I just listened to a presentation by Ms. Irshad Manji (“The Trouble with Islam Today”). She is a Canadian, Muslim rationalist, challenging Muslims to question their faith. Her book is a good, fast read. I’ve seen Ms. Hirsan Ali on C-Span. She is an apostate, social scientist, and devastating critic of Islam. I learned in many settings that if you are betting against women, especially moms, you are probably making a losing bet.
Mr. Miraj injects into the thread the usual Muslim anti-Christian talking points: no Trinity in the Bible, etc. Actually all Christian doctrines are explicit or highly implicit in the Bible. Exploring these is part of the fun of being a Christian. The self-sacrifice of the Son is a mystery of profound depth, an endless source of meaning and occasion for meditation and prayer. (The problem for Islam, in contrast, is the usual dynastic one in which there are family claimants to power and authority, resulting in Sunni-Shia discord, etc.)
Miraj makes the usual point, to turn to another item, that Allah is One. Is Allah One? John of Damascus said, “Then ask a Muslim how the Koran, which is eternal according to Muslims, can be co-existent with Allah. The Muslim will run away in disgust with you.” Is God One? Well, yes. And Christians are just more willing to dwell on the mystery that Muslim run away from: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” etc.
About Christian savagery? Yes, but we see eventually that Jesus leads us away from self-serving savagery, e.g. slavery. It’s hard to justify nastiness by invoking the teachings of Jesus. The Crusades? Mainly a response to Muslim attacks on pilgrims to the Holy Land, with the usual hope for profit larded into the motivation.
This thread has been fun to read. Thank you, everyone, for posting!
As the Tibetans say: Lha-gyal-lo—–Victory to the gods!
