60 Questions for the Christian |
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Posted: 23 February 2009 at 1:21pm |
60 Questions for the Christian By Hussein Khalid Al-Hussein According to most Christians, Jesus was God-incarnate, full man and full God. Can the finite and the infinite be one? "To be full" God means freedom from finite forms and from helplessness, and to be "full man" means the absence of divinity. 1.To be son is to be less than divine and to be divine is to be no one�s son. How could Jesus have the attributes of sonship and divinity altogether? 2.Christians assert that Jesus claimed to be God when they quote him in John 14:9: "He that has seen me has seen the Father". Didn�t Jesus clearly say that people have never seen God, as it says in John 5:37: "And the father himself which Has sent me, has borne witness of me. You have NEITHER HEARD HIS VOICE AT ANY TIME NOR SEEN HIS SHAPE"? 3.Christians say that Jesus was God because he was called Son of God, Son of Man, Messiah, and "savior". Ezekiel was addressed in the Bible as Son of Man. Jesus spoke of "the peace makers" as Sons of God. Any person who followed the Will and Plan of God was called SON OF GOD in the Jewish tradition and in their language (Genesis 6:2,4; Exodus 4:22; Psalm 2:7; Romans 8:14). "Messiah" which in Hebrew means "God�s anointed" and not "Christ", and "Cyrus" the person is called "Messiah" or "the anointed". As for "savior", in II KINGS 13:5, other individuals were given that title too without being gods. So where is the proof in these terms that Jesus was God when the word son is not exclusively used for him alone? 4.Christians claim that Jesus acknowledged that he and God were one in the sense of nature when he says in John 10:30 "I and my father are one". Later on in John 17:21-23, Jesus refers to his followers and himself and God as one in five places. So why did they give the previous "one" a different meaning from the other five "ones? 5.Is God three-in-one and one in three simultaneously or one at a time? 6.If God is one and three simultaneously, then none of the three could be the complete God. Granting that such was the case, then when Jesus was on earth, he wasn�t a complete God, nor was the "father in Heaven" a whole God. Doesn�t that contradict what Jesus always said about His God and our God in heaven, his Lord and our Lord ? Does that also mean that there was no complete god then, between the claimed crucifixion and the claimed resurrection? 7.If God is one and three at a time, then who was the God in heaven when Jesus was on earth? Wouldn�t this contradict his many references to a God in Heaven that sent him? 8.If God is three and one at the same time, who was the God in Heaven within three days between the claimed crucifixion and the claimed resurrection? 9.Christians say that: "The Father(F) is God, the Son(S) is God, and the Holy Ghost(H) is God, but the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost is not the Father". In simple arithmetic and terms therefore, if F = G, S = G, and H = G, then it follows that F = S = H, while the second part of the statement suggests that F � S � H (meaning, "not equal"). Isn�t that a contradiction to the Christian dogma of Trinity in itself ? 10.If Jesus was God, why did he tell the man who called him "good master" not to call him "good" because accordingly, there is none good but his God in Heaven alone? 11.Why do Christians say that God is three-in-one and one in three when Jesus says in Mark 12:29: "The Lord our God is one Lord" in as many places as yet in the Bible? 12.If belief in the Trinity was such a necessary condition for being a Christian, why didn�t Jesus teach and emphasize it to the Christians during his time? How were those followers of Jesus considered Christians without ever hearing the term Trinity? Had the Trinity been the spinal cord of Christianity, Jesus would have emphasized it on many occasions and would have taught and explained it in detail to the people. 13.Christians claim that Jesus was God as they quote in John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". This is John speaking and not Jesus. Also, the Greek word for the first occurrence of God is HOTHEOS which means "the God" or "God" with a capital "G", while the Greek word for its second occurrence is "TONTHEOS", which means "a god " or "god" with a small "g". Isn�t this dishonesty and inconsistency on the part of those translating the Greek Bible? ? Isn�t such quotation in John 1:1 recognized by every Christian scholar of the Bible to have been written by a Jew named Philo Alexandria way before Jesus and John? 14.Wasn�t the word "god" or "TONTHEOS" also used to refer to others as well as in II Corinthians 4:4 "(and the Devil is) the god of this world" and in Exodus 7:1 "See , I have made thee (Moses ) a god to Pharaoh"? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SALVATION: Christians say that "GOD LOST His only son to save us". To whom did God lose Jesus if he owns the whole universe? 15. If it was agreeable with God�s Majesty to have sons, He could have created a million sons the like of Jesus. So what is the big clear deal about this only son? 16.Why does the Bible say that Jesus wanted to die on the cross, when the one on the cross was shouting "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" according to Matthew 27:45 and Mark 15:33? 