CORRECTION

Earlier I had posted my conclusions regarding the identity of Nihil Obstat. The person I had named has denied being the masked grammarian. I stand corrected and the posts have been deleted.. I invite the gentleman whom I have wronged to let me know any way I may make amends for having upset him -- by whatever means is most convenient for him.

What with all the recent hubbub and consternation regarding the most recent expressions of the perpetual perfidy of the Gauls, I took to looking at some older accounts of their comportment.

I’ve seen scores of verses to “Mademoiselle from Armentieres” – many of which are ribald or even obscene. MfA was a popular ditty in the “Great” war of 1914-1918. None of the lyrics I’ve seen give an attribution to any individual author. I’ve seen lyrics from Indian, Australian, Canadian, British and American troops. The Aussie lyrics I saw were actually quite naïve, but it would surprise me if the diggers didn’t have some coarse lyrics too.

The themes of most of the lyrics were: the French are dirty (e. g. “The Mademoiselle from St. Nazaire has never washed her underwear”), cowardly (“The colonel got the croix-de-guerre -- the son-of-a-gun was never there!”) and immoral (“Whenever she saw an officer’s brass, she’d hike up her skirt and roll in the grass”). There was a highly obscene series about three German officers bent on rapine and pillage who found willing collaborators.

What surprised me wasn’t so much the ribaldry or even the use of obscene words and images --- after all, this was a soldiers’ song. What surprised me was the forthrightness and earnestness of it. The Germans were boors. The French were loathsome. The carousing would be paused by pregnancy, but carried on by bastard progeny.

Our age wouldn’t be capable of anything like it. We’ve backed away from generalizations about ethnic groups. We’ve practically disconnected sex from reproduction.

The song was written within living memory. I shudder to think where this society will be ninety years hence and I’m quite glad that there’s such a small chance I’ll be around to see it. I’d still assert, though, that in 90 years the rest of the world will see the French as dirty cowards with a propensity to sexual perversity – even if there are no other extant ethnic generalizations and Paris is under sharia.

Mr. Riddle laments that he may be the only man in our time to appreciate Alexander Pope.

Excellent Sir, you have this wild old wicked man as company in your appreciation for the man whom I believe to be the finest craftsman of the English language. I can’t agree with everything Mr. Pope said, as he gets to close to fatalism for me, but I can’t argue with the way he said anything.

It’s thus fitting that Alexander Pope would be a man of such excellence while Pope Alexander VI would be so base since man is, after all:

Created half to rise, and half to fall;
Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all;
Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurl'd:
The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!

A few folks (like Zorak) have mentioned that dreaded malady – getting a song stuck in your head.

I’m wondering if any other folks experience getting multiple songs stuck – kind of an involuntary medley Sad to say that “Shepherd of My Heart” has been stuck in my head for about nine days now. Ugh. Occasionally the verse line is replaced by “It’s A Small World”. That neither improves nor disfigures it. Then again, they both may be so vile that they’re incapable of change – kind of like the “perfectly possessed” mentioned here.

While on the topic of music, I must mention the oddest musical event in recent memory. We were at a new Asian restaurant in the neighborhood. There were lots of Asian customers and staff. There were three middle-aged white guys on stage. They were trying to sing some country music of the 1930s. (Like the stuff in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” – I’m familiar with the authentic article courtesy of my late father.) Given their rather weak grasp of pitch, I was especially grateful that they skipped the yodeling. I’m also very grateful that “In The Jailhouse Now” isn’t stuck in my head, despite hearing nearly every possible variant verse over the course of about 20 minutes.

From late Sunday through this morning it was cold in Denver. Cold as in below zero Fahrenheit with a bit of a breeze. (Contrary to popular opinion, that's unusual here.) This afternoon it’s in the upper 20s, sunny and calm. The contrast is enough that I was comfortable walking a block or so in shirtsleeves. The cold snap had reset my internal thermostat pretty well. (Now I am usually pretty hardy with cool weather, but wearing shirtsleeves when it’s below freezing isn’t usually in my repertoire.)

