Musings on Nazism, God, and the Pope

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

It's a difficult, complicated mess to be sure. And I certainly don't fault him as a human being (or, more accurately, don't have enough information either way to fault him) for taking what was probably the safest route at the time, or possibly simply not having the necessary perspective to truly understand why what he was doing might be considered so wrong. However, my gut says that that kind of transgression, while probably (again, not knowing the details of his time served) excuseable in my book for the common man, is...unsettleing when it's in the past of a pope. Especially in light of his continued rhetoric that shows him to be a religious isolationist with contempt for other beliefs.

And I pretty much wish this is how I'd expressed myself elsewhere. "excusable in my book for the common man, is...unsettling when it's in the past of a pope." Yes, that pretty much sums up my confused feelings on the subject quite nicely.

I also try not to be judgmental of others forced to make these kinds of awful decisions because I seriously doubt I’m the kind of person who would die in defense of my own principles. When it comes to life, I’m a greedy bastard. I live to live another day. I’m also, most likely, a coward, and I doubt I’d risk my life refusing to support an atrocity, or sacrifice my own life to save someone else’s. I’d like to feel differently about myself, and maybe I’d act differently than I imagine I would. Whatever. Being selfish about my own life span doesn’t make me a terrible person, I don’t think. But I think it should disqualify me from certain positions in this life.