Reply #8: Nice to know

[Squeech]

that we conduct our theological debates with all the respect and wisdom of a third grade playground. In essence, this is tantamount to saying, "My prophet can beat up your prophet."

One of the things that I find interesting about the Muhammad story is that he really was a nobody before Allah's angels started dictating surahs to him-- he wasn't born into a noble family of royal lineage, he wasn't particularly educated or talented, he was just a petty merchant and a decent man. Indeed, it's the central miracle of Islam that this unlettered camel jockey started speaking in what they tell me is the unparalleled poetry of the Qur'an. He didn't have to rise from the dead, it was miraculous enough that he was suddenly able to orate far above his station in life.

(And this is part of why all Muslims are strongly encouraged to learn Arabic, to appreciate that poetry. Which also demonstrates that education is more highly prized in their culture than in ours.)