17. If God had wanted to save us, couldn�t He have done that without sacrificing Jesus? 18. God is Just, and justice requires that nobody should be punished for the sins of others, nor should some people be saved by punishing other people. Doesn�t the claim that God sacrificed Jesus to save us because He was Just, contradict the definition of justice? 19. People sacrifice things they have to get something they don�t have when they can�t have both. Christians say that "God SACRIFICED His only son to save us". We know that God is Almighty; to whom did He sacrifice Jesus? 20. A real sacrifice is when you can�t get back what you have offered , so what would be the big deal about such a sacrifice if God could recover the same offering? (according to the Christians� terminology)? 21. If all the Christians are saved through Jesus and are going to Heaven no matter what they do, then the teachings of Jesus are irrelevant and the definition of good and bad are also rendered irrelevant. If this is not so, then do Christians who believe in Jesus yet do not follow his teachings nor repent go to Hell? 22. How can Christians take deeds as irrelevant after becoming one when Jesus says in Matthew 12:36; "But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment. For by the words thou shalt be justified, and by the words thou shalt be condemned"? 23. Christians say that people go to Heaven ONLY THROUGH JESUS, yet Paul says in 1 CORINTHIANS 7:8-16 that the unbelieving husband is acceptable to God because he is united with his wife and vice versa, and their pagan children are also acceptable to God. So people can go to heaven without believing in Jesus according to this. 24. How come the Bible says that ALL Israel is saved although they don�t believe in Jesus? Doesn�t that contradict the claim in the Bible that the only way to heaven is through Jesus? 25. According to Christians, those who have not been baptized will go to Hell. So even the infants and babies go to Hell if not baptized, since they are born with an inherited original sin. Doesn�t this contradict the definition of justice? Why would God punish people for sins they never committed? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLY SPIRIT: The only place in the Bible where the Paraclete was called the Holy Spirit is in John 14:26 "But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you". What has the Holy Spirit brought or taught for the last 2000 years? 26.Christians say that the Paraclete means the Holy Spirit (John 14;26). Jesus said in John 16:7-8 "If I do not go away the Paraclete will not come to you". This could not mean the Holy spirit, since the Holy spirit was said to have been there before Jesus was even born as in Luke 1:41 "Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit". Here, the Holy spirit was also present during Jesus life time. So how could this fit with the condition that Jesus must go away so that the Holy spirit will come? 27.In John 16:7-8, it says: "But if go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of sins and of righteousness and of Judgment". What do "he" and "him" refer here? Don�t they refer to a man? 28.Does the Holy Spirit talk to good Christians and bad Christians as well? Is the Holy spirit with them all the time or just at certain times? When does it start visiting a person who wants to become a Christian? 29.How can you as a Christian tell if the Holy Spirit is inside another Christian? How come many Christians fooled people by claiming that the Holy spirit was inside them only to be converted to another religion later on ? 30.Does the Holy Spirit dictate what Christians should do without choice or freedom at all or does it only guide them and they have the freedom to follow or not ? 31.If the Holy Spirit dictates what Christian should do, why do Christians commit sins and make mistakes ? How can you explain the conversion to other religions and atheism of many Christians? Are they told to do that by the Holy Spirit? 32.If the Holy Spirit guides Christians only, and they are free to do what they want, then how do we know that the writers of the Gospels didn�t make mistakes in writing them? 33.If Christians believe that the Holy Spirit comes and talks to them everyday, why don�t they ask the Holy Spirit about which version of the Bible to follow since there are too many versions floating around? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION OF JESUS: Without borrowing from other religions and systems, can Christianity provide people with a complete way of life? Since Christianity is limited to spiritual life and does not provide law, how can a society decide which laws are right or wrong? 34.Why do the Christians say that Jesus came with a universal mission when he said that he was sent to the Jews only? He said to the Canaanite woman who asked him to heal her daughter from demon-possession: "I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel" and also said: "It is not right to take the children�s bread and toss it to their dogs", Matthew 15:21-28. