Blog Entry Number 1

Goldhagen's comparison of Pope Benedict XVI way of thinking and Nazi ideology in his article "A German Lesson" is ungrounded and unrealistic. To understand a true idea of both ideologies it is important to take each in context. The catholic church historically has been intolerant in many situations but that does not mean that the present pope follows the same exact historical manner of thinking. The church has gone through major reforms since its involvement in WWII. Goldhagen tries to connect the pope's relativism to Nazi racial and religious ideology. However each one differs greatly. The pope does claim that Catholicism is the only true religion however he never says that there aren't true or good aspects to other religions. Goldhagen even states that the pope called for open and sincere dialogue with other religions. Obviously Benedict feels that there is a reason to listen and learn from other religions. The Nazis on the other hand had a religious ideology that called for one supreme religion, while destroying every single aspect of all other religions. While the pope does think of Catholicism as the best religion he does not ever say it is a perfect religion, while the Nazi party felt that Christianity was the perfect religion.