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Re: orion Re: Response to Harrison



At 11:13 97/10/31 +100, Thomas Thompson wrote:

<snip>
>Philip, hardly a Christian except by my catholic standards, must be 
>allowed to paint even the rabbis with his critical brush. 
>Christian's, even Catholics fare no better at his hands. His aim  is 
>scholarship, not religious supersessionism. That game must be 
>surrendered to Islam, not Christianity.
>Thomas
>
>Thomas L. Thompson
>University of Copenhagen

A valid point (even though I am not completely convinced on the historical
issues). But why, pray tell, in a post defending against an unfair charge
of "ethnocentrism", is there this dig at Islam??

If Prof. Thompson had said "That game must be surrendered to religious
extremists" or even "fundamentalists", I could agree whole-heartedly. But
this sort of unnecessary slur on the *whole* of Islam seriously weakens his
point and gives offense.

Paul Sodtke
(a relatively conservative Christian, if that makes any difference)
London, Ontario, Canada
psodtke@execulink.com