While walking, the thought popped into my mind, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could become accustomed to holiness as readily as I become accustomed to cold weather?”

. . . . and there was great rejoicing!

Mr. Bettinelli has a suggestion I heartily endorse. I'm going to follow it. Three times, even.

Yesterday I had the distinct honor and joy of serving as a lector. I realize that quite a few in St. Blog’s aren’t big fans of the use of lay lectors. To me there are advantages to the use of lay lectors. Each person is going to hit slightly different emphases in reading a passage. It’s actually analogous to Disputations’ well-taken position that a Christian is well-served by having access to many translations of Scripture. The variety of voices can help to reduce the complacency of those assembled.

Being fond of symbols, I took a symbol with me. I wore a necktie emblazoned with parrots. You see, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. Then, much later, “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”. Later yet, I parrot that which was spoken by the holy men of God, in hopes that it may help me and others to become holy.

We had a guest priest who exceeded all expectations. He rallied us to the examination of conscience and the practice of the sacrament of reconciliation. He gave a few good quips, especially: “I was really bored since no one was here for confession yesterday. So I did what priests do when no one comes to confession, I prayed that the members of the congregation would start feeling guilty enough to come to confession.”

As if it weren’t encouraging enough that we had such a terrific (and young – he couldn’t be more than 35) priest with us, his day job is rector of the archdiocesan seminary. The springtime of the Church is dawning. Of course the Church observes Lent during the spring, and we’ve plenty more of that. We need it. The challenge is to face this Lent with joy.

Some chat going about re: future saints – those servants of God none of whom have yet been formally recognized by the Church as a saint or beatus, but for whom we have reverence, respect and affection.

1. Dorothy Day (she’s among my favorite saints anyway);
2. Teresa of Calcutta (who’d object there?);
3. Fr. Leo Heinrichs, O.F.M. (in my estimation, my hometown’s first martyr);
4. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen; and
5. someone that’s still alive, kicking and even on the web who’d be mortified to be on this list, so I won’t divulge the name.

Not the most blithe post on this site (consider yourself warned)

A few bloggers have been wrestling with the war. I’ve tried to avoid posting about it too much, as I don’t have much to say that’s especially edifying and nothing that hasn’t been said better elsewhere. That being said, I’m a hawk. I think the West has exhausted the options short of war for dealing with the Baathists (Saddam Hussein together with his regime and their quasi-secular pan-Arab associates such as Hamas). I realize that the West has a large share of blame in the ongoing existence of the Baathists (generally in opposition to the influence of Iran and Hezbollah), but I don’t find that to be a reason that the West should facilitate the continuation of Baathist terror. I find the analogies to Europe in 1938 rather convincing. I would say, though, that the current threat is probably worse than the threat faced by my parents’ generation due to (1) the advanced technology available to current foes and (2) the current foes’ demonstrated disregard for the consequences of highly destructive actions. No one has demonstrated that there’s any likelihood that delaying action against the Baathists will do anything to reduce the danger they posse to the world economy and all people within the range of their weapons – a range that is growing.

Much of the Church’s contemporary teaching on war arises from the destruction that was wrought by the world wars and, especially, by the US’ use of nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Church has used very strong terms to condemn the use of nuclear weapons. Most Americans don’t find Hiroshima and Nagasaki to be worthy of the strongest condemnations. Most Americans, though, haven’t had much exposure to the devastation that is modern warfare. Many of those who have formed the Church’s most recent teachings on just war have seen that devastation and have struggled to bring healing to those whose lives were shattered.