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RESSURECTION: If you read Matthew (28:1-10), Mark (16:1-20), Luke (24:1-12), and John (20: 1-18), you will find contradicting stories. They all agreed that the tomb was guarded for three days. However, they reported the discovery of the empty tomb differently. � Matthew (28) and John (20) reported that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were the first to discover the tomb. � Mark (16) reports that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were the first to discover the empty tomb. � Mark (28) reports that there was an earthquake that removed the rock from over the tomb. He says that an angel caused it. The other gospels do not mention of an earthquake. � Matthew and Mark say that only ONE man in white clothes was sitting on the tomb when the woman arrived, and that he was an angel. � Luke says that TWO men in white clothes, who were angels, were sitting. Johns says that the two women did not meet anybody the first time they came to the tomb, but when they returned, they saw TWO people, ONE was an ANGEL, and the other was JESUS. � Matthew reports that when the guards reported this to the chief priest, the chief priest paid them a large sum of money, telling them: "You have to say that his disciples came at night and stole his body." He claims that the soldiers took money and spread the story around and since then, the story had been circulating among the Jews until today (according to Matthew). The other gospels do not report of any such thing. 35. Which narration now is more authentic? 36.Why is the appearance of Jesus after the crucifixion taken as a proof of his resurrection when there is an explanation that he was not dead because someone else was crucified in his place when God saved Him? 37.How did Matthew know of the claimed agreement between the soldiers and the chief priest? Can�t someone say that someone paid the women a large sum of money and told them to spread the word around that Jesus rose from the dead, with the same authenticity as that of the story of Matthew? 38.Why did they believe that man in the white clothes? Why did they believe he was an angel? John�s narration is too strange, since he says that Mary did not recognize Jesus (one of the two) while talking to him, and she only recognized him when he called her by her name. 39.How does an empty tomb prove that Jesus was crucified ? Isn�t it that God is capable of removing another man from the tomb, and of resurrecting him too? 40.The Gospels are believed to be the verbatim words of God, they are supposed to be dictated by the Holy Spirit to the Disciples who wrote them. If the source were the same, why shouldn�t they correspond with each other in reporting such an important event? 41.How could Matthew, Mark, Luke and John be considered eyewitnesses of resurrection when the Bible implies that nobody at all saw Jesus coming out of the tomb? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLE: If the Christians consider the Old Testament as God�s Word, why did they cancel the parts of the Old Testament that dealt with punishment (example: the punishment for adultery)? 42.Why doesn�t Mark 16:9-20 exist in as many versions of the Bible while it exists as a footnote or between brackets in some other versions? Is a footnote in the Bible still considered as God�s word, especially when it addresses an important feature like the Ascension? 43.Why does the Catholic Bible contain 73 books while the Protestant Bible has only 66? With both claiming to have the complete Word of God, which one should be believed and why? 44.Where do those new translations of the Bible keep coming from when the original Bible is not even available ? The Greek manuscripts which are translations themselves are not even similar with each other. 45.How can you take two gospels from writers who never met Jesus, like Mark and Luke? 46.Why is half of the New Testament written by a man who never even met Jesus in his lifetime? PAUL claimed with no proof that he had met Jesus while on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus. PAUL was the main enemy of Christianity. Isn�t that reason enough to question the authenticity of what he wrote? Why do the Christians call those books of the Old Testament "God�s Word" when the revisors of the RSV Bible say that some of the authors are UNKNOWN? They say that the author of SAMUEL is "UNKNOWN" and that of CHRONICLES is "UNKOWN, PROBABLY COLLECTED AND EDITED BY EZRA"! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTRADICTIONS: 47.Concerning the controversial issues in the Bible, how can Christians decide by two-thirds majority what is God�s Word and what is not, as the prefaces of some Bibles say like that one of the RSV ? 48.Why does Luke in his gospel report the Ascension on Easter Day, and in the Acts, in which he is recognized as the author, FORTY days later? 49.The genealogy of Jesus is mentioned in Matthew and Luke only. Matthew listed 26 forefathers from Joseph to David while Luke enumerated 41 forefathers. Only Joseph matches with Joseph in those two lists. Not a single other name matches! If these were inspired by God word by word, how could they be different? Some claim that one is for Mary and one is for Joseph, but where does it says Mary in those two Gospels? 