The pope is a figure head to the catholic religion only, of which a huge part of the world (including myself) doesn't follow. Thus his words don't mean jack squat to us.

But a lot of the time, people only read *what they want to read* even if the article says otherwise. This comic artist clearly doesn't understand the issue and certainly doesn't understand what causes anti-socialistic behavior and violence, since he blamed it on the bible >_>.



There is no way to fix the media GW2, there are ALWAYS going to be people like this and nothing will change that. Let them believe what they choose to believe, i personally don't care about their ignorance and them saying completely wrong statements just because they feel like it. It's not like what they say matters anyways, they're just another brick in the secular wall.

"In no part of comic or writeup did I bash the Pope or religion. I have no reason to bash the Pope, especially in this instance since we seem to agree. And the only problem I have with religion is when it's taken to extremes.



I did read the Pope's message, several times. And I don't see where what I had to say contradicts or belittles that. A lot of what can be found in his address can also be found in my posts on the subject scattered around these forums. And, [subsequent]pos ts in this thread show support for aspects of the Pope's message and demonstrates my disagreement with aspects of the "source" article. And yet, I have to defend myself from people accusing me of things I haven't said or done. People seemed to fill in blanks with their own bias and I can't appreciate that. Some of you really disappointed me as I didn't expect that kind of thing out of you."



It's a good thing that he wrote a post-comic follow-up, because a lot of people will undoubtedly take this way too far. Note that the video game industry (as well as all types of media) is heading down the road of exalting violence and immorality. This is a fact, but why is the industry heading towards that end? It's because it sells, that's why. This is what the Pope was commenting about... stating that the road the media industry is heading down is an immoral and degrading one. If you disagree with that, then you disagree with fact.



This is why i think it's funny that "The Video Game Industry" wrote the Pope this letter! Of course they won't like what the Pope says, because it contradicts with their cash cow, and thus the Gaming Industry doesn't want to go through the process of having to find another cash cow to make general profit from and sell games. Since when is the general media a herald for good moral behavior anyways? They're not, which is why this comic is funny (even though it's original intentions might be different).

"A recent study has shown that Christianity is now the most persecuted religion in the world, yet we shrug our shoulders, grumble about it, and move on."

- http://www.contenderministries.org/articles/keepingfaith.php

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"... the most persecuted Religious body in America is the Church of Jesus Christ"

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www.uscg.mil/hq/g-w/Diversity/summit/reldif/sld005.htm

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There's even a book titled "Handbook on Religious Liberty Around the World" in which the author states:



"John Whitehead, founder of the Rutherford Institute, admits that the book pays special attention to the plight of Christians, but, as he notes, this is because Christians are the "single most persecuted group in the world." Those interested in other religions should not be discouraged, however; the struggles of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism are all covered as well."



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http://www.acton.org/publicat/randl/booknews.php?id+36

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If you need any more references for my statements, go ahead and request it... there are thousands more where these came from.

I have to laugh when I read about the Catholic Church critizing video games. Having been raised Catholic (non-practicing) I've done a great deal of reading about the history of the church and the horrific REAL violence that it has incited over the centuries. Lets see...the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, centuries old persecution of Jews which included the Catholic Churchs' silence during the holocaust, burning witches, subversion of all non-Christian religions etc, etc, etc.



I have one bit of advice for the Church when it comes to video games "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is Gods"

Exactly how is it hypocritical for the Pope to explain the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church according to the current issues of the day? You're saying that the Church is secretly exalts immoral behavior and carnage? That of course, is rediculous... so how can you justify the Church as being hypocritical?



What you most likely learned about the Spanish Inquisition was prejudice, not fact. A few years ago appeared Edward Peters%u2019 book "Inquisition", which effectively undermined the Black Legend. Then, as though trying to trump Peters, PBS aired a historically accurate look at the myths that have arisen about the Inquisition. Taken together, the book and documentary demonstrated that what the visitor to Grace Cathedral "knows" just wasn%u2019t so. There's more about the truth from the Inquisition here:



http://www.catholic.com/library/inquisition.asp



Nothing comparable has appeared in defense of the real history of the Crusades, but those military-and-religious adventures are eminently defensible, even though, like all wars, excesses and venality and acquisitiveness were to be found in them (along with discipline and valor and generosity). Which means the Roman Catholic role was defensive, not offensive.



