One of the blogs that I make sure to visit a couple times a week is string theorist Lubos Motl’s The Reference Frame. It’s an interesting mishmash of leading edge physics, climate science, and Euro politics. Lubos is Czech, and from Pilzen (famous for their beer), and was a professor at Harvard for a while.
Because he’s Czech, and living in one of Europe’s most libertarian countries, he has some interesting angles from time to time on local and continental political issues. This is the direct, unvarnished blogging translation on this, and gives some insight into the intellectual and spiritual climate in the heart of Central Europe.
So here is the blog post by Dr. Motl of the interview with Cardinal Miloslav Vlk. Here are a few excerpts:
20) What should be the right solution of the painful problem of Palestine?
I understand that the original inhabitants of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capitals are the Jews. The whole Old Testament blesses and strongly confirms this idea. It’s equally true that the Muslims have been living on those places for a long time, although in a secondary way. I think that the two sides should agree that Jerusalem will be the Jewish capital and certain areas of Palestine will be left to the Muslims, assuming the guarantees that the Islam won’t threaten the Jews.
A little naive perhaps, to think that such a guarantee is possible, but he got the broad strokes right.
21) Do you think that Islam is threatening Europe and Christianity?
One issue is the question of immigration by which the Muslims are creating majorities not only at schools, because they have many children, but also in cities. And they have a potential for further growth. So the math is simple here. By the systematic emptying of the Christian contents of the Europeans’ lives, a void is being created that is easily filled by them. Europe has renounced its Christian roots from which it has grown and which could equip it with the strength to resist the threat of being “conquered” by the Muslims which is already happening, after all. In the late Middle Ages, the Islam didn’t manage to take over Europe by using weapons. Christians had won then. Nowadays, the battles are fought with “spiritual” weapons. Europe doesn’t have any while the Muslims are armed with them perfectly. That’s why the fall of Europe is a genuine threat. Muslims are coming here become of diverse reasons. One of them is a religious mission – to bring the spiritual values of the belief in God into the pagan environment of Europe and its Godless lifestyle – as they like to say.
We must therefore be prepared to expect that if Europe doesn’t change its attitude to its own roots, the continent will be islamized. One-sidedly absolutized human rights are yet another driver that opens the door to such a future. Christianity is under pressure from Islam: we must live our belief at full speed. It’s one of the signs and challenges of our age.
As the saying goes, read the rest. Unfortunately, Dr. Motl only translated 4 of the 24 questions. A fuller translation would be appreciated from any Czechophone readers.
Tags: Catholic Church, Czech Republic, Lubos Motl
