| Frequently Asked Questions About Christianitytaken from salafi publications | ||||||||||||
 Christianity FAQ 1 : I And The Father Are One |
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| Article ID : MSS010001
Jesus said: “I and the Father are one” (Jn.10:30), therefore, is not Jesus the same, or, “co-equal” in status with his Father? Answer No.1 In Greek, `heis’ means `one’ numerically (masc.) `hen’ means `one’ in unity or essence (neut.) Here the word used by John is `hen’ and not `heis’. The marginal notes in New American Standard Bible (NASB) reads; one – (Lit.neuter) a unity, or, one essence. If one wishes to argue that the word `hen’ supports their claim for Jesus being “co-equal” in status with his Father, please invite his/her attention to the following verse: Jesus said: “And the glory which Thou hast given me, I have given to them (disciples); that they may be one, just as we are one.” (John 17:22). If he/she was to consider/regard/believe the Father and Jesus Christ to be ”one” meaning “co-equal” in status on the basis of John 10:30, then that person should also be prepared to consider/regard/believe “them” – the disciples of Jesus, to be ”co-equal” in status with the Father and Jesus (“just as we are one”) in John 17:22. I have yet to find a person that would be prepared to make the disciples (students) “co-equal” in status with the Father or Jesus. The unity and accord was of the authorized divine message that originated from the Father, received by Jesus and finally passed on to the disciples. Jesus admitted having accomplished the work which the Father had given him to do. (Jn.17:4) Hot Tip: (precise and pertinent) Jesus said: “I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.” (Jn.14:28). This verse unequivocally refutes the claim by any one for Jesus being “co-equal” in status with his Father. Jesus said: “I am the way, …no one comes to the Father, but through me.” (Jn.14:6), therefore, is not the Salvation through Jesus, ALONE? Answer No.2 Before Jesus spoke these words, he said; “In my Father’s house are many mansions (dwelling places); if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a mansion (a dwelling place) for you.” (John 14:2). The above explicit statement confirms that Jesus was going to prepare “a” mansion and not “all” the mansions in “my Father’s house”. Obviously, the prophets that came before him and the one to come after, were to prepare the other mansions for their respective followers. The prophet that came after Jesus had evidently shown the current “way” to a modern mansion in the kingdom of heaven. Besides; the verse clearly states; Jesus was the “WAY” to a mansion. It is a folly to believe that Jesus (or any prophet) was the “DESTINATION”. Jesus said; “I am the door” to find the pasture. (Jn.10:9). A sheep that walks through the “door” will find the pasture. A sheep that circles around the “door” will never find the pasture. One who crosses over the “way” will reach the mansion. Anyone that stops on the “way” and believes the “way” to be the end of his/her journey, will be out in the open without any shelter and a roof. Hot Tip: (precise and pertinent) Jesus said; “Not every one that says to me; `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven.” (Mt.7:21). Jesus said: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn.14:9), does this not prove that Jesus Christ and his Father were one and the same? Answer No.3 One day to prove a point and settle an argument, Jesus picked up a child and said to his disciples; “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives Him who sent me;” (Luke 9:48). Jesus said; “He who believes in me does not believe in me, but in Him who sent me.” (John 12:44) “He who hates me hates my Father also. …but now they have both seen and hated me and my Father as well.” (John 15:23-24) “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.” (John 17:3). The call of sincerity demands that if believing in the Truth is the honest intention then one could only pass an ethical judgement after reflecting upon all the relevant texts. John 17:3 (quoted above), if read with the following verse clears the air. Hot Tip: (precise and pertinent) Jesus said; “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is the one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.” (John 13:16). During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly said he was sent by his Father.
