Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali in 1964.

The man who broke down barriers during the volatile Civil Rights movement was a “conscientious objector” to service in the Vietnam War, and his Muslim faith was an oddity to a country that didn’t know much about it.

We still don’t.

I will be in the minority this morning, as we hear about the passing of the heavyweight boxing champion.

I am not a fan of the man who stood over a vanquished Sonny Liston and later proclaimed, “I am the greatest!”

I am astonished this morning at the number of public figures who identify as conservatives that are lavishing praise on Ali. People are lighting candles for him, placing flowers, weeping.

His natural arrogance provided the backdrop for the type of self-preservation practiced by other change agents of that era (such as Bill Clinton). He made sure there was no chance he’d go to Vietnam.

More troubling to me was his misguided attacks on Christianity and the Bible.

Do people not remember?

In a September 9, 1996 interview with Newsweek’s John Leland, Ali showed either his ignorance of Scripture, or his wily propaganda techniques. From my book, It’s the End of the World:

“In their quest for meaning, people often look to other religions.
A Newsweek interview with Muhammad Ali reveals that
the former heavyweight champ thinks he has found the truth,
but in my humble opinion, his own bias keeps him in the dark.
Ali, never challenged by the reporter, alleges that mistakes and
contradictions abound in the Bible—but not in the Quran, of
course.

“’Nothing could be more controversial than this,’ Ali says.
He then points out the verse from Matthew 26:34: Before the
cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Now Ali refers to a verse
in Mark 14:30: Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me
thrice. Both passages refer to the same thing, but the second
verse adds the detail that the denial won’t happen until the cock
crows twice.

“Ali lights up at this ‘discrepancy.’ He claims there are many
such biblical contradictions, and his bold claim will have weight
with people who don’t realize he doesn’t know what he’s talking
about.

“Is there really a contradiction between the accounts of the
two apostles? In the reference to Peter’s betrayal found in
Matthew, indeed Jesus tells Peter that before the cock crows, he
will deny Him three times. In Mark’s account, Jesus tells Peter
that before the cock crows twice, he will deny Him three times.
Mark simply added the detail ‘twice.’

“There is no contradiction, you see. Jesus tells Peter that he
will deny Him three times. Peter denied Him three times. Jesus predicted that Peter would do this before the cock crowed. That
is exactly what happened.

“I mention this because it shows the lengths the Bible’s critics
will go to in order to discredit the book, the book that has the
answers to the great questions of life. For Muhammad Ali, the
implications are clear. If he is wrong about the Quran and the
Bible, he is on the wrong side of reality and will face a God he
doesn’t know.”

Ali mocked opponents, took the worship of self to new heights, mocked Christianity, and helped mainstream Islam, serving as an ambassador for a religion that seeks to subjugate all people.

Today, Muhammad is lauded by people everywhere as a man of compassion, tolerance, and love.

I don’t know who they’re talking about.