It’s often said that too many generals spend too much time preparing for the last war -- they don’t necessarily consider the latest adaptations of technology and tactics. In this case, I respectfully submit that the opponents of this war are opposing an obsolete model of war. Yes, this war will result in the deaths of many. The way that the American military has prepared itself, though, mitigates the suffering of civilians and even of most enemy soldiers. It’s been widely reported that the goal is to disable command and control functions and secure the surrender of enemy forces. Extensive plans are underway to prevent the Baathists from staging a pyrrhic campaign of destruction. Most casualties of war come not in combat, but from the famine and disease that travel in the wake of war. The Afghan model (and other recent interventions) show that the soldiers will be followed in rather short order by food aid and medical help – the very things that will reduce the damage to the Iraqi people. (I might add that these are in short supply in Iraq right now since the regime refuses to do what is necessary to bring an end to economic sanctions.)

The biggest risk associated with the war is the risk that the Baathists will use weapons of mass destruction. As I mentioned above, that risk isn’t reduced by keeping the Baathists in power.

One of the keynotes of recent Catholic teaching on international relations is the focus on the use of an international forum such as the United Nations. On SEVENTEEN occasions the UN has demanded that the Iraqi Baathist regime disarm. On many of those SEVENTEEN occasions, a threat of “grave consequences” has been attached to the demand. If anyone has damaged the ability of the international forum to resolve disputes, it is the regime that has failed on SEVENTEEN occasions to do what is required of it regarding disarmament.

This war is a grim and solemn duty. Failure to prosecute it fully and vigorously would be vastly grimmer. If, though, someone can provide convincing evidence that jus ad bellum is somehow absent from the current plans, I’m open to the argument.

Y’know it’s been too long since I’ve had Korean food. It’s tasty, inexpensive and when they say it’s spicy, they’re actually telling the truth!

This was really funny 25 years ago

I think it still is. Between all the talk of '70s songs and the mention of the worst of the '70s songs, I just can't help myself. Besides, this is hardly worst result of the bad reasoning that follows. Here's the parody as I remember it:

So many nights I sit by my window
Waiting for someone with a trippy song
So many dreams I kept deep inside me
Alone in the dark but now
You've come along

You light up my joint
You give me dope
To carry on
You light up all day
and fill my nights with bong

Quarter ‘til three – we’re drinking bongwater
Could it be finally I've gotta go home?
Finally, a chance to say, Hey,
I’m wasted!
Never again to freak on the phone.

You light up my joint
You give me dope
To carry on
You light up all day
and fill my nights with bong

It can't be wrong
Gettiin’ high is the point
'Cause You
You light up my joint.

Haunted (and/or sickened)

by the worst schlocky, schmaltzy imitation muzak I've ever heard in a Church. First we had the misfortune of an interminable arrhythmic psalm setting by Rory Cooney, then we had to endure a tune that just had to be stolen from a bad made-for-TV movie, "Shepherd of My Heart" This song is as bad, in its way, as "You Light Up My LIfe" was in its way.. If you haven't heard it, be very grateful.

If you don’t read Lileks already . . .

well, you’re just missing out. In any event you really ought to read today’s Bleat! As is often the case, he makes good points about architecture. This time it’s church architecture – specifically Catholic Church architecture. As is frequently the case, I don’t agree with all of what he says (my position on that being closer to this, but Mr. Lileks humanizes the other side of the issue.

Ever the pragmatist . . .

Steven Den Beste has posted SIX terrific pieces on the global geo-political situation in the past three days. (Some harsh language is contained therein, but it’s all judicious and deserved.) Start with the one about Go and keep going. You won’t regret it. The author is an engineer and, as such, he brings a certain clarity to his analysis.

A second helping of Meat Loaf

But it won't impact Friday observance.

I don't remember the name of the song, but Mr. Loaf has one of the best lines in any pop song I've heard (and appropos for the popular observance of St. Valentine's Day): "You took the words right out of my mouth, it must have been while you were kissing me."

Pardon my French

If you heard a loud stream of invective shouted from the general direction of southeast Denver this morning, it was in response to the “Car-o-scope” (courtesy of Disputations). Now I admit that I’m not a big car buff, in fact I look forward to the day I can have my life so ordered that it would be highly unusual for me to use anything but my feet and elevators for transportation. I think it’s an outrage for a car to cost 10% of the price of a house and preferable that it be no more than 5%, but with today’s car prices that’s unlikely except in the most expensive cities. Still, these results were insulting in extremis:

They found me to be too rich, snobbish and well educated for the Hyundai I drive (besides which, they said I’m a cheapskate). I wasn’t that rich when I bought the car three-and-a-half years ago (which also takes care of some of the cheapness, eh?), nor was I so well educated. While I’ve always been guilty of being a snob, sometimes one can be a snob in a non-conventional manner.

