What does Islam say when a bishop denies the virgin birth and the resurrection?

Such voices appear again and again in Christianity. What is remarkable is that the church does not cast such people out despite major differences, and that holds a lesson for Muslims to bear differences within their own ranks with tolerance.

Again and again people appear in Christendom, including clergy in high office, who publicly question central teachings of their church. They attract attention for a while, and then their movement usually fades away. This is nothing new, and it need not be overrated.

For Islam, the question of the birth of Jesus (as) is clear. The Holy Qur’an reports that Mary had a son although no man had touched her, and it defends her purity. God creates what He wills. A Muslim will therefore not doubt this birth simply because a bishop does. The resurrection is a different matter. According to the Holy Qur’an, God saved Jesus (as) from death on the cross, so there is no resurrection from that death either.

But the most remarkable thing about such cases is something else. Here someone questions the very foundations of Christianity, and yet he is not cast out of the church. He may still call himself a Christian and discuss his views within the community.

In this lies a lesson for Muslims. Many Muslims have fallen into an attitude in which even small differences are enough to declare others unbelievers, even when they agree on all the fundamentals. The Holy Qur’an, by contrast, requires that no one be compelled in matters of faith. Whoever drives others out of the community because of differing views weakens it. Greater tolerance towards internal differences would do the whole Muslim world good.