[QUOTE=nyinkartist;237654]I have noticed that the Pope is often referred to as his holiness, much like Buddhist use when speaking of the Dali Lama.  I have also heard Pope Benedict referred to as Magnificent.  I wonder first if we are placing too much emphasis on a human being, creating an "Earthly God" almost.  To my understanding Mahatma Gandhi never liked the Mahatma as it was a title of stature such as Christ when referring to Jesus.  The Dali Lama has on repeated occasion said that he is "just a simple monk."  Do we long for an impeccable leader of flesh and bone to fill the gap in our faith that falls between the earth and what lies beyond.[/quote]

I wouldn't worry too much about titles.  Because we call the pope or the Dali Lama, "holiness" isn't meant as an affirmation that these particular people are holy (though I believe in most cases they are), just as when we call a judge, your honor, we are not implying that he or she is honorable.  Titles such as these are simply a means of showing respect to the office (as opposed to the person).  While some could argue that these titles give people a big ego, I believe the opposite is true.  For the humble person, a title like "Your Holiness"  can remind that person of what they are called to be as a spiritual leader - holy.  Just as the Dali Lama has on repeated occasions said that he is "just a simple monk,"  Pope Benedict XVI has stated that he is just "a simple worker in the vineyard of the Lord." 

[QUOTE=nyinkartist;237654]I also wonder how dangerous it is to have one person with absolute opinion.  I wonder how capable they are being human, at keeping their personal judgments as separate from the determinations of a religious position.[/quote]

I can't speak for other religions or Christian bodies, but with respect to Catholicism, the pope is bound by the sacred teachings of the Church, what we call the Deposit of Faith.  There is far more a pope can't change than he can.  And while he has universal authority in the Church by his position as bishop of Rome, he most often only exercises it in conjunction with the rest of the world's bishops after careful examination of an issue.   In matters of faith and morals, we also believe that God himself protects the Church from teaching error.

[QUOTE=nyinkartist;237654]With fundamentalists believing and openly claiming that Hurricane Katrina was not only created by God but used to punish the immoral.

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/174/story_17439_1.html

There is no "love they neighbor" in that comment, just hate, pure hate and a sense of self importance.  If he had said God created Katrina to punish a race or religion, how would we react then.  I have to ask how do we know where the line is drawn between normal beliefs of a religion and extremists who border on a cult.  I would think that it is the duty of our religious leaders to be examples but how can we be assured that they aren't just extremists themselves.[/quote]

Are these people following the teachings of their religion's founder?  Would Christ have written that article?  Would the Buddha? Again, speaking as a Catholic, I don't worry too much about this because, in my religion, we have not only the Bible to guide us but the Sacred Tradition of the Church, the witness of the faithful going back 2000 years, and the living teaching office of the Church, known as the Magisterium, which is the official interpreter of the Deposit of Faith.  The Catholic Church has a very clear, detailed statement of belief (it's contained in a 1000+ page book known as the Catechism of the Catholic Church which is freely available to the world online).   All of these things act as checks and balances to extremism.  A recent example illustrating this is the matter of Fr. Feeney.  He was a Catholic priest living in the 20th century that was teaching that one must be a baptized Catholic in order to go to heaven.  As this is totally against what the Church teaches, the Vatican asked Feeney to stop teaching this.  When Feeney refused he was excommunicated.

[QUOTE=nyinkartist;237654]It makes me wonder how peace will be possible when so many are determined to see violence as the worlds true currency.[/QUOTE]

In Christ's Sermon on the Mount he states "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?  So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits" (Mt. 7:15-20).

Do these people who claim to follow God create love and peace with their words and actions or do they create violence, hatred and intolerance?  This is how we know the extremist - by their fruits.