Scriptural Debating Style
Christians and Muslims Must be Patient and Courteous

In scripture, the Christian Bible and the Islamic Qur'an give some very similar instructions regarding debating style. Believers must continue to debate patiently, courteously, kindly and with respect whenever they see or hear their own doctrine being absent or ignored. Believers shouldn't give up on trying to convince someone, saying things like "let's leave this until later", or "I don't want to talk about it" when asked difficult questions. Also, believers should not make assertions, saying "this is so!" without providing any proper information apart from exclamation marks.

1. Christianity: With Patience, Gentleness and Respect
2. Islam: With Courteous Manners and Wisdom

1. Christianity: With Patience, Gentleness and Respect

The first verses we look at from the Bible says that Christians must give reasonable answers to those who ask, whereas the second says that preaching must be active and continuous, presumably whether or not people have asked for it!:

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

Titus 3:2 is of a similar vein, saying to avoid slandering people, and to be peaceable and considerate.

“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction.”

2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV)

“Let your utterance be always with graviousness, seasoned with salt, so as to know how you ought to give an answer to each one.”

Colossians 4:6

This isn't quite the whole story, as some verses in the Bible state that you shouldn't take the gentle, polite and respectful route. 2 John says that if you don't have the right beliefs about the relationship between Jesus-as-god and Jesus-as-man then you are godless (2 John 1:7-9), and Christians can't greet you politely nor welcome you in to church or home (2 John 1:10-11). Just to greet people with wrong beliefs, says 2 John, is to be in league with evil! This has no doubt helped encourage the intolerant and fundamentalist streams in Christian history. 2 John does contradict a few other verses in the Bible that say Christians should debate doctrine patiently and respectfully (1 Peter 3:15-16, 2 Timothy 4:2, Titus 3:2 and Colossians 4:6).

2. Islam: With Courteous Manners and Wisdom

• "God does not love harsh words [in public], except when uttered by a man who is truly wronged" (Qur'an 4:148). The words "in public" appear in the classical Mohsin translation of the Qur'an, but not in the Dawood translation.

• Muslims should "invite" (da'wah) others to Islam "with wisdom and beautiful preaching and dispute with them in the better manner", or according to the Dawood translation, "with wisdom and kindly exhortation. Reason with them in the most courteous manner" (Qur'an 16:25 - I think I've messed up the reference for this, 16:25 in the Qur'ans I have now don't match these notes!).

• Qur'an 29:46 says that when it comes to debating with Jews and Christians about scripture, the tone must be nice.

Such debating must occur when non-Islamic beliefs are encountered:

• "When you hear god's revelation being denied or ridiculed you must not sit and listen to them until they engage in other talk, or else you yourselves become like them" (Qur'an 4:140).

In total these surahs are very similar to 1 Peter 3:15-16 and 2 Timothy 4:2. These 'good manners' no doubt exclude harsh anger, accusations of heresy and apostasy, coercion and violence.