50.If Moses wrote the first books of the Old Testament, how could Moses write his own obituary? Moses died in the fifth book at age 120 as mentioned in Deut. 34:5-10. 51.In the King James Version, why does it report SEVEN years of famine in II SAMUEL 24:13 while it reports THREE years of famine in I CHRONICLES 21:12? Why did they change both to THREE years in the New International Version and other versions? 52.Still In the same King James Version, why does it say that Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign in II CHRONICLES 21:12, while it says EIGHTEEN years in II KINGS 24:8? Why did thessey change in both to EIGHTEEN in the new Versions? 53.In all versions, why does it say that David slew the men of SEVEN HUNDRED chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand HORSEMEN as evidenced in II Samuel 10:18 while its says SEVEN THOUSAND men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand FOOTMEN, in I CHRONICLES 19:18? 54.In all versions, why does it report TWO thousand baths in I KINGS 7:26 while II CHRONICLES 4:5 reports THREE THOUSAND? 55.In the King James version, why does it report that Solomon had FOUR THOUSAND stalls for horses in II CHRONICLES 9:25 while it accounts that Solomon had FORTY THOUSAND stalls of horses in 1 KINGS 4:26? Why did they change both to FOUR THOUSAND in the new versions? 56.In GENESIS 1, God�s creation progresses from grass to trees to fowls, whales, cattle and creeping things and finally to man and woman. GENESIS 2, however, puts the creation of man before cattle and fowl and woman subsequent to beast. How can this be explained? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUR�AN AND CHRISTIANS This section does not inquire or interrogate, but rather provides the reader with some of the Qur�anic verses that address the Christians in particular, and the people of the scripture in general. A great portion of the Qur�an pertains to or involves the Christians and the Jews and I decided to just choose verses that are related to the topic of this manuscript. � "Lo! The likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then said unto him: Be, and he was." Al-Qur�an 3:59. "Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for Lords besides Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto him). "O People of the Scripture! Why will you argue about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were revealed till after him? Have you then no sense? Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright man who had surrendered (to Allah), and he was not of the idolaters. Lo! Those of mankind who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and his Prophet and those who believe (with him); and Allah is the Protector of the believers. A party of the People of the Scripture longs to make you go astray; and they make none to go astray except themselves, but they perceive not. O People of the Scripture! Why disbelieve you in the revelations of Allah, when you (yourselves) bear witness to their truth? O People of the Scriptures! Why confound you truth with falsehood and knowingly conceal the Truth? (Al-Qur�an 3: 64-71) And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him and in the hereafter, He will be one of the losers (Al-Qur�an 3:85). And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, and Allah�s messenger. They slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them, and Lo! Those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain: But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise. (Al-Qur�an 4:157-158). O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter ought concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him, so believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three"! Cease! (it is ) better for you! Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as defender. The Messiah will never scorn to be a slave unto Allah, nor will the favored angels. Whosoever scorns His service and is proud, all such will assemble unto Him. Then, as for those who believed and did good works, unto them will He give them their wages in full, adding unto them of His bounty; and as for those who were scornful and proud, then He will punish with a painful doom." (Al-Qur�an 4:171-173). "And with those who say Lo! We are Christians, We made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished. Therefore We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them of their handiwork. O People of the Scripture! Now has our messenger come unto you, expounding unto you much of that which you used to hide in the Scripture, and forgiving much. Now has come unto light from Allah and plain scripture: Whereby Allah guides him who seeks His good pleasure unto paths of peace, He brings them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and guides them unto a Straight Path. They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah if he had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah�s is the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He creates what he wills. And Allah is able to do all things. (Al-Qur�an 5:14:17). "They surely disbelieve who say; Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah (himself) said: O children if Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and you Lord. Lo! Whosoever