Fox News vs Scholar - by Slate

Fox News vs. Scholar

[Fox News to Scholar: Why Would a Muslim Write a Book About Jesus?] *

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Slate.com (Daniel Politi)

     It’s got plenty of competition but this may just be the single most cringe-worthy, embarrassing interview on Fox News. At least in recent memory. Fox News anchor Lauren Green had religious scholar Reza Aslan on her FoxNews.com show Friday to talk about Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, his book that has been stirring up some online controversy recently.

     And right off the bat, Green gets to what is important: “You’re a Muslim, so why did you write a book about the founder of Christianity?”

     Aslan seemed a little flabbergasted: “Well, to be clear, I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades, who also just happens to be a Muslim.” ....

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Sample of reactions from Slate readers follows ...

Mr. Smith:

Doesn't Fox News have a single person on their staff who can read? 

Seriously, Fox. He uses the words “I was Muslim” on page three of the book. Did reading the first two pages exhaust you so much you couldn’t carry on?  The book opens with a 3-4 page "Author's Note", wherein Aslan lays explains he was "…raised Muslim in a motley family of lukewarm Muslims and exuberant atheists…”, and left religion and Islam behind when his family fled Iran after the revolution. He converted to Christianity when his family came to America in his early teens; “I burned with absolute devotion to my newfound faith”. 

He then talks about doubts that arose when he researched Jesus’ life to defend his new-found faith against those who pointed out some of the paradoxes of Christianity. So, rather than simply speaking louder to drown out the questions, he devoted the next 20 years of his life to RESEARCH (a concept entirely foreign to Fox News) to better answer the critics. 

His findings? 

“Today, I can confidently say that two decades of rigorous academic research into the origins of Christianity has made me a more genuinely committed disciple of Jesus of Nazareth than I was of Jesus Christ.”

Fox. Try reading books. BEFORE you burn them. By extension, that goes to Fox's defenders.

    feeblest.tinkerer:

    This. Freaking this people!

    SpoonsJTD:

    You get a like for quoting the line I use to do my halfway decent Sean Connery   
     impression. And it's a good post, that too.

        Mr. Smith:

        I wrote it with Sean Connery's voice in my head...

            DANIEL:

            Try it with Schwarzenegger's voice on a slow day.

            Reality_Jane:

            I'm so glad that was written with Connery's voice in mind. Otherwise,   
            I'm fairly sure I'm getting too far out there to belong anywhere anymore. (o;

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El Presidente:

So did Jesus have any right to write a book about Moses? Only if Jesus was Jewish, then do Christians have the right to write about Jesus? Since Jesus was Jewish and not Christian. I'm confused about who can write books about whom.

    Brian Berke:

    Jesus was born Jewish but converted to Christianity.

        Promise:

        ? I hope you are joking.

        Not great, Bob!:

        I think he is.

        Brian Berke:

        Well, kind of. It's technically true since he started Christianity and all.

        Btomson:

        No, he died as a follower of the Jewish faith. He wasn't intending to start a new 
        religion, his followers did that after his death.

        SpoonsJTD:

        'Technically'. 

        You keep saying that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.

        Brian Berke:

        He died Jewish...then came back to life as a Christian. Technically.

        Sparks:

        What about when Jesus was in America, as set forth in "Jesus: The Mormon Years"  
        (or whatever the title was)?

        Promise:

        No, he didn't, Brian Berke. When [he] was alive he was Jewish. When he rose from 
        the grave and ascended into heaven, he was Jewish although I'd like to think at that 
        point he'd transcended labels.  
        Sparks, That time he was just trolling.

        Not great, Bob!:

        OK, so maybe he wasn't joking. What he's saying is still pretty funny, though.

    Btomson:

    That's a joke right?

    SpoonsJTD:

    He was a Baptist, obviously.

        Promise:

        Considering so many of the Baptists I know think they're the only ones who are 
        Christian. Seriously, somehow Catholics, the Orthodox churches, the Coptic and
        Ethiopian churches, and all of the mainline Protestants aren't Christians according to 
        most Baptists that I know! How's that for not knowing anything about the faith you 
        profess!

    Promise:

    Brian Berke, 

    No, he didn't. Christianity didn't actually start until well after he was around. If you want 
    to point at anyone, point at Saints Peter and Paul as the ones who started it. And even
    they didn't think of it as a new religion so much as a branch of Judaism.

        Brian Berke:

        All that stuff your saying seems true. I'm just running with this as people seem to be 
        up in arms over it.

    Promise:

    ? Jesus didn't write anything. Well, he might have, but it didn't survive.

        Mujokan:

        He wrote a book about Moses, but he was crucified by the New York Review of
        Books.

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eisenhower:

Stupid interview, but Aslan should have expected backlash since he (or his publisher) called Jesus a zealot - an obviously apt description, but one with pejorative connotation.

    Mujokan:

    This is called being outraged all the way to the bank.

    Amira Rules:

    Zealot was a political "party" active during Jesus' time. So it's a term of art here.

    eisenhower:

    I know, it is an apt description, but it has pejorative connotations since the typical use is 
    as an insult. I'm sure the publishers knew this.

    Trebuchet:

    Not really. Maybe in your circles.

    Amira Rules:

    I agree that Slate readers might be more likely to buy the book if they thought it was an 
    insult.

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feeblest.tinkerer:

Aren't really super evangelical Christians kinda proud of the "zealot" title, pejorative or not?

    Trebuchet:

    When I was training to be an Oblate of Mary Immaculate, we had a prayer where we 
     pledged to be the "Zealots of Jesus Christ". It was not a pejorative in any way or form.

    Amira Rules:

    I doubt evangelical Christians enjoy being insulting more than the next person.

        Codge:

        Begging your pardon, in my experience they LOVE being insulting...

   

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Bulltorch:

I like it when he talks really slowly to her... This is how every interviewee needs to respond 
to every foxnews interviewer all the time....

    DANIEL:

    Unless they have a box of crayons handy, then they can draw simple stick figures.

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Fundog:

Top 3 Funniest Online Videos Ever - 

1. Sad Cat Diaries

2. Aslan Has Lauren Green For Lunch

3. Honey Badger Don't Care

    Ralph w:

    Let me put the severity in context for you. How would you feel if a cat wrote about a 
    book about you, Fundog? Not so funny now, huh!

        Jesus Christ:

        I would soooooooooo love it if a cat wrote a book about me. That would be hilarious.
       You know, God really is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.

        Promise:

        Based on my cats' behavior, they wouldn't write a book about you because you are 
        not food, a litter-box, a toy, or a bed. Now, if you fed them yummy treats and played 
        with them, then they might show a minor interest in you for about 5 minutes.

        Ryan Cox:

        Meow is the winter of our discontent....

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* Source: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/07/28/video_fox_news_lauren_green_asks_reza_aslan_why_muslim_would_be
_interested.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content