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Why does Islam ... ?
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robin View Drop Down
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    Posted: 19 May 2008 at 2:41am

Why does Islam like the Churches use a pagan symbol?

Crescent Moon - Pagan

The crescent moon and star is an internationally-recognized symbol of the faith of Islam. The symbol is featured on the flags of several Muslim countries, and is even part of the official emblem for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Christians have the cross, the Jews have the star of David, and the Muslims have the crescent moon, right?

What is the history behind the crescent moon symbol? What does it symbolize or mean? How and when did it become associated with the faith of Islam? Is it a valid symbol for the faith?
The crescent moon and star symbol actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years. Information on the origins of the symbol are difficult to ascertain, but most sources agree that these ancient celestial symbols were in use by the peoples of Central Asia and Siberia in their worship of sun, moon, and sky gods.

There are also reports that the crescent moon and star were used to represent the Carthaginian goddess Tanit or the Greek goddess Diana.
The city of Byzantium (later known as Constantinople and Istanbul) adopted the crescent moon as its symbol. According to some reports, they chose it in honor of the goddess Diana. Others indicate that it dates back to a battle in which the Romans defeated the Goths on the first day of a lunar month.

The Cross - PAGAN

"CROSS "The shape of the [two-beamed cross] had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as a symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd cent, A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the crosspiece lowered, was adopted to stand for the cross of Christ"-'An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words' (London, 1962), W.E. Vine, p.256

"The well-known T-shaped cross was in use in pagan lands long before Christianity, as a representation of the male member, and also at the same time of the 'tree' on which the god (Attis or Adonis or Krishna or whoever it might be) was crucified; and the same symbol combined with the oval (or yoni) formed the Crux Ansata [T under O] of the old Egyptian ritual-a figure which is today sold in Cairo as a potent charm, and confessedly indicates the conjunction of the two sexes in one design."-'The Origins of Pagan and Christian Beliefs by Edward Carpenter p.183

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Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead.

This form of execution was widely practiced in Ancient Rome and in neighbouring Mediterranean cultures; similar methods were invented in the Persian Empire.[1]

Crucifixion was used by the Romans until AD 337.

 
Crucifixion of Jesus - An Accurate Portrayal
The crucifixion of Jesus is detailed in all four of the New Testament Gospels. Not only do these four accounts accurately portray this historical event, they graphically depict a Roman practice that has been absolutely confirmed by the archaeological evidence.

Crucifixion of Jesus - The Roman Practice
In 1968, the historical veracity for the crucifixion of Jesus took another leap forward. A mass gravesite in Israel was uncovered that contained 35 male bodies, each of which died a brutal death around the time of the Jewish revolt against Rome in 70 AD. An inscription identified one of the men as Yohan Ben Ha'galgol. Studies of his bones performed by specialists from the Hadassah Medical School determined this man was in his late 20's and stood five feet six inches tall.

Dramatically, these studies also showed that the man had been crucified in a manner resembling the crucifixion of Jesus. A large spike had been driven through both feet, which were turned outward so the nail could be hammered inside the Achilles tendon. Spikes were also driven through his lower forearms, just below the wrists. The bone studies also revealed that the man's legs were crushed below the knees. In John 19:31-33, we read that Roman executioners expedited the death of crucifixion victims by breaking their legs - this caused them to suffocate quickly because they could no longer push up with their legs to inflate their lungs.

Another archaeological find dating to the first century AD is an unidentified heel bone discovered in a Jerusalem gravesite. Now held by the Israel Antiquities Authority and displayed in the Israel Museum, this dramatic fossil actually has a huge spike still imbedded in the heel. It appears that the executioners hit the bone when they nailed this victim to the cross, and couldn't remove the spike when they removed the body for burial.

 

Crucifixion of Jesus - More Indirect Evidence
The crucifixion of Jesus isn't mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but the ancient texts reveal that both Jews and Romans hated the practice of crucifixion because of its extreme cruelty. The scrolls also explain that crucifixion was a form of capital punishment reserved for slaves and those who were a threat to Rome. This explains why Pontius Pilate chose crucifixion as the penalty for Jesus Christ, since Jesus claimed a form of "Kingship" that threatened those in religious and political power.

In 1878, a stone inscription was found in Nazareth containing a decree from Emperor Claudius of Rome. The official decree announced that graves must not be disturbed, nor bodies removed. The punishment for violators was death. Interestingly, this stone slab is dated to about 50 AD, and prior to this time, grave-robbing was not considered a capital offense. Claudius probably issued the decree as a result of the turmoil caused by the early preaching of the resurrection of Jesus, which actually caused major riots in 49 AD, when non-believing Jews declared that the body of Jesus had been stolen by his followers.