ascribes partners unto Allah, for him Allah has forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evildoers ,there will be no helpers. They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of the three; when there is no God save the One God. If they desist not from so saying, a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve. Will they not rather turn unto Allah and seek forgiveness of Him? For Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful. Say: Serve you in place of Allah that which possesses for you neither hurt nor use? Allah is the Hearer, the Knower. Say: O People of the Scripture! Stress not in your religion other than the Truth, and follow not the vain desire of folks who erred of old and led many astray, and erred from a plain road." (Al-Qur�an 5:72-77) "And when Allah says: O Jesus, son of Mary: Did you say unto mankind: take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah?, he says: Be glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right. If I used to say it, then You Knew it, You know what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Your mind. Lo! You, only You, are the knower of things hidden. I spoke unto them only that which You commanded me (saying); worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. I witness of them while I dwelt among them, and when You took me, You were the Watcher over them. You are witness over all things. If You punish them, Lo! They are Your slaves, and if you forgive them (Lo! They are Your slaves). Lo! You, only you are the Mighty, the Wise. Allah says: This is a day in which their truthfulness profits the truthful, for theirs are Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they are secure forever, Allah taking pleasure in them and they in Him. That is the great triumph. (Al-Qur�an 5:116-119) "And the Jews say: �Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah�, and the Christians say: �The Messiah is the son of Allah�. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah fights against them. How perverse they are! They have taken as Lord besides Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One God. There is no God save Him. Be He glorified from all that they ascribe as partners (unto him)! Faint would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah disdains (aught) save that He shall perfect His light, however much the disbelievers are averse. He it is Who has sent His messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth, to cause it to prevail over all religions, however much the idolaters may be averse. O you who believe! Lo! many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks devour the wealth of mankind wantonly and debar (people) from the way of Allah. They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah, unto them give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom. On the Day when it will (all) be heated in the fire of Hell, and their foreheads and their flanks and their backs will be branded therewith (and it will be said unto them): Here is that which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard." (Al-Qur�an 9:30-35). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MUHAMMAD OR JESUS? Christians claim that the prophecy in Deut. 18:18 refers to Jesus and not Muhammad. The verse says: "I will raise them up a prophet from among THEIR BRETHREN, LIKE UNTO THEE, and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." The only reason they resort to such interpretation is that both Moses and Jesus were prophets. Even this one contradicts their claim that Jesus was God and not a Prophet. Many prophets of the Jews had the similarity with Moses. However, if we compare Muhammad to Moses, we will find that: Muhammad was an Arab, and the Arabs are from Ishmael, son of Abraham, while Moses was a Jew, and the Jews are from Isaac, son of Abraham. Hence, the term THEIR BRETHREN refers to the children of the first son being brethren of the children of the other. This couldn�t apply to Jesus, since he was a Jew. According to the Christians, Jesus went to Hell for three days while Moses did not. Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses. (In Islam, none of the three Prophets went to Hell) Moses and Muhammad were born to fathers and mothers while Jesus was born to a mother alone. Moses and Muhammad got married and had children, while Jesus did not marry at all. Moses and Muhammad got problems and difficulties from their people initially, but were accepted by them at the end., whereas Jesus was rejected by his people at the start and is still rejected by the Jews until today. "He (Jesus) came unto his own, but his own received him not".( John 1:11) Moses and Muhammad had power, besides being prophets. They both performed some capital punishments, for example, while Jesus had no power over his people. "My kingdom is not of this world", Jesus said in John 18:36 . Moses and Muhammad brought new laws while Jesus did not. Moses was forced to emigrate in adulthood to Median while Muhammad was forced to emigrate at that stage in his life too, towards Madina . Whereas Jesus did not have such forced emigration in his adulthood . Moses and Muhammad both died of natural deaths after which they were buried ,while the same could not be said of Jesus. He was neither killed nor crucified at all, according to the Qur�an and did not die a �natural� death as could be affirmed by Christians who believe in Crucifixion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL QUESTIONS: 57.Why won�t you, Christian reader, come to hear and learn of the true religion of Jesus? 