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Tag Archives: Jesus
Who Owns the Old Testament?
| Concerning the Authenticity of the Bible | |
| Who Owns the Old Testament? |
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| Source: Prepared for Spubs by an anonymous writer. | |
| Article ID : MSS030002 [11816] | |
Who owns the Old Testament – Judaism or Christianity? This is a very natural question to ask, especially since the Old and New Testaments are nearly always found, in Christian practice at least, bound together as one book. Yet it is difficult to assess to what extent Christianity is sensitive to the fact that what the Church has called the Old Testament is also the property of Judaism and Jews, and that the Church by no means has a monopoly on it. Because of a strong awareness that the Old Testament is read by Jews, many people prefer to avoid altogether the term Old Testament (which is of course not used by the Jews themselves). At the heart of the matter is the fact that the term Old Testament was coined by Christians to distinguish these writings from the ever-growing literature of the early Church that began to be regarded as having religious authority. This appeared to put the Old Testament on an inferior footing to the New Testament and devalue it, a move that is felt to be insensitive to Jews. A further complication arises when we learn that the twenty-four books accepted as canonical by Jews (and most Protestant Christians) are increased to twenty-seven by Catholics, including some books that were not originally written in Hebrew.
The question of what Christians should do with the texts they had inherited from the ancient Israelites was the subject of lively debate from the earliest centuries of the Church. Fuel was added to the debate in the form of one overriding factor which Christianity had then and still needs to resolve: the existence of fundamental inconsistencies between the Old Testament and the New. The classic case of rejection of the Old Testament within Christian tradition is that of Marcion, a very influential churchman of the second century. He emphasised Paul’s contrast between Old Testament law and New Testament gospel to an extreme degree, so much so that he rejected the whole of the Old Testament. He went so far as to claim that the loving Father of the New Testament was in fact a different God from the angry God of the Old Testament! This may be a rather extreme response, but the problem is one that still worries many today. Again, the factor which led Marcion to reject the Old Testament was, primarily, the problem of irreconcilable discrepancies between the two Testaments.
Marcion’s rejection of the Old Testament was deliberate. As was the rejection in the 1930s, when anti-Jewish feeling in Nazi Germany put pressure on the Church to deny the Old Testament. The form that rejection of the Old Testament often takes in modern day Christianity is very different, amounting usually to an embarrassed silence about that part of the Bible. This attitude, which might well be said to be typical of very many Christians, is rarely articulated clearly. Of particular importance here to Christians is the supposed difficulty and obscurity of so much of the Old Testament; the apparently cruel and primitive nature of large parts of it; and also the feeling that it is irrelevant to the modern world and even contradicts the scientific views of our age. The fact that the same could be said for the New Testament is conveniently overlooked by such Christians.
The alternative to rejecting or quietly ignoring the Old Testament is to affirm its importance for the Church and to attempt to integrate it with one’s understanding of the New Testament. After all, what we call the Old Testament was the Bible of Jesus and of Paul, who both felt it important and relevant to quote and read from it, as the following examples highlight:
At Luke 4:18, Jesus, whilst visiting the synagogue as a child, is quoted as reading a passage from the Book of Isaiah: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.’
Some of the words from this passage have been underlined to assist in a comparison between Luke’s New Testament rendition of this quote from Isaiah and the form which it takes in the Old Testament itself, where Isaiah 61:1 reads:
‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.’
Surprisingly, the two passages differ. The Old Testament makes no mention of ‘recovering of sight to the blind’ whereas Luke does, and he substitutes ‘heal the broken-hearted’ and ‘them that are bruised’ for the Old Testament’s ‘to bind up the broken-hearted’ and ‘them that are bound.’
There appears to be no logical explanation for the differences, except that the text has either suffered corruption or the Old Testament which Jesus read from is not the same as the one in use today.
