@more_amalek@ChromeBarracuda Well said. You’ve accurately spotted a given for Muslims which is a schizophrenic personality prone to conspiracy theories.
Ya, I was saying this last night while reacting to it with Adam. In some ways, Islam is best understood from a modern perspective as a medieval version of Christian Identity, Anglo-Israelism, or Mormonism for Arabs. It uses all the same anachronistic copes, projecting its religion backward through history as though it had always existed in its final form. It’s just told through the perspective of Ishmael rather than the CI cope involving Japheth or Jacob/Esau.
It would be like retelling the Superman story entirely from Lex Luthor’s perspective, where the point is that Superman has lost his way and actually needs the vigor and opposition of Lex Luthor to truly fulfill his destiny. It could only be called anti-Superman in a limited sense, because Superman would still occupy the central and necessary role in the story that ends with his own redemption, but the entire literary structure would obviously be combative toward him leading up to that.
Then imagine taking that Lex Luthor version of Superman and projecting it backward onto every earlier version of the story, claiming that Luthor’s retelling had always been the true and intended version all along. The only reason people think otherwise is supposedly some vast conspiracy of mistranslations, corruptions, and coverups involving all the earlier versions. That is basically the apologetic move being made. It uses conspiracy as the lens through which all contradictory evidence is reinterpreted.
It’s bizarre to me that this works on anyone sometimes, but that might actually be part of the point. Instead of attracting rational, clear-headed people who understand chronology and historical development, it selects for people who are already schizo-brained enough to accept the entire backward projection of time. Then it operates on inertia for subsequent generations while continuing to apply those selection pressures.
Theologian JD Hall to Tucker Carlson:
The Muslim rulers didn't tax churches during the Ottoman period. They were very kind to Christians.
As a matter of fact, they took care of our holy sites. Islamic authorities rebuilt the Church of the Holy Sepulchre three different times over the centuries.
They had a law protecting Christian pilgrims on their journey. Nobody messed with the pilgrims.
In as much as the virtuous pagans who preceded Christ point to Him (Plato, Confucius, Buddha, Zoroaster, etc.), they are valuable.
But when they become figures worshipped onto themselves, they lose any value they had.
@Rurouni_Phoenix I know this is nitpicking but saying that bats are birds is NOT a mistake. Just because now we choose to classify most life according to cladistics doesn't mean ancient people were wrong to classify differently. "Bird=Bony animal that flies" is not wrong as a definition.
Top 10 Oldest Religions in the World
1. ☪️ Islam — Since Prophet Adam (AS)
2. 🕉️ Hinduism ~ 4,000 years
3. 📜 Zoroastrianism ~ 3,500 years
4. 🕎 Judaism ~ 3,000 years
5. 🌿 Shinto ~ 2,600 years
6. 🧘 Jainism ~ 2,600 years
7. 🌼 Buddhism ~ 2,500 years
8. ☯️ Taoism ~ 2,500 years
9. ⚖️ Confucianism ~ 2,500 years
10. ✝️ Christianity ~ 2,000 years
📚 Le Coran et le christianisme syriaque
Après de longues années d'attente, je suis heureux de vous informer de la publication prochaine d'un important volume : The Qurʾan and Syriac Christianity:
Recurring Themes and Motifs.
Le volume contient une série d'articles sur les nombreuses affinités entre le Coran et la littérature chrétienne syriaque.
À paraître aux éditions Brill le 26 juin prochain et en accès gratuit !