Peugot 505 – Even before the recent insufferable intransigence of the Gauls, I’ve had little truck for the farthest western regions of Germany. But why on earth would anyone want a car produced by the country with the worst engineers, craftsmen and customer service in the western world? Besides that, their designers are generations behind nearly everyone else! Mangez mes culottes!

Acura Vigor – Why should I, if I’m too rich and snobby for the Hyundai, get a car that hasn’t been produced in nine years?

Infiniti J30 – What’s the warranti like? How about safeti? What would Daddi think? OK, enough goofing on the most ridiculous name in the car biz. This suggestion at least has one tiny bit of merit. As an obscure guy, maybe it makes sense to get one of the least popular cars in living memory. Is it just me, or do you see Studebakers more often than these dressed-up Nissans?

Buick Roadmaster – This big station wagon would make sense if two circumstances changed: (1) if I routinely hauled around large numbers of people and/or lots of stuff and (2) if GM were the only automaker in existence. Between the various bad experiences I’ve had with GM products (most recently the car we bought in 1994 and the two rental cars last month), you’d have to pay me lots of money to get me in anything from GM.

Volvo 244 – Let’s see, my politics are generally to the right of National Review and I’m going to spend money on an overpriced car to prop up a socialist regime. Someone’s been sipping a bit too much Absolut!

Since there’s probably little chance I’ll get to live the carefree car-free life for a few years anyhow, what cars would I consider?

Asian (not completely exorbitant): Hyundai XG250 – Looks like the best value for a sedan. If I’m going to have to drive a lot with other people, it would be relatively comfortable.

Asian (exorbitant): Lexus SC430 – Just because it looks so darn cool.

European (not completely exorbitant): Volkswagen New Beetle – But only if the German government and people come around to reason regarding the war.

European (exorbitant): Mercedes-Benz SLK – Ditto.

American: Ford Thunderbird – expensive, but probably worth it. I wonder about the roof leaking, though.

Special cases:

If I know I never have to be in heavy high-speed traffic -- Cooper Mini: just about perfect in everything but safety.

If, God forbid, I’m required to get an SUV (tie): Subaru WRX or Subaru Forester – although I’m reluctant to get a vehicle whose name seems to be an abbreviation for “wrecks”.

Mr. Riddle writes of the Spirituality of My Fair Lady. I’d like to extend the analogy with another song.

On the Street Where You Live (lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, 1956 )

I have often walked down this street before
But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before
All at once am I several stories high
Knowing I'm on the street where you live

Are there lilac trees in the heart of town?
Can you hear a lark in any other part of town?
Does enchantment pour out of every door?
No, it's just on the street where you live

And oh, the towering feeling
just to know somehow you are near
The overpowering feeling
that any second you may suddenly appear

People stop and stare, they don't bother me
For there's nowhere else on earth that I would rather be
Let the time go by, I won't care if I
Can be here on the street where you live

Do I recognize the Real Presence of Christ in tabernacles I pass on a regular basis? Do I thrill at the recognition of His presence? Does it make any difference in what I do? Do I even notice?

Songs of the 70s is the latest St. Blog’s top ten (at least so say the indomitable Kat Lively, Kathy the Carmelite and Dylan), so, in alphabetical order.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen – Nothing since compares, but what could? This is the epitome of rock ‘n roll.

Call Me by Blondie – As a teenage boy, hearing her coo “Cover me with kisses, baby” was nearly bliss.

China Grove by the Doobie Brothers – “The people of the town are strange and they’re proud of where they came”. Of whom can’t one say that?

Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen – One of the funniest moments of my life was one Monday morning in high school – definitely 1979, probably early March. I’d just heard that song for the first time and I asked my friend Dave if he’d heard it yet. He said, “You mean they wrote a song about [name omitted]?” Of course the young lady whose name I omitted (and who unquestionably fit the description in her too-small Gloria Vanderbilts) was standing right behind him and gave him what he deserved for the comment. I’ve never seen two people with faces that red. It’s still funny twenty-four years later!

Fire by Ohio Players – Funky and smooth. Worthy of a remake by Victor Lams! (See I really wasn’t interested in them just for the racy album covers!)

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding by Elton John – I first heard it rather shortly after a friend died. It was very moving to the pretentious teenager I was.

I Wanna Be Sedated by The Ramones – As close as most of us got to punk. Wanting to be sedated is probably one of the best possible reactions to life in the 70s.

I’m Not In Love by 10 cc – Speaking of sedation, I heard this at the dentist a lot – a hip dentist circa 1976. It really goes well with nitrous oxide. “Be quiet, big boys don’t cry.”

Miss You by Rolling Stones – Just thinking of it puts a spring in my step, a smirk on my face and a wiggle in my hips. “People think I’m crazy.”

Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf – Melodramatic? Yep. Cliched? That too. Remember, though, that clichés are adopted because they say things to which everyone can relate. “It never felt so good, it never felt so right.” As we know, though, emotion is just about the worst possible source of moral standards.

Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin – Inescapable in its day and even now it makes me wonder . . .

(OK, smartypants, that was 11. There was a tie.) There are lots of other songs from the 70s that were a big part of my life in the 80s, but that’s a whole other story.

Just because

Some of the good folks of St. Blog’s (like this one)have been posting as to their favorite saints. A salutary practice!

Male Saints (in chronological order):

St. Joseph;
St. Lawrence;
St. Jerome
St. Francis of Assisi;
St. Anthony of Padua;
Bl. Antony Neyrot;
St. Maximilian Kolbe;
Bl. John XXIII;

Female Saints:

Our Lady (especially in the form Our Lady of Guadalupe);
St. Monica;
St. Rita;
St. Faustina;
Dorothy Day.

Quo Vadis?

There are many speculations (like, say, this) as to why the French and German governments s have been so stubborn in their opposition to the coming war in the middle east. I’d say that the likeliest reason is that they’re being blackmailed by folks in league with Saddam Hussein who have WMDs ready for deployment in Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt or any number of other cities with large Moslem ghettoes.

I sincerely hope the weapons are discovered and disarmed before they are used.

A passel o' premier posts

.... at the well-named Video Meliora . . . on items sacred and profane. The sacred stuff's from Cardinal Ratzinger, a man who truly deserves the title "Eminence". The other stuff . . .well, you'll have to see for yourself!

But, pray tell, just which part is the Pogue? Is it the verb or the noun in the phrase? After all, it makes a bit of difference.

This week’s most disturbing experience was finding out that a priest whom I have respected is a heretic. There’s no other plausible explanation for some things he said in the Sunday homily. What makes it all the worse is that he’s quite a pastor. He has absolutely amazing people skills and what gives every appearance of real love for people. I’m somewhat at a loss as to what to do, but I know that inaction isn’t an option. More to come.

Hey, wait a minute!

The Emerald City Emperor linked to this article by Miss Amy. It’s a thought-provoking piece on her own marriage to a laicized priest.

What shocked me (and that’s NOT easy to do) is her assertion that so many “conservatives” are bitter toward ex-priests. Yes, the priest has made solemn vows and is sacredos in aeternum. If, though, the priest determines that something in his life is preventing him from living those vows to their full extent, three options present:

(1) He can struggle, perhaps unsuccessfully, with that issue. In many cases this struggle would of necessity be rather solitary as priests don’t often have many people to whom they can turn regarding personal issues. In fact, the mere disclosure that there is a struggle could have significant ramifications if brought to the attention of the hierarchy. In some cases, this struggle may simply not be a viable option for the individual priest.
(2) If the struggle isn’t viable, the priest has the option of leading a double life – appearing to pursue his vocation while furtively pursuing whatever it is that is preventing him from pursuing it fully. This is, of course, a recipe for disaster.
(3) The last option is for the priest to request dispensation from his vows. I sincerely doubt that anyone would take such a step lightly (then again, anyone who would take such a step lightly probably shouldn’t have ever been a priest!). There is sadness associated with the laicization of a priest, but it may well be the best option for the circumstances.