Answers to 7 Questions on Islam
| Answers to 7 Questions on Islam | |
| Source: Islamic Awareness | |
| Article ID : NMM010003 | |
1. What is Islaam?
The word “Islaam” is an Arabic word that means “submitting and surrendering your will to Almighty God“. The word comes from the same root as the Arabic word “salam”, which means peace. Unlike the names used for other religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, the name for the religion of Islaam was both revealed by God and carries a deep spritual meaning – only by submitting one’s will to Almighty God can one obtain true peace both in this life and in the life hereafter. Islaam teaches that all religions originally had the same essential message – which was to submit whole-heartedly to the will of God and to worship Him and Him alone. For this reason, Islaam is not a new religion but is the same divinely revealed Ultimate Truth that God revealed to all prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
2. Who are Muslims?
The Arabic word “Muslim” literally means “someone who submits to the will of God”. The message of Islaam is meant for the entire world and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim. Some people mistakenly believe that Islaam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth, since in actuality over 80% of the world’s Muslims are not Arabs! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists. If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World – from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia – it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups and nationalities. From the very beginning, Islaam had a universal message for all people. This can be seen in the fact that some of the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also Persians, Africans and Byzantine Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete acceptance and active obedience to the revealed will of Almighty God. A Muslim is a person who freely accepts to base his beliefs, values and faith on the will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you don’t see it as much today, the word “Mohammedans” was often used as a label for Muslims. This label is a misnomer and is the result of either wilful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true since a Muslim is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty God.
3. Who is Allaah?
Very often one will here the Arabic word “Allaah” being used in regards to Islaam. The word “Allaah” is simply the Arabic word for Almighty God, and is the same word used by Arabic speaking Christians and Jews. If one were to pick up an Arabic translation of the Bible, one would see the word “Allaah” being use where the word “God” is used in English. Actually, the Arabic word for Almighty God, “Allaah”, is quite similar to the word for God in other Semitic languages – for example, the Hebrew word for God is “Elah”. For various reasons, some non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Muslims worship a different God than the God of Moses and Abraham and Jesus. This is certainly not the case, since the Pure Monotheism of Islaam calls all people to the worship of the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all of the other prophets.
4. Who is Muhammad?
The last and final prophet that God sent to humanity was the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad explained, interpreted and lived the teachings of Islaam. The Prophet Muhammad is the greatest of all prophets for many reasons, but mainly because the results of his mission have brought more people into the pure belief in One God than any other prophet. Even though other religious communities claimed to believe in One God, over time they had corrupted their beliefs by taking their prophets and saints as intercessors with Almighty God. Some religions believe their prophets to be manifestations of God, “God Incarnate” or the “Son of God”. All of these false ideas lead to the creature being worshipped instead of the Creator, which contributed to the idolatrous practice of believing that Almighty God can be approached through intermediaries. In order to guard against these falsehoods, the Prophet Muhammad always emphasised that he was only a human-being tasked with the preaching of God’s message. He taught Muslims to refer to him as “the Messenger of God and His Slave”. To Muslims, Muhammad is the supreme example for all people – he was the exemplary prophet, statesman, military leader, ruler, teacher, neighbour, husband, father and friend. Unlike other prophets and messengers, the Prophet Muhammad lived in the full light of history. Muslims don’t need to have “faith” that he existed and that his teachings are preserved - they know it to be a fact. Even when his followers only numbered a few dozen, Almighty God informed Muhammad that he had be sent as a mercy to all of mankind. Because people had distorted or forgotten God’s messages, God took it upon Himself to protect the message revealed to Muhammad. This was because Almighty God promised not to send another messenger after him. Since all of God’s messengers have preached the message of Islaam - i.e. submission to the will of God and the worship of God alone – Muhammad is actually the last prophet of Islaam, not the first.
5. What are the Teachings of Islaam?
The foundation of the Islaamic faith is belief in the Unity of God. This means to believe that there is only one Creator and Sustainer of everything in the Universe, and that nothing is divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Him. Truly believing in the Unity of God means much more than simply believing that there is “One God” – as opposed to two, three or four. There are a number of religions that claim belief in “One God” and believe that ultimately there is only one Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Islaam, however, not only insists on this, but also rejects using such words as “Lord” and “Saviour” for anyone besides Almighty God. Islaam also rejects the use of all intermediaries between God and Man, and insists that people approach God directly and reserve all worship for Him alone. Muslims believe that Almighty God is Compassionate, Loving and Merciful.
