“I’ve read the Koran, and I believe Allah’s proper name is Lucifer (Satan/Iblis).”
–James Ammerson; Retired Colonel; AANEWS: December 20, 2002
CHRISTIANITY:
"Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about which they vainly dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of God, that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be’ and it is" (Quran 19:34-35).
At the time of Jesus’ birth, Rome occupied the Holy Land and severely persecuted the Jews. The suffering Jews were awaiting another deliverer, like Moses, a “Messiah” who will lead them into freedom and re-establish their kingdom, in effect they awaited a King from the lineage of David. God had another purpose in the miraculous birth and life of Jesus, peace be with him. A man we meet only three times in the Gospels, at birth, in his youth, and during his ministry and crucifixion. He was not a King, a warrior, but a teacher, a Rabbi, who came to tell the Jews that their kingdom is not of this earth but in the Kingdom of God. He challenged the authority of the Jewish religious leaders, the Sadducees and Pharisees, calling them hypocrites. These leaders felt threatened in their authority and fearful of Rome’s retaliation upon the Jews for this revolutionary leader’s teachings conspired to kill him (37% of Americans agree that Jews killed Christ: see WorldnetDaily.com January 15, 2003). Jesus arose on the third day appearing to his disciples.
As Professor Huston Smith, a renowned authority on world religions writes:
“The biographical details of Jesus’ life are so meager that early in this century some investigators went so far as to suggest that he may never have lived. That possibility was soon rejected, but the impact of Albert Schweitzer’s century-dominating Quest of the Historical Jesus reduced what the world was hearing about Jesus from biblical scholars to two points: We know almost nothing about him; and of the little we know, what is most certain is that he was wrong –” this last referred to his putative belief that the world would quickly come to an end."[1] Almost every aspect of Jesus’ life has contradictory versions in the four Gospels.
Again, Professor Smith:
“Jesus’ quantitative teachings in the New Testament records “can be spoken in two hours."[2]
In fact, the Jesus Seminar, a group of over 200 Biblical Scholars in their 1993 book “The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus” state:
“Only 16% of all events whereby Jesus was the principal actor are historically accurate, and only 18% of the Jesus sayings–”primarily parables and aphorisms- are historically accurate."[3]
Thus today’s Christianity did not arise from Jesus but from St. Paul of Tarsus, a former Jew who never met Jesus, wrote half of the New Testament, fought with Jesus’ disciples, spread Christianity to the Gentiles, and is responsible for most of the Christian doctrines.
Professor Smith writes; “we have already noted that every teaching of Jesus was already in the literature of the day….. Paul, the founder of Christianity, the writer of half the NT, almost never quotes Jesus in his letters and writings."[4]
Others on Paul’s Influence:
“Paul created a theology of which none but the vaguest warrants can be found in the words of Christ…..Fundamentalism is the triumph of Paul over Christ.”
–Will Durant (Philosopher)
"Paul’s words are not the Words of God. They are the words of Paul- a vast difference."
–Bishop John S. Spong, Episcopal Bishop of Newark. (Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, p. 104, Harper San Francisco, 1991)
Paul insisted in his Letters to different Christian Congregations that ONLY his Gospel is to be followed and not the many Gospels of the time, he imposed his beliefs claiming they arose from God directly, he established concepts such as “original sin” and church authority, bashed Jews (Titus 1: 10-16) and women, and spoke of the imminent end times.
However, neither the Gospel writers nor Paul refer to each other in their writings. In fact, Paul says that there was only ONE Gospel, although the church leaders chose Four out of eighty possible Gospels to include in the Bible.
"Paul insists that there is only one ‘gospel of Christ’ (Galatians 1:7), so why did later Christians accept as ‘Scripture’ four written gospels?"
–Graham N. Stanton, “The Gospels and Jesus”, The Oxford Bible Series (1989), p.125
Paul’s teachings contradicted Jesus’ own teachings on several issues.
1. Contradicting Jesus, Paul spread the faith to Gentiles.
[Jesus] answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:22-28)
(Then why is Christianity a faith for all mankind?)
"These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.’ (Matthew 10:5-6)
2. Contradicting Jesus on salvation through worldly behavior and performing good works and the keeping of Jewish Law (Matthew 5: 18-19), Paul spoke of salvation “through faith” alone.[5]
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Romans 3:28)
Yet Paul does state that on occasions he only gives HIS opinion, not God’s:
“Now concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my Opinion”
(1 Corinthians 7:25)
Paul, not Jesus, developed the concept of the Christian church as an embodiment of Christ’s body: “Do you know that your bodies are members of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 6:15)..
Paul taught that Christians must subject themselves to Church doctrine/leaders.
