The Pope ended communism. Let's hope the historical record is set straight

[Proud2BAmurkin]

I've seen some coverage where the Pope was identified as the individual who ended communism. Hope there's more to come.

[smoogatz]

1. What about Walesa? What about Gorbachev?

I guess they don't count, being secular non-Republicans.

[mattclearing]

2. Cuba, China?

The Cold War I could see, but you can't destroy an idea or a framework.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. Can't we just take all the bullshit they assigned to Reagan and give it

to the Pope? I mean, it's not like either of them did any of that crap anyway.

[K-W]

4. Such superficial historical analysis should be greatly discouraged.

The pope ended communism...

that statement doesnt even make sense.

[thereismore]

5. Ridiculous. The people did it. Gorbie enabled it. n/t

[RBHam]

6. Communism hasn't ended!

Putin's doing his best to bring it back in Russia, the Chinese still use it as their lever of control, and because of blowback to American intervention - South America has never before been so left...

Tellingly, the Pope certainly never used his considerable power to advocate for the end of Fascism...

the more things change...

[K-W]

7. What kind of neocon drivel is that?

Did you just compare the leftist movements in central America, Putin's authoritative stances, and China's totalitarian regime?

I guess they are all the same because they arent conservative. Everything that isnt conservative must be communist I guess.

China is not a communist country anymore than Iraq is currently a democracy.

Russia was never a communist country to the same extent and is not currently moving towards communism, what you are thinking of is a one party state. Russia is moving towards a one party state, not communism.

The southern and central american leftists are liberals and socialists, not communists. Not that it would matter if they were communists, because The Soviet Union and China had and continue to have very little to do with communism.

You seem to be confused by propaganda. China is no more communist than the Nazi's were socialists. Dont trust propagandizing regimes to properly lable themselves.

[onager]

9. The Church ALWAYS tries to hog the credit...

...for the good things...even though they may spend hundreds of years fighting against the same things before they finally give in and accept the inevitable.

I guess this disconnect from reality is easy if you actually believe in talking snakes, pregnant virgins, and the infallibility of a politician wearing a gold prom dress and a funny hat.

Here's one example, from over a century ago:

The methods of the priest and the parson have been very curious, their history is very entertaining.

In all the ages the Roman Church has owned slaves, bought and sold slaves, authorized and encouraged her children to trade in them. Long after some Christian peoples had freed their slaves the Church still held on to hers.

If any could know, to absolute certainty, that all this was right, and according to God's will and desire, surely it was she, since she was God's specially appointed representative in the earth and sole authorized and infallible expounder of his Bible.

There were the texts; there was no mistaking their meaning; she was right, she was doing in this thing what the Bible had mapped out for her to do. So unassailable was her position that in all the centuries she had no word to say against human slavery.

Yet now at last, in our immediate day, we hear a Pope saying slave trading is wrong, and we see him sending an expedition to Africa to stop it. The texts remain: it is the practice that has changed.

Why? Because the world has corrected the Bible. The Church never corrects it; and also never fails to drop in at the tail of the procession -- and take the credit of the correction. As she will presently do in this instance.

From "Bible Teaching and Religious Practice" by Mark Twain

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/twainwp.htm

[RBHam]

14. Communism is Socialism run amok....

Just like Fascism is Capitalism run amok...

Degrees...

Jeezus.

Me, a Cuba-supporting, Hugo Chavez-admiring Socialist, a neo-Con...

What a laugh.

[K-W]

15. Dude, that is simply not true, you are oversimplifying.

Communism, Socialism, Capitalism and Fascism are all philosophies. None of them is any other of them 'run amok'

If you support Cuba and Chavez, dont spread conservative lies about leftist ideology.

[lastliberalintexas]

13. Not really

Communism is not a political system, it is an economic system.

Russia is moving back to the unworkable oligarchal economic system which it had in place under the Soviet Union, while moving towards a more authoritarian political system of government. What that form will eventually be (ie, totalitarian, dictatorial, etc.) is yet to be seen.

China is a control economy with a totalitarian form of government.

Lula is probably the closest thing we have to a Communist leader these days, and even he's really more of a pale Socialist.


Though I do agree that it's very telling who is staying out of the fight against fascism.

[slor]

8. Carter did his part too. n/t

[jonnyblitz]

10. LMFAO. this is satire, correct? nt

[enough]

11. Let's hope they do justice to his opposition to the invasion of Iraq.

As I recall, he said it would be "a tragedy for humanity."

[mmonk]

12. He helped in ending eastern european communism

but it exists elsewhere. Also, economic implosion was another catalyst. Therefore, a convergence pushed the unsustainable.

[barb162]

16. I think he helped end it in Poland by encouraging dissidents,

freedom of religion, etc.