58.Have you, as a Christian , learned of Islam and if so, was it from the true Muslims? 59.As a Christian, do you agree that out of fairness and honesty you must investigate what Islam says about God, Jesus, including this life and the hereafter? 60.Being a Christian, do you also believe that we must all stand accountable to our Creator and that the Creator is Perfect and Just? As a sincere believer in God, don�t you owe it upon yourself to find out the entire unadulterated truth regardless of the consequences? ----------------------------------------
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Akhe Abdullah
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As Salamu Alaikum the truth.If I havent welcomed you to the forum,Please allow me to do so.Welcome!Jazakallah Kheiran for the topic and post.I can say from my own experience here that some not all of the Chirstian members come here to debate after they have read the Holy Qur'an.I am waiting to see who wants to attempt to answer your questions.
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believer
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Many of these questions have been and are being argues/discussed in other threads in the forum. I can give answers then leave it at that and we can argue the points on the other threads.
If the Christians consider the Old Testament as God�s Word, why did they cancel the parts of the Old Testament that dealt with punishment (example: the punishment for adultery)? Read Luke 6:37-42,
42.Why doesn�t Mark 16:9-20 exist in as many versions of the Bible while it exists as a footnote or between brackets in some other versions? Is a footnote in the Bible still considered as God�s word, especially when it addresses an important feature like the Ascension? The Bible is based on truth and it doesn't appear in some of the oldest existing witnesses. Why not include it with a note that it is under question. Why destroy it /burn it and lose the verses forever.
43.Why does the Catholic Bible contain 73 books while the Protestant Bible has only 66? With both claiming to have the complete Word of God, which one should be believed and why? As a protestant I follow the 66, which the Catholics include in their 72. I can read them if I wish none have been burned or destroyed, I just don't believe they are the Word of GOD. The proof for the 66 is stronger then the whole 72 44.Where do those new translations of the Bible keep coming from when the original Bible is not even available ? The Greek manuscripts which are translations themselves are not even similar with each other. As linguists are learning and understanding the language used in Jesus' time and earlier a better understanding is coming about. Many words change meaning over time- even in the Quran there is question as to the true meaning of words. 45.How can you take two gospels from writers who never met Jesus, like Mark and Luke? The scribes Luke and Mark were directly inspired by GOD. No middle men or angels. Just because they were not named as diciples it doesn't mean they didn't follow Jesus. 46.Why is half of the New Testament written by a man who never even met Jesus in his lifetime? PAUL claimed with no proof that he had met Jesus while on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus. PAUL was the main enemy of Christianity. Isn�t that reason enough to question the authenticity of what he wrote? Why do the Christians call those books of the Old Testament "God�s Word" when the revisors of the RSV Bible say that some of the authors are UNKNOWN? They say that the author of SAMUEL is "UNKNOWN" and that of CHRONICLES is "UNKOWN, PROBABLY COLLECTED AND EDITED BY EZRA"!
Silly arguement- we don't know who wrote down the Quran which is a much later document. There were witnesses present when Jesus appeared, met Paul. There is also the outside witness Ananias proof, please read:
Acts 9Saul's Conversion1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" 11The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." 13"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." 15But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." 17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord�Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here�has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength. |
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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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believer
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MISSION OF JESUS:
Without borrowing from other religions and systems, can Christianity provide people with a complete way of life? Since Christianity is limited to spiritual life and does not provide law, how can a society decide which laws are right or wrong? You must actually read the read the Gospel to learn all the moral lessons taught by Jesus, they are through out.
