A Common Word Resulting in Some Common Cowardice
December 3rd, 2007 at 04:48pm Mark Noonan
What is A Common Word? An open letter penned by some Moslem scholars detailing some of the similarities between Islam and Christianity and asking that we all come together for the peace of the world? It is an admirable statement in every sense of the word. What is the common cowardice? This response by some Christian scholars:
As members of the worldwide Christian community, we were deeply encouraged and challenged by the recent historic open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world. A Common Word Between Us and You identifies some core common ground between Christianity and Islam which lies at the heart of our respective faiths as well as at the heart of the most ancient Abrahamic faith, Judaism. Jesus Christ’s call to love God and neighbour was rooted in the divine revelation to the people of Israel embodied in the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). We receive the open letter as a Muslim hand of conviviality and cooperation extended to Christians worldwide. In this response we extend our own Christian hand in return, so that together with all other human beings we may live in peace and justice as we seek to love God and our neighbours.
Muslims and Christians have not always shaken hands in friendship; their relations have sometimes been tense, even characterized by outright hostility. Since Jesus Christ says, “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye” (Matthew 7:5), we want to begin by acknowledging that in the past (e.g. in the Crusades) and in the present (e.g. in excesses of the “war on terror”) many Christians have been guilty of sinning against our Muslim neighbours. Before we “shake your hand” in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world.
It is, indeed, right and proper that we ask our Moslem brothers and sisters to forgive us for any sins we have done against them - but the open letter from the Moslems wasn’t asking for us to beg forgiveness, and neither did the Moslems beg forgiveness for their many sins against Christians. It was a manly (if we’re permitted to use such a word in 2007), straightforward appeal to shared values…and it was responded to in the manner a lickspittle slave would use towards his master. Any wise Moslem - like any wise Christian - knows there are unsettled accounts between Christianity and Islam; but it is not a requirement that anyone deal with them. If we owe an apology for what happened in Jerusalem in 1099, Islam owes an apology for what happened in Constantinople in 1453 - and so on and on and on. Offering their absurd apology up front entirely defeats any real good designed by A Common Word. There will be a curl of contempt on the lips of Islamo-fascists everywhere as they see Christians abase themselves before even moderate Moslems…the Islamo-fascists can dream about what we’ll do for them when they become our masters, as they are sure they’ll eventually be, given our unwillingness to be forthright about ourselves.
This is the time for real men and real women to act properly and as is fitting for stern times - it is time we firmly set aside the soft sludge of late 20th century political correctness. Our brothers and sisters in Islam don’t want to deal with slaves, they want to deal with men and women who have some spirit in them. If we’re to act like slaves, then we might as well become slaves - but if we act like we’ve got some guts, then the people of the Moslem world will meet us on the level and, differences aside, we’ll find a way develope a workable relationship. I hope some Christians who are better grounded in Our Lord’s teachings will re-respond to those fine Moslem scholars, and let them know that we’re not entirley a bunch of milksops over here.
Entry Filed under: Foreign Affairs, Religion, War on Terror
13 Comments
1. Ricorun | December 3rd, 2007 at 5:08 pm
So much for the Lord’s Prayer.
2. neocon | December 3rd, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Why couldn’t they have stopped after the first paragraph? It would have been perfect.
The “excesses of the war on terror”??
Puhlease.
3. Rhymes With Right | December 3rd, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Actually, they would owe us apologies for what happened to Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria in the seventh century, as well the thriving Christian circle of Christendom that encircled the Mediterranean for a couple of centuries before birth of the false prophet of Islam.
4. What? | December 3rd, 2007 at 7:22 pm
OMG!
I partially agree with Mark. Blizzards must be freezing hell over as we speak.
“Any wise Moslem - like any wise Christian - knows there are unsettled accounts between Christianity and Islam; but it is not a requirement that anyone deal with them.”
I would take it further. Apologizing for something that happened centuries ago accomplishes nothing. How could anyone have sore feelings about these things? How could anyone hold modern followers of Christianty or Islam persoanlly responsible for those distant acts. Anyone who does will never be satisfied with an apology. The only reason they bring it up as something that requires an apology would be to justify their current or past actions.
5. phnx | December 3rd, 2007 at 7:35 pm
The letter from Muslim scholars was a call for Christians to jointhem and to deny the diety of Christ.
The response from Christian scholars was a response of weakness and lack of conviction. This is not surprising since the majority of those signing the repsonse were faculty members of divinity schools, well know for their skepticism regading the divinity of Christ.
6. Canuckguy | December 3rd, 2007 at 8:25 pm
You got that right Neocon, my thoughts exactly. The last two sentences of the part posted here are absolute drivel.
7. Eric T | December 3rd, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Like neacon said it had a nice start. Then goes into how they need forgiveness from Allah before shaking our hand in peace. Innocent lives lost is a tragedy, But a result of the war that was brought on by Osama bin Laden and his followers. They have brought death to many innocent people all over the world. They flew the planes into our buildings. Our response to that event would be like the one out of the book of Joel 3:9
“Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near: let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your prunninghooks into spears.
And that is where we are at. If they want peace. Ecclesiastes 3:8 A time to love, a time to hate, a time for war, a time for peace.
Whether it lasts a day, a few weeks, or a few years. I think we can arrange that, but we need some of the Al Qaida leadership handed over. They need to assist us in bringing these men to justice to save innocent lives of all peoples, of all faiths who are victims of Al Qaida spreading Holy War. To let this issue go unresolved will bring Matthew 24:7 “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes.”
8. sleepygene | December 3rd, 2007 at 8:51 pm
O/T but are you going to have a post about the recent NIE and the state department hiring Paul Wolfiwitz (sp?) as a WMD expert? Interesting topics topics both and kind of related.
9. Male Zampolit--Dittohead4Life!!! | December 3rd, 2007 at 10:32 pm
O/T but are you going to have a post about the recent NIE and the state department hiring Paul Wolfiwitz (sp?) as a WMD expert?
Why, sleazyjean, so you can resort to your usual crap? That is to say, gloating? That’s all you want to do, so why don’t you start your own blog, asshat, and gloat away. What a jerk…
10. What? | December 3rd, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Ah Dittohead,
It’s people like you that make us gloat.
We do it out of a need to see the eloquence of your repsonse.
11. Male Zampolit--Dittohead4Life!!! | December 4th, 2007 at 4:59 am
It’s people like you that make us gloat.
It’s people like you who make me sick, with your lock-step rhetoric, and your poor writing skills. I thought you kooks were all educated…
12. MJ | December 4th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Mark’s incitement and the stupidity of yes-men like “Rhymes With Right” is exactly what the enlightened authors were avoiding.
Chest-thumping, that most primitive of social interactions is exactly what leads God’s children to find pointless reasons to differentiate themselves, so that it can be politically possible to go to war.
Stop thumping and read your bibles. I wish Jesus had been more explicit in his explanation of fair conduct towards others.
I am sure that Mark and his friends will be sent to hell for their promotion of animosity and war with God’s Muslim children. Jesus taught us so much better than this.
13. What? | December 4th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Actually Dittohead,
“That” can denote both people and objects.
Have a great day!