Man of the moment: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Man of the moment: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Posted on June 24th, 2009 by Sean Cunningham

Faith is a test. As a Catholic, I was asked to believe in Papal infallibility even as the Church actively protected pedophile priests. Now Iran’s Supreme leader instructs his people to accept they had an honest presidential election, even as the government concedes there are at least 50 cities where there were more votes cast than actual voters. And that’s as it should be. It’s simple to believe something clearly accurate — where’s the challenge in that? — but to embrace a thing that’s demonstrably wrong requires a leap of faith separating the truly devout from the casual follower. It’s possible the recent international humiliation will lead Iran to shove their Ayatollah into the shadows. But if he survives with his power intact, it’s a reminder that in the battle between faith and reason, irrational dogma still holds its own.

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