All Comments (37)

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I am a young adult, who was raised Christian and re-committed myself to God about a month and a half ago. My pastor at Crossroads Christian Church Tony Wood, was at "Q" and talked about your message. And I am completely blown away that a man of such a completely different background, lifestyle, and religion said what you did. I find it truley a blessing that you praised Christianity, and said such a positive statement. Because when you turn on the news or read the newspaper, when Christianity is brought up it is being shunned and always put in a negative aspect, well I shouldn't say always, but the majority of the time. And I pray that one day society will view Christianity the way you have and not kick us to the curb. And I thank you for putting us out there the way you did.

Yours In Christ,

Taylor Armendariz

The Reality behind the Facade:

Mohammed was an illiterate, womanizing, lust and greed-driven, warmongering, hallucinating Arab, also had embellishing/hallucinating/ plagiarizing/"propheteering" scribal biographers who not only added "angels" and flying chariots to the koran but also a militaristic agenda to support the plundering and looting of the lands of non-believers.

Eboo, As a friend of Q and as someone who hopes to be part of this "vanguard" that shifts the perception of Christians in the larger world, I thank you. I love that you are courageous enough to engage others in thoughtful conversation via your speaking and your writing. In any grouping, there are always extremists, speaking out with hostility or negativity...but I pray the antagonists in the Christian camp are diminished by a larger consensus of love. If not now, I hope that is the direction we are moving...

Be blessed.

eboo...it was great having you at the Q conference.i so enjoyed your presentation as i know many others did too. you provoked great thought about very important issues. all the best to you. mike foster.

www.Ethur.org

Beloved community- To have a better understanding of what the Q conference was about (before assuming it bashed homosexuals or atheists), skim through the book 'Unchristian' by Dave Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons.

Eboo,
Thank you for your thoughtful and engaging talk at Q. I was there and walked away challenged, inspired, and reminded that communities of faith can make a hugely positive difference in this world as we focus more on what we're collectively FOR versus what we're against.

Sincerely,

Scott

halozcel:

Your ignorance is appalling. You never heard of the libraries of medieval Baghdad or 1,000 year old university of Al-Azhar in Egypt. You never heard of Cordoba (Spain)? You never heard of Ibne Khaldoun, Ibn Rushd (Averroes)? You never heard of Avecena (Ibn Seena)?

You are wrapped up in HATE OF Muslims and hide behind your ignorance.

Read Menocal's book. There are so many books about medieval Spain.

Anon,below post,

Only and only one book...
Yes,only one book.
Please,could you show me only one book written during so-called Golden Age of Muslim Spain about literature,science and art ?

Would you write only one Library or University coming from Medieval Spain(correct question should be indeed *does muslim know what Library is*)

You say *Muslims regard Judaism and Christianity as two great monotheistic religions*
No,terrible wrong.Islam rejects The Law and Bible,Trinity etc.

All humans are bonded together by sharing the same basic needs (food, shelter, reproduction) and secondary needs such as the need for regulating social interaction, communication, kinship, recreation, etc. The answers to the universal problems of existence constitute our culture. And there are thousands of different cultures on our planet.

One set of answers emerged from Western religions - religions that emerged on the lands west of Jerusalem - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Although Western religions are not identical and differ markedly in many details, they share a common ethos - monotheism. Islam is the youngest of these religions and Muslims regard Judaism and Christianity as two other great monotheistic religions.

Have the people of the Western religions ever lived in peace and harmony? The answer is: indeed they have. The book, "The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain" (2002: Little Brown Co.) by Yale professor, Maria Rosa Menocal, provides a good reading on the subject. In medieval Spain tolerance was often the rule and literature, science, and art flourished in a climate of cultural openness.

Thank you Eboo for your incredible words. I was the front door bouncer guy at Q , and because of my unique experience in that capacity, I can vouch for you on 2 things...

1- When you walked in that front door, you were our honored guest. We felt very honored as your hosts.

