You seem to miss the point its not what you or I think in relation to Spencers education and practical experience. Its what others already seem to believe is sufficient to consider. Namely CAF, Vatican Radio and the NCR. Your standard is higher than theirs.
This is the OP.
So as you suggest their would be no need for you to look at the questions presented by Spencer? 
So only “experts” are now allowed to speak up when conventional wisdom becomes warped to the point where the populace believes that the sky is ordinarily yellow? One needs a degree to speak up for truth?
You seem to miss the point its not what you or I think in relation to Spencers education and practical experience. Its what others already seem to believe is sufficient to consider. Namely CAF, Vatican Radio and the NCR. Your standard is higher than theirs.
So is he qualified by their standard? Yes, but you disagree?
Funny, the Church has been supporting the idea that one needs to be properly qualified in order to be deemed an expert for the last 2k years. I guess shame on the Church for having the silly notion that random not properly educated Jane Doe with a Bible isn’t qualified enough to be a theologian or priest. And don’t even get me started on the Bible (Outrageous! One has to have an actual degree (actually several) in order to properly translate the Bible? What nonsense. /sarcasm)
Authorization, why does CAF in your mind have to provide that for you?
I believe I emboldened the words from your last response to give you an indication:
I don’t know what makes you an expert on what is an expert.
However, I’ll let Robert Spencer speak for himself:Oh by the way, he does have an MA in Religious Studies, and as for the rest, well, go to his website “Jihad Watch” for what I would consider “years of specialized training and experience dealing with the subject”.
I already know that Mr. Spencer has an MA in Religious Studies (thesis on Catholic history), what I didn’t know was that a MA in Religious Studies made one an expert on the religion one is studying, let alone a completely different religion. I guess since my dentist has a medical degree I can go to him for major non-oral surgery. He does after all have a medical degree and apparently the fact that said degree doesn’t actually specialize in major non-oral surgery shouldn’t matter. Right?
Yes, because we Catholics have never run across someone misusing or misquoting the Bible, the CCC, or other official Church documents in order promote a false argument. Nope, never happens at all. In fact, it’s such a rare event that the practice doesn’t have a term associated with it (Cherry picking) and we have no need of professional standards in regards to methodology, citation, peer review, etc (I guess that’s why Mr. Spencer never allows his works to actually be peer reviewed by actual experts, that or the super secret vast conspiracy to hide the truth we allow somehow know about).I believe I emboldened the words from your last response to give you an indication:
I don’t know what makes you an expert on what is an expert.
I do not believe it was Catholic history per se, but early Christian sects:
That being said Religious Studies does give one the impression that at some point in time Islam was mentioned and as such studied. Granted this does not mean that by the end of his MA he was an Islamic scholar, but what followed later, i.e., his personal study of Islamic history, theology . . . etc., for more than 2 decades, and the more than abundant credibility given to him by members of your own government, i.e.,
I mean if he’s good enough for them . . . And this is not to say that these agencies don’t make mistakes, but can one say all these agencies are wrong? I think I have a bit more confidence in your government agencies than you apparently have, and let’s face it since Obama came into power things haven’t been so good.
You mean those actual experts who continuously feed us bull about there not being a link between terrorism and Islam. How many of those experts do you think would be willing to tell the truth knowing that their lives would be endangered? People within the Muslim community are even scared of speaking up for fear of retaliation (doesn’t help when you are in a religion that decrees death for apostasy). Do you have any idea what happens to those people willing to speak against radical Islam? Most don’t make it out alive and others fear for their lives daily. Robert Spencer is one of those people. As to his books not being peer-reviewed, well, perhaps Robert Spencer is cynical about the “actual experts” who remain silent in the face of terrorism to critique honestly.
Um, I assumed a Catholic on a Catholic forum would understand “actual experts” in the context of a discussion involving theology and religion to be the Church. I apologize for assuming you were like me and viewed the Church as the only “actual experts” on the topic of theology, religion, and/or God.
Oh, the OP. Ok-Authorization, why does CAF in your mind have to provide that for you?
Your the one claiming this ghost resume is needed which we don’t know what is required by your standard.
I don’t know the Military intent or various aspects of Government thus interest in Robert Spencer. Its part of his resume which you count for nothing. I disagree.
I’m not trying to convince you of anything, I’m trying to understand where is Spencer wrong as to the OP? There’s no answers to that?
I want to know, when its attempted to silence someone talking about religious freedom, Christian persecution as of very recent in Egypt, freedom of speech and equal rights, I’d like to know what he’s saying which he should be silenced about? And in particular in relation to the OP.
Well, the actual experts in respect to our faith is the Church, but then again, there are those who claim to be experts in our faith who are “Catholic” that are far removed from it, i.e., Hans Kung. Albeit, I understand what you are trying to say, my problem, however, is that Islam does not have one interpretation of the Koran, hadiths, and suris (unlike the CC), i.e., there is no one institution or body that can really pigeonhole what Islam really is. That being said, all Robert Spencer is doing is showing that there are those who interpret the Koran (like Hans Kung misinterprets Catholicism) in a violent manner because there are passages that indicate the killing of infidels (it doesn’t help that it was ALLAH himself who dictated the Koran to Mohammed). He is interested in exposing those who are taking a literal approach to the Koran, which is leading many to acts of terrorism in the name of Islam.
nobody is an expert in islam really in my opinion… if thats the case of you standing islam up next to Christianity… the R C faith has a magasterium (spelling) it has the experts … islam does not its like the other religions that have no apostolic faith…
But it has been stated in what manner the Church was speaking, i.e., in regard to individual Muslims rather than Islam per se. Whereas, Robert Spencer focuses on radical Islam as opposed to individual Muslims. There is no contradiction or discrepancy, just a different focus or angle which is being pursued. Either way, I don’t see how one cannot read what the Church has to say in spiritual matters vis a vis Muslims, and Robert Spencer with regard to the socio-political effects of Islam (even though in the process he needs to use the Koran and hadiths).
