Slap Happy Pappy

When I read this article in Sputnik about the Pope cautioning the media that using rumors and fear is a form of terrorism, I almost literally had to pick myself up off the floor.

Considering the man represents an organization that has used rumor and fear for centuries to terrify and control masses of people, it seems a bit disingenuous for him to wag a bony finger at the media.  Here's the first paragraph:

"VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Journalism based on gossip or rumors is a form of "terrorism" and media that stereotype entire populations or foment fear of migrants are acting destructively, Pope Francis said on Thursday."

I just can't get my mind around this one.  The sheer depth and vastness of the hypocrisy in those few short sentences is just astounding.  The sheer scope of cognitive dissonance it must take to listen to these comments and take them seriously makes my jaw go slack.

Let's take a moment to examine these comments.

Fear.  The Roman Church knows nothing of using fear to control and terrorize masses of people.  Certainly, the constant use of eternal roasting and torture in Hell doesn't count as terrorism.  Neither does the use of Hell as a weapon to subjugate humans and force them to believe that your organization offers the only possible way out of Hell count as terrorism.

Most certainly the Holy Inquisition could not be considered by any rational human to be terrorism.  In fact, the Inquisition not only terrorized people with torture and horrific deaths, but most of it was based on rumors.  Shall we ask Giordano Bruno about the use of rumors by the Roman Church?

As for stereotyping, well...sheesh.  Where do we begin?

Maybe for this point we should check with the Jews, or Africans, or the aboriginal peoples of the Americas and the South Pacific?  In fact, the stereotyping and demonizing of vast numbers of people in order to justify mass slaughter, colonization and all manner of prejudices is a forte of the Roman Church.

I have little truck with the Roman Church (or any religion) as it is, but when I see blatant and utter hypocrisy, such as displayed in the Pope's recent comments, I get just a little riled up over it.

How many men, women and, dare we say it, children have been terrorized by the Church over the millennia?  How many rumors were seized upon by the Inquisition as justification for brutal torture and death?  How many races and peoples have been conquered and shunned by the Church in its quest to dominate the Earth?

And how many children even now go to sleep every night, haunted and terrorized by that wonderful little Roman bedtime prayer:

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should DIE before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

Sweet dreams!