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed” (Romans 13: 1-7)
By the second century, bishops (Greek: episkopos–overseer), and their subordinates (presbyteros; elder) claimed their authority came directly from Christ and his apostles as expressed by Ignatius of Antioch:
“For Jesus Christ…is the Father’s mind, as the bishops, too, appointed the world over, reflect the mind of Christ….It is clear than that we should regard the bishop as Lord himself."[6]
Such doctrine led to the development of the Catholic Church, the Pope, The College of Cardinals that elect the Pope (approved in The Lateran Council of 1059), Church Creeds not found in the Bible, the ability of Priests to “forgive sins” upon confession, and in 1870, the eventual establishment of the “Infallibility” of the Pope.
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE A MAN-MADE GOD.
Christians believe that Jesus is God/Son of God who walked in human flesh. Yet, ironically neither Jesus, nor his disciples, nor anyone who witnessed Jesus’ life, including his mother, his brothers, nor Mary Magdalene, ever stated such a concept. In fact Jesus was mistreated by his own family and rebuked by his own apostle Simon Peter.
While the Jews struggle with the question “who is a Jew”, Christians historically have struggled with “who is Jesus”, the biblical versus the historical Jesus based on scholarly study. The two beliefs, mainly due to Paul, that trouble most Christians and are often cited for their abandonment of faith and conversion to Islam are: ORIGINAL SIN and TRINITY.
Christianity’s Basic Tenets are: (None Spoken by Jesus himself)
1. Original Sin/Atonement
2. Incarnation
3. Trinity
4. Resurrection
1. ORIGINAL SIN/ATONEMENT:
The doctrine of “Original Sin” (Adam & Eve’s Sin) was never mentioned in the Old Testament, nor by Jesus, nor by his Disciples. Paul introduces it. (Romans 5:12)
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
Does Paul contradict God’s words in Ezekial 18:20 that sin is not inherited?
“The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son”
Accordingly God planned from the beginning of creation to send His Son to die in the future for man’s inheritance of Adam and Eve’s “original sin”. Why did God wait so long to send His “Son” to die for this sin? Did Paul believe God incapable of forgiving sins? Why did He send countless Prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses to speak of “One” God when it was a “Trinity” and not mention “original sin”? If Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation, what happens to the millions of people who lived before him?
2. INCARNATION:
This belief that Christ was both God and Man (God in human flesh) was fiercely debated for centuries until its imposition by Constantinople in 325 C.E. at the Council of Nicea. The ‘Deity” of Christ finds little support in the teachings of Jesus.
"But he [Jesus] also insists, paradoxically, that his relationship with the Father is one of dependence. He refers to himself repeatedly as the one sent by the Father, and, as if to rebut any suggestion that he is a ‘second god’, he states, ‘the Father is greater than I’ (John 14:28)."
–Graham N. Stanton, The Gospels and Jesus, The Oxford Bible Series (1989), p. 115
In a survey of 39 Anglican Bishops conducted by the British paper, The Daily News, on 6/25/84 the paper writes:
“More than half of England’s Anglican Bishops say that Christians are not obliged to believe that Jesus Christ was God….while 19 (of the 39) said it was sufficient to regard Jesus as God’s supreme agent.”
Let us look at some teachings of Jesus about himself, God, and some contradictory sayings of love, hate, and murder uttered by God in flesh.
"I do nothing of myself” (John 8:28)
"And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” (Mark 10:18)
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters- yes, even his own life- he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
"Do not suppose that I [Jesus] have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34)
"So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead.” (Revelation 2:22-23)
“But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them–bring them here and kill them in front of me.” (Luke 19:27)
BUT…
"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-44)
3. TRINITY:
While God is ONE, God is also THREE. Is this truly Monotheism?
Although Jesus never says he is God, he does affirm the Unity of One God as revealed in the original Torah.
"The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is ONE Lord." (Mark 12:29)
“And this is life eternal, that they might know You the ONLY true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
“The trinity of God …belief as so defined was reached only in the 4th and 5th centuries AD and hence is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief."
–"The Dictionary of the Bible," John L. McKenzie, S.J., p. 899
"While the New Testament writers say a great deal about God, Jesus, and the Spirit of each, no New Testament writer expounds on the relationship among the three in the detail that later Christian writers do.”
–"The Oxford Companion to the Bible, Bruce Metzger and Michael Coogan, p. 782
4. RESURRECTION:
Although this is Christianity’s most foundational belief, “it’s been subject to more historical second guessing and theological dispute perhaps than any other tenet of Christianity…..there are no Resurrection stories per se, no eyewitness accounts of Jesus rising from the dead… the Resurrection is largely a deduction…interestingly, the earliest Gospel–”Mark–”ends with an empty tomb, but no Resurrection…Meanwhile, the earliest account of Resurrection appearances—-Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians makes no reference to an empty tomb."[9] There are many conflicting stories about who visited Jesus’ tomb, when, and how Jesus reappeared, some say physically others say spiritually.
