Conversation: Muslims and Christians

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Muslims and Christians

P. Schultz

January 14, 2015

Conversation #8

Heard January 14, 2015

“Boy, those Muslims are really something, aren’t they?”

“I guess so. But what do you mean?”

“Well, you know, the killings in Paris of those cartoonists and others.”

“So, you think they did that because they were Muslims?”

“Of course I do. Don’t you?”

“Well, I am sure that’s part of it. But what about George Bush’s invasion of Iraq?”

“What do you mean? I don’t get it.”

“Did he do that because he’s a born again Christian? After all, he did use the word ‘crusade.’”

“Well, I didn’t think of it that way.”

“Why not? You didn’t have any trouble thinking of the Paris killers as Muslims, did you? But you didn’t think of Bush, when he was waging a war which took the lives of hundreds of thousands Iraqis and which he called a ‘crusade’, as a ‘Christian .’ That seems strange to me.”

Conversation #9

Heard January 15, 2015

“Yesterday, you implied that Bush’s Christianity should be recognized as important.”

“Yes, indeed, I did. Why do you ask?”

“Well, because Christians don’t go around shooting cartoonists, even those that might blaspheme about Christ or Christianity.”

“Yes, indeed they don’t. But what of it?”

“What do you mean, what of it? That shows the difference between Islam and Christianity.”

“Well, let me ask you: Why would a Christian like Bush shoot cartoonists? They don’t need to.”

“They don’t?”

“No, they don’t. They don’t have to shoot cartoonists when they can invade entire countries, bomb them into submission, and remove and even slay their rulers. It is only the relatively powerless who have to kill cartoonists, just as it is only the relatively powerless who have to use suicide bombers. Christians like Bush don’t have to use such bombers; they have B2 bombers and drones. Which makes me ask you again: Why don’t you see Bush as a Christian when he kills people but you do see ‘terrorists’ as Muslims when they kill people?’

“That’s a good question.”