@AJHenderson I suppose making friends can bring peace in the world.

@JamesT I'll certainly pray for his intercession if the ball gets rolling in his cause. But I would like to see his wife canonized first (I'd bet he would too).

@PeterTurner Hi I read that you are a catholic, I was always interested to know how modern catholics understand Islam in context of the protestant evangelical wave. Are they both seen in the same understanding by the catholics?

@Islam I think you want the Vatican opinion as held by the Pope. Note: there are many Catholics out there; Peter can't speak for everyone, not even the Pope. ;) He may report what the Pope says, though.

@Caleb Bah! Started typing a really eloquent answer, where I was able to turn a prickly Truth Question into an academic answer, where I explained controversy. Got closed while typing. Makes me want to make a quick "yes" answer, then edit it at leisure.

oh, sorry Caleb, not directed at you! I do not get this stupid chat interface!!

<slinking away>

@pterandon Can the question be rewritten?

We’ve really been itching for a fresh sacrifice lately….

@AffableGeek So I read their prayer guide for Europe, and my main thought is that these people are amazingly arrogant.

@Islam yes, Catholics usually put Muslims and Evangelicals in the same boat and are sad when it's attacked by pirates, rams an iceberg or is otherwise lost at sea. We call that boat the "Barque of Peter" and it is what bind us all together. (It's a type of the Gilgamesh's canoe, if you get my meaning)

...too much belloc.

@PeterTurner And does Catholicism encourage reading the Quran as it contains a Chapter dedicated to Mary?

@Islam No, it's a sin for Catholic's to read other religions' holy text. Plus there are much more useful things out there dedicated to Mary.

(that's an assumption, I could be wrong as I've never beheld a Quran)

@PeterTurner here it is, the Catholics really like this: quran.com/19

Well, I'm not sure I understood that, but thanks. I always wondered where the part in the Quran about Mary was. It doesn't say much. It certainly doesn't say Jesus was the Son of God. That's not going to make Catholics very happy.

@PeterTurner An Entire chapter is dedicated to her in the Quran , Quran does say that Jesus is the Messiah. It is the only scripture which declares his Messiah hood and also his virgin birth from mother Mary.

@Islam you ever thought about what Islam would look like without the Quran?

@PeterTurner Quran is the Final Testament , Islam pre existed since time immemorial. The gospels were the second last testament though

Muslims believe in the Torah and the Gospels as article of faith

@Islam But Muslims are mainly ignorant of what Apostolic Tradition means right?

@PeterTurner you might want to see this answer explaining the relevant views of Islam

@TRiG "Intercede that Roma believers will put their faith in God alone and not in their customs and folklore."

@PeterTurner Can you read it academically though?

Not prayerfully or devotionally.

@Anonymous I think so (good question to ask here) I was being a little facetious with good old Islam. When preparing for confession one usually makes an examination of conscience where it says "have I read any other religion's books lately" and if the answer is yes, you tick that up on your sin counter.

@PeterTurner I don't think Catholic or Muslim mean specifically Catholic or Muslim. It may be a way for a person to refer another person as being faithful to God, assuming that both persons are worshiping the same god.

@PeterTurner So, being a Catholic automatically means you must be ignorant of other sacred texts?

@Anonymous Nope, I buy what Hilaire Belloc meant when he wrote the Great Heresies, it stands to reason that Mohammed was catechized a bit, got a small understanding of Christianity and Judaism and set off to forge his own path.

@Anonymous I really don't know, I'm not sure how St. Thomas Aquinas got to be such a good follower of Averroes without picking up a bit of his holy text here and there.

@PeterTurner Well, at least we both know that Jesus and Mohammed are both human. :)

@Anonymous yes fully human! Like me (and you, I think).

@Anonymous @Islam sorry for begin a jerk. I'm just at work for some dumb reason on a Saturday and would rather be somewhere else.

@PeterTurner St. Thomas Aquinas was also influenced by Aristotle.

@PeterTurner However, Trinitarian Christians believe that Jesus was God. That never makes any sense to me, though.

@PeterTurner Why are you at work on a Saturday?

@PeterTurner On what day do you observe the Sabbath?

@Anonymous I was trying to rally my dept to do a saturday hackathon, but I was the only one who showed up. I've got a lot of stuff to do before we have a baby (sometime next week I hope)

@Anonymous Sunday

@PeterTurner The baby will be born next week? Is it a boy or girl? Are you hoping for a son or daughter? Which do you like better - sons or daughters?

@PeterTurner I thought Saturday was the Sabbath. :P