The ex-priest isn’t necessarily a hero, but he’s certainly no villain. He recognizes that he can’t fulfill the vows and, rather than making a mockery of them, shows respect for them.
It should also be remembered that all of the reasons for which a priest might request laicization are highly personal. Just as we wouldn’t want priests gossiping about what they hear in the confessional, it’s unbecoming for us to show anything other than Christian love to those priests who have been honest in assessing their ability to live out their vows.

As you may know, I’m a listed (though infrequent) contributor to the Lidless Eye Inquisition. A recent post by another contributor generated some controversy as the post, in an illustration to make an unrelated point, mentioned the hypothetical possibilities that would arise should mortal remains of our Lord or our Lady ever be found. On reading the controversial bit, my first thoughts were that any such find would be fraudulent, either brought about directly by demonic forces or by humans hoping to do damage to Christianity. I don’t think that my colleague said anything that calls a central tenet of the faith into doubt. Perhaps he could have worded his illustration in a better way, but that’s how I see it. I’m interested in seeing his response, which I’m sure will be posted soon.

Note to correspondents:

I haven't looked through the entire post in question yet. I hope to do so today and then to comment. After all, we're not exactly on a deadline here!

As if there were any quesiton

""Which cocktail are you?""
brought to you by Quizilla

Now is the winter of our discontent . . .

made rather pleasant, thank you very much, by the return of two blithe spirits to activity in St. Blogs:
Fr. Bryce Sibley's A Saintly Salamagundi has made its long-awaited return; and
Jeff Miller has a new blog, The Curt Jester.

Warning: you could ruin your keyboard if you read either while your mouth is full of your beverage of choice.

It’s been too long since I posted a prayer, so here’s one:

Holy Lord, despite my unworthiness you have given yourself to me:
Body and blood, soul and divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
I beg You to stay with me.
Warm my cold heart;
Dispel the darkness of my soul;
Enlighten my mind;
Guide my steps;
Fix my gaze on You;
Animate my idle hands with Your work;
Open my lips to proclaim Your praise;
Inflame my entire being with Your love.

Usually when I write about the dog, I use him as an example of a good trait that I lack. You see, for the most part he is much better behaved than I am. Sometimes, though, he does things he shouldn’t. Those can still be learning experiences for me.

The other day while we were on a walk in the park, a woman jogging by commented on how pretty the dog is. (She’s right, you know – as you can see below.) I mentioned that he’s friendly too, so she stopped to say hello. He then proceeded to bury his nose in her crotch, for which I profusely apologized. Puppy-boy’s done this a few times on meeting strangers.

Now I don’t go around literally sticking my nose into other folks’ private parts, but the analogy of sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong fits me too well. May God grant me grace to use this incident as a motivator to keep my nose away from those places it oughtn’t be.

"All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
the grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." (Isaiah 40:6b-8, KJV)

The departure of bloggers brings this passage to mind. As many have observed, computers help things to happen more quickly and so it is with the development of virtual friendships and their conclusion.

Yet a familiar flower is about to herald the spring as Fr. Sibley's silence is only a few short days away from ending.

Despite the vagaries of who posts when or how often, let us remember that which endures and that which motivates us.

A few people take issue with my comment on this post at Mark Shea’s site saying that the number of the Moslems* in the world in ten years will be substantially smaller than it is today.

