Stole this from Armybarmy.com

Here's a really good summary for wrap-up on the whole Pope Ben vs. Muhammed debate...I cut and paste this from Steve Court's blog...as a good friend of mine once said, "if it's good they probably stole it from someone else...in this case I did...

Benedict on Islam.

There was much ignorant news of the Pope's quote last month that elicited mayhem from Muslims. What has recieved much less coverage was his follow-up this week. John Cullinan at National Review (bottom right link) breaks it down. The whole article is interesting, but this paragraph might help those just tiptoing into this whole issue:
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The upshot is that purely theological dialogue between Christians and Muslims is pointless, if not counterproductive. Whatever its other attributes, the most fundamental elements of all orthodox Christian thought are Trinitarian and Christocentric; and these are precisely the same elements that orthodox Muslims necessarily find blasphemous on the one hand and idolatrous on the other. What’s more, sharia jurisprudence plays roughly the same role in Islam as systematic theology in Christianity. That’s why purely theological dialogue inevitably mixes apples and oranges. But basic disagreement over the nature of God in no way precludes discussing how best to coexist peacefully in a pluralistic world. That’s the meaning of Benedict’s September 25 exhortation in favor of “sincere and respectful dialogue, based on ever more authentic reciprocal knowledge which, with joy, recognizes the religious values we have in common and, with loyalty, respects the differences.” In other words, it’s possible to share — and discuss — certain religious values without sharing religious truths.
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grace
stephenC

Thanks,
rZ

Link