2- It was one of the deepest ovations of the conference (even louder than the one for The Fray).

Your Q words along with the warmth in this column make me proud to have been a part of this gathering. Blessings and peace along your journey.
-Big John, Jacksonville Florida

J--O--Z--E--V--Z

Do the world a favor: '
Proceed forward and attempt an airborne fornication at a torus-shaped pastry.

The beauty of that statement lies in the fact that you have not the brain cells necessary to understand it.

Get thee back to prison.

500 evangelicals expounding on Christianity continuing 2000 years of flaws, errors and mumbo jumbo especially on how to keep the "pew sitters" and "kneelers" paying for the evangelicals' fancy cars and houses.

One Muslim expounding on Islam continuing 1400 years of analogous flaws, errors and the hallucinations of an Arab madman.

Eboo, I hear you passed out buttons saying:

"No one is safe until the koran is deflawed!!!!"

Tis good that you have finally seen the light!!!

Eboo,

As always, great words of wisdom to share with us. I look forward to hearing you speak at the Compassion Forum this weekend!

Thank you Mr. Patel for being a voice of reason in a frenzied, volatile time. Our world is growing smaller partly as a result of global economics. Consequently, different nations and cultures, including religious traditions, are having to rub shoulders in ways they didn't before. Moving into the 21st century, our outlook on the world should reflect this multi-cultural interaction and embrace it, not shrink from it. You represent the positive side of that change--that people from various faiths can work together and create a better world for everyone.

"Judge" Pablo, "Judge" Pablo, "Judge" Pablo,

Hmmm, "falser teacher" I am not. I am, however, a 50 year sufferer of the Three B Syndrome, i.e. Bred, Born and Brainwashed in orthodox Catholicism but I am recovering quickly with a good dose of Reality. You should try it and then you can also scream out,

Free at Last, Free at Last!!!!!!!!

Christianity is designed to be the least demanding major religion known to man. When stripped of its supernatural elements, it is simply an acknowledgement that we all do things that are wrong, but we don't deserve to suffer for this, because there is God in us also, so as long as we forgive the sins of others, ours can be forgiven, too.

Unfortuneately, some trouble-makers came along started spreading the idea that forgiveness only comes from obeying THEIR rules. (Which are probably the 10% of Mr. Patel's speech that Mr. Colson disagrees with.)

We should all be able to live with these ideas (a lot better than the idea that we musn't insult a 6th century warlord who married a 9-year-old.)

Concerned the Non Christian Blinded by Sin,

You do not know what you are talking about and the non-believing scholars you quote do not have one shred of proof of what they are saying. They are false teachers and will receive God's wrath in full measure as will you unless you repent.

Again I think you should change your name you are not and never have been a Christian but instead you are a false teacher.

Unvarnished truth,

The unvarnished truth about Christianity:

Jesus was an illiterate Jewish peasant/carpenter/simple preacher man who suffered from hallucinations and who has been characterized anywhere from the Messiah from Nazareth to a mythical character from mythical Nazareth to a mamzer from Nazareth (Professor Bruce Chilton, in his book Rabbi Jesus). Analyses of Jesus’ life by many contemporary NT scholars (e.g. Professors Crossan, Borg and Fredriksen, On Faith panelists) via the NT and related documents have concluded that only about 30% of Jesus' sayings and ways noted in the NT were authentic. The rest being embellishments (e.g. miracles)/hallucinations made/had by the NT authors to impress various Christian, Jewish and Pagan sects.

The 30% of the NT that is "authentic Jesus" like everything in life was borrowed/plagiarized and/or improved from those who came before. In Jesus' case, it was the ways and sayings of the Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Hittites, Canaanites, OT, John the Baptizer and possibly the ways and sayings of traveling Greek Cynics. earlychristianwritings.com/theories.html

For added "pizzazz", Catholic/Christian theologians divided god the singularity into three persons and invented atonement as an added guilt trip for the "pew people" to go along with this trinity of overseers. By doing so, they made god the padre into god the "filicider".

