Dean's World

Defending the liberal tradition in history, science, and philosophy.

Apologies

I was being silly in my previous post on the moral roots of Islam, and a few of you didn't understand that I was just teasing you. So let me make this clearer:

You can argue with me all you want over whether Islam is inherently violent, inherently dangerous, inherently oppressive, etc. But why? If you really have questions, if you really seek the truth, why not go talk to an actual muslim? One who's actually studied his faith deeply and who is willing to engage in both apologetics* and open dialogue?

Why talk about me and what I say? If you think this guy's a liar and a fool, and I'm a fool to listen to him, why not enter into discussion with him? What, are you afraid he'll bite you?

(* "Apologetics" is not a bad word. See this definition.)

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Jesse Hill (mail):
What, are you afraid he'll bite you?

No, blow me up....



Sorry, sorry... couldn't resist.
5.4.2005 11:06am
IB Bill (mail) (www):
Apology accepted.
5.4.2005 11:27am
Ted Armstrong (mail):
As a student of Christian apologetics I didn't know there were any Muslim apologists. I have heard debates between atheists and Christians but not between Muslims and Christians.
5.4.2005 2:31pm
Tom Hawkson:
Dean,

You ask why discuss with you and not with him, right? I have a simple explanation. We like discussing things with you. It's why we come here.

Yours,
Wince, aka Tom Hawkson
5.4.2005 2:56pm
IB Bill (mail) (www):
And by the way I want the moderates / reformers to win an internal battle within Islam. If they want to be serious about living in peace with neighbors, setting up democracies and free societies and insisting that their religion can compete in the marketplace of ideas based on its own merits, hey, more power to 'em. If they want to get rid of the conversion by the sword, dhimmitude and cultural destruction, I'm in favor of it. If they still want to call it Islam, hey, great.
5.4.2005 4:57pm
Donald S. Crankshaw (mail) (www):
Just to second your footnote: apologetics is not a bad word. It's from the Greek apologia, meaning "verbal defense," sometimes taken more simply to mean "explanation." It's a compound of two words, apo meaning "from" and logos, meaning reason.

Which is why I find it amusing that some people say it's not a real apology if you try to defend or explain your actions in any way. Actually, it's not a real apology unless you try to defend or explain your actions in some way.
5.4.2005 9:36pm
Dean Esmay:
Thanks guys. Sorry if my snottiness was taken as more than the nose-tweaking it was intended to be.
5.5.2005 8:47am
Tom Hawkson:
Donald,

So from now on I'll just say "I'm sorry".

Yours,
Wince, aka Tom Hawkson
5.5.2005 6:40pm