Natural Beauty

Taking place in a classroom, this video is from a show called Midnight Mass. Numerous parents are seated in small desks for children and the topic is about how some kids came home with bibles that were handed out. A conversation is cut off as this clip begins.

(What is missing from the clip: the Teacher begins, “I understand given your religious affiliation, you might find the fact that your son is interested in the Bible offensive-“)

“Not at all” the parent, played by Rahul Kohli, cuts off.

The teacher continues, “I suppose, but I would say that if he’s interested in Jesus, why not allow him to learn a little about it?”

He cuts her off once more, “That’s so not the issue and thank you for this opportunity to clarify, uh he knows all about Jesus.”

She cuts him off this time, “Imagine not quite all.”

He ignores her and continues, “Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet of God and that the Angel, the Bible, was revealed to him as the Torah was revealed to Moses before that. See, we- we love Jesus and we love the message that was revealed to him.”

“Well, I suppose we learn something new everyday, don’t we?” the teacher announces, trying to stop the conversation there.

“But we also believe after the time of Jesus. Thanks to the interference of men, there are deviations of Christianity. People altered the message, Priests, Popes, Kings. That’s why there’s so so many versions of the Bible.”

“People got in there, made their changes-“ “I don’t think this is relevant.” The teacher cuts in again.

“We do though believe that the Bible contains some of the original word of God.”

“That’s very generous, isn’t it?” The teacher begins again to try and shut down the conversation.

He begins again, “But we also believe that God revealed the Quran as the final message. Never to be altered, to reasset the original revelations of the previous prophets.”

She curtly stops him, “I don’t think that this is the place to discuss where our beliefs about scripture might divert.”

Remaining calm, he reiterates, “Exactly.”

Pausing to look around for a moment before continuing, “There it is. That’s the issue. And that’s why I think some of the people in this room including myself are a little concerned. See Muslims encourage everyone to seek knowledge. So I am more than comfortable with my son studying a Bible. Thrilled actually. I’ve done it myself.”

After pausing to look around the room once more he continues, “But where I think there’s an issue is that this is a public school. That’s the thing. And I think what’s concerning some of us is not the Bible itself. But that it was handed out. Distributed to the kids here. I just ask you to consider how you’d feel if you sent your child to a public school-“

“Sure” the teacher sighs, shaking her head.

“And they came home with a copy of the Quran. Asking about the (Prophet Mohammad). You’d feel it was an issue. If I went around handing out copies of the Quran to the children on this island purely in the interest of the pursuit of knowledge. Well, I’d expect you to chase me out of town Miss King.”