“There are many difficulties connected with this subject, and the narratives, which are disappointingly meager, also contain certain irreconcilable discrepancies.”
–Dictionary of Bible, p. 490 [10] (Found in “Qur’anic Text p. 207)
A good site to visit as an introduction toward understanding biblical inclusion or exclusion of verses is:[11]
Example: 1 JOHN 5: 7
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
Most biblical versions either omit this phrase or footnote it as not found in original manuscripts. Luther’s own translation did not contain this verse.
When studying scripture one needs to be cognizant of the idiomatic uses of the language at the time.
The title ‘Son of God” was not unique to Jesus but is used repeatedly in the Old Testament to refer to Prophets as well as to believers in God in the New Testament.
Jacob (Ex. 4:22); Solomon (2 Samuel 7: 13-14); Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:19, called God’s firstborn which was already used for Jacob, who’s then the first born?); Adam (Luke:3:38); Believers in general (John 1:12, Romans 8:14, 1 John 3:12 and much more).
"Nathaniel answered and said to him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." (John 1:49) An auxiliary title of the king of Israel was "the Son of God." Jesus often called himself "the son of man." This was a term associated with of the messiah of the Jews.
Most importantly, The Hebrew texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947, that preceded the birth of Jesus reveal the coming of TWO “Messiah’s”, most likely Jesus and Muhammad (pbuh) as well as the usage of the term “Son of God” reaffirming its Jewish use for non-deities.
Additionally, was Jesus then the only “begotten” Son of God? According to Psalms 2:7, NO.
–David was also a begotten son:
“I will declare the decree; the LORD hat said unto unto me. Thou art my SON, this day I have BEGOTTEN thee.”
Was Jesus alone filled with the “Holy Ghost”? Again, NO.
–So was Zacharias (Luke 1:67); Elizabeth (Luke 1:41); Peter (Acts 4:8), Paul (Acts 13:9)
Was Jesus the only one “anointed”? Again, NO.
The term “Messiah” means “anointed”, later translated into Greek as “Christos”, hence “Christ”:
–So was Solomon (1 Kings 1:39); David (1 Samuel 16:13); Jewish Priests (Leviticus 4:3); Cyrus, King of Persia, a pagan (Isaiah 45:1), even a Pillar (Genesis 31:13); The Tabernacle (Leviticus 8:10) and much more.
Did Jesus say everything John says he said?[12]
Examples:
John 14:9 – Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
John 8:58 – Before Abraham was, I am.
John 11:25 – I am the resurrection, and the life.
John 14:6 – I am the way, the truth, and the life.
Ironically, such statements of the “I AM’s” don’t appear in the other three Gospels, only in John.
"If they were part of the original words of Jesus himself, how could it be that only John picked them up and none of the others? Call it scholarly skepticism if you like, but I find it almost incredible that such sayings should have been neglected had they been known as a feature of Jesus’ teaching. If the ‘I ams’ had been part of the original tradition, it is very hard indeed to explain why none of the other three evangelists made use of them."
(James Dunn, “The Evidence for Jesus”, Westminster John Knox Press, 1999, p. 36)
"It is difficult to know whether the words or sayings attributed to Jesus are written exactly as he spoke them. . . . The Church was so firmly convinced that . . . Jesus . . . taught through her, that she expressed her teaching in the form of Jesus’ sayings."
(The New American Bible: St. Joseph Medium Size Edition, p.23)
The Apocalyptic Industry:
The phenomenon of “end times prophecy” or “Apocalypse” began with Jews with the destruction of Solomon’s Temple that led to much fear and an anticipation of delivery and victory by the “Messiah”. This concept carried over into Christianity soon after Jesus’ death and has continued unabated by many movements, some genuine, others out of greed that it eventually became an “Apocalypse Industry” as evidenced by the popularity of books and movies on the subject. For Christians two biblical books speak to such an “Apocalypse” which today would involve Israel and a nuclear holocaust prior to Jesus’ return. (See Grace Halsell’s: “Forcing God’s Hand”)—the O.T. book of Daniel and the N.T. book of Revelations. Daniel was rejected by most Jews and was not included among the books of “Prophets” but in the “Writings” at a much later date. “Revelations” is erroneously attributed to the Apostle John (author unknown) and even when the N.T. books were finalized? In 397 at the Third Council of Carthage, both the Books of James and Revelation. continued to be questioned.
Throughout Christian history any perceived enemy was labeled the “Anti-Christ” including Pope’s and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
CONCLUSION:
Christianity is more Paul’s religion than Jesus’. It is a religion searching for a rational faith confused by a bible of many authors, errors, versions, beliefs, theologians and leaders, thousands of denominations, an arrogance and exclusivity toward others, and the bloodiest history of all religions. Just as Jesus was sent to the Jews to return them to the straight path of worshiping ONE God, so did Islam come to return Jews, Christians, and ALL of humanity to the straight path of worshiping ONE God, ALLAH (swt).
