# Professor at CHristian college suspended for her outspoken support of Muslims **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 17, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651 "2015-12-17T01:11:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/201 "2015-12-23T00:31:13Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Not for Muslims. I have clearly been limiting the case to Christians. > [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Okay, I guess my bias against actually believing this stuff is showing. You do not have to a Christian in order to to learn the facts about Christian doctrine. > [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > My overall point was that Muslims can worship God, and revere Jesus, just fine without having to be Christians. I agree, with the understanding that “revere” does not mean worship in the sense that a god is worshiped. Has anyone in this thread disagreed? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/202 "2015-12-23T01:26:30Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > > [@Nelson\_Pike](#): > > > > There is no distinction between “Jesus” and “Christ”. “Jesus Christ” is the traditional full name. > > Not for Muslims. And you know this… how? In fact, your statement is completely wrong. The Qur’an and Hadith consistently give his name and title as ‘Isa al-Masih. ‘Isa=Jesus, and al-Masih=the Messiah. You can see the Semitic cognate between Masih and Messiah. Messiah is synonymous with Christ. So Muslims do call him exactly “Jesus Christ” in Arabic. > [@](#): > > Okay, I guess my bias against actually believing this stuff is showing. My overall point was that Muslims can worship God, and revere Jesus, just fine without having to be Christians. I agree with _this_ 100%. Maybe just stick to the big picture and cool it on the details? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/203 "2015-12-23T14:25:05Z")
I think some people are confusing Islam with Gnosticism, some of whose sects taught that the God of the Old Testament was not the same God as Jesus, with all that stuff about the Demiurge and so forth. That was pretty explicitly rejected by the Church. Islam didn’t exist until hundreds of years after Christianity, so the early fathers never got a chance to react to it until after church doctrine was settled. (I know that Muslims would object, saying that Islam existed from the beginning of time.) But that means that Muslims would agree that their God is the same as the God of the Old Testament. That’s why Christianity and Islam and Judaism are thought of as Abrahamic faiths. All worship the God of Abraham. Judaism is the earliest religion, and worshipped (eventually) one God. Christianity then came along, and identifed Jesus as one with that one God. Islam came along last of all, and identified themselves as worshipping that one God as well, but Christianity said that Jesus is one of the Persons of the Trinity and Islam said He wasn’t, and that Muhammed was the last prophet and the final revelation. But all three religions agree on who they are worshipping. Wheaton College is wrong, IOW. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/204 "2015-12-23T14:26:56Z")
How _can_ they be wrong? It’s _their_ doctrine. ---
**Author:** ![Jayhawker\_Soule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@Jayhawker\_Soule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayhawker_Soule)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/205 "2015-12-23T16:31:24Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > How _can_ they be wrong? It’s _their_ doctrine. No, it’s their chosen interpretation of what constitutes a violation of a policy statement - chosen interpretation rather than necessary inference. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/206 "2015-12-23T16:41:46Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Emphasis added. > > Have they actually said this or are you assuming it based on logical consistency? Because apparently they have never taken a formal stance on this issue before this controversy. There is nothing _explicit_ in the Wheaton [statement of faith](http://www.wheaton.edu/About-Wheaton/Statement-of-Faith-and-Educational-Purpose) that mentions Islam at all. It only follows if you accept that argument that a Triune God cannot be reconciled with other Abrahamic conceptions of the nature of God, which obviously is a philosophical debate - apparently Wheaton had invited a speaker who believes otherwise to give a guest lecture back in 2011. > > If Wheaton applies that logic equally to Jews, Unitarian Christians and other like Baha’i, I guess they are at least being consistent. But again the question is do they or are you just assuming they do? It will be interesting to see if/how Dr Hawkins defends herself. I don’t see much point in us outsiders arguing whether Wheaton’s statement of faith which affirms the deity of Jesus is at odds with a statement that Muslims worship the same God when Islam denies the deity of Jesus. I will say that her defense needs to be more robust that quoting Francis, since whatever Catholics think would have absolutely no weight at Wheaton. