never place a period where God has placed a comma

In fact, a more appropriate phrase for this entry would be the opposite of Gracie Allen’s words: never place a comma, where God has placed a period. in other words, dont adjust religion where its absolute.

A lot of media attention is being given to the Pope’s latin mass issues. The Pontiff’s personal initiative eases restrictions on the Catholic Church’s traditional latin mass. Known as the Tridentine rite – delivered in Latin with the priest usually facing the altar, his back to the congregation — the old Mass (though never banned) had effectively been replaced. To me this move is very surprising, since most of Benedict’s reforms involve setting restrictions rather than easing them. In any case, Time reports: ‘The Pope does seem to have an affinity for the old Latin Mass, as he does generally for the Church’s ancient traditions. His explanatory letter states:

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”‘

It took me a while to understand the amazing implication of this statement: ‘What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred.’ It seems as though for him Holiness is a matter of consecration based on tradition. The pope’s attempt to accomodate more lines of thought thus effectively fulfills the Guardian’s promise of the deterioration of Christian institutions.

This confusion of tradition and faith reminded me of Baha’u'llah’s fascinating reference to the law of stoning in the Book of Certitude:

“Among them is the story of Ibn-i-Súríyá. When the people of Khaybar asked the focal center of the Muhammadan Revelation concerning the penalty of adultery committed between a married man and a married woman, Muhammad answered and said: “The law of God is death by stoning.” Whereupon they protested saying: “No such law hath been revealed in the Pentateuch.” Muhammad answered and said: “Whom do ye regard among your rabbis as being a recognized authority and having a sure knowledge of the truth?” They agreed upon Ibn-i-Súríyá.

“Thereupon Muhammad summoned him and said: “I adjure thee by God Who clove the sea for you, caused manna to descend upon you, and the cloud to overshadow you, Who delivered you from Pharaoh and his people, and exalted you above all human beings, to tell us what Moses hath decreed concerning adultery between a married man and a married woman.” He made reply: “O Muhammad! death by stoning is the law.” Muhammad observed: “Why is it then that this law is annulled and hath ceased to operate among the Jews?” He answered and said: “When Nebuchadnezzar delivered Jerusalem to the flames, and put the Jews to death, only a few survived. The divines of that age, considering the extremely limited number of the Jews, and the multitude of the Amalekites, took counsel together, and came to the conclusion that were they to enforce the law of the Pentateuch, every survivor who hath been delivered from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar would have to be put to death according to the verdict of the Book. Owing to such considerations, they totally repealed the penalty of death.” Meanwhile Gabriel inspired Muhammad’s illumined heart with these words: “They pervert the text of the Word of God.”

“Yea, in the writings and utterances of the Mirrors reflecting the sun of the Muhammadan Dispensation mention hath been made of “Modification by the exalted beings” and “alteration by the disdainful.” Such passages, however, refer only to particular cases.”