Funniest Bad Fox News Interview Ever [W:353] (1 Viewer)

[sangha]

I posted this earlier in the Polls forum, but if you were impressed with Aslan's interview, you will be interested in this: Reza Aslan Misrepresents His Scholarly Credentials » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog

Aslan did not misrepresent anything. One does not have to have a degree in history to be a historian, nor is there any specific certification to be a considered a "scholar" of anything.

 

[Gina]

You seem to be the one with your knickers in a twist.
I, having dipped my toe in the world of academia, would also have been curious as to why a Muslim would write a book about Jesus. Aslan's reply of "I'm a scholar; I've a PhD in Religions," would have caused me to raise an eyebrow because it's not an satisfactory answer since he said he was Christian and converted by to his faith of Islam. The space between the conversion, for me, is a curious one.

Why? Only practicing Christians should be allowed to research Christianity? Scholars of all faiths do scholarly research into religion. Should a religious scholar, in your opinion, not be permitted to research and write books outside their faith?

 

[Fiddytree]

Aslan did not misrepresent anything. One does not have to have a degree in history to be a historian, nor is there any specific certification to be a considered a "scholar" of anything.

This gets into tricky territory, actually. Many historians prefer that histories be created by trained historians, but the fact of the matter is we have a fairly open craft to begin with. If you think about it, all we are doing is carefully considering the actions and thoughts of men and women before us. Who has much ownership of that? Even in modern times, the 19th century American historians were all but ruled by the amateur historians, before the German-training and professionalization movement began and the PhD became the status symbol (along with the tenure system at a college or University) that we know and love today. Today, you still see it. Do people really think David McCullough is a trained historian? Yeah, but he isn't. Besides the idea that many of us are jealous of his writing ability and find his lack of analysis disturbing, to Americans, this man is a historian.

What also happens frequently is that the works that most influence us are studies created by people outside the field, writing about history.

Instead of debating this man's ideas and his analysis, we are arguing about either his religion or strictly his academic degrees.

 

[Hatuey]

Allow me to extend and hand to help you out of your quandary.
My first impulse would have been to ask Aslan why he chose to write about Jesus, and the answer he gave to the interviewer was not satisfactory for me; therefore, I most likely would have raised an eyebrow. It would not have been in disdain, but rather an emotion of confusion. It's something I do.

Just so I get it clear, you're saying that: Being an academic who has dedicated his entire career to studying religion is not a satisfactory answer to why he wrote about a religious figure?

Are you... are you serious?

 

[nota bene]

Aslan did not misrepresent anything. One does not have to have a degree in history to be a historian, nor is there any specific certification to be a considered a "scholar" of anything.

I don't think you've watched either the interview or read at my link.

One's credentials do support others' regard for you as a scholar. And there are differences in degrees. An Ed. D. is not the same as a Ph.D. Aslan holds a doctorate in sociology, not history, and more to the point if you've watched the video and heard his claims, the degree he's tenured-tracked in is his MFA.

 

[Tucker Case]

Here's FOXNews logic, apparently:

It's perfectly fair and just to say that a Muslim has no right to write a historical book about Jesus regardless of his qualifications to do so, but it's totally unfair and victimizing to say that white people have no right to say the word "nigger".

 

[nota bene]

Here's FOXNews logic, apparently:

It's perfectly fair and just to say that a Muslim has no right to write a historical book about Jesus regardless of his qualifications to do so, but it's totally unfair and victimizing to say that white people have no right to say the word "nigger".

But is that what Lauren Green said? Have you watched the interview? (It's awful.)

 

[Tucker Case]

BTW, has anyone else noted that there is a certain irony involved with thinking that only a Christian should have any interest in writing about a Jewish radical?

 

[Tucker Case]

But is that what Lauren Green said? Have you watched the interview? (It's awful.)

I've watched the interview, and when she ignored the positive things he was saying about Jesus in order to question why a Muslim would write about Jesus, she is most definitely taking the stance that Muslims do not have a right to write a historical book about Jesus.

I'm not sure what her stance is on white people saying nigger, though. I'm being a tad facetious with that.

 

[Somerville]

I don't think you've watched either the interview or read at my link.

One's credentials do support others' regard for you as a scholar. And there are differences in degrees. An Ed. D. is not the same as a Ph.D. Aslan holds a doctorate in sociology, not history, and more to the point if you've watched the video and heard his claims, the degree he's tenured-tracked in is his MFA.

An explanation for the Sociology doctorate instead of a History PhD may be found in a 2010 interview at Science and Religion Today

NS: […] What can scholars do to be able to speak relevantly, the way you have, to the public—and to each other as well?

