Thread by @DrJavadTHashmi

It is sad that some Christians seek to use such hateful polemical arguments against Muslims. As Philip Jenkins writes, "In terms of ordering violence and bloodshed... it’s easy to see the mote in somebody else’s eye while missing the beam in your own. In fact... 1/

https://twitter.com/World_Changer00/status/1390173323946905604

"...the Bible has its own bloody and violent passages... The Bible overflows with 'texts of terror,' to borrow a
phrase coined by American theologian Phyllis Trible, and
biblical violence is often marked by indiscriminate savagery..." 2/

"If the Qur’an urges believers to fight, as it undoubtedly does, it also commands that enemies be shown mercy if they surrender. Some frightful portions of the Bible by contrast, order the total extermination of enemies, of whole families & races—of men, women, & children." 3/

As Jenkins points to, the Bible endorses "the terrifying
[annihilatory] rules of herem warfare... Under
this code, every living thing found in the city, everything
that breathes, should be slaughtered in a kind of mass
human sacrifice. God commands: Show them no mercy!" 4/

There is a long history of Christians using the label of "Amalekites" to put indigenous populations to slaughter, to colonize, & to expropriate their lands. This label declared entire populations to be deserving of destruction. This has been supported by kings & popes alike. 5/

Jenkins writes: "Throughout Christian history, believers have used the stories of Moses & Joshua to formulate their theories of warfare, arguing that such biblical examples showed the legitimacy of fighting and struggling for God’s cause." 6/

For hundreds of years, warfare against the heathen & heretic was justified in the Bible. In the modern period, writes Jenkins, "...new waves of [Christian European] colonists applied these biblical precepts overseas, to conquered peoples in the Americas and Africa..." 7/

If contemporary Christians can offer Marcionite explanations for why such bloody passages no longer matter, then why cannot contemporary Muslims offer similar such explanations of their own scripture? 8/

Jenkins writes, "According to the New Testament, Jesus was immersed in the Hebrew Bible and, specifically, in the book of Deuteronomy..." In other words, it's the same God/Jesus who did those things in the Old Testament... 9/

Not only that but we are told in Revelation that Jesus will return with a sword & slaughter his unbelieving enemies. Jesus will “judge and wage war” (Rev. 19:11), his robe will be “dipped in blood” (19:13), & he will be accompanied by “armies” (19:14)... 10/

...with which he will “strike down the nations” (19:15), including the Gentiles in general and “the nations that were opposed to him” in specific... If you'd like I can share with you what some major Bible commentaries say about this event. 11/

If, after all of this, the contemporary Christian can reconcile scripture & understand it in a peaceful way, what stops the Muslim from doing the same? What's good for the goose is good for the gander. 12/