The essence of falsehood is the claim that God cannot deal with and forgive His creatures directly. By over-emphasising the burden of sin, as well as claiming that God cannot forgive you directly, false religions seek to get people to despair of the Mercy of God. Once they are convinced that they cannot approach God directly, people can be mislead into turning to false gods for help. These “false gods” can take various forms, such as saints, angels, or someone who is believed to be the “Son of God” or “God Incarnate”. In almost all cases, people who worship, pray to or seek help from a false god don’t consider it to be, or call it, a “god”. They claim belief in One Supreme God, but claim that they pray to and worship others beside God only to get closer to Him. In Islaam, there is a clear distinction between the Creator and the created. There is no ambiguity in divinity – anything that is created is not deserving of worship and only the Creator is worthy of being worshipped. Some religions falsely believe that God has become part of His creation, and this has led people to believe that they can worship something created in order to reach their Creator.
Muslims believe that even though God is Unique and beyond comprehension – He has no “Son”, partners or associates. According to Muslim belief, Almighty God “does not beget nor was He begotten” – neither literally, allegorically, metaphorically, physically or metaphysically – He is Absolutely Unique and Eternal. He is in control of everything and is perfectly capable of bestowing His infinite Mercy and Forgiveness to whomever He chooses. That is why is called the All-Powerful and Most-Merciful. Almighty God has created the Universe for man, and as such wants the best for all human beings. Muslims see everything in the Universe as a sign of the Creatorship and Benevolence of Almighty God. Also, the belief in the Unity of God is not merely a metaphysical concept. It is a dynamic belief that effects ones view of humanity, society and all aspects of life. As a logical corollary to the Islaamic belief in the Oneness of God, is its belief in the oneness of mankind and humanity
6. What is the Qur’aan?
It is the final revelation of the will of Almighty God’s to all of mankind, which was conveyed through the Angel Gabriel, in Arabic, to the Prophet Muhammad in its sounds, words and meanings. The Qur’aan, sometimes spelled Koran, was relayed to the Prophet’s companions, which they memorised verbatim, and which has been publicly and continually recited by them and their successors until the present day. In short, the Qur’aan is the book of guidance from God par excellence. The Qur’aan is still memorised and taught by millions of people. The language of the Qur’aan, Arabic, is still a living language to millions of people, so unlike the scriptures of other religions, the Qur’aan is still read in its original language by countless millions of people. The Qu’ran is a living miracle in the Arabic language; and is know to be inimitable in its style, form and spiritual impact. God’s final revelation to mankind, the Qur’aan, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years. The Qur’aan, in contrast to many other religious books, was always thought to be the Word of God by those who believed in it, i.e. it wasn’t something decreed by a religious council many years after being written. Also, the Qu’ran was recited publicly in front of both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities during the life of the Prophet Muhammad. The entire Qur’aan was also completely written down in lifetime of the Prophet, and numerous companions of the Prophet memorised the entire Qur’aan word-for-word as it was revealed. So unlike other scriptures, the Qur’aan was always in the hands of the common believers, it was always thought to be God’s word and, due to wide-spread memorisation, it was perfectly preserved. In regards to the teachings of the Qur’aan - it is a universal scripture, and it is addressed to all of mankind, and not to a particular tribe or “chosen people”. The message that it brings is nothing new, but the same message of all of the prophets – submit to Almighty God and worship Him alone. As such, God’s revelation in the Qur’aan focuses on teaching human beings the importance of believing in the Unity of God and framing their lives around the guidance which He has sent. Additionally, the Qur’aan contains the stories of the previous prophets, such as Abraham, Noah, Moses and Jesus; as well as many commands and prohibitions from God. In modern times in which so many people are caught up in doubt, spiritual despair and “political correctness”, the Qur’aanic teachings offer solutions to the emptiness of our lives and the turmoil that is gripping the world today.