RA: I’m very pessimistic about this. Academics have been reveling so long in their own private language, speaking to each other and not to anyone else, that it’s going to be very hard to break through the current paradigm. I’ll give you an example. I wasn’t finished with my Ph.D. when No god but God came out. The book was very successful, but life became miserable for me in my department. Professors who had been working with me suddenly turned their backs to me. Unnecessary obstacles were put in my way. There was an attitude—not just amongst the professors, but amongst my fellow students as well—of Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you take this discussion that we’re having in a room with four people and make it palatable to a large and popular audience? Things got so bad that I actually had to switch departments, and I ended up getting my degree from a different department altogether. That, to me, is an example of the problem academia has, which earns it legitimate criticism for being out of touch with the concerns of people outside of its walls.

 

[trfjr]

what would you think would happen if a Christian wrote a book critical about Muhammad?
Do you think Aslan would write such a book?

His book would be the same as a communist economist writing a book about capitalism and it not be bias and unfair

 

[Tucker Case]

what would you think would happen if a Christian wrote a book critical about Muhammad?
Do you think Aslan would write such a book?

His book would be the same as a communist economist writing a book about capitalism and it not be bias and unfair

Why do you think Aslan's book was critical of Jesus? In the interview he seemed quite complimentary of Jesus.

 

[Somerville]

what would you think would happen if a Christian wrote a book critical about Muhammad?
Do you think Aslan would write such a book?

His book would be the same as a communist economist writing a book about capitalism and it not be bias and unfair

I don't know what "would happen if a Christian wrote a book critical about Muhammad?" but here's one example of a nice hate filled text
The Truth about Muhammad:
Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion

here's another, also by Robert Spencer
Amazon.com: Did Muhammad Exist?: An Inquiry into Islam's Obscure Origins (9781610170611): Robert Spencer: Books

Robert Bruce Spencer (born February 27, 1962) is an American author and blogger best known for his criticism of Islam and research into Islamic terrorism and jihad. He has published twelve books, including two New York Times best-selling books.

I never thought "ignorance is bliss" but obviously some people do

 

[sangha]

I don't think you've watched either the interview or read at my link.

One's credentials do support others' regard for you as a scholar. And there are differences in degrees. An Ed. D. is not the same as a Ph.D. Aslan holds a doctorate in sociology, not history, and more to the point if you've watched the video and heard his claims, the degree he's tenured-tracked in is his MFA.

And again, one does not have to have a degree in history in order to be a historian.

 

[Tucker Case]

I'm getting the feeling that some people are ignorant of what the word "Zealot" means in the context of being applied to Jesus, and that is why they assume that the book is "critical" of Jesus:

Zealot - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

capitalized : a member of a fanatical sect arising in Judea during the first century a.d. and militantly opposing the Roman domination of Palestine

Calling Jesus a Zealot is basically saying that Jesus actively opposed the Jewish people being subjugated by a foreign power.

 

[sangha]

what would you think would happen if a Christian wrote a book critical about Muhammad?

What would happen is that Fox would have the author on and extol the wisdom of the book.

 

[Tucker Case]

What would happen is that Fox would have the author on and extol the wisdom of the book.

They'd put him on FOX Business to discuss the ME:

 

[Tucker Case]

Notice the total lack of any questions about why a Christian would write about Muhammad?

Instead, the interviewer uses his book as a platform to criticize the Muslim guest for the lack of moderate Muslims speaking out against terrorists.

 

[Artevelde]

Why shouldn't everybody be allowed to write a book on every topic?

 

[Simon W. Moon]

imho, he should have replied that asking him about why he wrote a book about Jesus is like asking an ornithologist why he would write a book about birds

 

[Simon W. Moon]

In the interview he seemed quite complimentary of Jesus.

Iirc, he went so far as to cal Christianity "the greatest religion in the world.'

 

[Tucker Case]

Iirc, he went so far as to cal Christianity "the greatest religion in the world.'

Yep. And that was the exact moment when she interrupted him to accuse him of being critical of Jesus :lol:

He also noted his wife and mother were Christians.

 

[Gaius46]

Funniest Bad Fox News Interview Ever

What a godawful interview. I'm not sure whose worse, her or Piers Morgan on CNN.

 

[zgoldsmith23]

This interview amounts to someone screaming "'Dem Mooslems ain't believe Jebus is real so why'd they write a book-thing 'bout him 'cept to make fun of him?"

Hilarious.

 

[lolabird]

Why? Only practicing Christians should be allowed to research Christianity? Scholars of all faiths do scholarly research into religion. Should a religious scholar, in your opinion, not be permitted to research and write books outside their faith?

To ask why a Muslim chose to write a book about Jesus is a valid question, or isn't it?