Debating Muslims/Critics: Some Precautions 003

DSC01680Debating Muslims/Critics: Some Precautions 003
[Part of My Memoirs]

I wish to repeat that anyone who debates critics — either in private or in public — should be well prepared. Lack of preparation has led to many sorry situations for the Christian side in the past. This became painfully obvious on another occasion. Some brothers in the Malabar region organized a debate with Muslim speakers. Someone recommended that they should invite me.

Instead of inviting me, they first watched the videos of my direct debates with Akbar and also my two one-sided lectures related to Islamic apologetics. They then decided not to call me. That was fine because it was their freedom not to invite me. However, they called me via telephone and said that they had carefully watched all my four debates and that they found my style to be very weak. They said that while I defended the Christian faith well, they were unhappy that I did not condemn Islam. They said that one should condemn Islam in any such debate.

I told them that I have been called to answer their questions, and then share the gospel, and that I was not going to condemn anyone. They were very upset at my stand, told me that I was a coward, and decided to make one of their own brothers speak in the debate. Not satisfied with this, they called up a number of brothers and told them that I was a coward.

The day of the debate came. The Muslim debater was well prepared, but the Christian was not. So Instead of answering anti-Christian questions, the Christian debater ended up slandering Muslims and Islam. This led to much agitation and violent attitude against the Christians. Some of my friends reported the whole thing to me the same day.

The next day they called me and told me that as a committee they had decided to invite me to speak in the same place because the first debate did not go the way they expected. I told them “Brothers, you labelled me a coward. You rushed to the battle without preparation and messed up everything. I will not be able to come over to help you.”

Those who do not prepare well go to debate with zero information in brain, ego enough to fill the Universe, and the final result is humiliation for the Christian side. Do not jump into debates without adequate preparation.

[To continue …]

[Picture: From my Perumbvoor Debate with MM Akbar. Taha, a businessman is asking questions to me. He has visited my home many times for private debates also]

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