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/207 "2015-12-23T16:51:08Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And as I, someone who was raised Evangelical Christian, have told you, you are wrong. I was always taught that Jewish people worship the same God I do. It is an important part of our belief system that Israel will eventually realize that Jesus is their Messiah and join us in Christ’s millennial reign. LOL. Until Jews recognize Jesus as fully God, they aren’t worshiping the same God as Christians. Yahweh is the same guy in both; Jesus is not. And regardless of “how you were raised,” or who told you what, the God in the statement of faith from Wheaton is a triune God within which Jesus Christ is fully God. I think in practice, there is a closer kinship Christians feel to Jews, because, after all, Christians pretty much swiped Yahweh and modified him–giving him a son and a holy spirit component that are fully God. On the other hand, for Christians, Islam took their version of Yahweh and stripped out Jesus and the holy spirit as integral parts of God. So Christians are less inclined to be charitable about statements Muslims make (Muslims changed the Christian God) than statements Jews make (Christians changed the Jewish God). Hey; I’m not pretending any of this is fair, equitable or non-hypocritical. It’s not my system to defend. I’m just letting you know that a Jew who does not believe in the deity of Jesus does not, by the Wheaton statement of faith, believe in the same God as Christians even if Christians are laxer toward Jews than Muslims when it comes to statements about the God they believe in. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/208 "2015-12-23T16:55:03Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Christianity does not consider Jesus to “be God.” > > Christianity added some new layers on the Jewish God, but it never changed him into something else. Same for Islam. It’s not a question of what “Christianity” thinks. It’s a question here of what the Wheaton statement of faith says. It’s been quoted above, but let me [refresh your memory](http://www.wheaton.edu/About-Wheaton/Statement-of-Faith-and-Educational-Purpose): \* “WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, was true God and true man, existing in one person and without sin; and we believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there for us as Lord of all, High Priest, and Advocate.”\* ---
**Author:** ![Jayhawker\_Soule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@Jayhawker\_Soule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayhawker_Soule)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/209 "2015-12-23T16:55:48Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > I think in practice, there is a closer kinship Christians feel to Jews, because, … Ironically, Judaism traditionally holds that Islam stands closer to it than does Christianity. So, for example, a Jew would be allowed to pray in a mosque but not in a Christian church. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/210 "2015-12-23T16:59:29Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I’ve dealt with a number of private “Christian” Colleges, and what I’ve noticed is that their biggest fear is that their rich donors will start giving to The Santorum Sanitarium or Bibles For Burma or some other cause instead. > > The Powers That Be live every day in fear that a donor or two will get pissed off about something the school is doing. Worse if the school looks like heretics. > > One anecdote, partly to lighten up this thread: Some students got in trouble for putting up a sign during Frosh Week: “Official Freshman Girls Drop-Off Site”, in front of what was functionally a frat house. Well, yes, there were guys in speedos in lounge chairs with umbrella drinks hooting at all the mini-vans with freshman girls. > > In his Very Sternly Delivered Lecture to the lads, the college president admitted that he was “literally scared that one of those parents might turn out to be a big donor”. > > So, a teacher in the classroom might stay under the radar, but a teacher on social media might get noticed by rich evangelical donors, who are not known for being open-minded. My guess is that this was a big part of hWheaton’s reaction. One suspects Wheaton is not alone in worrying about offending donors. But in fairness, the reason the donors might take offense here is because the position taken by Dr Hawkins is so at odds with the statement of faith those same donors are donating to protect and promote. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/211 "2015-12-23T17:01:00Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > In any event, it still doesn’t matter - two (or three) religions can worship the same God but not have the same beliefs about that God. Are you sure you are not lance Orwell? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/212 "2015-12-23T17:05:47Z")
> [@Jayhawker\_Soule](#): > > Ironically, Judaism traditionally holds that Islam stands closer to it than does Christianity. So, for example, a Jew would be allowed to pray in a mosque but not in a Christian church. Not hard to understand, though… Yahweh was expanded by Christians to include two more components: Jesus Christ and the holy spirit. Muslims stripped out the trinity back to a one-guy show, so at least their monotheism is closer to that of the Jews than the Christians. As to what constitutes “the same God,” see Orwell. Once your God tells you to elevate Mohammed’s message from God above all the prophets before, is it the same God anymore? Depends on who you ask, and how much double-speak you are interested in tolerating. ---