Luther, Calvin, Smith, Henry VIII, Wesley et al, founders of Christian-based religions, also suffered from the belief in/hallucinations of "pretty wingie thingie" visits and "prophecies" for profits analogous to the myths of Catholicism (resurrections, apparitions, ascensions and immaculate conceptions).

You may be part of the community of this world but no person can be a part of the Kingdom of God unless he or she repents and believes that Jesus is the son of God who died on the cross for sin and arose from the dead to give new life. Therefore, only those who believe is Jesus as the Son of God are part of the community of Christ.

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36).

To James and Michael:

The answer is "Yes!"

Herb

Right, he agreed with 90% of what you said -- he agreed with everything, in fact, except for the essential 10% where you disagree, and will always disagree until you also become an evangelical Christian -- if you are so lucky to do so before you burn forever in hell, which is right where you are headed unless you believe just as Chuck Colson does. Isn't that about right, Mr. Colson?

Am I, a man who happens to be gay, part of the Beloved community you talk about?

Am I, an atheist, part of the Beloved community you talk about?

gobblegobble

Forward from Mr. Mark:

"Eboo Patel:

I am pleased that you are open to the active American Christian community.

My question for you is:

Where do Muslims who believe all law is based on the Qur'an fit in Western Culture (Western Civilization)?"

Best wishes.

"Eboo Patel:

I am pleased that you are open to the active American Christian community.

My question for you is:

Where do Muslims who believe all law is based on the Qur'an fit in Western Culture (Western Civilization)?"

Best wishes.

April 10, 2008 2:03 PM |

Forwarded from Mr. Mark:

"Eboo Patel:

I am pleased that you are open to the active American Christian community.

My question for you is:

Where do Muslims who believe all law is based on the Qur'an fit in Western Culture (Western Civilization)?"

Best wishes."

500 evangelicals expounding on Christianity continuing 2000 years of flaws, errors and mumbo jumbo especially on how to keep the "pew sitters" and "kneelers" paying for the evangelicals' fancy cars and houses.

One Muslim expounding on Islam continuing 1400 years of analogous flaws, errors and the hallucinations of an Arab madman.

Eboo, I hear you passed out buttons saying:

"No one is save until the koran is deflawed!!!!

Tis good that you have finally seen the light!!!

"Christian Hospitality = Christians + Muslims + Jews + Hindus + Buddhists - (Atheists + Agnostics)"

I think you're being unfair to the Hindus and Buddhists. To an Evangelical, they're *almost* as bad as a free thinker.

Christian Hospitality = Christians + Muslims + Jews + Hindus + Buddhists - (Atheists + Agnostics)

I'm sure you all came to agree that homosexuals are the scourge of the earth. How nice you could all agree on something.

I would agree that people of all faiths and no faith are better off if we can focus on our similarities and not our differences. Unfortunately, I doubt the Q gathering was what it seemed. If Evangelical Christians and Muslims are ever able to work together, it will only be because they have a mutual enemy that they hate more than each other.

Eboo,

What a wonderful post. I believe we have an obligation to love one another and agree to disagree. I'm very glad to hear that we in all walks of life, faiths, doctrine need to understand the importance of reconciling the world in love expressing itself through faith.

Dear Mr. Patel

I once heard someone say that when Protestants and Catholics criticize each other, each compares their own best theological belief to the other's worst practice. And so, of course, each has some higher value, and each has some bad practices.

Don't you think that this is also true in all religious disagreements? I think that Christians and Muslims argue this way, too.

Ah, "“the church’s role in positively engaging culture”. Yeah. But what is culture?

Culture - shallow saucer containing jell with things growing in it.

Dear Eboo,
Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad to hear that you had such a positive reception at the Q conference. It sounds like it was an exciting place to be and filled with a lot of positive energy. Thanks for stepping out and engaging my faith community. All the best.

Sincerely,

Nick