To: 
From: "Vern Humphrey" 
Reply-To: r_catholic-l{at}yahoogroups.com

To: seanmbrook{at}aol.com [mailto:seanmbrook{at}aol.com]
> >
> > VH> Note your words, "Manifest error."  That is a
term that implies
> > patronizing
> > the opposition.
> > >
>  First, I'm speaking to YOU, a fellow Catholic.  We can
>  be frank speaking with each other.  Second, I do TRY
>  to avoid any "patronizing."  Instead of "manifest error,"
>  I might say things like "We Christians believe Muslims
>  err in denying the divinity of Christ."  Any real discus-
>  sion will have to include saying why we believe each
>  other to be wrong.

Okay -- although I wouldn't want to accuse anyone of error.  I'd rather
say, "We Catholics believe in the Divnity of Christ because . .
."
>
> >
> > We are not Savonarolas, we are Saint Francis of Assissi.
> >
>  Certainly!  No objection.  A better example might be
>  the Spaniard Ramon Lully.  He devoted his life after
>  about 1270 to evangelization of Muslims.

Would the Church had followed through.
>
> > SMB> I have tried to be always civil when discussing or
> > > debating with Muslims.  It is possible to be tough
> > > without being nasty.  And some have said things
> > > like, "Sean disagrees with us, but he is not disres-
> > > pectful."
> >
> > VH> As long as they say that, you can't be wrong.
> > >
>  Thanks!  But not all Muslims agreed with the more
>  moderate sort I mentioned above.  The more intransi-
>  gent seem to interpret ANY disagreement as "dis-
>  respect."

You can find people in any group like that -- political as well as
religious.  The best strategy is to ignore such people and not debate with
them.
>
>  Candidly, I don't think many Muslims even KNOW
>  how to debate.  Probably because many came from
>  countries where they never had to take non Muslim
>  arguments seriously.

Very few people of ANY stripe know how to debate.

I had a fellow (whom I had found in many egregious errors -- such as saying
"American Protestants and Catholics wouldn't recognize Arab
Christians) come crowing to me saying "I found a book that says what I
know is true."

He didn't even see the irony. :-)
>
> > SMB> Correct.  And I don't expect to always succeed.
> > >
> > VH> That, also, is a Christian attitude.
> >
>  Thanks!  Even if only brand is snatched from the fire,
>  that would be, for me, success.
>
Even one would be a great victory.
>


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