**Author:** ![Jayhawker\_Soule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@Jayhawker\_Soule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayhawker_Soule)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/213 "2015-12-23T17:31:43Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > I will say that her defense needs to be more robust that quoting Francis, since whatever Catholics think would have absolutely no weight at Wheaton. I get no sense that Dr. Hawkins is seeking a ‘defense.’ ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/214 "2015-12-23T22:19:00Z")
Welcome to the boards, **Jayhawker Soule** , and thank you for your thoughtful posts and intelligent perspective in this thread. **Chief Pedant** , are you an evangelical or of an evangelical background? I’m not sure you understand how big a deal it is to some Christians to have their god be the god of the Old Testament and the same as the Jewish god (even if they think Jews are doing their own religion wrong). It’s a pretty short skip to considering the Muslim tradition merely a heretical offshoot of the same Abrahamic tradition. Now, it could be imagined that the “angel” who talked to Mohammed was actually a deceiver, a djinni or a devil perhaps. But does that mean that a Muslim praying to “Allah” is not heard by the same god as a Christian praying to same? ---
**Author:** ![Jayhawker\_Soule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@Jayhawker\_Soule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayhawker_Soule)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/215 "2015-12-23T23:05:05Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Welcome to the boards, **Jayhawker Soule** , and thank you for your thoughtful posts and intelligent perspective in this thread. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/216 "2015-12-24T07:35:05Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > “WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary…” Interesting. When Muslims were being persecuted in Mecca, groups of them migrated to Ethiopia and were given refuge by the Christian Negus (king). When a delegation of Meccans traveled there to get the Negus to expel the Muslims from his protection, the king summoned them to explain what they were about. Ja‘far ibn Abī Tālib spoke for the Muslims. He asked Ja‘far: “Do you have with you something of what your Prophet brought concerning God?” “Yes,” replied Ja‘far. “Then recite it to me,” requested the Negus. Ja‘far recited for him the portion of [Surat Maryam](https://books.google.com/books?id=sKdkrXhrjrcC&lpg=PA21&vq=19%20Mary&lr&pg=PA331#v=onepage&q&f=false) that tells the story of Mary giving birth to Jesus. The Negus was moved to tears and said to the Muslims: “The message of your Prophet and that of Jesus came from the same source.” That wasn’t all. Next the Meccans accused the Muslims of slandering Jesus. Again the Negus summoned them to explain, asking “What do you say about Jesus, the son of Mary?” Ja‘far said: “Regarding him, we only say what has been revealed to our Prophet.” "What is that? asked the Negus. Ja‘far replied: “Our Prophet says that Jesus is the servant of God and His Prophet, **His spirit** and **His word** which He cast into Mary the Virgin.” The Negus exclaimed: “By God, Jesus the son of Mary was exactly as your Prophet has described him.” He turned to the Muslims and said: “Go, for you are safe and secure. Whoever obstructs you will pay for it and whoever opposes you will be punished. For, by God, I would rather not have a mountain of gold than that any of you should come to any harm.” [Cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_to_Abyssinia): _[Sirat Ibn Ishaq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Ishaq)_. Knowledge of such things is essential if anyone is to comment on Islam in relation to Christianity and wishes to be taken seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/217 "2015-12-24T12:32:57Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Interesting. > > When Muslims were being persecuted in Mecca, groups of them migrated to Ethiopia and were given refuge by the Christian Negus (king). When a delegation of Meccans traveled there to get the Negus to expel the Muslims from his protection, the king summoned them to explain what they were about. Ja‘far ibn Abī Tālib spoke for the Muslims. > > He asked Ja‘far: “Do you have with you something of what your Prophet brought concerning God?” “Yes,” replied Ja‘far. “Then recite it to me,” requested the Negus. > > Ja‘far recited for him the portion of [Surat Maryam](https://books.google.com/books?id=sKdkrXhrjrcC&lpg=PA21&vq=19%20Mary&lr&pg=PA331#v=onepage&q&f=false) that tells the story of Mary giving birth to Jesus. The Negus was moved to tears and said to the Muslims: “The message of your Prophet and that of Jesus came from the same source.” > > That wasn’t all. Next the Meccans accused the Muslims of slandering Jesus. Again the Negus summoned them to explain, asking “What do you say about Jesus, the son of Mary?” Ja‘far said: “Regarding him, we only say what has been revealed to our Prophet.” "What is that? asked the Negus. > > Ja‘far replied: “Our Prophet says that Jesus is the servant