7. How Do Muslims View the Nature of Man, the Purpose of Life and the Life Hereafter?
In the Holy Qur’aan, God teaches human beings that they were created in order to worship Him, and that the basis of all true worship is God-consciousness. Since the teachings of Islaamic encompass all aspects of life and ethics, God-consciousness is encouraged in all human affairs. Islaam makes it clear that all human acts are acts of worship if they are done for God alone and in accordance to His Divine Law. As such, worship in Islaam is not limited to religious rituals. The teachings of Islaam act as a mercy and a healing for the human soul, and such qualities as humility, sincerity, patience and charity are strongly encouraged. Additionally, Islaam condemns pride and self-righteousness, since Almighty God is the only judge of human righteousness. The Islaamic view of the nature of man is also realistic and well-balanced. Human beings are not believed to be inherently sinful, but are seen as equally capable of both good and evil. Islaam also teaches that faith and action go hand-in-hand. God has given people free-will, and the measure of one’s faith is one’s deeds and actions. However, human beings have also been created weak and regularly fall into sin. This is the nature of the human being as created by God in His Wisdom, and it is not inherently “corrupt” or in need of repair. This is because the avenue of repentance of always open to all human beings, and Almighty God loves the repentant sinner more than one who does not sin at all. The true balance of an Islaamic life is established by having a healthy fear of God as well as a sincere belief in His infinite Mercy. A life without fear of God leads to sin and disobedience, while believing that we have sinned so much that God will not possibly forgive us only leads to despair. In light of this, Islaam teaches that: only the misguided despair of the Mercy of their Lord. Additionally, the Holy Qur’aan, which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, contains a great deal of teachings about the life hereafter and the Day of Judgement. Due to this, Muslims believe that all human beings will ultimately be judged by God for their beliefs and actions in their earthly lives. In judging human beings, Almighty God will be both Merciful and Just, and people will only be judged for what they were capable of. Suffice it to say that Islaam teaches that life is a test, and that all human beings will be accountable before God. A sincere belief in the life hereafter is key to leading a well-balanced life and moral. Otherwise, life is viewed as an end in itself, which causes human beings to become more selfish, materialistic and immoral
Misconception: Muslims Hate Jesus
| Misconceptions About Islam | |
| Misconception: Muslims Hate Jesus |
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| Source: Islamic Awareness | |
| Article ID : MSC010007 [11212] | |
Misconception: Muslims hate Jesus
Many non-Muslims are surprised to find out that according to Muslim belief, Jesus, the son of Mary, is one of the greatest messengers of God. Muslims are taught to love Jesus, and a person cannot be a Muslim without believing in the virgin birth and miracles of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. Muslims believe these things about Jesus not because of the Bible or any other religion, but simply because the Holy Qur’an says these things about him. However, Muslims always emphasize that the miracles of Jesus, and all other prophets, were by “God’s permission”. This having been said, many Christians feel to not believe that Jesus is the “Son of God”, “God Incarnate” or the “Third Person” of the Trinity. This is because the Qur’an clearly says that Almighty God does not have a “Son” — neither allegorically, physically, metaphorically or metaphysically. The Pure Monotheism of Islam rejects the notion of “defining” God (which is basically what the “Doctrine of the Trinity” does), saying that someone is “like” God or equal to him, or praying to someone else besides God. Also, Islam teaches that titles such as “Lord” and “Savior” are due to God alone. In order to avoid misunderstanding, it should be clarified that when Muslims criticize the Bible or the teachings of Christianity, they are not attacking “God’s Word” or Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. From the Muslim point of view, they are defending Jesus and God’s Word — which they have in the form of the Qur’an. Muslim criticism is targeted at writings that some people claim are God’s word, but Muslim’s simply don’t accept their claim that they are really God’s word in totality. Additionally, Christian doctrines such as the Trinity and the Atonement are criticized by Muslims precisely because they did not originate from Jesus, peace be upon him. In this way, Muslims are the true followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, because they defend him from the exaggerations of the Christians and teach the Pure Monotheism that Jesus himself followed.
