He has engaged in numerous dialogues, exchanges and controversial interactive style debates with Atheist and Muslim figures including: Islamic extremist Abdullah Al-Andualsi (2), Apologist, Activist and Reporter Sami Zaatari (3) Director of the MDI-USA(Muslim Debate Initiative-USA) and Imam Shadid Lewis (4) and Muslim apostate and passive homosexual Paul Williams (5). He is featured critically by various Islamic organisations (5).
Mark has had several informal heated exchanges with other Islamic apologists such as Nadir Ahmed, Ijaz Ahmad, Bassam Zawadi and Osama Abdullah (7), though only the later is publicly available (8).
Mark has spent the better of 15 years (including approximately 6-7 years as an Atheist) learning theology, philosophy, religious studies, debate polemics and Christian apologetics. Mark was invited on ABNSat Network by presenter and Christian philosopher David Wood to share his views and testimony as a former Atheist.
Being raised in a Pentecostal Church, he later in life attended a Baptist and then non-denominational Church. At 16 years of age Mark discovered theology and apologetics, after listening to Christian speaker Kent Hovind he described himself as becoming a evangelist, apologist, fundamentalist, literalist and Young Earth Creationist.
It was not until many years later and quite a while into the studying Islam that he began to have very serious doubts about his own Christian world view, primarily from an ethical point of skepticism. Mark apostatized from Christianity with the recognition that many of his own criticisms of Islam could be as equally applicable to a fundamentalist view of Christianity. However in 2014 Mark embraced deism, and finally theism. At this point he adopted an unorthodox view of Christianity including synthetic elements of Buddhism, Hinduism, Platonism and Paganism which he has adhered to until this day.
END NOTES:
(1) Answering-Islam (also known under the domains: AnsweringIslam.net and Answering-Islam.net) is a Christian missionary forum engaged in evangelism and proselytization to Muslims and criticism of Islam.
(2) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11733968/By-day-at-heart-of-counter-terror-policing.-And-by-night-preacher-of-extremism.html
(3) http://gulfnews.com/writers/sami-zaatari?module=recent-articles&page=4
(4) http://www.answering-christianity.com/sami_zaatri/responding.htm
(5) http://web.archive.org/web/20140226133655/http://bloggingtheology.org/2014/02/25/1862/
(6) http://www.call-to-monotheism.com/refuting_derik_adams
https://thedebateinitiative.com/2012/10/09/the-intolerance-of-the-intolerant-why-anti-muslim-polemicists-misrepresent-muslim-groups-a-case-study/
https://callingchristians.com/2012/04/30/refutation-where-did-jesus-say-i-am-god-worship-me/
https://callingchristians.com/2014/04/13/james-white-shamoun-and-friends-behaviour/
https://callingchristians.com/2014/04/22/mark-bennet-inciting-deceit-for-popularity-and-anthony-rogers-support/
(7) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJrxmjaSd6c
(8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi9vPvEWQVw
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were an unorthodox Christian.I like it,since I have read unorthodox Catholic Christians,like Gary Wills.
I love the Catholic show "The Gist".I know a Christian who believes in universal salvation for all and reincarnation.Paul Williams is still using different methodologies for the Koran and the NT.So one should read him,but always know he is not impartial.
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THE CASE OF FATHER ZAKARIA BOTROS(Egyptian)
All the time Shamoun says to people:"coward,stupid,idiot,fool,etc".Botros is hardly known in the US(maybe you never heard of him) but in the Arab world 50 million people,mostly Muslims,watch him every day.
Botros is a Coptic priest,and he says what he really thinks about the Koran,Mohamed in the hadiths.Arabs call him and insult him,Botros answers but with calm(not like Shamoun).
Botros says negative things about the Koran and Mohamed but he doesn't never-endingly call individual Muslims stupid,coward,trash,etc.See my point?
MY POINT IS:
I discovered a Blogging Theology article where James White tells Sam Shamoun to apologize to Yusuf Ismail for his vulgarity.
I thought maybe it was a hoax,but that was Jan 28,2016,more than 4 months ago.If a hoax,then White would have said it was a false email of his publicly.Nothing.
Shamoun would have said it was a hoax,nothing.And Shamoun continued to insult Ismail.
Shamoun continues to insult Muslims without provocation,one thing is to critique the ideas of Islam,another a person.
Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself.He said it was the LAW(of God).Shamoun says Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites,etc.But those guys were planning to literally kill Jesus.Is Yusuf Ismail part of a plot to kill Christians?
Jesus said:"Be as sly as a serpent,and as innocent as a dove".Be good but not stupid,that means be civil and professional with Muslims you disagree with .Shamoun disgraces Jesus.
White wrote:
"The emails sent to me mirror the language I have heard in PalTalk discussions and even in Facebook postings where I regularly see accusations of cowardice, dishonesty, etc.
Likewise, use of unnecessarily offensive language was everywhere present—language that clearly functions only to inflame, not to communicate let alone honor the truth."
Source:
https://bloggingtheology.net/2016/03/09/10594/
THE SITUATION IS THIS
1.ALOT of Muslims know about the verbal abuse Shamoun directs toward individuals,they see Wood and Qureshi say nothing.
2.Shamoun's vulgar behavior,insulting people right and left,makes Muslims LESS inclined to accept the NT Jesus,because:
3.They see ordinary Christians and Wood,Qureshi never denouncing such impoliteness.They see Christian double standards,sin.
4.Imagine Father Botros acting like Shamoun,you would condemn him.
I must add the situation is like that of AHMED DEEDAT,he loved being sarcastic about the Bible in his debates and articles.Uff,lots of Christians hate him because of his sarcasm.
ReplyDeleteBut Deedat was never all the time insulting individual Christians by email and in public.Yes,he was a better person.