And witch hunts? Ah, that was almost exclusively a Protestant activity, rampant not just in the Massachusetts Bay Colony but in England, where, after the Reformation, as many as 800 "witches" were executed each year. Witch-hunting fever was nearly absent from Catholic countries because Catholics had the confessional, where overwrought women could be counseled to keep their imaginations in check and their tongues from making groundless accusations.



Your "imagination" about the Holocaust it absurd to say the least. If you can remember, the phrase "righteous among nations" is a term which refers to non-Jews who helped saved Jews from the Nazis. It could be argued that Pius XII would certainly qualify for this honor, because he saved hundreds of thousands of Jews from death. One account estimates 750,000 lives saved. Another account estimates 860,000.



Pius XII did publicly condemn racist oppression -- in his wartime Christmas messages and at other times. The Vatican hid 477 Jews during the war. Another 4,238 were hidden in church monasteries and convents.



In appreciation of what Pius did for the Jews... the World Jewish Congress made a large cash gift to the Vatican in 1945. In the same year, Rabbi Herzog of Jerusalem sent a 'special blessing' to the Pope 'for his lifesaving efforts on behalf of the Jews during the Nazi occupation of Italy'. And when Pius died in 1958, Israel's Foreign Minister Golda Meir gave a him moving eulogy at the United Nations for the same reason.



And since WHEN does the RCC use subversive actions in some attempt to overthrow any and all non-Christian religions?! Point one out, please... because i'm positive that there isn't a single religion in history that was overthrown through force or even through violent means at all from the Roman Catholic Church.



What does your last quote from Jesus have to do with the Church when it comes to video games? Just for the record, the Church doesn't have anything against video games! Only against using those video games to promote and exalt immorality and violence!



I think you misunderstood the message He was trying to give when he said that. This phrase has become something of an independent aphorism that expresses resignation about the inevitability of submission to authority... so how exactly does this pertain to what you are trying to address to the Church regarding issues of video games?

With regard to Catholic persecution of Jews, read your history. Ever since the inception of the Church but especially with the rise of Emperor Constantine the Catholic Church engaged in active persecution of the Jews. The reason there are so few Jews today in Spain is due to Inquistion. The concept of 'let them survive but not thrive' originated with St. Augustine. The Jewish getto in Rome was started in 1555 by Gian Pietro Carraffa,Pope Paul IV (who just happened to be a former Inquisitor), who also forbade Jews to possess any religious book except the bible, forbade them to have Christian servants or own property. All this was clearly outlined in the Papul Bull "Cum Nimis Absurdum" It was this Papal Bull that esentially established the Jewish ghetto in Rome. The ghetto was disbanded by a few popes but the majority of them forced Jews to live there and in ghettos in other parts of Christemdom. The concept of "blood libel" against Jews was a product of the Catholic Church and their bishops, as was the fact that Jews were accused of everything from posioning wells to causing the Black Plague. Centuries of hatred and prejudice encouraged by Catholism culminated in the Holocaust (Shoah). And lets not forget that Hitler himself was a Catholic.



With regard to Pius XII yes he did condemn racism but NEVER mentioned the Germans by name even during the war when he was fully aware of what was going on. The alcolades handed to him by Jews in 1945 and 1958 were before the Vatican opened it's records for examination and it was discovered how little Pius XII actually did. The historical distain of the Church held toward Jews is why Jewish community fought the placement of a Christian cross at Aushuwitz because Jews viewed it as an attempt by the Church bury their responsibility for what happened by emphasizing that Christians also died in the camps while subtley downplaying the fact that 99% of those killed in the camps were Jewish.



WIth regard to subversion, the Roman Catholic Church and other "Christian" religions attempted to co-opt the native religions of every technologically inferior culture they came in contact with, South American Natives, Hawiians, American Indians, Carribean Island Natives, Africans to name a few. They viewed the native beliefs as inferior and sought to make them good "Christians". If a blanket contaminated with measels or small pox happened to find it's way to into a heathen village- oh well, such is the will of God.



I am not saying that the Catholic Church has no done ANY good in its long and tortured history because it has.

However, based on it's history the Church should be very careful when they make comments such as the one above, because as Ive said, its hypocritcal and frankly none of their business.