Zmirak
Posts: 4
Joined: Sep 2003
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November 03, 2005 12:54 AM
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Dear Greg,
Well, first of all I was KINDA KIDDING. That�s sort of the tone of the whole book. But on a more serious note: Is it wrong to use violence to overthrow tyrants? Was it wrong for Gen. von Stauffenberg to try to blow up Hitler, because one of the generals in the room might have been innocent of any involvement in the Holocaust? I agree it was wrong to target civilians in Hiroshima and Dresden, but if we had the chance to sink a ship with Hitler on it, would it have been wrong because there might have been innocent guys on there mopping the decks? When a government is persecuting the Church, with the death penalty for saying Mass, it�s ipso facto invalid, and deserves to be overthrown. The members of Parliament were directly involved in the persecution� so I say, �Bombs away!�
Cheers,
John
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Antigone
Posts: 5
Joined: Feb 2005
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November 05, 2005 11:36 PM
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Quote
Originally posted by: ZmirakBut on a more serious note: Is it wrong to use violence to overthrow tyrants? Was it wrong for Gen. von Stauffenberg to try to blow up Hitler, because one of the generals in the room might have been innocent of any involvement in the Holocaust? I agree it was wrong to target civilians in Hiroshima and Dresden, but if we had the chance to sink a ship with Hitler on it, would it have been wrong because there might have been innocent guys on there mopping the decks? When a government is persecuting the Church, with the death penalty for saying Mass, it�s ipso facto invalid, and deserves to be overthrown. The members of Parliament were directly involved in the persecution� so I say, �Bombs away!�
Gray areas, I think. In some cases, yes, an act of violence is justifiable as an act of self-defense or to defend others. But who gets to define "tyrant"? (Keeping in mind that many very religious people around the world view the United States as a Great Satan.)
And would blowing up Parliament have stopped the persecution of Catholics, or would it have enflamed anti-Catholic sentiments even more? Leading to even more widespread martyrdom and discrimination? Remembering too that English Catholics had blood on their hands during their times in political office (wasn't it Queen Mary who earned the "bloody" nick?).
I don't know myself. As I said, gray areas.
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kenwolman
Posts: 4
Joined: Jun 2004
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November 22, 2005 1:37 PM
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Okay, now I (maybe) get it. Tongue in cheek, etc., etc. Sorta. I do recall the good fortune of (1) American POWs and (2) various Jesuits, including Fr. Pedro Arrupe, who had front row seats at the bombing of Hiroshima on 8/6/45. I suppose we had to make a choice, even knowing that some of our own guys were trapped there. Greatest good for the greatest number, etc. Why does the whole tower of rationalizations come across as madly hollow?
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39. Not observing the imperfections of others, preserving silence and a continual communion with God will eradicate great imperfections from the soul and make it the possessor of great virtues.
~St. John of the Cross, Maxims on Love (The Minor Works)
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