Matthew 22
37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 34.Why do the Christians say that Jesus came with a universal mission when he said that he was sent to the Jews only? He said to the Canaanite woman who asked him to heal her daughter from demon-possession: "I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel" and also said: "It is not right to take the children�s bread and toss it to their dogs", Matthew 15:21-28.
Read futher:
28Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Matthew 28 16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." |
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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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believer
Guest Group Joined: 08 January 2008 Status: Offline Points: 1397 |
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FINAL QUESTIONS:
57.Why won�t you, Christian reader, come to hear and learn of the true religion of Jesus? 58.Have you, as a Christian , learned of Islam and if so, was it from the true Muslims? I have learned studied Islam for 5 years by reading the Quran and some of hadith. I have also learned alot from people on the forums I have gone to.
59.As a Christian, do you agree that out of fairness and honesty you must investigate what Islam says about God, Jesus, including this life and the hereafter? Yes, I have studied many different religions 60.Being a Christian, do you also believe that we must all stand accountable to our Creator and that the Creator is Perfect and Just? As a sincere believer in God, don�t you owe it upon yourself to find out the entire unadulterated truth regardless of the consequences?
Yes and I have Jesus to stand with me on Judgement Day, as He has cleaned my slate of all debts owed. I have found the truth. I'll stop here and let you get all this info read and will return later to finish your question. If I forget please send me a private message! |
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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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_ALI_
Groupie Male Joined: 17 February 2008 Status: Offline Points: 76 |
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Salam Believer
If the Christians consider the Old Testament as God�s Word, why did they cancel the parts of the Old Testament that dealt with punishment (example: the punishment for adultery)? Read Luke 6:37-42
In Luke 37-42, Jesus does not say that all parts of punishment have been cancelled. It only says that a criminal shouldn't blame another criminal since the former has committed a crime himself. v42 says
42How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?
The only way a person can punish/correct another person is by shunning his crimes and becoming pious. THEN he will be able to correct his brother. As the verse continues:You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
It doesn't mean that a human being cannot punish others. It means that a criminal cannot punish others for the same crime he has committed. Only once he shuns his crimes (removes the plank from his eyes) he can rebuke others. Furthermore if we agree that laws of Moses should not be applied by Christians, then Jesus has effectively made most of Moses' laws obsolete which contradicts with what Jesus said here (Mathew 5:17-19)
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
42.Why doesn�t Mark 16:9-20 exist in as many versions of the Bible while it exists as a footnote or between brackets in some other versions? Is a footnote in the Bible still considered as God�s word, especially when it addresses an important feature like the Ascension? The Bible is based on truth and it doesn't appear in some of the oldest existing witnesses. Why not include it with a note that it is under question. Why destroy it /burn it and lose the verses forever.
So are you saying that the concept of ascension is under question? And that there are contradictions regarding which part of the Bible is/isn't the word of God?
44.Where do those new translations of the Bible keep coming from when the original Bible is not even available ? The Greek manuscripts which are translations themselves are not even similar with each other. As linguists are learning and understanding the language used in Jesus' time and earlier a better understanding is coming about. Many words change meaning over time- even in the Quran there is question as to the true meaning of words.
In Quran, the fundamentals are same. For example, in Surah Ikhlas the first verse is:Say He is Allah, the one and only. The word Ahad has been translated as:One, One and only, One(without a second) etc. Such differences exist in the translations of Quran and they are very trivial. However in the Bible, translations differ a lot. For example, one of the most quoted verse by Christians (it also happens to be your signature) has different translations
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. (NI)
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.(KJV)
Surely there is a difference between "one and only" and "begotten". I'll reply to the rest later
Peace
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_ALI_
Groupie Male Joined: 17 February 2008 Status: Offline Points: 76 |
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45.How can you take two gospels from writers who never met Jesus, like Mark and Luke?