of God and His Prophet, **His spirit** and **His word** which He cast into Mary the Virgin.” > > The Negus exclaimed: “By God, Jesus the son of Mary was exactly as your Prophet has described him.” He turned to the Muslims and said: “Go, for you are safe and secure. Whoever obstructs you will pay for it and whoever opposes you will be punished. For, by God, I would rather not have a mountain of gold than that any of you should come to any harm.” [Cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_to_Abyssinia): _[Sirat Ibn Ishaq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Ishaq)_. > > Knowledge of such things is essential if anyone is to comment on Islam in relation to Christianity and wishes to be taken seriously. Uh…I don’t want to embarrass you–well; I guess I do–but in general when you quote, it’s best to make a full quote. I even took the time to underline “true God” for you in the Wheaton statement of faith. Wheaton’s statement of faith affirms that, and it is a requirement that faculty sign off on that doctrine. Muslims do not accept that. I’m not sure what a local tale in Ethiopia has to do with Wheaton’s assertion that Jesus is true God. And I’m not sure how many mullahs you’d get to agree that Islam considers Jesus true God. If Larycia Hawkins tries to use your anecdote, I rather suspect the same fine point will come up: Do Muslims think Jesus is true God? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/218 "2015-12-24T12:43:57Z")
> [@Jayhawker\_Soule](#): > > I get no sense that Dr Hawkins is seeking a ‘defense.’ Then you haven’t been following the story. She has been suspended and Wheaton proposes to strip her of tenure, if not her job. Dr Hawkins [intends to defend herself](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-wheaton-college-hijab-larycia-hawkins-1223-met-20151222-story.html). Dr Hawkins\* "said she will not accept a proposal offered by the college to teach again next fall that would revoke her tenure for at least two years. She said the college appears to be moving toward termination, meanwhile she has rejected suggestions to resign. “I was naively thinking they wanted to cooperate,” she said. “I have tenure, and I have to fight for that.”\* In the article it sounds like she is not interested in defending her theological position further than she has already, and one suspects that if Wheaton then terminates her, the next defense will be in court. But I don’t see her just rolling over and leaving, at least without a settlement. She is planning to defend herself one way or another, I believe. If I had to bet (we can revisit this in June or so), it will be a monetary settlement for Dr. Hawkins, for a probably undisclosed amount, in a private agreement. They’ll pay her to walk quietly, and she’s not so interested in her promoting her agenda at Wheaton that she would refuse real money. This fight has been brewing for a while…she will take the money and go. Shouldn’t take more than a few months so she can start teaching somewhere else in the fall for the new school year. ---
**Author:** ![Jayhawker\_Soule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@Jayhawker\_Soule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayhawker_Soule)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/219 "2015-12-24T13:23:56Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > Then you haven’t been following the story. Thanks for the update. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651/220 "2015-12-24T21:15:39Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > Uh…I don’t want to embarrass you–well; I guess I do–but in general when you quote, it’s best to make a full quote. I even took the time to underline “true God” for you in the Wheaton statement of faith. Wheaton’s statement of faith affirms that, and it is a requirement that faculty sign off on that doctrine. Muslims do not accept that. > > I’m not sure what a local tale in Ethiopia has to do with Wheaton’s assertion that Jesus is true God. And I’m not sure how many mullahs you’d get to agree that Islam considers Jesus true God. > > If Larycia Hawkins tries to use your anecdote, I rather suspect the same fine point will come up: Do Muslims think Jesus is true God? I’m unpersuaded by your argument because it’s seriously incoherent. It’s so far removed from the actual question that it isn’t even wrong. What you dismiss as “a local tale in Ethiopia” has far-reaching major significance, as it is the starting point for the entirety of Muslim-Christian relations. It shows that from the beginning Christians accepted that Muslims worship the same Godhead and shared similar beliefs. In Islam, Jesus is the Messiah and the Word. You haven’t begun to address these facts. If doctrinal or theological differences produce different “Gods,” then the 40,000 different Christian sects are worshiping up to 40,000 different “Gods,” which is why your argument can’t hold any water. This sort of thing is why I quickly weary of theological debates. It all crumbles into incoherence in the absence of primary agreement on certain shared premises. Without first agreeing to share any premises, the different arguments cannot even engage one another in any significant way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-at-christian-college-suspended-for-her-outspoken-support-of-muslims/740651.md?page=12)