@hunt “but it makes no sense whatsoever for Christians to say this.”
They would not say that Abraham worshipped a false God. They would say that everything not contained in their canonized Bible (preferably the original KJV lol) is the work of Satan himself. That Satan has does this to pervert God’s intent and lead the masses to follow him and lead them away from God, and into worshipping him, while their religion remains is the one true religion. They understand that the story started out the same, but they believe that now others are really worshipping Satan himself, while they (the true believers in Christ) worship the one true God (who is really three in one).
Who says this? I have trouble believing that the leaders of Wheaton College would say that Jews are worshipping Satan.
I think a lot of this is really semantics. It’s one thing to say that only Christianity (or a particular version of Christianity) is true, and that all other religions (including other versions of Christianity) are full of people being deceived by Satan into following false beliefs. That’s not the same as saying that those other religions are worshipping Satan, something that would be a very extreme view, even among fundamentalist and evangelical Christians.
Again, I’m not surprised that some Christian group is taking this extreme position; I’m surprised that it’s coming from Wheaton College, which has a reputation for attracting smart Christians.
To add: I just Googled “Do Jews worship Satan?” Indeed, there are some supposed Christians out there who think this. If you look at their posts, though, I wouldn’t have thought that Wheaton would want to be associated with them.
Perhaps this is a specifically anti-Muslim issue? There is no logical difference to the argument here with respect to Muslims and Jews, but I guess the PR is different.
@hunt I am talking about Christian conservatives. I don’t know specifics about Wheaton.
Also, notice that the Jewish Bible is the Old Testament of their Bible, so they don’t apply it to the Jews. The Jews are the only group that gets an exemption. In the case of Jews, they believe that they worship the same God, but that the Jews missed the Messiah (Jesus).
Take a gander at the NY Times discussion on hijabs. Some Islamic women strongly assert that the hijab is a symbol of male domination/suppression of women. Some members of the discussion group feel that the professor’s stated intent was misdirected and patronizing.
While I am not a fan of Wheaton College, they can do whatever they want with regards to holding their employees accountable to their statement of faith. Why all of the outcry in this forum and the media over the hijab? This was on the front page of today’s Chicago Tribune, above the fold.
What about them firing a tenured professor for not wanting to air personal information regarding a divorce? What about them firing a tenured professor because someone else brought a bottle of alcohol to a party at their house? What about them firing a tenured professor who converted and became Catholic? All of these were news in the past few years.
When someone agrees to terms of employment, then it should be no surprise if violating them results in termination. Students and alumni of a school with such terms must know about them before deciding to attend and therefore the “money talks” from alumni is a spurious argument.
Maybe it’s because she’s being fired essentially for doing something nice. The PR impression is terrible, and it makes the administration of Wheaton appear to be stupid. It’s their right, of course, but since this is a college information website, something that changes one’s impression of a college is relevant. As I suggested above, in the past I’ve pointed to Wheaton as a consideration for smart kids who want a Christian college. I don’t think I’ll be making such a recommendation again, unless they change course on this decision.
So this is why they’re firing her? Pretty lame, IMO. Should at least come with a better excuse.
Word.
Guess you were right, @OHmomof2 and @Hanna lol I agree with @Hunt, they must’ve already wanted her gone or were pressured by certain, erm, * well off * individuals.
“Guess you were right, @OHmomof2 and @Hanna lol I agree with @Hunt, they must’ve already wanted her gone or were pressured by certain, erm, well off individuals.”
I think that they are firing her over this issue. If it was really about wanting her gone anyway, they would be much better off to make the termination about something else. It is not good PR for them with the general public. The only reason to make a point of terminating her over this issue is that it is good PR for them within the circle of people who are stake holders and financial supporters of Wheaton College.
They need to demonstrate to their constituents that they have clear beliefs that they live by, and one of those beliefs is that Christianity is the only true religion. To me it appears to be very straight forward and simple.