All: I too have read and heard some interviews of Collins--though I have not yet bought his book. I plan to do so. He does indeed sound as if he is a professing Evangelical Christian. His theistic evolutionary position notwithstanding, he has been afforded an open forum to say some very profound things.
I heard your lecture on Islam at the Vision Forum conference on History. You said to the effect, "Every Islamic country that exists today was conquered through military might, violence, and coercion." I have been telling this to a lot of people. And although I believe what you said, I have been feeling pretty vulnerable not having the facts you used to backup that statement. It's a pretty startling track record of Islam: not one example of a Jonah or a St. Patrick who won the culture through love and good deeds, but all through the sword.
Someone responded recently to me by saying "Malaysia and Indonesia are two Muslim majority countries that were never invaded any Muslim armies. India remained under Islamic rule for 1000 years, but most of the ruler were secular. Emperor Akbar had Hindu wives and started his own religion. Islam spread their because of Muslim saints. If Islam spread by force, then 1000 years of rule in India and 400 years of rule in Spain should have been sufficient to convert both nations to Islam."
My questions to you are 1. Can you provide me the list of currently existing Islamic countries you had in mind when you made that statement, and can you provide the historical circumstances that led to their Islamic majority, and 2. How did Malaysia become Islamic, and 3. to what extent historically has India been under Islamic rule? I don't consider India Islamic today.
All: I too have read and heard some interviews of Collins--though I have not yet bought his book. I plan to do so. He does indeed sound as if he is a professing Evangelical Christian. His theistic evolutionary position notwithstanding, he has been afforded an open forum to say some very profound things.
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ReplyDeleteHi George,
ReplyDeleteI heard your lecture on Islam at the Vision Forum conference on History. You said to the effect, "Every Islamic country that exists today was conquered through military might, violence, and coercion." I have been telling this to a lot of people. And although I believe what you said, I have been feeling pretty vulnerable not having the facts you used to backup that statement. It's a pretty startling track record of Islam: not one example of a Jonah or a St. Patrick who won the culture through love and good deeds, but all through the sword.
Someone responded recently to me by saying "Malaysia and Indonesia are two Muslim majority countries that were never invaded any Muslim armies. India remained under Islamic rule for 1000 years, but most of the ruler were secular. Emperor Akbar had Hindu wives and started his own religion. Islam spread their because of Muslim saints. If Islam spread by force, then 1000 years of rule in India and 400 years of rule in Spain should have been sufficient to convert both nations to Islam."
My questions to you are 1. Can you provide me the list of currently existing Islamic countries you had in mind when you made that statement, and can you provide the historical circumstances that led to their Islamic majority, and 2. How did Malaysia become Islamic, and 3. to what extent historically has India been under Islamic rule? I don't consider India Islamic today.