John 3
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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Jesus was put to death by the Jews not the Romans:-
 
John 18:36
.Jesus answered: "My kingdom is no part of this world. If my kingdom were part of this world, my attendants would have fought that I should not be delivered up to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from this source."
 
As it was he was deliver up to the Jews.  At that time they had to have Roman permission to kill him, but they did according to Jewish Law:-
 
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
"And in case there comes to be in a man a sin deserving the sentence of death, and he has been put to death, and you have hung him upon a stake, 23 his dead body should not stay all night on the stake; but you should by all means bury him on that day, because something accursed of God is the one hung up; and you must not defile your soil, which Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance.
 
Origin of the "Cross":-
 

"CROSS "The shape of the [two-beamed cross] had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as a symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd cent, A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the crosspiece lowered, was adopted to stand for the cross of Christ"-'An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words' (London, 1962), W.E. Vine, p.256

"The well-known T-shaped cross was in use in pagan lands long before Christianity, as a representation of the male member, and also at the same time of the 'tree' on which the god (Attis or Adonis or Krishna or whoever it might be) was crucified; and the same symbol combined with the oval (or yoni) formed the Crux Ansata [T under O] of the old Egyptian ritual-a figure which is today sold in Cairo as a potent charm, and confessedly indicates the conjunction of the two sexes in one design."-'The Origins of Pagan and Christian Beliefs by Edward Carpenter p.183
Thus was Jesus murdered:-
 
John 19:16-19
Then they took charge of Jesus. 17 And, bearing the torture stake for himself, he went out to the so-called Skull Place, which is called Gol�go�tha in Hebrew; 18 and there they impaled him, and two other [men] with him, one on this side and one on that, but Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate wrote a title also and put it on the torture stake. It was written: "Jesus the Naz�a�rene� the King of the Jews."
 
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LOL!!  Robin - Pontious Pilate was roman, not Jew and the governor over Judea.    Pilate offered to let Jesus go, but the Jews would not have it.

What really matters?  Jesus died for our salvation!
John 3
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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Originally posted by believer believer wrote:

LOL!!  Robin - Pontious Pilate was roman, not Jew and the governor over Judea.    Pilate offered to let Jesus go, but the Jews would not have it.

What really matters?  Jesus died for our salvation!
 
True!
 
But it has been misrepresented by the Churches as they have mixed pagan ideas with Biblical ideas and produced a false impression of who Jesus is, what he did and why he did what he did and form whom! 
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Robin,
I agree, not with "Jesus died for our sins" but the symbols used to identify different religions. I personally do not agree with cresent being a symbol of Islam. I do not see any reason for its use other than we follow lunar calander, may be for that reason some people start using it, until it became just a standard practice. May be those with more knowledge can shed some light.
Hasan
 


Edited by honeto - 22 May 2008 at 9:46am
The friends of God will certainly have nothing to fear, nor will they be grieved. Al Quran 10:62
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Bi ismillahi rahmani raheem

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_and_crescent

The star and crescent is a symbol consisting of a crescent with a star at the concave side. In its modern form, the star is usually shown with five points (though in earlier centuries a higher number of points was often used). Although the two signs together or the crescent only is often regarded as a symbol of Islam. The crescent and star, while generally regarded as Islamic symbols today, have long been used in Asia Minor and by the ancient Turks, earlier than the advent of Islam. According to archaeological excavations, G�kt�rks used the crescent and star figure on their coins. The 1500-year-old coin includes three crescent moon figures and a star near a person. Thus, one legend holds that the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman I, had a dream in which the crescent moon stretched from one end of the earth to the other. Taking this as a good omen, he chose to keep the crescent and make it the symbol of his dynasty. There is speculation that the five points on the star represent the five pillars of Islam, but this is pure conjecture. The five points were not standard on the Ottoman flags, and it is still not standard on flags used in the Muslim world today.

..............

It has nothing to do with Islam people just assume it does, its simply a Nationalistic symbol. Muslims also do not use it in the same manner as the cross i.e a holy symbol it basically has no religious significance.


Edited by rami - 25 May 2008 at 2:05pm
Rasul Allah (sallah llahu alaihi wa sallam) said: "Whoever knows himself, knows his Lord" and whoever knows his Lord has been given His gnosis and nearness.
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Let me state my personal view about the topic. Once I decided to wear a necklace or a ring carryin the crescent symbol. But I changed my mind when  I discovered that I was actually trying to compensate for my being away from the real Islamic practice and Islamic way of thinking. 
To me crescent is a very beautiful figure that fits well into the oriental ornaments but belief is in the heart and does not need to be shown with symbols if we are able to show it in our way of living. 
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