njlauren -> RE: Can a Muslim Scholar Write About Christianity? (7/31/2013 10:16:00 PM)
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ORIGINAL: Kirata ~ FR ~ While Ms. Green rather obviously took offense at Aslan's book, approached the interview with a chip on her shoulder, and behaved in a rude and indefensible way, there is something to be said for casting a jaundiced eye upon it. Aslan is best known for his earlier work, "No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam," in which he glorifies the Medina verses and dismisses Islam's excesses by attributing them to "misinterpretation" and a reaction to "Western Imperialism." Imagine, if you will, an author who writes a Christian apologetic that makes its centerpeice the Sermon on the Mount and attributes the Spanish Inquisition to "misinterpretation" and a reaction to the Muslim conquest of Spain. If that same author, who of course only just "happens" to be Christian, next writes a book portraying the prophet Mohammed as a pedophiliac liar who suffered hallucinations, would you need a map? It would be slammed as a hatchet job, and "Zealot" is no different. Christ was about as far from being a zealot as you can possibly get, and manifestly not imbued with "a fervent nationalism that made resistance to the Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews." Aslan holds no doctorates in either history or religion. He teaches Creative Writing, and "Zealot" is right up his alley. Fortunately, neither the Roman Pontiff nor the Archbishop of Canterbury are likely to issue a "fatwa" calling for his death, and we will not be troubled by hordes of frothing Christians raging at the insult to their Christ. K. Um, Kirata, I guess you haven't read many apologetics written by Catholic Scholars, who do just what you are talking about, seriously, that the inquisition wasn't as bad as you think it was, that millions weren't killed in the burning times, that the church was constantly fighting against the muslim invasion of Europe, all kinds of excuses. As far as who Jesus was, no one really knows, and one thing historians are certain of is that the Jesus in the bible has to a certain extent been fictionalized, made beatific and pure (since being human would take away from the God thing). Among other things, the Romans would not have executed Christ because of what some Jewish priest said, the Romans didn't respect Judaism enough to do that, they executed Christ because he was a political threat.....there is evidence that Christ was a lot more then is let on by the NT, so he may not be far off.
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