrove]

Thanks for the messages but I'd like to say that whilst I am a lapsed RC, I in fact had a particular dislike of this Pope, even more than the two before him in my lifetime. However, I would have found such a comment crass and insensitive in respect of anyone including but not limited to the Dalai Lama, Chief Rabbi, Archbishop of Canterbury etc.  I am convinced this person would have made such comments in respect of other religious chiefs' funerals, not just the Pope.  So if the comment had been made in respect of the Archbishop of Canterbury, would different answers have been posted?

[THECORBYLOON]

slimfandango can you point out ANY inaccuracies in what I said?

[THECORBYLOON]

slimfandango your likening my comments to those of the Nazis is out of order. The Nazis were responsible for the murder of millions of Jews and anyone else they believed to be 2nd class citizens or sub-humans. Do you honestly believe there is any comparison with what I said and the views of a Nazi?

Hgrove is a Roman Catholic (lapsed) and hasn't liked the last three Popes. If a Roman Catholic is allowed to be negative about him why can't I?

[slimfandango]

Sure, Hitler and the Nazis did wrong by killing so many Jews, but history has had most abhorrence for them because of their blind bigotry. It flowed down from Hitler, to the Nazis, out to many of the german people. For no good reason, they lowered the standing of a minority in a country specifically because they were a minority, and this made them an easy scapegoat, and vulnerable as a target of ridicule and contempt. They were shunned and put to one side because they were a minority.

Race relations in this country is founded on the principle that all have a voice and are of worth no matter what proportion of the populous their minority happens to fill. Attacks against minorities simply because they are minorities, of which your comments are an excellent example, are just the things that this country specifically shuns and against which many of our forefathers gave our lives in the last great war.

I have no issue with your desire to knock the Pope, or catholicism, despite being a lapsed catholic (hate that phrase) I do so myself on a regular basis. However what I was taking issue with was your knocking the importance of a core event of a minority, specifically because they are a minority! I quote: "This country is a Protestant country and the views of any Pope have little or no impact on the vast majority of this country."

I do not take issue with a stance on catholicism, but on a stance against a minority. Perfect analogy on that level with the Nazis and the Jews, dontcha think?

[THECORBYLOON]

slimfandango, it's odd how you descibe IAP's comments as "well balanced" but mine are "subtly veiled sectarianism"
IAP said "the UK is (for better or worse) offcially a Protestant country (even if there are diminishing numbers of those.)                                                     
I said "This is a Protestant country"
 
IAP said "Many people feel very strange, and at odds with the outpouring of grief for a Religious leader who means little or nothing to them"                                      
I said "and the views of any Pope have little or no impact on the vast majority of this country"                   
The only major difference was my saying the Election is of more importance to me at the moment and yet IAP is "well balanced" and I am "sectarian." Odd  

[El D]

Yes very tedious. If I was interested I would have been in a church yabbering away I suppose.

[Fritz Klyka]

Although I am not religious, Hgrove, I tend to agree with you, and see much more tedious comments from those on answerbank who just need to yabber as soon as any question of a religious nature is posed.

[FP]

I agree with you Hgrove.  Can't add any more.