The scribes Luke and Mark were directly inspired by GOD. No middle men or angels. Just because they were not named as diciples it doesn't mean they didn't follow Jesus. How do you know that they were directly inspired by God? Is it because they said so? So if anyone claims that he is being directly inspired by God you are suppose to believe him? Or did Jesus mentioned that Luke and Mark will be inspired by God?46.Why is half of the New Testament written by a man who never even met Jesus in his lifetime? PAUL claimed with no proof that he had met Jesus while on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus. PAUL was the main enemy of Christianity. Isn�t that reason enough to question the authenticity of what he wrote? Why do the Christians call those books of the Old Testament "God�s Word" when the revisors of the RSV Bible say that some of the authors are UNKNOWN? They say that the author of SAMUEL is "UNKNOWN" and that of CHRONICLES is "UNKOWN, PROBABLY COLLECTED AND EDITED BY EZRA"!
Silly arguement- we don't know who wrote down the Quran which is a much later document. Completely incorrect. We do know who wrote down the Quran. It was revealed to prophet Muhammad from God and his companions wrote it down. Quran was revealed in stages and after the death of prophet Muhammad, the Revelation was available both orally and written down on various materials. Its internal order was known to the Muslims and strictly observed by them. But in the battle of Yamama, faught by the first Caliph Abu Bakr and a false prophet Musailima, some of the Qurra (people who had memorized the whole Quran) were killed. So Abu Bakr was advised by Umar (who later became the 2nd Caliph) that Quran should be collected in one piece. They assigned Zaid Bin Thabit for the task. The whole story is narrated in In Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 201 by Zaid bin Thabit Al-Ansari:
Abu Bakr sent for me after the (heavy) casualties among the warriors (of the battle) of Yamama (where a great number of Qurra' were killed). 'Umar was present with Abu Bakr who said, 'Umar has come to me and said, The people have suffered heavy casualties on the day of (the battle of) Yamama, and I am afraid that there will be more casualties among the Qurra' (those who know the Qur'an by heart) at other battle-fields, whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost, unless you collect it. And I am of the opinion that you should collect the Qur'an." Abu Bakr added, "I said to 'Umar, 'How can I do something which Allah's Apostle has not done?' 'Umar said (to me), 'By Allah, it is (really) a good thing.' So 'Umar kept on pressing, trying to persuade me to accept his proposal, till Allah opened my bosom for it and I had the same opinion as 'Umar." (Zaid bin Thabit added:) Umar was sitting with him (Abu Bakr) and was not speaking. me). "You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you (of telling lies or of forgetfulness): and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Apostle. Therefore, look for the Qur'an and collect it (in one manuscript). " By Allah, if he (Abu Bakr) had ordered me to shift one of the mountains (from its place) it would not have been harder for me than what he had ordered me concerning the collection of the Qur'an. I said to both of them, "How dare you do a thing which the Prophet has not done?" Abu Bakr said, "By Allah, it is (really) a good thing. So I kept on arguing with him about it till Allah opened my bosom for that which He had opened the bosoms of Abu Bakr and Umar. So I started locating Quranic material and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leaf-stalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who knew it by heart). The Hadith further continues and in the end it is narrated The manuscript on which the Quran was collected, remained with Abu Bakr till Allah took him unto Him, and then with 'Umar till Allah took him unto Him, and finally it remained with Hafsa, Umar's daughter. The story continues but I think I made my point.
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_ALI_
Groupie Male Joined: 17 February 2008 Status: Offline Points: 76 |
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As for the conversion of Paul and his vision, who exactly wrote the book of Acts? Who narrated this story?
MISSION OF JESUS:
Without borrowing from other religions and systems, can Christianity provide people with a complete way of life? Since Christianity is limited to spiritual life and does not provide law, how can a society decide which laws are right or wrong? You must actually read the read the Gospel to learn all the moral lessons taught by Jesus, they are through out.
Matthew 22
37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." I think (though I may be wrong) that "the truth" is refering to the laws made by society or a country. What should be the punishment of a thief, murderer etc? Is interest allowed or not? Christianity is silent here. Hence it is limited to only the spiritual aspect of life. |
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