Have we as Muslims abandoned our faith and our mission to mankind, have we abandoned Allah’s (swt) trust in us? Only each of us can answer this question.
ALLAH AKBAR
SOURCES:
[1]. Smith, Huston; “The World’s Religions”, 1991, Harpers Collin, p. 318
[2]. Ibid, “The World’s Religions”, p. 325
[3]. http://www.westarinstitute.org/
Jesus_Seminar/jesus_seminar.html
[4]. Ibid, “The World’s Religions”, p. 330
[5]. http://liberalslikechrist.org/about/
paulvsall.html; http://www.wordwiz72.com/paul.html
[6]. http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/
openhse/clergy.html
[7]. http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Scriptures/
www.innvista.com/scriptures/compare/
trinity.htm
[8]. http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Scriptures/
www.innvista.com/scriptures/compare/
add.htm
[9]. U.S. News and World Report, Special Edition, “Mysteries of Faith”, November 2003, p.62-63
[10]. Al-Azami, M. M.; “The History of the Qur’anic Text”, 2003, UK Islamic Academy, p. 207
[11]. http://www.innvista.com/culture/
religion/bible/default.htm
[12]. http://www.beconvinced.com/RELIGION/
JESUSSAYING.htm
Other Important References:
[13]. Bucaille, Maurice; “The Bible, The Qur’an, And Science”, 1977 Publishers Seghers.
[14]. Abdallah, Misha’al Ibn; “What Did Jesus REALLY Say”, 2001, Islamic Assembly of America.
(The best overall book on the subject)
[15]. Ally, Shabir; “Is Jesus God? The Bible Says NO”, 1997, Dar Al-Hadyan.
[16]. Barthel, Manfred; “What the Bible Really Says”, 1998, Wings Books.
[17]. Professor Thomas Arnold; “The Spread of Islam In the World: A History of Peaceful Preaching”, 2001, Goodword Books.
[18]. Edwards, O.C.; “How It All Began: Origins of the Christian Church”, 1973, The Seabury Press.
[19]. David Robert Ord & Robert B. Coote; “Is The Bible True”, 1994, Orbis Books.
[20]. Dilling, Elizabeth; “The Jewish Religion: It’s Influence Today”, 1983, The Noontide Press.
Christian and Talmudic Quotes
BIBLE:.
1. Veil Mentioned 50 Times in Bible in 12 Books.
“For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair”
(1 Corinthians 11: 6)
2. Turban Mentioned 23 Times in 9 Books.
"He put the turban on his head and set the gold rosette as symbol of holy dedication on the front of the turban as the Lord had commanded him."
(Leviticus 8:9)1
ON U.S. BEING A “CHRISTIAN” NATION:
"Even if God himself had tried to tell us that three was one . . . and one equals three, you and I would never have believed it. We would never fall victims to such lies."
— President John Adams
“We discover [in the gospels] a groundwork of vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstition, fanaticism and fabrication."
— President Thomas Jefferson2
JEWISH BABYLONIAN TALMUD:
On Mary:
‘She (Mary) who was the descendant of princes and governors, played the harlot with carpenters” Sanhedrin 106b.
On Jesus:
–“He (Jesus) was sexually immoral, worshipped statues of stone , was cut off from the Jewish people for his wickedness, and refused to repent” Sanhedrin 107b; Sotah 47a3
–Jesus is in hell, being boiled in "hot excrement." Gittin 57a4
Sanhedrin 58b. If a heathen (gentile) hits a Jew, the gentile must be killed
Yebamoth 98a. All gentile children are animals
Sanhedrin 55b. A Jew may marry a three year old girl (specifically, three years "and a day" old).
Sanhedrin 54b. A Jew may have sex with a child as long as the child is less than nine years old.
Kethuboth 11b. "When a grown-up man has intercourse with a little girl it is nothing."5
[1]. http://etext.virginia.edu/rsv.browse.html (Search Capability)
[2]. http://afgen.com/nochurch.html (Presidential Quotes)
[3]. http://www.noahide.com/yeshu.htm (Noah’s Covenant)
[4]. http://www.hoffman-info.com/talmudtruth.html
[5]. http://www.come-and-hear.com/p_navigate.html
(Babylonian Talmud Site with Search Capabilities and Rabbinic Commentary)
Dilling, Elizabeth; “The Jewish Religion: It’s Influence Today” formerly titled “The Plot Against Christianity”; Noontide Press, 1983
Related Content:
– Challenging the Bible (s) :: Part One ::
– Challenging the Bible (s) :: Part Two ::
