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Very true but "involving the USA" is relative.
A lot of the things going on the Middle East aren't directly involving the USA but Americans make it their business to know about them and/or intervene somehow. All in the name of "fighting terrorism." They need to edit that to say all in the name of "fighting terrorism that may or may not have a trickle down effect on the US. We can never be sure so we need to keep a close watch on THOSE PEOPLE."
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Yes but there's a difference between "America" and "Americans"
For the most part "Americans" didn't care about the Middle East. "America" in the form of the government did.
I think all the Abrahamic religions have gone through their violent phases. Israelites killed to get into the Promised Land and there were militant zealots who expected Jesus to overthrow Rome. Christianity's major ones were the Crusades, but also witch hunts and Inquisitions. Islam is dealing with a similar thing right now. This does not mean that all people in any religion are violent, just that some have used religion for violence.
Pope Benedict's comment that started yet another fight was basically trying to say that God (by whatever name) and violence do not mix. God is rational, terrorism and violence are irrational.
Oh and
shinerbock no, there isn't a lot of Catholic violence right now, but if you don't think that sexual abuse is just as bad as violence, you have some other issues. The percentage of clergy who abused children was small, but still the majority was called upon to denounce them. Just as the percentage of muslim militants is truly small, but the majority is called upon to denounce them.