In the middle of a piece asking where the Muslims protesting over the atrocities in Darfur are, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown makes the following statements:

The pope was wrong to say what he did, and is injudicious to believe what he does — that Christianity is more rational and reasonable than Islam. These self-righteous Christians conveniently ignore the Inquisition, the Crusades and Jesus’ “I come not to send peace but a sword.” Both faiths have the propensity to fall into violence; both are capable of bringing to humans luminous insights and peace. Pope Benedict has apologized, but that will not be the end of it. As street protests grow, people may well die because they heard from someone that the Catholic leader said something that was against our Prophet. That is all it takes for the rage to burn.

Allow me to paraphrase: “It is injudicious to believe that Christianity is [ED: note the present tense use of the verb] more rational and reasonable than Islam… and to prove it, I’ll pull out two examples from at least half a millenium ago, and pull some of Christ’s words out of context.”

Since the emphasis on the “half a millenium” ago part mostly decimates the first two examples, I’m going to focus purely on the last one. The quote that Yasmin uses is from Matthew 10:34. In the interest of context, I’m going to go back to Matthew 10:16 to begin the full quote.

Matthew 10:16-42 KJVA

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. [17] But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; [18] And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. [19] But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. [20] For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. [21] And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. [22] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. [23] But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. [24] The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. [25] It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? [26] Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. [27] What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. [28] And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. [30] But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. [31] Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. [32] Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. [33] But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. [34] Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. [35] For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. [36] And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. [37] He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. [38] And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. [39] He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. [40] He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. [41] He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. [42] And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

One of the most consistent lessons learned from reading the things that Christ told his disciples is that there will always be those who refuse to hear the truth, those who are made angry by those speaking the truth. Christ came to save us, but He knew that His words would not bring peace, because there would be those who refused to hear them. The quote that Yasmin uses out of context was not intended to be an exhortation for violence, but a warning that violence would be coming.

I’m not Catholic, so I don’t hold the Pope to be infallible by any means, but I have to go back to what I posted yesterday:

The quote that Benedict cited said, “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” Regardless of whether the quote has any basis in reality, it seems to me that it’s pretty simple to argue against. “Mohammed brought [this], and it is neither evil nor inhuman because [insert reason here].”

Yasmin wrote, “As street protests grow, people may well die because they heard from someone that the Catholic leader said something that was against our Prophet. That is all it takes for the rage to burn.” Yeah, it’s hard to see why someone would think that (some) Muslims might be less rational and/or reasonable than Christians, isn’t it?

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