Let’s look at various segments of the world to see the prospects:

The Arab states: In nearly all Arab states religion is intertwined with the regime. (This article gives a few examples, there are many more available.) The Saudi regime is probably the most extreme example. It, as we know, finances mosques throughout the world that have been supportive of al-Qaeda and which will vigorously oppose most, if not all, of the regime changes that are to come. Once these societies are liberated and the life of the average Arab improves, the appeal of the mosque will drop as it will be so strongly associated with the bad old days. Once Islam is no longer enforced by the state, a degree of apostasy will follow. As the more rigorously observant jihadis start to make life demonstrably worse for their countrymen, they will be shunned. Once freedom of religion is in place, missionary activity will further empty the mosques.

Iran: The exemplar of Moslem theocracy is on the brink of a massive repudiation of the 1979 revolution, as is born out here. Iran has a very young population, most of whom harbor no warm thoughts for Islam given the suffering that they’ve seen it produce. Since, as Suman Palit has pointed out, Iran’s natural interests are in line with India and Israel, a more open and pluralistic society will follow. Islam, being opposed to the pluralistic society, will be officially discouraged.

Greater India: Pakistan was formed in the 1940s when many Moslems in India refused to share the new Indian state with Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. Even so, many Moslems remained in India (though rather few people of any other faith stayed behind in Pakistan). Pakistan split in the early 1970s when its eastern segment found their conditions were worse under Moslem rule than they had been under British rule. Sadly, they’ve been unable to improve their lot appreciably with self-rule. Pakistan has been in the grip of growing Moslem influence and economic stagnation. India has developed a tolerant culture, a robust economy and a functioning democracy that is taking steps to guarantee human rights for its people. That news can’t be kept from the Moslem residents of the subcontinent much longer. Also when the Saudi money quits flowing in, the failure of Moslem rule will result in massive restructuring of society. Islam will again be associated with failure and humiliation.

Turkey is uniquely situated, with a growing theocratic influence that is still vigorously opposed by influential institutions such as the military. The non-Moslem parties in Turkey, though, are hoping to achieve greater integration with the West, either through the EU or new bilateral trade accords. It’s likely that the carrot of economic development will motivate most Turks to repudiate the Moslem agenda. I’m confident that the Central Asian states (post-Soviet central Asia and Afghanistan) have learned from the Afghan experience with the Taliban. Modernization will come here, largely on the Turkish model. Turkey’s desire to expand its influence in central Asia will likewise shape its policies toward religion.

In Sub-Saharan Africa:, Christianity has long been growing rapidly. Setbacks to Islam elsewhere will accelerate its decline, as will the varied responses to AIDS. The Catholic promotion of exclusive monogamy is the surest way to stop the spread of AIDS, making it likely that AIDS deaths among Moslems will, over time, be proportionally greater than AIDS deaths among Christians.

Most Moslems in the Western world are immigrants from predominantly Moslem countries. So far the war has not involved them much. That’s changing as this post makes clear. (Also good to see a major blogger have a URL problem ): In the months ahead, this intifada will start to have some results, but not the results hoped for by its organizers. The Muslims who want to enjoy the benefits of life in the west will withdraw their support and the heretofore generous hosts that the Moslems have found will suddenly find that Pim Fortuyn was right about at least a few things.

Southeast Asia (including Indonesia and the Philippines) is an area about which I admittedly know little. In general, the Muslim community lives among other communities in relative peace. There are, of course, exceptions, but the radical Moslem rhetoric and action found so often elsewhere appear to have less popular support in these areas than elsewhere.

So, while thie choice of the word "tiny" was probably ill-advised, I stand by the basic assertion that Islam is on the decline. The adoption of terror is a result of desparation and will only exacerbate the decline. May we as Christians respond appropriately.

*I here use the term “Moslem” generally to mean the adherents of Islam who preach jihad and the adoption of sharia law, as opposed to “Muslim”, meaning an adherent of Islam who is capable of living in peace with his neighbors. However I firmly believe that Islam as a whole is facing a precipitous decline.

While ya gotta do whatcha gotta do . . .

we'll all miss you, Miss Amy.