So, the argument goes like this...
How can you demonise muslims when there are extremists in all religions.
Even christianity has extremists.
Where do we see christian extremists today?
Its not where but when.
Christian extremists use to rob and pillage and rape people all the time in previous centuries.
The african slave trade was started and perpetuated by christian extremists.
Christian extremists murdered many non-christians across europe and the americas.
- - -
Many ppl who hear this argument feel that the person who states it is correct.
Even christians give a hardy amen to the muslim apologist who gives this as a rebuke to people's concern with islam.
Is there a problem with this reasoning?
Why yes, there is.
Its a glaring problem as well.
So, is there such a thing as christian extremism?
Yes... and no.
Yes, because someone can go to the extreme in their christianity.
For example, Jesus says, 'if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. If your hand causes you to sin, chop it off'
People read this and understand the seriousness of sin.
However, most ppl who read this understand that Christ isny literally saying to pluck out an eye or chop off a hand.
Especially because its not ones eye or hand that causes one to sin, but their sinful man (flesh), that causes them to sin. They are also aware that we'll never be rid of this sin nature until the ressurection.
What would a christian extremist do with this though?
They would chop off their own hand and pluck out their own eye.
They will quickly find out that doing so didnt stop the sinful desires as well.
So when Jesus says we should pray in secret in our closet, the extremist might literally only pray in an actual closet.
Is this christianity taken to its extremity?
No, its not.
This is ideas taken from christianity and twisted so that it doesnt resemble what was originally intended.
It would be the same if someone took the command for christians to die to themselves to mean they should commit suicide.
A real christian extremist would take the words of Christ to the extreme.
The problem is that everybody knows what Christ taught.
Even those who never read the bible know that Christ taught christians to love.
Have an attitude with a non-believer and they'll be quick to throw that fact in your face.
What about murdering, raping & robbing people?
Well, how can Jesus teach love and tell people to do these things.
These arent things taught by Christ so how can they be called 'christian'?
Its obvious that they cant.
However, that doesnt mean that people who claimed to be christian didnt do these things in times past.
Some even claimed that they were doing these things in the name of Christ.
Take the famous witch trials in Salem.
This phenomenon exists today.
If you talk to people on the street, you will encounter a number of people who claim to be christian and not only dont have a clue what christianity teaches, but will even describe a completely different God than the one shown in the bible.
Are these people christian?
Of course not.
And here is where the muslim apologist wants to get you to.
You see, the musim apologust knows fully well that Christ sidnt teach to rob, rape, and murder. But they are also aware that people claiming to be christians did.
And so, they want to put islam in the sane position.
They want you to have in your mind, that just like christianity, evil people took the name of islam, and committed evil acts that their religion doesnt teach.
And their proof is that they follow islam and dont do those wicked things, nor do they teach them.
Here is where they depend on the ignorance of islam within the hearer.
The reason this is the case is because the glaring problem with the argument is found in each religions book.
In christianity, each and every one of those evil acts are condemned by the christian God.
Even in the old testament, that has a lot of violence, these acts are even condemned there as well.
Jesus even spoke directly about this. That people were using the name of God to commit evil acts. He even said that people would murder christians in the name of God as well.
All the evil acts throughout history that were committed by people who claimed to be christian could not have happened if the people were actually following the bible.
As a matter of fact, when the roman catholic church was the ruling religious power, they murdered many christians who attenpted to translate the bible into common language so that the everyday person would know what it said and what it didn't say.
If these people were actually obeying the bible, there wouldn't have been any salem witch trials, african slave trade or many other despicable acts.
It's not that the bible doesn't teach it. No. The bible teaches directly against it.
The bible doesn't just say, love your neighbor, and because of that, we know not to enter into the african slave trade.
No. The bible says to love, and anybody who steals a man, that person is to be put the death.
The rapist is supposed to be put to death.
The bible even says that the death penalty cant be done just on an accusation either. There had to be two or three lines of evidence or witnesses to prove that these things happened.
Even if people joined together and framed someone and got them put to death.
If the truth was found out, those people who lied would get the death penalty themselves for purposefully sending an innocent person to their death.
The bible is consistent with its message of justice, love, and mercy.
Not just to our own either. In both the old and new testaments, people are commanded to love their people, their neighbours, and their enemies.
We're even told to go out of our way to even show love to our enemies.
On top of all that, conversion is not something that can be forced.
This isnt something that I'm just saying as though it's a modern concept.
You dont see forcrd conversions anywhere in the bible.
Old testament wars weren't fought with a 'convert or die', mentality. And christians weren't commanded to do it either.
Now, i say all of that to say this... it's not the same within the holy book of islam.
In the quran, the vast majority of the rhetoric is 'convert or die'.
It didnt start out that way either.
In the beginning, muhammed was actually peaceful.
The problem was that he was rejected by majority of those whom he brought his message.
Its when he realised that he wouldnt be accepted be being peaceful and started to murder, rob, and rape.
The quran shows muhammed doing a lot of the same acts that the ISISs of todays world are doing, and commanding all muslims to do likewise.
The quran, has the islamic god telling muhammed to do some of these things, and even giving him permission when he's not sure.
This is why the islamic "extremists" constantly point to a number of verses in the quran, as well as islamic history.
Since the inception if islam, muslims have literally been at war with everyone who isn't a believer and at times would war with each other.
Even the first crusade that was started by one of the roman catholic popes, actually began as a defensive military response against islam, as muslim had taken over country after country, by the sword.
Anybody who didnt convert to islam was either murdered or forced to pay a high tax for protection, in order to not be killed.
This is the same actions the muhammed practiced, and its clearly seen in the quran.
What makes it even worse, is that the muslims also kept a collection of sayings of muhammed. These are called hadiths.
These are supposed to be read along side the quran, as it explains much of what was going on when a verse was "revealed" to muhammed.
It details questions that people asked him, his responses to their questions, what othet groups thought of him, and many other interedting information that would help someone to understand islam and muhammed better.
Of course, each group of muslims trust some hadiths over others, but regardless if which ones you go to, they all present the muslim with problems to their religions.
This is the information that the islamic apologist is hoping you do not have.
Many people have not even read the quran, much less any of the hadith.
Being ignorant in this area then, allows the islamic apologist to place christianity and islam side by side, and say they are the same.
Both are religions that teach peace that people have hijacked and done evil in its name.
But the reality is, that that description is only actually true for christianity, not islam.
So, is there actually christian extremists in the true sense of the word?
Yes. But these "extremists" wouldnt be harming people at all because Christ doesnt teach that, but the opposite.
A christian extremist may be seen preaching the gospel to a captive audience on a bus or train - annoying the masses in the process, but thats about it.
Christ's commands to the church was not one that could be used to do evil things in the slightest. So the answer to the question is also no.
However, that is not the case with islam.
As a matter of fact, i dont even think "extremism" can be used to define the muslims who go around murdering people in the name of allah.
Why? Because muhammed commands them to do it.
So they arent actually going to extremes but are rather simply doing what they are told to do.
That is the glaring problem in this argument.
